jane00

Hi All!

This spring break I found wonderful fares for my family, including two teens 18 and 13, to Munich roundtrip, from March 13-21.
Neither my husband or myself are game to drive; we enjoy the trains alot!
So what I was wondering is if this initial itinerary sounds feasible:
Leaving Munich (as we arrive at 7 a.m.) to the Mainz-Koblenz area for two nights.
From there, heading to Rothenburg for two nights then back to Munich for 3 nights.
I am reading about all the different activities to keep us busy in the areas, but primarily wondered if the first stretch of Munich to Mainz was recommended?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks so much,
Jane

jane00

Any help? Thanks Jane

Larryincolorado

Doesn't anyone like the immediate area. I see so many people who are flying into Frankfurt but don't want to go there but instead spend time and money going to Munich. Now you are flying into Munich and want to go to Mainz-Koblenz. Research Bavaria a little and you will find there is far to much to see (Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, Garmisch, Oberammergau, Füssen, Rothenburg, Würzburg, Nürnburg,...I could go on and on) for the time you have. Stay right there in Bavaria and at least scratch the surface. See Frankfurt, the middle Rhine, and the Mosel another trip.

Cowboy1968

You should think about Larryincolorado's suggestion to limit your stay to Bavaria.

There is nothing wrong or "un-doable" with your initial itineray, but if you want to stick to your plans, I would check if open jaw flights are possible (flying to Munich, from Frankfurt - or vice versa).

Going from Munich Airport to Mainz by train is a 5 hour ride, with 2 transfers. There are many trains (at least one per hour), so it's more a matter if you wish to start your vacation that way, and extent an 8-10hr flight with a 5hr train ride.

Even if you stayed in Munich for the whole week, you'd still have more than enough day trips (with more moderate travel times) to choose from - including Rothenburg.

From a more generic point of view, the Rhine Valley is more a place for outdoors exloring (You know that, I know ), but since March is not really reliable for offering 12 hours of sunshine per day, there is a risk that you travel that far from Munich to spend 3 days in pouring rain.

If Munich was your home base, you could decide on a day-by-day basis with regard to weather, if you want to (or have to) spend time indoors (museums, churches, abbeys) or outdoors (mountains, lakes, villages, daytrip to Salzburg etc.).

Jake1

With only about 7 days and not wanting to drive, I don't see any reason for you to travel to the Mainz-Koblenz area. There's plenty to see in central/southern Bavaria and northern Austria that's just as interesting/scenic as Mainz-Koblenz. Munich itself has plenty for 2 to 3 days without leaving the city at all. Day trips to Ludwig's castles (Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee)and sights/places like the Wieskirche, Oberammergau, Ettal would take up another 2 or 3 days at least. And that's just scratching the surface.

jane00

Ok, you are so right!
Sometimes it takes someone pointing out how crazy something is for you to get it! I do have a super big list of things to do in Bavaria, so it makes no sense to cram it all in this one trip.
My eyes were bigger than my stomach - or something like that!
Thanks, Jane

Jake1

jane--we always go through the same thing when planning a trip. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and start slicing.

Suspaul

Hi jane00

If you do make it to Rothenburg don't forget the Night Watchman Tour, it's a lot of fun and your boys may enjoy it. Also, Rothenburg is one walled city where you can truly walk the walls and "man the ramparts" as my husband says. Have a wonderful trip.
Susan

jane00

Oh, I know we will love it and the Nightwatchman Tour is a definite! It is amazing how once you get a little direction the planning just becomes easier! Thanks all for the suggestions. Jane

Watzmann

It's a good idea to skip the Rhine part of your trip. When in Munich, exploring the city by bike is great. www.mikesbiketours.com offer popular guided tours in english.www.spurwechsel-muenchen.de have bikes for rent also without a guided tour (as do many others). Public transport in Munich is excellent and particularly cheap when you're in a group: The group day-ticket for the city-centre is only 9€ and valid for up to 5 persons ( Partner Tageskarte Innenraum). It is valid on all public transport such as busses, trams, U-bahn and S-Bahn.Equally, the Bayernticket (Bavariaticket) is also valid for up to 5 persons for one day on all regional trains in whole Bavaria (also to Rothenburg, for instance). It is valid for Munich city public transport too. Day trips from Munich other than Dachau and Neuschwanstein I'd recommend are: Passau, Regensburg, Salzburg(though in Austria, you can still go to Salzburg with a bavaria ticket, as it is so close behind the austrian border). There is a very scenic small railway connecting Pfronten (right next to Füssen/Neuschwanstein) with Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the so-called Ausserfernbahn. Though touching austrian territory, it can also be done with the bavaria ticket. This could be a nice round-trip: Go to Neuschwanstein by train-visit Neuschwanstein-proceed via Ausserfernbahn through the mountains to Garmisch, maybe go to Zugspitze or to the other Ludwig II. castle of Linderhof, go back to Munich by train from Garmisch.

