Is train travel included?

Yes. The package includes round-trip ICE/TGV second-class rail tickets between Paris and Strasbourg. First-class upgrade is available for an additional US$129 per person.

Do I need to drive, or is it guided?

It is a self-guided, independent tour. You pick up a rental car (executive size, automatic, GPS, comprehensive insurance included) in Strasbourg on Day 3 and drive yourself following the provided itinerary. One guided walking tour with the Night Watchman in Rothenburg ob der Tauber is included.

What hotels are included?

The package includes 13 nights at named hotels: Peyris Hotel in Paris (3 nights), Hollander Hof in Heidelberg (1 night), Hotel Spitzweg in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2 nights), King's Hotel First Class in Munich (2 nights), Hotel Muller in Hohenschwangau (1 night), Hotel Reutemann und Seegarten in Lindau (1 night), Best Western Plus Schwarzwald Residenz in Triberg (1 night), and Best Western Monopol Metropol in Strasbourg (2 nights).

What admissions and activities are included?

Buffet breakfast daily, two-day Hop-on Hop-off Paris city tour pass, walking tours of city centers, and entry to Linderhof Palace, Neuschwanstein Castle, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Munich Residence and museums, Würzburg Fortress and Prince Bishops Residence, Bamberg New Residence and Rose Garden, and Nuremberg Imperial Castle.

What is not included?

International airfare, lunch and dinner, gratuities, parking fees, and the car rental upgrade to luxury size.

How much walking is involved?

The tour includes walking tours of multiple city centers (Paris, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Nuremberg, Munich, Strasbourg) and castle visits that involve stairs and climbing. Budget several hours of walking on most days.

Travel to Europe (To-Europe) · Self-drive & rail combination tour

14-Day France & Germany Rail & Self-Drive Combination Tour (14RS01)

14-day France and Germany self-drive and rail mix from Paris to the Black Forest

Travel to Europe's 14-day France and Germany Rail and Self-Drive Combination Tour mixes train travel with independent driving, beginning in Paris and ending in the Black Forest region. You spend your first three days in Paris with museum visits and a hop-on hop-off city tour, then board the ICE or TGV train to Strasbourg where you pick up a rental car. From there, you drive through the Romantic Road visiting medieval towns including Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Würzburg, Bamberg, and Nuremberg, then south toward the Alps to see Linderhof and Neuschwanstein Castles. The route continues to Lake Constance at Lindau and through the Black Forest to Triberg before you return the car in Strasbourg and take the train back to Paris. The package includes all hotel accommodation, buffet breakfast, museum admissions to major castles and palaces, a guided Night Watchman walking tour in Rothenburg, private airport transfers, and the rental car with insurance. This trip works well for independent explorers comfortable navigating and driving in Europe, couples seeking a mix of structure and freedom, and history lovers drawn to German castles and historic town centers.

What to know before you look closer

This is a self-guided tour with no tour manager; you navigate and drive yourself using the provided itinerary and information sheets
The single supplement is high: US$6,349 compared to US$3,659 for double occupancy (nearly double the per-person cost)
Train tickets are included in the 2nd-class fare; upgrading to 1st class costs an additional US$129 per person for the entire tour
Lunch and dinner are not included; the package covers breakfast and hotel accommodation only

Day by day

Day 1overnight: Paris
Arrival in Paris
Private transfer from Paris Int. Airport to hotel in Paris. Visit the Louvre Museum.
Day 2overnight: Paris
Paris
Full day of sightseeing in Paris with a 2 Day Hop-on Hop-off Paris city tour pass, passing Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee d'Orsay, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower.
Day 3railovernight: Heidelberg
Strasbourg, Baden Baden and Heidelberg
Take the ICE or TGV from Paris to Strasbourg, pick up rental car and drive to Baden-Baden, then to Heidelberg for a walking tour of the Old Town and Heidelberg Castle.
Day 4overnight: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Castle Road and Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Drive from Heidelberg along the Castle Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, visiting Castle Guttenberg and Grosscomburg Monastery along the way.
Day 5overnight: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Day Trip to Wurzburg, Bamberg and Nuremberg
Follow the Romantic Road via Creglingen, Weikersheim and Bad Mergentheim to Wurzburg (Fortress Marienberg, Prince Bishops Residence), then Bamberg (New Residence and Rose Garden) and Nuremberg (Imperial Castle). Return to Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the evening.
Day 6overnight: Munich
Romantic Road to Dinkelsbuhl and Nordlingen and Munich
Continue through Bavaria along the Romantic Road via Schillingsfurst, Feuchtwangen, Dinkelsbuhl and Nordlingen, then on to Munich.
Day 7overnight: Munich
Munich
Free time for sightseeing in Munich with admissions to Munich Residence and Residence Museum, Treasury, Cuvillies-Theatre, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, and a self-guided walking tour of the city center.
Day 8overnight: Hohenschwangau
Linderhof Palace and Hohenschwangau
Scenic drive towards the Alps, visiting Linderhof Palace and Park in Ettal, with an optional stop in Oberammergau, before continuing to Hohenschwangau.
Day 9overnight: Lindau
Neuschwanstein Castle, Fussen, Lindau and Lake Constance
Visit Neuschwanstein Castle, then drive via Fussen along the German Alpine Road to Lindau Island on Lake Constance.
Day 10overnight: Triberg
Triberg and Black Forest
Drive along Lake Constance to Castle Meersburg and Basilika Birnau, then via Donaueschingen (source of the Danube) to Triberg in the Black Forest.
Day 11overnight: Strasbourg
Freudenstadt and Strasbourg
Scenic drive along the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse (Black Forest Mountain Road) to Freudenstadt, with an optional stop at the Black Forest Open Air Museum Vogtsbauernhof, continuing to Strasbourg where the rental car is returned.
Day 12overnight: Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Full day to enjoy Strasbourg with a walking tour of the historic Old Town including Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Barrage Vauban, Petite France and Place Gutenberg.
Day 13railovernight: Paris
Strasbourg to Paris
Take the ICE or TGV to Paris (about 2.5 hours), with time for more sightseeing after checking into the hotel.
Day 14
Paris Airport
Private transfer from hotel to Paris Int. Airport based on departure time.

