Winter drives, castles, small towns
 

I need some reccommendations on winter drives/itin for Germany Austria switz. Although, I have been all over Europe, I have never been to Germany, Austria or Switz. I am looking for a mix of rural, historic and atmospheric. Ideas?

Jen: Try Bavaria. We drove from Regensberg to Bertchesgarten and it was gorgeous - "rural, historic and atmospheric" as you requested. This was in mid-October of last year. Only snow was on the mountains.

Also, the Wachau Valley in Austria is very scenic along the Danube with lots of cool castles and churches. If you are going in mid-winter, might be less snow there.

Have fun!

ditto on bavaria/salzburg area.
fussen, and the small towns around there were fabulous.
an unforgettable vacation.

Bavaria is definitey the place to drive in winter. Maybe get to the Romantic Road and around the Linderhof Castle area - very gorgeous! The Black Forest is great to drive in and around too.

There are 150 Vacation Highways and Scenic Routings in Germany which were chosen because of the beauty of their landscape or because they are connected to a specific cultural theme.

I particularly like:
The Romantic Road
The Fairy Tale Route

There's also:
The German Alpine Road
The Castle Route
The German Wine Route
The Highway of Kings and Emperors
The Alps to the Baltic Vacation Route

The German Tourist Board has more information.
http://www.germany-tourism.de/

My reaction is that driving in the winter might not be that pleasant. The roads could be icy and/or snowy. The weather could be generally wet and the outdoor life that exists in the summer has moved indoors. I would choose a cities itinerary unless I had a specific acitivity in mind, such as skiing.

I love Bavaria and would second the recommendation to Brechtesgaden but throw in Salzburg while while you are at it. If the roads get slick you can stay on the autobahns to Garmish out of Munich or Salzburg. If you get to Garmish go on 10 miles further to Mittenwald (the violin makers town) and if you can make ti to Linderhoff castle, Oberammergau and then on to Fussen and Neuschwanstein you will will have a great trip.