jane00

I appreciate the suggestions! I will definitely check it all out. I'm in the process of looking at the train tickets.
Thanks!
Jane

bettyk

Hopefully, you can work Berchtesgaden into your itinerary. The area is beautiful. You can visit Hitler's Eagle's Nest, go up Jenner Mountain, visit a salt mine or take a boat ride on Koenigsee. I highly recommend it.

http://www.berchtesgaden.de/en/6c89d...ad974b6ba.html

http://www.berchtesgaden.com/e/e_index.htm

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/bgaden.htm

http://www.berchtesgaden.com/e/citie...salt/mines.htm

http://www.eagles-nest-tours.com/EN/...ex.php?navid=2

Watzmann

Jane, that really can be a tedious process ;-). Bahn.de is quite a maze when new to the page. Although you actually don't want to drive, a rental car for the Rothenburg trip would be quite handy. The trip from Munich touches a good deal of the romantic road, so you could "do" some of the other small towns en route as well (Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl). Also you could have a glimpse at the pittoresque Tauber valley and its charming villages just off Rothenburg. (Creglingen, Weikersheim, Röttingen). It would also, if you drove directly, be faster than going by train. But of course, train travel there is also ok, a bit a matter of taste and time. Of course, you could still go by train to Rothenburg and on your second day there rent a car in Rothenburg to explore the surrounding area, as Rothenburg proper honestly can really be "done in one day". Regarding your limited time, I would even consider to skip Rothenburg too and merely focus on south Bavaria, but then, I can understand that you want to see it and it is really nice.By the way, a really very good restaurant in Rothenburg is Restaurant Mittermeier: http://www.mittermeier.rothenburg.de/ehtml/port_e.htm
I wouldn't stay in their hotel, as it is not directly in the historic centre but just outside the walls, but their cuisine is really awesome. A really charming historic hotel is Hotel Spitzweg: http://www.hotel-spitzweg.de/ISY/ind...?call=en-hotel
, right in the historic old town.

jane00

Ok, I broached the driving subject to my husband and he laughed. I guess that means he isn't game to drive to Rothenburg from Munich, however renting a car for a day to see the area once there is a definite possibility.
My kids really want to see Rothenburg so we're keeping that on the list. (Actually, as flying IS NOT my favorite part, I look forward to the leisure train time while ON THE GROUND - it is a good way to wind down from the anxiety of the past 9 or so hours)
And....I already have reservations at Hotel Spitzweg so that worked out great. I also was able to get reservations at the Hotel Uhland in Munich, so I appreciate all the advise on staying at this property.
We are planning on 2 nights at Rothenburg before going back to Munich so now I am reviewing all the sites to see in Munich, plus the potential day trips.
It is already looking like so much fun! I can't wait.....And I'm checking out Berchtesgaden though it seems I read somewhere that Eagles Nest was closed in March.....I'll check again...

Thanks! Jane

AisleSeat

One thing to consider if you decide to base in Munich is the Bavaria ticket where all you can go anywhere in Bavaria (including Salzburg and Rothenburg) on the train for the day for only 27 euros. The restrictions is that you have to take local trains after 9am but then when my kids were 13 and 18 they didn't doo early mornings anyway.

We will be spending a week in Munich in February (just a couple of weeks from now) and we got a $65 bid for the Marriott Courtyard in central Munich. It isn't our first choice for a hotel but the money was right.

jane00

We don't need to be anywhere before 9 a.m. I don't think......I used to have everyone up and ready to go by 7:30 a.m. but have tried to tone it down over the years so the trip is enjoyable for everyone (though it isn't alwayas easy for me! haha) I will definitely check into those tickets!
That is an awesome price for a hotel! I thought the Hotel Uhland was a good value, but that price wins! Jane

Vttraveler

I agree with the idea of skipping the Mainz/Koblenz area and concentrating on Bavaria

Landshut is another possible destination near Munich (to the NE), a small beautiful medieval city.

In Munich the Deutsches Museum is highly recommended.

If you want to see Roman ruins near the Romantic Road, there are some in Weissenburg, an old garrison town. I am not sure how hard it would be to get to by train--definitely not hard with a car if you rent one near Rothenburg.
Nordlingen is interesting for the intact city walls and the Rieskrater museum telling the story of a big meteorite that hit the earth about 15 million years ago.

bettyk

Sorry, I forgot you are going in March so, yes, the Eagle's Nest will be closed. But there are other things to do if you are still interested.