opinion of one day's tirp...day 3 of 7...

Munich is a huge town, with several major attractions. How much time in town are you planning?

What are you going to do on Wed if it's raining? Same for Zugspitze take cable up/down.

You may be overly ambitious. Driving in EU is slow. 150 miles a day is fast pace. Grossglockner road takes about 4 hours one way, and its not close to Innsbruck.

Took me all day the last time I drove from Munich to Fussen. My sightseeing consisted of 4 churches on the way. Allow a minimum of 90 minutes to visit N-castle. More if it's busy.

2.5 hrs rt on the train to Zugspitz. One train an hour. Spend time sightseeing on the summit & it's an easy 4 hour jaunt.

don't drive in EU without Michelin maps & Green Guides (specifically designed for sightseeing by car).
Get the 1/200 000 scale map. It shows roads, scenic roads, sights to see (rated). I prefer the older Green Guides (ink drawings instead of photos) to the newer one with photos. Try eBay.

Everyone in your party must memorize the International Road signs.

On expressways, you must keep right except to pass. You wouldn't believe the road rage German drivers can express toward some jerk going slower than 100 mph in the left lane.

If you do drive into Austria from Germany, you must buy an Austrian road sticker at the first gas station across the border. Big fine if you don't.

Rental cars are way more expensive at the Munich airport than in town, but you will get lost trying to drive out of Munich. That's on reason why everybody needs to know the road signs. The driver needs all the help he can get all the time.

I think driving is the best way to see EU except for the big cities, but I'm not sure a beginner should tackle the Alps and you picked some of the toughest roads in the Alps.

Do not make advanced reservations at hotels when you are on the road. You will never time it right. Take your time & stop for the night when you get tired or it gets dark.

Assuming N-castle is a must, consider this: Munich to Garmish to Linderhof to Fussen for first night. Next day, see N castle, Wies Church and head toward Augsburg to pick up the German Romantic ROad. Michelin Green guide will lead you along it step by step. Side trip to Schwabisch Hall. If you have any time left, consult the Green Guide to see what else is in the vicinity

If N-Castle can be sacrificed, try an easier introduction to the Alps: Head for Salzburg if the weather is good keep going S from Salzburg on the A10 to 162 to Hallstadt with a stop at Gosausee on the way. arrive at Hallstadt from the south along the lake. Then Southe from Hallstadt to the Mighty Dachstein (cable car up toteh glacier & ice caves). Back on tehroadto Bad Ausee & it's series of cute little lakes to Bad Ischl to Salzburg via the Lake Ditrict, the Salzkammergut. If the weather is bad, stop in Salzburg for 1-2 days & pray for sun. If weather is still bad, it takes most of a day to visit Herrincheimsee.

Rich,

Yes, your plan is over ambitious on Monday.

It is at least two hours by car to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich. Once in Hohenschwangau you stand in line to get tickets with a time slot at the castle(s) - generally at least an hour from when you purchase your tickets. You might want to go to the Neuschwanstein Ticket web site to read all the details.

There are two castles and a museum in Hohenschwangau. Plus, Fussen is a lovely city.

It's then an hour's drive, under ideal conditions, to the Zugspitze parking lot and then another 45 minutes to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Even if you have advance reservations at Neuschwanstein Castle for first thing in the morning (read the web site very carefully), you Monday itinerary probably falls apart at about this point.

Some options to help this work. 1) Spend the night BEFORE seeing Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen or Hofenschwangau. and have advance reservations at the castle. 2) Skip the Zugsptize or Garmisch-Partenkirchen & Mitterwald and head straight for Innsbruck.

Also, be aware that driving in Germany is a bit different than in North America. While there are stretches of the autobahn where there is no formal speed limit, when in urbanized areas/construction zones, the speed limit can be as low as 85kph. The speed limits on the 'A' and 'B' roads are strictly enforced - often by speed cameras. If you plan to rent a car, by all means research German traffic law and get an IDP.

If you drive on an Austrian autobahn, you'll need a toll/tax sticker. Research "Austria highway toll tax sticker" for details. The €15 fee for a 7 day sticker is cheap compared to the fine if you don't have one.

