Salzburg and/or garmisch/mittenwald

In October - probably later October as you are visiting Italy first - I would center the visit more on cities and less on nature and landscapes. You are not likely to take long hikes. - Under this point of view, I would consider Salzburg (baroque center) and Munich (large cities with multiple points of interest) as better suited than Garmisch and Mittenwald (mountain little town and village).

Berchtesgaden, Garmisch and Mittenwald are fairly equivalent - each of them can be visited in half a day but if you happen to find bad weather blocking outdoor activities your choices will be limited.

You could divide your time with 3 days in Salzburg (half of it spent in Berchtesgaden) and 3 in Munich (with day trip to Neuschwanstein). But we are really talking about 2 real days in Salzburg - the trip between Salerno and Salzburg will take a full day, and a very long one (12 hours by train, and you have to get to Salerno first). You may consider taking away a day from the Amalfi coast, but this is up to you.

"Does it makes sense to skip Salzburg and stay in garmisch or mittenwald, since one can visit neuschweinstein castle from garmisch..."

No, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

If N'stein is a must-see, why stay in the Garmisch area? You could just stay in Füssen (near N'stein) and hike around that N'stein area instead. (Füssen, Garmisch, Berchtesgaden... All three are attractive places.)

But it would not be my recommendation to stay in Garmisch or Füssen, either for 1 night or for 6 nights. Your first plan allocates FOUR days for Salzburg (well, THREE days, w/ a day trip to B'gaden) probably because Salzburg is important to you for specific reasons. So why give up a place that important? AND you assigned TWO days to Munich, probably because you have sightseeing goals there - right?

So this idea of 6 nights in Garmisch seems to throw away all your plans except hiking in the Alps and Neuschwanstein.

And about N'stein... why is that the one "keeper?" As a day trip from Munich, the 30-minute tour will cost you nearly FIVE hours on trains and buses. How much do you know about N'stein? In the first place, you're confused about the spelling, which is -schwan- rather than -schwein-stein (Schwein means "pig" btw.) But what about the "Castle" part? Germans do not refer to it as a castle because it's really a palace, not a castle, a relatively modern building built in the last part of the 19th century that was given a fake castle exterior. Yes, it's an interesting building, but not necessarily a building that is worth the extra Euros required to get there, the high admission fee, and the loss of an entire day in Munich.

DW article on Neuschwanstein:
http://www.dw.com/en/is-neuschwanstein-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/a-17887035

CASTLES AND PALACES: Consider the real ones in/near Salzburg and in Munich...

• http://www.salzburg-burgen.at/en/

• Check out this family's visit to NYMPHENBURG Palace in Munich: http://www.theworldisabook.com/16991/munich-with-kids-nymphenburg-palace/

So I think your first plan makes the most sense. But I could also see a 3/3 split between Munich and Salzburg. Just depends on your sightseeing goals there.

Russ,
The misspelling of neuschwanstein was unintentional and if it has hurt any of German friends, I offer sincere apologies. I am quite sure any sensible reader can understand such mistakes can happen while typing complex words.

I have have about this place in rick steves book, and in several blogs over net and I have an fair understanding of what to expect. Whether people call it castle or palace it will remain what it is.

I am sure Nymphenburg and other salzburg palace/castles are good, but for us neuschwanstein castle is beautiful, even if it consumes one complete day.

Why Salzburg ? If weather is good do hiking around berchtesgaden, else see places in town.

I tend to think of Garmisch and Berchtesgaden as having two different showplace nature features. The first is the Zugspitze and high mountains, the second is the Konigsee, and they're not interchangeable at all in my mind.

I also like the mad king's follies more than a lot of 'real' castles, and keep in mind that there's more than just Neuschwanstein. Herrenchiemsee is an easy detour from the autobahn between Munich and Salzburg and Linderhof is a pretty minor way out of the way between Garmisch and Munich.

I'd probably do 2 nights Salzburg- Berchtesgaden, 2 Garmisch-P because that was a happy place for me, and 2 Munich. See Herrenchiemsee on the drive between Salzburg and Garmisch, and Linderhof on the way to Munich.

Don't forget your toll sticker before you drive on Austrian autobahns! The police do occasionally do checks on the ramps for them.

I totally forgot to mention that we wont be having car and will be completely dependent on public transport

@praveenroam: I took no offense at your unintentional misspelling, and I'm sure no one else did. I did take it as a hint that you perhaps hadn't seen the word much and maybe not read much about the place. I pointed it out not to offend you but only to inform you (it was misspelled 3 times the same way.)

The good thing about this forum: when you ask for advice from those who have gone before you, you may get different perspectives from those in guidebooks, views that are free of charge and which can be discarded if you dislike them. No problem with me at all if you believe N'stein is worth a full day.

