PalenQ

It would be a real treat IMO to stay in one of those cute wine towns like Durnstein so you explore the Wachau Valley at leisure - then move onto Vienna for 3 days.

Durnstein: https://www.google.com/search?q=durn...w=1745&bih=868

sla019

>>Days 3, 4, 5, 6 (7/8, 7/9, 7/10), 7/11) Travel along the Autobahn B3 road making stops along the way. Wurzburg [75 miles from Frankfurt]- Rothenberg ob der Tauber [medieval old town]- Nordlingen- Augsburg- Hohenschwangau [want to
see Linderhoff Palace, Neuschwanstein [82 miles sw of Munich] before dropping car off in Munich]<<

Your itinerary might look like this:

Day 1: Morning: Frankfurt - Würzburg. Parking at Residenzplatz, just in front of the Residenz (not the cheapest one but easy to find). Afternoon Würzburg -- Rothenburg o.d.T. (lots of parkings outside the historical center). Afternoon in Rothenburg. Large selection of hotels (my personal preference is a few km outside: Hotel Landwehrbräu, Reichelshofen: a bit pricy, but comfortable, quiet, excellent food and home made beer: http://www.landwehr-braeu.de)

Day 2: Rothenburg - Dinkelsbühl - Nördlingen (lunch) - Augsburg (don't miss Elias Holl's splendid town hall; cheapest parking garage at Victoriastrasse, 100m N of the station) - Landsberg am Lech (beautiful medieval town, 30 km S of Augsburg). Parkings along the river and around the station, nice hotel at central square (http://www.hotel-goggl.de/).

Day 3: Landsberg - Wieskirche - Füssen (no hotel suggestion, sorry). Visit Neuschwanstein in late afternoon.

Day 4: Füssen - Linderhof - Ettal (splendid baroque basilica; have lunch at the benedictine inn "Ludwig der Bayer").
Please note: to reach Linderhof from Füssen you have to drive a couple of km's through Austria (Reutte- Plansee). Make sure it's ok with the rental company.
Afternoon: visit, e.g., Lake Kochel and the Franz Marc Museum (http://www.franz-marc-museum.de/) or go to the Buchheim Museum (of modern art) at Bernried / Lake Starnberg (http://www.buchheimmuseum.de/international/english.php). Drive into Munich after 6pm to avoid traffic jams.

layanluvstotravel

Thank you to everyone who replied. I've changed the itinerary a bit and really want your advice. Will start a new post.

Cindy_McGregor

I would also include Hofbräuhaus beer hall - probably the largest one in the world - on your Munich sightseeing programme! It's a real beer temple in the old quarter of the city. Pure Bavarian experience, unforgettable!

PalenQ

Ah the Hofbrauhaus in Munich - lots of nice warm memories from that large place of song and happiness - there are other beer halls in Munich but this one always is neat.

traveldawg

Your second itinerary with the car rental looked much better. I would recommend the following places to stay:

ROTHENBURG: Easy drive from Frankfurt when you get off the plane. Great town to wander around at night. Take the Nightwatchman Tour at 8 pm from town square. We use the REICHS KUCHENMEISTER HOTEL or MARKUSTURM HOTEL. Both are historic and well located within the city walls with parking for your car.

GARMISCH: HOTEL HILLEPRANDT. located in nice neighborhood and easy walk to town. Great owner. Ask for room 1 or 2 on bottom floor so you have a patio. We have stayed here about four or five times.

SALZBURG; BRISTOL HOTEL. Across the street from Mozarts House (not his birthplace) and next to opera house. Easy walk across a bridge to old town area. Christopher Plummer and more stayed here when Sound of Music was filmed in 1964. Still nice hotel.

We were in MELK in December 2015 for a Christmas cruise down Danube. This place is beautiful!

Have fun. We have always rented a car to explore this area and never used the trains. In this way you have your own schedule and the road system is superior to the United States. I would keep the car as long as you can.

layanluvstotravel

Thanks! I just booked the MARKUSTURM HOTEL in Rothenberg Ob Der Tauber. Great price and they have a family room. Thank you!

Can anyone recommend a hotel along the Rhine Valley? Looking for a quaint place but with AC, prefer free breakfast, parking space but also convenient to train station and along the Rhine. I think I'll start a new thread.

Carrabella

For background, there's a new lonely planet book out, "Great Drives in Germany, Austria and Switzerland".

PalenQ

For those Rhine hotels ask for a room not bothered by traffic on the busy roads that go thru towns and or the mainline rail line that does the same on the west bank - a NYTimes article recently said that those make a lot of noise and hotels are effected in this narrow gorge with little space between the river and the cliffs for each to run through.

uncfan

I spent a semester in Munich/Salzburg back in 1986 and went back there three years ago. Such an amazing area. I would recommend more R&R in Salzburg. Have dinner at the Stieglkeller (on the hill just below the Hohensalzburg Castle)...with amazing views over the city. There is also a great little beer garden on the back side of the castle that has a great view towards the little village of Anif and Untersberg (the huge mountain just out of town). I also highly recommend that you walk along the ridge of the mountain (starting from the castle) and ending up at the Augustiner Beer Hall. A very family friendly place with awesome food....then walk back into town along the river. Be sure to visit Petersfriedhof Cemetary and then cross the river to Mirabell Gardens for the best pictures of the castle. Also...poke your head into St. Peter's Stiftskeller in Salzburg. It dates back to 803AD!...one of the oldest restaurants in the world.

You might want to rethink that one day trip out of Salzburg. I remember being disappointed by Hitler's Eagle's Nest. And even though the salt mines near Salzburg are fun....I recommend going to the salt mines in Hallstatt instead. Take that one day off and just enjoy doing nothing in beautiful Salzburg!

PalenQ

the Eagles' Nest is just a restaurant - fear of making it a neo-fascist rallying point have I think kept historical associations away - but same views the Fuhrer got from here.

mnag

You mention zell am see in one of your posts. Its quite far from Salzburg. Also its a very crowded/commercial town. We were not impressed. Instead consider adding Gosau to your itinerary on your day to Hallstatt. Its a beautiful valley/lake only 30 min from Hallstatt and there is a cable car from the lower lake that takes you up into the mountain (you can do some hiking). Also in Bertchesgaden instead of eagles nest consider taking a boat ride on lake Konigsee/Obersee. Quite stunning.

Monasp

Very well discussed topic. Thanks to all, will help to finalise my itinerary.

Trophywife007

> Instead consider adding Gosau to your itinerary on your day to Hallstatt.<

We went to Gosausee as a day trip from Hallstatt last June. It was a lovely walk around the small lake with beautiful views, small waterfalls, and afterward nice snack at the Gasthof. Not many people there, certainly no Americans, so a bit of a hidden gem. The cable car wasn't running at the time.