The moments this trip is built around

Day 1Private transfer from Paris International Airport and visit the Louvre Museum on your arrival day
Day 3Take the ICE or TGV train from Paris to Strasbourg, then drive through Baden-Baden and walk the Old Town and castle in Heidelberg
Day 4Drive the Castle Road from Heidelberg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, stopping at Castle Guttenberg and Grosscomburg Monastery
Day 5Guided walking tour with the Night Watchman in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, then day trip along the Romantic Road to Würzburg, Bamberg, and Nuremberg
Day 9Visit Neuschwanstein Castle, then drive along the German Alpine Road to Lindau Island on Lake Constance

Included

Private transfer from Paris Int. Airport to hotel in Paris
Buffet breakfast daily
2 Day Hop-on Hop-off Paris City tour pass
Train ticket from Paris to Strasbourg (2nd class)
Rental car (executive size, automatic transmission, GPS, comprehensive insurance) for duration of tour
English-speaking walking tour with the Night Watchman in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Admission to the Residence and Marienberg Fortress in Wurzburg
Admission to the New Residence and Rose Garden in Bamberg
Admission to the Imperial Castle in Nuremberg
Admission to Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Munich
Admission to Residence Museum and Treasury, Cuvillies-Theatre, Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria, Marstallmuseum and Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain
Admission to Linderhof Palace & Park and Neuschwanstein Castle
Train ticket from Strasbourg to Paris (2nd class)
Private transfer from hotel to Paris Int. Airport
13 nights hotel accommodation per itinerary

Not included

Airfare from/to your origin to/from Germany
All meals other than breakfast
Gratuities (tips)
Parking fees

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?: Yes. The package includes round-trip ICE/TGV second-class rail tickets between Paris and Strasbourg. First-class upgrade is available for an additional US$129 per person.
Do I need to drive, or is it guided?: It is a self-guided, independent tour. You pick up a rental car (executive size, automatic, GPS, comprehensive insurance included) in Strasbourg on Day 3 and drive yourself following the provided itinerary. One guided walking tour with the Night Watchman in Rothenburg ob der Tauber is included.
What hotels are included?: The package includes 13 nights at named hotels: Peyris Hotel in Paris (3 nights), Hollander Hof in Heidelberg (1 night), Hotel Spitzweg in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2 nights), King's Hotel First Class in Munich (2 nights), Hotel Muller in Hohenschwangau (1 night), Hotel Reutemann und Seegarten in Lindau (1 night), Best Western Plus Schwarzwald Residenz in Triberg (1 night), and Best Western Monopol Metropol in Strasbourg (2 nights).
What admissions and activities are included?: Buffet breakfast daily, two-day Hop-on Hop-off Paris city tour pass, walking tours of city centers, and entry to Linderhof Palace, Neuschwanstein Castle, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Munich Residence and museums, Würzburg Fortress and Prince Bishops Residence, Bamberg New Residence and Rose Garden, and Nuremberg Imperial Castle.
What is not included?: International airfare, lunch and dinner, gratuities, parking fees, and the car rental upgrade to luxury size.
How much walking is involved?: The tour includes walking tours of multiple city centers (Paris, Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Nuremberg, Munich, Strasbourg) and castle visits that involve stairs and climbing. Budget several hours of walking on most days.