8 Day Bavaria Self-Drive Tour. This self-drive tour takes you from Frankfurt Int. Airport to Munich Int. Airport. During eight relaxing days, you will travel along the Romantic Road towards the Bavarian Alps and visit the Royal Castles!
Little Venice Bamberg ©BAMBERG Tourismus & Kongress Service
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Munich & along the scenic Romantic Road.It already includes admission to Johannisburg Palace & Gardens in Aschaffenburg , Residence and Marienberg Fortress in Wurzburg, New Residence & Rose Garden in Bamberg, Imperial Castle and Castle Garden in Nuremberg, Neuschwanstein Castle – Hohenschwangau, Linderhof Palace & Park near Ettal, Residence Museum & Treasury, Cuvilliés-Theatre, Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Marstallmuseum and Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain all in Munich (see the tableau this is already included in the price of your tour). Here you also find everything else that is included: rental car, tours and admissions.
Price per Person
| two sharing a double room | one in a single room | three sharing a triple room |
| US $ 1,759 | US $ 3,099 | US $ 1,629* |
*includes an upgrade from a compact to an executive size car.
Would you like to submit your personal information so we can check availability for your specific travel dates for this beautiful tour? On our BOOKING INQUIRY page you find a form which you may use to forward your personal information:
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DAY 1 Aschaffenburg & Wurzburg
Frankfurt International Airport is your gateway to central Europe and a great place to start your Bavaria Self-drive tour. After you picked up your rental car (GPS included) you will be traveling on the Autobahn to nearby Aschaffenburg for a visit of Johannisburg Palace and Gardens (30 minutes, 47 kilometers – 30 miles – admission included).The important Renaissance Palace was built 1605-1614.
Wurzburg Residence ©Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR
From Aschaffenburg follow the Autobahn right into Wurzburg, the hometown of the German basketball player Dirk Nowitzki, your first stop at the Romantic Road (55 minutes, 80 kilometers – 50 miles). Your hotel is located in the Old Town. The city is idyllically located in the midst of vineyards, with the medieval Fortress Marienberg towering above. Wurzburg is an old bishop’s seat and a lively town, proudly presenting monuments of different eras. Culture, art, history, and hospitality are ever-present in this remarkable city! Fortress Marienberg (admission included), Wurzburg´s landmark, has, of course, changed its appearance a great deal since it was first mentioned, today the oldest part of the fortress is the “Rundkirche” (round church) which was built in the year one thousand. The Cathedral, the Marienkapelle, the “Alte Mainbrucke” (old bridge across the river Main ), the Juliusspital and the “Kappele” are musts, but make sure that you do not miss out on the “Furstbischofliche Residenz“, Prince Bishops Residence (admission included). This “Palace above all Palaces” is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy this beautiful town which offers not only cultural but also culinary highlights such as the hearty cuisine and, of course, the world-famous Frankenwein (Franconia wine!).
Bamberg Cathedral © BAMBERG Tourismus & Kongress Service; Rothenburg ob der Tauber ©Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR and the Imperial Castle in Nuremberg ©Thomas H. Giesick
DAY 2 Day Trip to Bamberg
Today you will make a day trip to an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city of Bamberg. Bamberg is a rarity even by German standards, as the basic fabric of the Old Town is largely obtained, over one thousand (!) buildings are land marked. A highlight in Bamberg is the New Residence and Rose Garden (admission included). Construction of the New Residence began in 1613 and the palace has over 40 state rooms featuring stucco-work ceilings, furniture and tapestries from the 17th and 18th centuries. Another main attraction in Bamberg is the Imperial Cathedral which was built in the 13th century. Take a look at the magnificent marble tomb of the founder and his wife, a masterpiece of the German sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider. And do not miss to take a look at the Bamberg Horseman. This statue most likely dates to the period from 1225 to 1237.
Enjoy a great day in scenic Bamberg. At your convenience drive back to Wurzburg where your hotel is located.
Day 3 Rothenburg ob der Tauber
In the morning follow the Romantic Road via Bad Mergentheim (you might want to visit the market place), Weikersheim (you may want to visit the Renaissance Palace and Garden) and Creglingen (Riemenschneider Altar in the Church of the Lord) to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, one of Germany’s most beautiful medieval cities. Your hotel is located in the historic Old Town, within the Old City Walls which are surrounding the complete town center. Taking a walk thru this charming little town is truly a journey back in time. Rothenburg ob der Tauber was once a powerful free imperial town and its monuments, landmarks and buildings still bear witness to these days. Marvel at the half-timbered buildings and at town walls which are withstanding time since hundreds of years, protecting the city since the Middle Ages. Visit the town’s most famous spot, the Ploenlein square, probably the most photographed place in Rothenburg. The Gothic St.James Church is the town’s most prominent church, here you can take a minute and relax in quietness while you enjoy the beauty of the famous Altar of the Holy Blood and the Twelve Apostles Altar. Rothenburg also offers museums which are cultural highlights, such as the Christmas Museum with an exhibition showing Christmas tradition in Germany, the Doll and Toy Museum where the history of playthings is shown, as well as the Crime Museum, where the visitor gets an insight into the law and especially its execution during the last 700 years. At night you enjoy a highlight of this tour: the English-speaking tour with the Night Watchman (ticket already included).
