Enchanting Highlights of Southern Germany Tour

After flying into Frankfurt, you will be greeted by a local guide and transferred out of the city. Unless you are in Germany for business, Frankfurt is not the nicest place to linger. Instead, the small town of Bacharach will provide you with a more endearing introduction to local charms. You can settle into your blissful hotel on the River Rhine and spend the evening tasting the local wine and some traditional food from the valley. While Frankfurt is busy, the Rhine Valley will offer an immediately laid-back start to your vacation.

Vineyards flank the river and flow in harmonious rows. Ancient castles and turrets still cling onto the rooftops, and villages stretch along the water. Much of the area hardly seems to have changed for centuries. On a private Rhine River cruise, you will pass the area’s iconic sites while making various stops to explore the local culture and history. Two of these stops will be at vineyards, where you can sample fine German wines and get to meet a winemaker. You can expect a slow and leisurely day that will be complete with decadent German delights.

Baden-Baden is one of Europe’s most decorated spa towns. The town’s streets radiate with a 19th-century elegance that is full of frescos and fountains. Castle ruins hang over old cathedral spires, and the architecture hints at old-world Germany. After a private transfer from the Rhine Valley, you will indulge in a guided tour of the town before settling into one of the famous spa resorts. Most of the afternoon and evening will be left for bathing in the indulgent old spa. Afterward, you can take a pick from Baden-Baden’s outstanding choice of restaurants.

From Baden-Baden, the road meanders through a forest. It is a charming landscape that is full of nuance and changing colors. It is also a heavenly place for traveling slowly. With a private guide, you will spend a full day roaming the Black Forest in a vehicle and hiking trails. You can stop in lovely villages for coffee and cake, seek out hidden trails, and discover why the Black Forest has remained Germany’s favored retreat. With a night in Freiburg, you will venture into the medieval era along the streets and at a restaurant that celebrates traditional Black Forest cuisine.

From bucolic scenery to dramatic peaks, the landscape will change as your private tour continues through Southern Germany. The Bavarian Alps offer spectacular views of lush meadows beneath rugged mountains peaks. To cross the Black Forest and Bavarian Alps is an unmissable experience in Southern Germany. Rather than single standout attractions, you will find travel memories in the endless enchantment and sheer variety of the little places you visit. As forests roll past and castles twinkle in the distance, you will reach Fussen, which is another step into the region’s unchanged traditions.

Fussen is a delight. The city is home to cobblestone streets, colored townhouses, great restaurants, and a stunning natural setting. Most of the day will be focused on your surroundings. This is where you will find Neuschwanstein, which is the castle that inspired Disney and many of its fairytales. Seemingly perched above the world, it may seem more fictional than the movies that it has inspired. Others dot these hills and are memoirs from the time of erratic princes and grandiose imaginations. You will spend the day discovering these castles with your local guide before a night back in Fussen.

From castles to palaces, your private tour will continue through Southern Germany. After a short drive to Munich, you can check in early to your hotel before an afternoon of roaming the city’s royal outskirts. Nymphenburg Palace is an insane edifice that glistens at every angle and on a scale beyond belief. Munich’s official royal palace is much smaller but just as grand, especially the fresco-lined corridor. You will visit both before your guide provides you with some local recommendations for a true Bavarian dinner.

Munich is Germany’s most glamorous city, and it continues to display the fun-loving and laid-back way of Bavaria. Your guide will tailor the day to your interests, and there are many different roads to turn. A full day is not enough to see everything, so today, you can focus on art, history, Bavarian culture, or shopping. This will also be a day to relax on terraces and take a break from the touring with a variety of great food and drink as an accompaniment.

During medieval times, it was not called the Romantic Road; it was a trade route that connected all the towns and villages of the era. The road stretches 300 miles through Southern Germany. Some of these medieval settlements have hardly changed. They are like postcards that are complete with church spires, trickling rivers, and wooden buildings. Others are nearly abandoned and are equally as fascinating. Today’s guided drive will spend the day along this road and will have you exploring the sights. Your tour will culminate in the most exquisite of all the towns along this route: Rothenburg.

Today will be another day to travel slowly and completely sink your senses into old-world Southern Germany. You can wander past wooden houses and enter one of them from the 15th century. You can also linger on a cafe terrace and watch people as they meander through the town square. Later in the day, you will meet a couple of local legends to learn about the lesser-known local history, which will complement the town’s famous sights. Most of the afternoon will be left free before a local guide leads you on an evening walking tour to reveal another perspective on the town’s history.

Nuremberg is a wonderfully laid-back destination to finish almost two weeks in Southern Germany. Although it’s Bavaria’s second-largest city, it feels more like a town, and you will continue your medieval musing from the last few days. Almost 2,000 years of history can be found on the streets, from Roman remnants to World War II tales. This is a very relaxing place to wind down after your time touring the country. As with your time in Rothenburg, these two days will be customized by you and your local guide.

Nuremberg has a growing international airport, so you can fly out directly from here. You can also consider a road transfer back to Frankfurt International Airport instead.