Driving down the Romantic Road in Germany

Castle Neuschwanstein

South Germany, with its fairytale castles, palaces and well preserved medieval towns, exudes breathtaking, rustic charm

If in the olden times, all roads in Europe led toRome, in the modern (at least for us Indians) they lead to Switzerland, Bollywood being its unofficial brand ambassador. When compared to the Alpine extravaganza of crisp mountain air, idyllic towns, placid lakes and panoramic views that Switzerland has to offer, its lesser explored immediate neighbours, namely, northern Italy, north eastern France and Belgium and southernGermany offer an additional abundance of history and heritage, art and architecture for the discerning traveller. South Germany, with its fairytale castles, grand palaces and timeless medieval towns, exudes the kind of rustic charm that would take one's breath away.

Situated literally within the geographic centre or the 'heart' of Europe, as is true of any heart, the region of south Germany has been wooed and won, as well as ripped open and trampled upon by many a ruler. This is reflected by a colourful mix of its region's culture, cuisine, customs and constructions, dating as far back as the time of the Romans. Such is the architectural diversity of south Germany that, for example, if one happens to pass by an ancient Roman amphitheatre, the next turn would have a Renaissance-style town hall flanked by a Gothic church overlooking a Baroque-style residential palace with a Rococo-style facade.

Frankfurt or Munich could serve as a good base from where one can plan an onward journey. The old town centres of Frankfurt and Munich provide spectacular viewing. The recommended tourist destinations around these major cities have been principally divided into two regions: the Rhine Valley and The Romantic Road.

The Rhine valley

The stretch of the Rhine valley between Rudesheim and Koblenz has more castles per square kilometre perched on hill tops and looming over the meandering Rhine than anywhere else in Europe, while idyllic towns ornament every bend of the Rhine. The chair lift at Asmanshausen leading to walking trails along the vineyard studded Rhine gorge, river cruises from Bingen to Koblenz and then onto Cologne, castle converted hotel accommodations such as that in schloss Schoenburg with panoramic views are some options one would be tempted to try more than once. The architectural diversity of the heritage buildings of the town of Trier on the Moselle tributary is inspiring.

The Altstadt or the old town of Heidelberg on river Neckar with its imposing Renaissance-style castle looking over an intricate network of cobblestone streets takes you down the history lane. So does the walk along the Altebrucke or the old bridge at Wurzburg. A guided tour of the UNESCO-protected Residenz palace at Wurzburg that boasts of an exquisitely painted ceiling bigger in area than the Sistine Chapel including the room of mirrors is a complete revelation.

For the holidayer looking for that perfect leisurely getaway, the Black Forest region typically has 'the woods lovely, dark and deep, albeit with no promises to keep.' The birthplace of cuckoo clocks, it is ironical to know that time seems to stand so still in a place where keeping time is everything.

Alpine vistas abound in this region, offering one many hiking trails and picturesque drives in the summers and extreme skiing in the winters. I am also tempted to include the heritage city ofStrasbourg in France and the Rhine falls located at the Swiss-German border town of Schaffhausen in the Black Forest region due to their proximity to the same. Strasbourg has Venice-like canals dissecting its old town. One can marvel at the potpourri of its architectural wonders from the vantage point of a boat along the canal.

The romantic road

Aptly called the Romantic Road, the route connecting Wurzburg in the north to Fussen in the south has fairytale towns all along its path, Rothenberg ob der Tauber being the prototype. The magnificence of the three 'dreamier than ever' masterpieces commissioned by the eccentric king Ludwig of Bavaria, namely castle Neuschwanstein (the same castle that inspired the Walt Disney logo), Linderhof palace with its shockingly lavish interiors and excellently landscaped gardens including a manmade underground lake and grotto, and palace Herrenchiemsee (the Versailles of Germany) situated on an island in the middle of the lake Chiemsee cannot simply be described in words. Though Germany, like most of Europe, boasts of an extensive rail network with train timings precise by the millisecond, a self-driven four-wheeler would do great for navigation, even for shoestring budgeteers if they are more than four people traveling together. One can do better justice to the region in terms of time convenience and accessibility to monuments on a self-driven tour. One can also obviously book with the tour companies like the many you will find on flipping through the pages of this very newspaper. But then again, not many Indian tour operators have this region covered on their itinerary and Bollywood song and dance sequences have yet to fully endorse this hidden treasure of Europe. Dr Saumil Sheth is a practising retina specialist and eye surgeon at Envision eye hospital and Ojas eye care.

Fast facts

Climate: With summers not as hot as the Mediterranean, winters not as cold as the Alps, it's just perfect for some of the best wine in the world to be produced here.

Best time to visit: April to September. Most of the sites of tourist interest remain practically shut in the winter, unless one has serious skiing plans. Most castles and palaces are open all year round, but guided tours in English are frequent only during the summers. Castle converted hotel accommodations aren't very heavy on the pockets, but they are open in the summers only and get sold out rather quickly
.