The map below lays out the full itinerary, and that’s followed by a very brief description of each town. We don’t provide a lot of specifics because we’re more interested in the overall ambiance of these historic spots rather than their museums and the like. You can find that information on other websites, and we’ve referenced these throughout. But we do include pictures to get your travel juices flowing.
If the full itinerary sounds like too much driving, you can shorten it to about 190 miles by eliminating Baden Baden and Heidelberg, or you can divide into two two trips of about 150 miles each — the three northern towns on one day and three southern ones the next day. The choice is yours, but for the purposes of expediency, we’ve included all of them in one trip.
If you’ve read any of the other “Off the Path” articles, by now you know the drill. Load each town in your GPS, scout out restaurants before you go, and print out this itinerary so you have a hard copy while on the road. Finally, as we’ve also mentioned before, you might not fall in love with every town, but hopefully there will be a few that will turn you on. Regardless, you’re driving through the countryside and there’s lots to take in along the way.
One point about driving in Germany. The stereotype that Germans are orderly has a lot of truth to it. So while on the road, obey speed limits when you see them. The citizens expect you to obey their laws, as they do, and they don’t like it very much when you don’t.
