RosieinOz

At last we have a plan for our trip to Germany in December. We will fly from London to
Berlin - 3 nights.Train to
Prague - 3 nights ( Cesky Krumlov day trip?)
Train to Munich 2 nights
Pick up hire car drive to Rothenburg? 3 night in Romantic Road area.
Drive to Boppard 2 nights in castle and 1/2 day trip on Rhine.
Drive to Strasbourg (leave car on German side of border!!
If anyone has any suggestions or ideas on best stays in the Romantic Road area we would appreciate it. We have been to Bad Tolz and Fussen which has been our only experience of Germany.
Thanks for any help.
Rosie

Aramis

I think Rothenburg is the best choice. It is central to the northern part of the RR (you are going to Munchen later and have already seen Fussen and Bad Tolz) and a good spot from which to move on to Boppard.) You will also get the full benefit of experiencing R od T in the evenings and early mornings. There are more than enough possible daytrips from R od T - Wurzburg, Dinkelsbuehl, Nordlingen, Bamberg, Iphofen, etc. to keep you busy.

RosieinOz

Thanks Aramis, that's reassuring. Do you know if Regensburg is worth detouring to or will we see other similar towns where we are heading?
Thanks
Rosie

Aramis

It's up to you. Regensburg is a little out of the way driving north from Munchen to R od T but not too much. I like the city a lot, but with so much around R od T and just the three days......

You will hear from people who say R od T is overrated and overrun. I say that it is popular for a reason - just plan your trips ( I have made 4 there so far) to take advantage of it's quieter times and it will probably be a favourite - if you are into that fairy-tale German town kind of thing at all.

Stay inside the walls - period!

Anyone who says they wouldn't go because of the bus loads of tourists could not have walked through the streets or outside the walls (I love my Burggarten) on the valley side at sunrise/sunset.

bdjtbenson

I like Wurtzburg for one of the nights.

Mimar

I say skip the nights along the Romantic Road and add in time on the Mosel River. It's near the Rhine at Boppard and was the highlight of our trip to Germany. The Mosel is a pretty small river lined with vineyards and cute small towns, perfect for driving along. And it has Burg Eltz, the perfect castle.

robertino

Hi Rosie -

Yep, stay in Rothenburg. It's wonderful in the early morning before the tour buses arrive and in the evening after the tour buses have left. Use Rburg as a base to visit Wuerzburg, Bamberg, etc. during the day.

I have stayed at the Gerberhaus twice and thought it was great.

flsd

We stayed in a non-touristy town (Crailsheim) and used it as our base for touring the region. It was less expensive and we enjoyed the peace and quiet of a small town.

RufusTFirefly

Rothenburg is too touristy for a long stay for us (a long stay in Rothenburg for us would be more than a morning or an afternoon). It is worth visiting and is very photo worthy, but the old town is just a tourist enclave with cutesy shops and dining places aimed at the package tour bus crowd. It all depends on what kind of travel experience you want.

Places like Wuerzberg and Bamberg and Dinkelsbuehl make good overnight spots. There's also a castle hotel with a good restaurant just a few minutes drive east of Rothenburg that is very good: Burg Colmberg.

AisleSeat

We made a special trip to see Regensburg and we were pretty disappointed. Not as much to see and do. On a limited time trip I would echo the recommendation that you see Rothenburg and Dinkelsbuhl. Also in the area we like the Necker River more than the Rhine for quaint villages and castles on the hills overlooking the river. Heidelburg is a nice place to visit also.

ira

HI R,

We very much enjoyed two nights in RodT, and wouldn't have been bored with a third.

We stayed with Frau Karin Weiss, about a 10 min walk outside the walls.

She is quite a character, and a very good hostess.

http://www.haus-karin.de/engl.htm

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/hauskar...enburgodt.html

RufusTFirefly

Staying outside the walls might be better.

Dutch

I've stayed in Rothenburg several times, in and outside the walls. My favorite was my stay at Haus Karin that ira recommends. It is located just outside the wall. Karin was very helpful and the breakfast was great. The charm of Rothenburg still keeps me going back.

There are many places you could use as a base in Bavaria. Wurzburg, Bamberg, and even one of my favorites, Coburg. I loved Regensburg, BTW.

Sue878

RosieinOz:
I recommend staying in Rothenburg. We stopped in Dinkelsbuehl but we liked Rothenburg better. We stayed 2 nights/3 days.

We stayed inside the wall at the Gastof Goldner Greifen. Very nice, family run hotel and restaurant.

Inge_On_The_Go

If you are going in December you may want to reconsider the day trip to Cesky Krumlov. I believe the castle is closed and with only three days in Prague you may want to maximize your time there.

Inge_On_The_Go

Meant to also mention that the boats are probably not running on the Rhine at that time of year.

RosieinOz

Thanks everyone...so much wonderful information!!
I think we will play the Cesky Krumlov trip by ear ...depending on the weather and how we feel at the time...no need to book the train I'm told. Although it looks amazing there are soo many amazing small towns in Europe I guess we can't see them all!
Rothenburg is definitely where we will stay...inside/outside the walls?? All suggestions appear to be great!
Thanks Mimar for your suggestion. We are planning to go on from Boppard to the Mosel area and see Burg Eltz.
Does everyone think we need to book this areas accommodation? We do like to arrive in a place knowing we have a bed but if the weather is off or the area flooded as can happen...heaven forbid...we may change where we go... Zell if the weather is good or Cochem?
Love to know what everyone thinks.
Thanks again...I'll owe this place a really good trip report after this one!
Rosie

Aramis

Rosie;

Again, I recommend you stay inside the walls. That is the magic of Rothenburg and it only gets better in the calmer hours. If you would consider staying in the suburbs when you visited a big city then maybe staying outside the walls would make sense, but all the hotels with the architecture and charm you are heading to R od T to see are inside the walls.

I can recommend Hotel Kloster - Steuble, Hotel Gerberhaus, and Gotisches Haus. There are many others that are terrific, too.

You could also check out the best reviewed ones on Tripadvisor and Bookings.com and find what fits your taste and budget.

RosieinOz

Thanks Aramis I really appreciate the help...hope we are making the right decision visiting Germany (and Prague)in December but we haven't seen much of it and are on our way to have Christmas in the French Alps with our kids.
Tonight I seem to have read a few negative comments and yet there are great comments about the lack of crowds and the Christmas markets.
Everyone's great input is helping heaps!
Rosie

RosieinOz

ttt