DAY 4 Day trip to Nuremberg
Today you will make a day trip from Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Nuremberg. The city’s history reaches back to the year 1050, its name “nourenberc” translating into “rocky hill”. Nuremberg has Nuremberg’s famous landmark, the Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle, admission included), towers above the Old town, which is protected by the 5 kilometers long city wall with its many towers. The historic flair of Nuremberg with the Old Town surrounded by historic City Walls and the impressive Imperial Castle (which has never been conquered) let Adolf Hitler during the Third Reich choose Nuremberg as the location for their Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Within the monumental Congress Hall a museum and documentation center opened in 2001. Its permanent exhibition “Faszination und Gewalt” (Fascination and Terror) is concerned with the causes, connections, and consequences of the Nazi movement in Germany. If you are interested to visit the Rally Grounds you may also take a look at our blog “Documentation Center Nazi Rally Grounds”.
When exploring the beauty of Nuremberg’s mediaeval Old Town one can start at the Koenigstor (“Kingsgate”), from where the timber framed buildings, the Gothic Church of St.Lawrence and the Church of St.Sebaldus can be easily reached by foot. Right next to the Koenigstor there is the Handwerkerhof (craft center), here you will feel like you are back in the medieval times, there are craft workshops like they used to have a long time ago as well as a gingerbread bakery. Make sure to enjoy a Nuremberg Bratwurst along with a beer or a glass of Frankenwein. In the evening drive back to your hotel in medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen, Augsburg along the Romantic Road © Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR
DAY 5 Dinkelsbuhl & Nordlingen
Continue your Self-drive tour through Bavaria and follow the Romantic Road towards Nordlingen. Driving time to Nordlingen is just about 1.5 hours (80 kilometers, 50 miles) and you will have plenty of time to visit some of the small towns along your way. On this part of the Romantic Road, you find Schillingsfurst (you may want to visit the baroque Castle), Feuchtwangen as well as the former Free Imperial Town of Dinkelsbuhl with its charming Old Town. The historical old town with 16 towers, fortifications and magnificent patrician buildings is under a preservation order. The most important sights include the Minster of St. Georg, one of Germany´s most beautiful late Gothic hall churches, the ‘Weinmarkt‘ (wine market), the ‘Deutsches Haus’, the old hospital, the town mill and the picturesque ‘Rothenburger’ pond alongside the town wall. From Dinkelsbuhl follow the Romantic Road via Wallerstein to Nordlingen. Your hotel is located in the Old Town. The former Free Imperial Town of Nordlingen still has an almost complete medieval townscape. It is the only town in Germany with walls and battlements that can be walked all the way around. The historical old town is dominated by its landmark, the late Gothic hall Church of St. George, with its 90 m high bell tower ‘Daniel‘, which can be climbed 365 days a year.
DAY 6 Augsburg
Continue your Bavaria Self-drive tour by heading south towards the charming city of Augsburg and visit Donauworth along the way. Your hotel is located in Augsburg City Centre.Augsburg, founded in the year 15 B.C. by the Roman Emperor Augustus, became a “medieval metropolis” due to its ideal location at the crossing of the most important continental merchandise routes. The families of the “Fugger” and the “Welser” elevated Augsburg to one of Europe’s most important commercial towns. Augsburg’s Town Hall is the most important Renaissance structure north of the Alps, together with the Perlach Tower it is the town’s landmark. Visit the “Fuggerei“, also known as “The Town within a Town”, founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger, it was the first settlement for hardworking but impoverished Catholic citizens. Augsburg Cathedral has records reaching back to the year 823 AD, the oldest section probably being the crypt beneath the west choir. Here one can marvel at Romanesque and Gothic frescoes and four panel paintings by Holbein the Elder. There are only very few German cities which combine bygone prosperity and contemporary life the way Augsburg does.
