From Birthplace to Finish Line: A Multi-Generational Road Trip in Germany & Austria

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Tabbetha Richardson had been promising her daughter for years that she’d take her to see where she was born in Germany.  They recently made it happen with a multi-generational road trip through Germany and Austria.

A few years ago I helped Tabbetha plan her first trip back to Germany with her grandson, so it was such a treat to hear about this one, which also included running a half marathon, running into someone who remembered Tabbetha’s grandson from her trip with him a few years ago, and an unplanned stop that turned out to be her favorite of the whole trip.

Listen to the episode below or keep reading for Tabbetha’s trip report along with her recommendations and tips!

This article is also available as the Germany Travel Planning podcast episode #59. Use the player below to listen or continue reading the article below. See episode transcript on Apple podcasts.

Tabbetha’s route: Bremerhaven, Hann. Münden, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Neuschwanstein castle area, Munich, Salzburg, and Hallstatt.

Bremerhaven

Returning to the city where her daughter was born was, in Tabbetha’s words, “surreal.” The apartment building where they once lived is no longer a residential property. The hospital where Tiffany was born is now a medical office building. Things had changed considerably!

They made the most of their one night in the city by walking around the North Sea waterfront and having dinner by the water. The next morning, they stopped at Seebadeanstalt (a historic outdoor bathing area) before hitting the road south.

Bremerhaven doesn’t get a lot of tourist traffic, but it’s worth knowing about if you’re traveling through the north. There’s a fantastic emigration museum right on the harbor that’s highly interactive and especially moving if you have any German ancestry. There’s also a climate museum nearby that gets strong reviews. The waterfront area has a shopping mall and some restaurants, so it’s easy to spend a half day or full day there.

Hann. Münden (Hannoversch Münden)

The drive from Bremerhaven to Rothenburg ob der Tauber is about seven hours. The family decided to stop in Hann. Münden, a small town on the Weser River, and it turned out to be Tabbetha’s single favorite stop of the whole trip.

Hann. Münden is part of the German Timber Frame Road and has around 700 half-timbered houses crammed into a small historic center. There’s a striking medieval bridge, a cathedral, an open-air market, and antique shops that Tabbetha describes as dangerously tempting (she had to remind herself she couldn’t exactly ship a German armoire home)! They spent about two hours there and left wishing they’d had more time.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Tabbetha’s tip: stay at least two nights so you get the evening after day-trippers leave and the quiet morning before they arrive.

On the accommodations front, her family stayed at Hotel Tilman Riemenschneider, a small, charming property in the old town. They booked the top floor, which means rooftop views over the medieval skyline.

The Night Watchman Tour was a highlight for her husband Darren. It’s a theatrical, lantern-lit walking tour of the city after dark led by a guide in full medieval costume, and it’s entertaining even if you’ve been to Rothenburg before.

Munich as A Home Base

Munich served as both the arrival and departure city for the trip, and the family stayed at a small boutique hotel called Falkenturm, right off Maximilianstrasse. The rooms are compact, but the location is excellent: two minutes on foot to Marienplatz, which puts you right in the center of everything.

For the Dachau Concentration Camp memorial, the family went with Radius Tours and worked with a guide named Steve who had been leading tours there for around 17 years. It’s a heavy day emotionally, and having an experienced, knowledgeable guide makes a real difference.

Neuschwanstein Castle

The family took a small-group van tour from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle. They visited in late May, and the castle area wasn’t particularly crowded.

For Tabbetha’s grandson Caleb, the unexpected star of the outing was the Wieskirche, a UNESCO-listed pilgrimage church that sits in an open meadow in the Bavarian countryside. Walking through flat farmland and then coming upon this elaborate Rococo church was startling in the best possible way. The interior is breathtakingly ornate and just so beautiful. They also stopped at a local dairy farm nearby, sat outside enjoying cheese and cured meats, listened to the bells on the goats, and looking at the Alps.

A few practical tips for Neuschwanstein: the horse-drawn carriage up to the castle always has a long queue. Tabbetha’s family took the bus up and walked back down. The walk down is lovely and gives you a different perspective on the landscape.

Salzburg, Austria

The family spent two nights in Salzburg, staying in a two-bedroom apartment right on Getreidegasse, the main pedestrian shopping street in the old town. The location couldn’t have been better: walk out the front door and you’re immediately in the middle of everything.

Caleb and Tiffany ran the Puma Half Marathon and they all visited Hohensalzburg Fortress. They also had a memorable encounter on the main shopping street! Two years earlier, Caleb and Tabbetha had bought paintings from a street artist near the Getreidegasse. On this return trip, the artist spotted Caleb and greeted him by the nickname he’d given him last time. He remembered him after two years!

Hallstatt, Austria

Hallstatt was a bit of an accidental stop. Tabbetha had booked what she thought was a salt mine tour in Hallstatt, only to arrive and discover the funicular was partially dismantled and the tour office was closed until June. (The tour she had actually booked was in Salzburg, where they had just come from.)

They rolled with it and decided to explore Hallstatt! The consensus? Hallstatt is beautiful. It’s also overtouristed. The key is arriving early. Tabbetha’s family got there around 8 AM and there were maybe 15 to 20 other people in the whole village. By mid-morning, the crowds start rolling in. If you want the pretty photos without the chaos, aim to be there and gone by 10 AM.

Tips for Planning Your Trip

Tabbetha asked each family member for their best advice, and here’s what they said:

• Travel in late May or early June. The crowds at major sites like Neuschwanstein and Rothenburg are much more manageable before summer really kicks in.
• Schedule a rest day. Caleb’s number one tip. Nine days with no real downtime will wear you out, no matter how much fun you’re having.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People in Germany and Austria are friendly and many speak English. If you’re lost or confused, just ask.
• Do your research before you go. Know what you want to see in each city and have a rough plan. You don’t need to schedule every hour, but having a sense of what’s available helps you make smart decisions on the ground.
• Expect the unexpected and just roll with it. Mix up a salt mine tour? Miss a train? It’s fine. You’ll figure it out and probably end up with a better story!
• Pack light. Tabbetha learned this one the hard way, hauling a big suitcase up a gravel switchback path to a castle hotel. And leave room to shop.
• Laundromats are easy to find and use. No need to pack for every scenario – just do laundry once or twice.
• Stay as long as you possibly can. Tiffany’s final word on the matter: stay for at least a month. Okay, that might be a stretch for most of us, but the longer you can stay, the more you’ll settle in and actually feel it rather than just see it.

About Tabetha

Tabbetha Richardson is a wife of 42 years, mom of 3 adult children, nana of 9 grandchildren and personal trainer from Greenville, South Carolina. Tabbetha’s hobbies include painting, singing and spending time with family.