Itinerary Help - 20 days in Central Europe

Have you considered Bamberg or Nürnberg (Nuremberg) instead of Munich?

Your trip is certainly do-able, but you'll be on trains a lot.
Don't sell Cologne short. It's most famous for the incredible Duomo in the city center, but it's also very underrated as a lively city.
You have a bunch of great cities on your itinerary--many worthy of more time than allotted.
An alternative would be to go on to Prague from Salzburg and skip Vienna on this trip. That would require taking a Westbahn train to Linz and a Westbus north to Prague. Or arrange to catch one of the Cesky Krumlov shuttle buses from Salzburg to Prague.

Berlin is rich with museums and historic sites. Many of the latter appeal to folks interested in World War II and Cold War history. If those historical periods appeal to you, you will find your time in Berlin way too short.

Hi,

Going from Cologne to Munich, you can have the night train option, arriving by 0700 hrs. Both the EN and ICE trains do that route if you prefer going by night train. I used that ICE night train last May going Düsseldorf to Munich.

Thanks everyone for your replies.

@tonfromleiden, would you substitute Bamberg or Nuremberg for the time allotted to Munich? I don't know much about either city.

@David, I wish we could add more time to some of the cities, especially Berlin. Do you think Vienna is not worth going to? Another option I thought of was going directly from Cologne to Salzburg and skipping Munich. Or I considered taking a day from Vienna and moving it somewhere else. What's your opinion?

@acraven, I figured if I were to add a day to any of the cities it would be Berlin. My girlfriend and I are both interested in world history.

@Fred, how did you find the sleeper train? Was it comfortable enough to sleep and were you too tired to do anything when you arrived?

I would also consider taking a day from Prague and moving it to Berlin, as we are not planning and day trips from Prague.

@ ryan...I don't have any experience with sleepers (Schlafwagen) on night trains since I don't use that option. When taking a night train, such as that last May Düsseldorf to Munich, I sit in the 2nd class general seating area (Grossraumwagen), like every one else. Basically, all the passengers were Germans. I didn't hear any foreign languages spoken. Getting on at Düsseldorf Hbf gave me a false impression since the ICE coach was almost empty, ie, pretty sparse, until it reached Frankfurt (Fernbahnhof ?) at midnight, at which time a ton of people got on, one US family ( I know, since that teenage kid was indiscreetly loud as he moving through the crowded isle) I saw. Take the night train, you squeeze out an extra day. No, I was not tired the next morning upon arrival in Munich, which was not my final stop but rather Linz. On night trains I have no problems falling and staying asleep, sometimes better than others, but normally no problems. I always factor in one night train, if not, two per trip, depending on the duration of the trip.

I prefer Bonn over Cologne too....Beethoven's House, etc. Close to Bonn the town of Bad Godesberg is good too, if you're after historical sites, so am I.

Note that what Fred is saying is that he has no trouble falling asleep sitting up. Train seats are more comfortable than airline coach seats for sure, but I think Fred is one lucky fellow. For me, sitting up all night long on any form of transportation is sheer misery. If that doesn't sound good to you, consider a train that at least has couchettes. They're just padded ledges, but at least you'll be horizontal. But check for when you might need to change trains (2AM = not good), whether you have a long layover somewhere, and how many stops the train makes, because the stopping and starting may jerk you awake even if the rail bed is smooth enough to allow dozing between stations.

@ ryan...Based on the itinerary you listed, if you catch the EN night train at Cologne or even take the S-Bahn to Düsseldorf in order to board it earlier, you are boarding at a decent time direct to Munich arr. 0700. You don't say how old you are, in your 20s? There are lots of people taking night trains, age wise from millennials to middle age. My coach on the ICE train (above) was the most packed one I have ever been on, every seat was taken or just about after it stopped at Frankfurt Fernbahnhof. If you have a rail Pass, going by night train means you only pay for a seat reservation, 4.5 Euro, which isn't mandatory anymore. I got one just in case since I had a Pass.