Originally Posted by
hedur
Yes, the rental car would be one way. The total is not much more than $100 so I thought that was a decent price, especially including the drop off fee.
The stops I included along the Rhine are based on other trip reports I have read but your commentary on Bonn and Koblenz is just what I'm looking for. I'm also open to additional options for stops and what to see there.
The B9 was the route I was planning to take and, according to google maps, the trip (straight through) would be no more than 3.5 hours so I thought doubling that time would be a good estimate. But, you're right, with traffic and tourists it could take longer. I would love to take the train because it would allow me to do wine tastings without worrying about having to drive. But then I figured having to store my luggage at every stop would be more trouble than it's worth. Not to mention some of the lockers at the smaller stations might not be equipped to accommodate a small suitcase and laptop bag. Plus, I love to drive and would relish being able to make my own pace.
Maybe I should spend an extra night in Cologne (that way I have plenty of time to see it) and then I can start early on the day of my drive. If I did that it would be a Sunday instead of a Saturday. Actually, now that I think about it, would tweaking things to make my drive on a weekday help to avoid a mass of tourists?
Originally Munich and Nuremberg were not part of the plan simply because I had planned to be there around the first week of October. Now my plan would take me there around the third week so I think I'm safe from all the Oktoberfest craziness.
Though I would consider scrapping that portion of the trip and adding a couple of extra days in Berlin.
The B9 is a very pretty route and a nice drive, but I wouldn't want to try to follow a particular time schedule around it. An option would be to zip down to Mainz on an early ICE train, show your bags at your evening hotel, then catch a regional back up to Boppard or St. Goar, then work your way back down towards Bingen on the regional trains and maybe a K-D line cruise. You'll get the scenery on the train or boat, and not have to worry about driving. On a nice day, a glass of Riesling on the deck of a Rhine cruise ship is very nice. About the only advantage to driving on Sunday is there are almost no trucks on the autobahns.
I wouldn't scrap Bavaria for Berlin. You can easily spend a day in and around Munich/Dachau, a day for Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau, and a day in Nuremberg (or maybe even Regensburg) and see far more Germany than you would in that same time period in Berlin. Berlin never had much appeal for me, but you may have other interests. If you are set on doing some driving, Munich to the castles is not a terrible drive and it does pass through gorgeous scenery, but not much autobahn time.