Motorhome hire in Bavaria

Starting from Würzburg, with its Prince-Bishops' Residence and the vineyards of the Main valley, the Romantic Road heads south through Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a walled town you can walk around along the ramparts, then Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen, whose centre sits inside an impact crater. It continues to Augsburg before reaching Füssen, the Wieskirche and the castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein.

Füssen has no rental depot: it is a stopover. A one-way rental from Würzburg to Munich depends on the rental company and the dates; otherwise, plan on driving back by motorway. Book your Neuschwanstein tickets in advance, as entry is by timed slot.

From Nuremberg, with its old town, its imperial castle and the Nazi Party Rally Grounds museum recalling its Nazi past, the road heads north to Bamberg, a UNESCO-listed city with its cathedral and its smoked-beer breweries. It carries on to Bayreuth, Wagner's city, then crosses Franconian Switzerland, a plateau of limestone cliffs, caves and small brewing villages.

Departures from Fürth and Ansbach, close to Nuremberg, offer the same route. The roads of Franconian Switzerland are narrow and popular with cyclists: slow down in the villages and don't expect room for a large vehicle in the brewery courtyards.

From Munich, the road runs along the Starnberger See and then the turquoise waters of the Walchensee, before Mittenwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, at the foot of the Zugspitze, the country's highest peak. The return passes by Linderhof Palace or Ettal Abbey. A second loop, to the east, links the Chiemsee, its islands and its Herrenchiemsee castle, then Berchtesgaden and the Königssee, a lake enclosed by sheer rock walls.

Each loop takes four to five days. Only electric boats operate on the Königssee. Traffic on Alpine roads is heavy on summer weekends: set off early in the morning and plan short stages.

Regensburg, with its 12th-century stone bridge and its UNESCO-listed old town, opens up the Danube valley. The route passes through Kelheim, where boats travel up the Danube Gorge to Weltenburg Abbey, then Straubing and Passau, the city of three rivers, on the Austrian border. From there, you head back up to the Bavarian Forest, its national park and the Arber massif.

Along the Danube, a very busy cycle path runs beside the road: take extra care at junctions. In the Bavarian Forest, the roads are winding but not especially difficult, and there are plenty of parking areas.

Lindau sits on an island in Lake Constance, linked to the shore by a causeway: its harbour is guarded by a Bavarian lion and a lighthouse. From there, the road follows the shore towards Wasserburg, then heads into the Allgäu, a land of meadows and cheese dairies, as far as Oberstdorf, the base for hikes to the Breitach Gorge. It ends at Füssen, from where you can reach the castles of Ludwig II.

Lake Constance also borders Austria and Switzerland: check with the rental company before crossing the border. This region is rainier than northern Bavaria, with frequent fog in spring.