Neuschwanstein Castle Oberammergau ©Romantische Strasse Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gbr, Linderhof Palace Ettal ©Softeis via Wikimedia Commons; Munich New Town Hall ©Thomas H. Giesick
DAY 7 Neuschwanstein Castle
Follow the Romantic Road via Landsberg am Lech to visit the Market place and on to Steingaden to visit the world famous Pilgrimage Church of ‘Flagellated Saviour in the Meadow’, a late work of the brothers Dominikus and Johann Baptist Zimmermann. Drive on to Hohenschwangau where Neuschwanstein Castle is located. Your hotel is located either right in the centre of this small town or in Fussen, which is just 2 miles from the Castle. The picture of Neuschwanstein is probably present in everybody’s mind but certainly for those traveling along the Romantic Road. Be prepared that reality will surpass all pictures and imaginations: Neuschwanstein seems to be taken out of a fairy tale! Seeing the castle from the outside is unforgettable, a tour of the insight, which was originally built for the one famous inhabitant Ludwig II (admission included), will make the picture perfect! Make sure to take some time to explore the castle grounds and the amazing view of Neuschwanstein from the bridge!
DAY 8 Linderhof Palace/ Munich
Your last day of your Bavaria Self-drive tour will take you to Munich, Capital of Bavaria. On your way to Munich you will be driving from Hohenschwangau/Fussen through Austria towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen, for a visit of nearby Linderhof Palace and Park (admission included), the “Royal Villa” of Ludwig II, located in Ettal. You may also stop in Oberammergau (site of the passion play) before you drive on to Munich.
The price of your tour already includes admission to many sights in Munich (Munich Residence and Residence Museum, Treasury, Cuvilliés-Theatre, Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Marstallmuseum, Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain) and with your tour package you will also receive walking suggestions for a self-guided walking tour through Munich City Center. Along this walking tour you will visit the Marienplatz with the New Town Hall (with the “Glockenspiel”), the Konigsplatz (King´s Square), cultural center in the 19th century and later, during the “Third Reich”, site of Nazi Party mass rallies and location of the Nazi Party headquarters in Germany, the English Garden as well as the the State Opera House. You will be able to visit famous churches like Munich Frauenkirche, “Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady), with a height of 325 ft. a Munich landmark, St. Peters Church, built in the 14th century and the Asam Church, which was built as a private chapel and integrated into an apartment building. The tour will pass by the most famous Munich shopping streets (Kaufinger street and Neuhauser street) as well as by the “Viktualienmarkt”, a traditional farmers market (open every day except on Sundays). The tour will take you by the famous “Alois Dallmayr” luxury delicatessen and coffee store as well as to the Hofbrauhaus of course, probably the world’s most popular beer hall. This may be a great place to enjoy a hearty dinner and a fresh Mass of beer (one mug holds 33.8 US fl oz)!
Your tour ends in Munich/Munich Int. Airport. Please let us know if you would like to extend your stay in Munich by adding a night or two – we will be happy to arrange this for you. Please also contact us in case you would like to extend your car rental and/or if you would like to return the car to a different location within Germany. Munich is a great city which definitely deserves an extra day’s visit!
Would you like to download an overview of the 8 Day Bavaria Self-Drive Tour (8S03) as a pdf to print it out or to forward it to a friend? Please download it right here:This is already included in the price of your tour
| Day 1 - Frankfurt Int. Airport to Wurzburg/ Wurzburg | Wurzburger Hof (or similar if not available) | Compact class Rental car with GPS for the duration of your tour, Admission to Johannisburg Palace & Gardens in Aschaffenburg, Admission to Wurzburg Residence, Marienberg Fortress (open March 16th to October, closed on Mondays) in Wurzburg |
| Day 2 - Day Trip to Bamberg/ Wurzburg | Hotel Wurzburger Hof (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Wurzburg, admission to the New Residence |
| Day 3 - Wurzburg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber/ Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Hotel Spitzweg (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Wurzburg, English speaking walking tour with the Night-Watchman |
| Day 4 - Day Trip to Nuremberg/ Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Hotel Spitzweg (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Admission to the Imperial Castle, the Deep Well and to the Sinwell Tower in Nuremberg |
| Day 5 - Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Nordlingen/ Nordlingen | Kaiserhof Hotel Sonne (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Rothenburg ob der Tauber |
| Day 6 - Nordlingen to Augsburg/ Augsburg | Hotel Ost am Koe (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Nordlingen |
| Day 7 - Augsburg to Hohenschwangau/ Hohenschwangau | Hotel Muller (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Augsburg, Admission to Neuschwanstein Castle (Hohenschwangau) |
| Day 8 - Hohenschwangau to Munich/ Munich/ Munich Int. Airport | no hotel needed | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Hohenschwangau, Admission to Linderhof Palace & Park (Ettal), Admission to Residence Museum & Treasury, Cuvilliés-Theatre, Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Marstallmuseum and Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain (all Munich) |
The tour package we provide includes a day by day itinerary as well as all tickets, vouchers and information necessary to enjoy a great independent tour. It also contains general information about the cities you visit which you can downloaded from our website once your tour is confirmed.