Getting a speed camera ticket will cost you several hundred € because the police ask the rental car company for your contact info and the rental company charges YOU for the pleasure of providing it. And don't think you'll just be able to ignore the fine because you don't live there as more and more governments are sending these delinquent fines to collections.

One last thing, when planning my Germany/Austria trip (May 2019), I noticed most rental car agencies in Munich are charging a service fee if you plan to leave Germany with the car. Yeah, it's a nuisance fee but it's like airline luggage fees - what can you do except pay it.

Or you could drive to G-P and take the dedicated train to Zugspitze. That will cut down on driving somewhat. And I would call that a day. Figure the next day to Mittenwald/Innsbruck. Without knowing what you plan to do in M-wald, if you can get there on Monday it will be later and most things could be closed.

In short, I think you are really trying too much in a single day over quite a bt of geography. But I like the spots you've chosen!

thank you for so much practical advice and ideas.. Changed it to ending day in G-P....Tues, look around then head to Innsbruck..

If you are considering the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse (euro 39 toll), then consider Lienz, AT instead of Innsbruck for an overnight or two. Its still about a 5 hour drive depending on traffic from Garmish to the Hochalpenstrasse, then about another hour (with a stop or two) to Lienz. Kitzbühel always seems to take an extra maddening half hour drive with the poor traffic flow through the city. You would skip the Tauerntunnel on the return, going back through Kitzbühel to Munich, but not over the Hochalpenstrasse again. If you want a nice detour to the Hochalpenstrasse, then route yourself past/through the Wilden Kaiser mountain region to the Zeller See, with a lunch stop at Thumersbach or Zell am See (avoids Kitzbühel too). This lines you up with the Hochalpenstrasse. Lienz is a nice smaller town in the Osttirol Dolomite Mountains. Weather permitting take the gondola up to Zettersberg for a short hike and the view. Traveling in the middle of the week is usually much easier than the weekends, especially during summer school vacation periods and high ski season. Of course the Hochalpenstrasse is closed with snow in winter. I did not see a time of year in your post. Again good weather will make a big difference...
https://www.foto-webcam.eu/webcam/lienz/
https://www.lienz.gv.at/en.html

Most of the places you have mentioned are served by train lines, in fact, many are on the same line: GP, Mittenwald, Innsbruck. Have you explored that option? Also, if Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday are when you are in Munich, you may be cutting short opportunities to see things like the Viktualienmarkt. Plus shopping is most likely curtailed on Sundays, too. Could you head south or east (Salzburg?) first and spend time in Munich at the end of the trip?

wow , thank you for the time you have nicely taken to help me. Let me add here.. From Grossglockner road ultimately we are ending up in Salzburg. I looked at staying in Bad Gastein, being there in Sept. the rates are very low vs. ski times. Trip is planned for arriving in Munich on Sat Sept 7, at 1 pm. leaving that next Sat.
I chose to get my car at the airport for a far larger selection that at small places in Munich. In cities it will be parked and walking and transit is how we will get around.
Regarding trains. I am a huge train buff. but I am there to see the countries of Germany and Austria, less concerned with cost and time. You don’t get to take that detour or stop and just take in that scenery on trains and you don’t get to truly see a place driving on autobahn/freeways.
It is an aggressive schedule, I have looked up many of the places mentioned to me from your notes and see some changes over places I thought of, some different ways to go.

Lastly on Friday I look to leave Salzburg, drive to Lake Konigssee area , I know I can’t spend hours there but to see that area is enough, then head to Munich through Traunstein and Wasserburg and 304 into Munich. . Is this a bad traffic heading into Munich around 6pm on a Friday .?
Thank you all for your time !!

The weekend of 7-8 Sep 19 will be heavy with traffic as it is the last weekend of Bavarian school vacation. I think it's fair to say any Friday at 18:00 means heavy traffic around Munich with guaranteed Stau and stop and go on the autobahns. You will have better luck the following week, particularly on secondary roads, but like most places 18:00 is still part of the weekend and with rush hour type traffic.

Bad Gastein is one of the few places we've been to in Austria and have no desire to go back. hotel rates are low at any ski resort, not just Bad Gastein. WE especially like the Oetztal for scenery and visiting Innsbruck (straight south of Fussen)

Compare rental car prices in Munch town to the airport.