Southern Germany and Austria, September 1999

Jill and I took a trip to Southern Germany and Austria in early September 1999. Here are some descriptions and my rankings of the places we visited. Some pictures are at the bottom.

Our Itinerary

Most of the time when we were not on the Romantic Road or in the Black Forest we traveled on the Autobahn. We rented an Alfa Romeo for the trip, which was fun to drive.

Below is a map of our route:

Froney's Rankings (in chronological order)

Frankfurt

This is a large city, but there are only a few places worth seeing as a tourist. These places can be seen on foot leaving from the main rail station area. This is worth part of a day if you are waiting around before going somewhere else. The city is pretty easy to navigate by car.
Froney's Ranking: B

Mainz

This city lacks charm and is unfortunately not even worth a side trip from Frankfurt. See the Rhine farther north if you need to. Rick Steves calls this city a sightseeing lowlight and he is right.
Froney's Ranking: C

Wurzburg

This is a nice stop on the way to Munich, but it is somewhat limited as a tourist destination. This is surprising since there were hordes of tourists and lots of tour buses when we were there. The river is very nice to see.
Froney's Ranking: B+

Rothenburg

Rothenburg is a must see for anyone traveling in the vicinity. There is huge tourism here, but this surprisingly does not at all detract from the charm of the city. This is the classic medieval walled city, it's great fun, and there is lots to see, both inside and outside of the wall. They have festivals here periodically during the day, and at night the city empties to leave you with just the cobblestone streets and a much more serene pace. The historic atmosphere cannot be beaten and it is downright fun. A good place to spend our anniversary (which we did).
Froney's Ranking: A+

Munich

A very accessible city on foot with lots of good sights. The city gives you a nice taste of Bavarian culture. It also is a good jumping off point for the Alps if you have a car. Lots of beer gardens and traditional beer halls, and don't miss the English Garden. However, the city is hard to nagivate by car. Overall a very fun city.
Froney's Ranking: A

Dachau

The camp museum is very interesting and informative, and is worth a few hours if you are in Munich. The town is not a tourist destination so there is not much else to see besides the museum, but is is a nice slow town that is nice to drive through.
Froney's Ranking: B+

Salzburg

There is some great scenery here with the mountains, but for me the town was far too touristy and crowded. A little too much emphasis on Mozart and far too many tourists (like myself!). This made it hard to appreciate the other things the town had to offer.
Froney's Ranking: B

Berchtesgaden

A small town nestled in the Bavarian Alps. A drive to the town from the autobahn gives a good picture of how the locals in this part of the country live. The main town is somewhat touristy, but the great vistas of the Alps more than compensate. The salt mines are also worth visiting.
Froney's Ranking: A-

Freiburg

A very nice small university city at the foot of the Black Forest. We didn't get to explore much, but what we saw was very nice and suggested a longer visit would be in order. Froney's Ranking: A-

Baden-Baden

Another must see (and experience) for anyone vacationing in the area. This town is set in the foothills of the Black Forest and has a quaint and resortish feel. There is not much in the way of sightseeing, but there is more than enough shopping, strolling, casino-ing, hiking in the hills, and bathing to keep you busy and happy. The baths are not to be missed. A true gem with a rommantic and relaxing quality. There are also nice surrounding drives.
Froney's Ranking: A+

Below are some pictures:

In Wurzburg.

In Rothenburg.

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