This is not included in the price of your tour
- Airfare from/to your origin to/from Germany
- all meals other than breakfast (which is included)
- gratuities (tips)
- parking fees
You have booked the tour already and would like to download the to-europe tour package for this tour now? Please download them right here:
5-Days Romantic Road Self-Drive Tour Just to say we thoroughly enjoyed our trip, the weather was lovely and the towns and villages very pretty and interesting. We especially liked the Hotel Spitzweg and the charming owner. The car was great, and the SAT NAV fantastic! Have not used one before but just great to whizz into a town and be taken to the door. All in all, a great trip and thank you again for organising everything for us.– Anne H.
We are fortunate to have travelers from all over the world on our pre-packaged tours and we would love to have your feedback! If you have been traveling along this tour with us please leave us a review below – we greatly appreciate your time! (your Email address will not be displayed)
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Thank you to Michaela, Thomas and the team for organising such a wonderful tour.
I travelled from Frankfurt to Munich in November 2019. I was initially concerned about it being too cold and the possibility of snow-covered roads, but I shouldn't have worried. The scenery was just stunning at this time of year. There was some snow around on the last day's drive from Fussen to Munich via the alps, but the road was completely clear of snow.
The visits to castles and other attractions were really interesting, and I particularly enjoyed seeing the amazing small towns and stunning scenery along the way.
Since my first contact with to-europe.com many months ago they were always so responsive and willing to help. The tour was slightly customised and nothing was too much trouble. I would especially like to thank Michaela for dealing with my questions and helping out with the changes.
I highly recommend this tour - it was extremely well organised and the staff were terrific.
We would like to thank all involved in putting together that wonderful holiday of Barvaria.
Starting 3 days in Munich we then headed south, in our Mercedes hire car, to Fussen and the Alps. The hotels were wonderful, waking up to some alpine scenery. We visited all the castles in the area with the entries all included in the tour. We caught a cablecar up several mountains, Zugspit being one and walked the gorge of another. Just splendid.
We then travelled the Romantic Road to Frankfurt visiting so many beautiful walled towns, steeped in history. Augsberg and Rottenburg de tauber being just two. Thank goodness for the GPS to get us direct to our hotels in those tiny streets. The accommodation was always very central so the suggested walking tours were easy. The nightwatchman tour was most entertaining.
After 2 days in Frankfurt, and the Palm Gardens are a must to visit, it was on a train, all pre booked to Rudesheim. A beautiful town on the Rhine bustling with people from the river cruises. So much to do and see. It was there we finished our holiday with a day cruise before a taxi transfer the next day back to Frankfurt airport.
Everything was so well arranged, and we are very experienced travellers. Entries into castles, museams, boat tours and walking tours just fell into place, to miss the crowds.
All the hotels were excellent as were the breakfasts.
I would definetly recommend this company to anyone.
Thankyou Thomas and team
Sue and Greg Haydon Perth WA travelled for 20days September 2018.
Many thanks to the team at To-Europe for our customised 10 day self drive trip from Munich to Frankfurt. It all went very well from the first enquiry online until the very end, The whole trip was also excellent value as I did a quick comparison as I normally arrange our holidays myself. The hotels were excellent and all with buffet breakfast which set us up for the day. The entrance card to castles and stately homes was very good and ensured that we got to see everything that was worth seeing although after leaving Munich we had a couple of very busy days trying to fit everything in. The car rental was very good and very pleasant people to deal with there. The addition of Satnav was a great bonus in the small towns in particular.
All in all a very enjoyable and well planned holiday and we can easily recommend To-Europe to anyone wanting to get the most out of their time in this beautiful part of the world.
John & Jan Cook, Perth, Western Australia.
As a couple of Australians in their 50s who have travelled around Europe extensively - this time for over 4 months - we would give this semi independent tour 4.5/5.0 if given a choice as it was very good. Well organised, the itinerary was flexible and vast majority of our experiences was at or above expectations. We actually did the itinerary in reverse as it suited our other travel plans around Europe and ToEurope were very helpful. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wishes to see the highlights of Bavaria and the Romantic Road with the hard work done for you. And driving in Germany is much easier than you think.
Michael & Bev, Western Australia
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