Drive Munich to Bacharach & In/Around Bacharach
 

On May 30th I'm taking BMW ED with a 9am arrival at the Welt, 10:30 delivery, and 11:30 factory tour. Brother & his wife flying in that morning and meeting us at the Welt. After the tour, around 2pm, we will head out to Bacharach. This is where I could use some help.

Google shows 3 routes, all around 4 1/2 hours. We will be driving into rush hour and would like recommendations on which would be the best route to take. Want to avoid any major construction areas.

1. A8 to Karlsruhe, North on A5 to A61 to B9.

2. North on A9 towards Nurnberg, A6 towards Heilbronn to A61 to B9.

3. A8 to Ulm, North on the A7 to the A6 towards Heilbronn to A61 to B9.

30th - 4 June Bacharach - Plan the following day trips:

1. Rudesheim am Rhein (taking ferry across the river).
2. Rhine River Cruise to Koblenz and back from Bingen.
3. Cochem & the Mosel River area.
4. Castles on the Rhine - Any recommendations which ones not to miss, and which ones to miss?
5. Oberwesel, St. Goar, Boppard -- Is Koblenz worth seeing or is it just another big city?
6. Wiesbaden and/or Mainz - worth going to/spending some time or just other big cities?

5 June - Drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Watchman Tour at 8pm. They have a separate guided tour for 90 minutes at 2pm. Is that worth doing?

6 June - Drive to Airport to drop off car via Romantic route thru Dinkelsbuhl to the A8. May stop there, but got to get to the airport. S-Bahn into Munich for the remainder of the day/evening. Timing is the issue as we want to get to downtown since brother & his wife haven't had the chance to see any of Munich.

Mainz is worth a stop, nice old town.
You should check traffic news before you choose on your route.

Thanks. Do they have pedestrian streets with shops and the like?

How do I check traffic news if I don't speak German. Will my radio pick up any English speaking stations? I don't think I'll be near any Armed Forces Network stations until I get near Frankfurt area.

They have, sure. I would, however, stop in Nürnberg. Mainz is nice, however Nürnberg is more like the fairytale place you guys like. Old castles, old houses and plenty of history.

No English speaking stations as our national language is somehow different. However, if your new car has a navigation system, your screen should show problems.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, Nürnberg will have to wait for another trip.

My main concern is which route from Munich to Bacharach. My gut feeling is #3.

Koblenz and in particular the old town part is quite nice,and the Mosel and Rhine rivers meet here at the "Deutches Eck".
Take the recently opened cable way across the Rhine from Deutches Eck to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress. The cable car ride in itself is quite spectacular and from the fortress more than a 100 meters above you have a great view of the rivers and downtown Koblenz.

its a little bit OT, but I guess you're from the US and I'm a little bit curious what is the cost of a oneway ticket for a BMW from Munich to the US?

That's of interest, but I could never get my wife in one of those cable cars. Taking a funicular was tuff enough. :D

It's free. All part of the European Delivery Program. Free car insurance also. It's a great deal.

wooowww! To get it delivered from Munich to Hamburg they charge >500€ :confused:

Well, I would take the route that has the best possibilities to take another route while you are already on your way. Especially when heading west on A8, you'll have several choices where to turn to the north:

- In Ulm, you could take A7 towards Würzburg (a route which I don't really know), and then A3 towards Frankfurt and Cologne (which is usually quite crowded). Do not change onto A81 or A6 towards Heilbronn in Würzburg as this is quite a detour, cross the Rhine in Wiesbaden (A60 and A643) and get onto A61 towards Koblenz in Bingen.

- If A8 towards Karlsruhe is not crowded (listen for "Ulm West", "Merklingen" or "Mühlhausen" on the radio), I'd stay on A8 at least until you are in Stuttgart. There, you may take A81 towards Heilbronn, in Heilbronn change onto A6 towards Mannheim and change onto A61 towards Koblenz in Hockenheim. This would be my first choice, especially since the construction works in Sinsheim is finally completed.

- You could also stay on A8 until Karlsruhe (be sure to listen for "Leonberg" or "Pforzheim" on the radio, as this part of the route is usually subject to traffic jams), change there onto A5 towards Frankfurt and change back onto A6 and A61 at Wiesloch/Walldorf and Hockenheim respectively. There's not much difference as to the distance travelled compared to the A8/A81/A6 version, but the latter should be less crowded unless you are travelling within the rush hour.

However, if you plan to make use of a high-HP car, be advised that most parts of A81/A6/A61 are restricted to 130 kph and A8 features automatic speed limits that are enforced by several cameras along the route between Ulm and Stuttgart (usually at 120 kph).

Thanks for your help. We will be leaving Munich around 2:30pm, so we will most likely hit rush hour somewhere along the route. I was considering taking the A7 to the A6 at Ulm, but after looking at your recommendation, I think taking the A81 at Stuttgart would work better.

Again, thanks for your thoughtful reply.

P.S. If the radio stations you mention are in German, I'm out of luck. :)

Well, at least around Stuttgart (Vaihingen) and in the Palatinate region (Ramstein) you should be able to receive AFN, but I'm not sure whether they publish traffic information. Otherwise, if your car has a recent navigation system, you should also be able to get the TMC information printed as text.

Another hint: If the situation around Stuttgart is bad or if you want to save some kilometers, leave A8 at the Wendlingen exit, turn onto B313 towards Esslingen and B10 towards Stuttgart and then follow the signs towards Zuffenhausen/Vaihingen-Enz. This will lead you straight through Stuttgart (although even there you may experience heavy traffic at rush hour) and you'll get back onto A81 at the Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen exit.

From a truck-driver´s (that I am) point of view I´d recommend routes #2 and #3 although #2 is longer than route #3 ...
Route #3 offers by far the smallest risk of delays through traffic or construction work. Stuttgart area is a nightmare around rush hour - so better avoid it. Even our Boss asks us to use the A7/A6 at daytime although that means more mileage/more truck road toll !
The only (albeit very limited) risk on my recommended routes is the A6 between "Kreuz Weinsberg" (Weinsberg interchange between A81/A6) and Bad Rappenau where road construction is underway (the A6 is gradually extended from dual to triple lane ). But the actual construction sector is just about 10mi long and in recent weeks traffic has not been obstructed too much (unless there was an accident, though ...)

Thanks for your input. I'm going to take Route #3.