My recommendation for Munich and Salzburg bases only remains the same, whether you see N'stein or not. But I'd probably make it 3 nights in each.

Best wishes for a good trip.

Berchtesgaden area ( Berchtesgadenerland is the term used in tourist info) is gorgeous and Salzburg is a good base. We stayed two nights in Fuessen to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenswchangau castles but if you took a tour you wouldn't need to do that. There's a lot to see and do in the Berchtesgaden/Salzburg area and I don't see the point of staying in Garmish unless you relish being around American tourists, mostly military, because there's a US military resort complex there and that seems to be where everyone goes. The Eagle's Nest and the Koeningsee are worth it and this time of year I imagine should have some pretty autumn colors.

I like your original itinerary. I would be tempted to subtract a day from Berchtesgaden and add it to Munich, but I just think there's a lot to do and see in Munich but I'm a big city kind of girl. Russ' advice is good, although I too like King Ludwig's follies so I don't have much of an opinion about the "real castle" versus "romantic folly castle" debate. Both are worthwhile IMO.

Ok, while we love the Berchtesgden area and Salzburg, I'd suggest staying 4 days in Mittenwald or Garmisch. We also love this area. We prefer Mittenwald, but always have a car. Without a car, Garmisch would be more sensible. One day visit Neuschwanstein and include Hohenschwangau castle, Tegelberg luge ride (Sommerrodelbahn) and maybe a stroll around Fuessen. Another day (clear day) do the Zugspitze trip. Another day visit Mittenwald and even Innsbruck if you like. Then there's still Ettal Monastery, Linderhof Palace, Oberammergau, etc.

We've done a number of trips to Bavaria and the Austrian alps in early to late October. The weather can be wonderful and the fall foliage colors can be beautiful. Our experiences were daytime temps in the high 50's to mid 70's and chilly to cold nights and early mornings. Never had a day of rain.

Yes, the alpine scenery around both Garmisch/Mittenwald and Berchtesgaden are similar. By choosing one over the other you'll miss out on nothing alpine scenery wise. Mittenwald is probably the cutest, prettiest village we've visited in Bavaria. Postcard perfect with an alpine backdrop.

Your original post stated you won't have a car and are using public transportation.

Paul

"Never had a day of rain"

You got very lucky. There's no season in Germany where there's not a good chance of rain.

We were very lucky. We had a day or two with a brief shower, but never a rainy day. 5 early to late October trips, about 65 nights total. We even had a couple of days when the daytime temps nearly hit 80. Prepare for anything though. All said, October is our favorite month to travel to the alps of Bavaria, Austria and the Dolomites.

I love Salzburg. It has one of the prettiest old city centers anywhere. That said, you don't need four days there. You can see the center in one good walkable day and take a daytrip to Berchtesgaden on another. Munich has more to see, so I'd plan to spend more time there - especially if you're planning a day trip to Neuschwanstein.

My experience in Germany is that September is beautiful and sometime in October, depending on the year, it will get cold and stay that way until next spring. Rome in contrast is best in late October (or later). Earlier in the year it's too hot (and crowded) to really enjoy. The water will be cold in Amalfi either way. If I'm doing your trip, I start in Germany and move south to Italy to finish.

I tend to plan my itinerary by nights. four nights somewhere gives you three full days. After the fourth night you have a travel day and may or may not have time to see any sights. When you get to the next place, three nights gives you two full days to tour - then another travel day, etc.

Rome, Salzburg and Munich are all reasonably easy by public transportation (Rome has a very limited subway system). I haven't been to Amalfi coast so I don't know. I'm also not sure about public transportation to Berchtesgaden?

I'm also not sure about public transportation to Berchtesgaden?

There are frequent trains from Freilassing at the Munich-Salzburg line and buses from Salzburg. Public transport in Berchtesgaden includes buses to lake Königssee and to Hitlers Kehlsteinhaus (aka Eagles Nest).

Brad - Travelling days are included in it. For me 4 days in a place includes 1 day arrival. So effectively I will be left with 3 days.

we are planning to use Salzburg as base and day trip to berchtesgaden(hike around it), hallstat.

Even I was thinking to start from Germany and move south to Italy. However the time of travel overlaps with Oktoberfest. Hotel prices in Munich is crazy at that time. That's the reason I had to reverse the route so that we arrive in Munich after Oktoberfest.

We lived in Augsburg, Germany, 50 miles east of Munich for four years and visited both the Salzburg/Berchtesgaden and Garmisch areas several times. Both areas are wonderful. You can see Berchtesgaden in one day, even going to the Eagles Nest (not sure if open in October). You could probably reduce your stay in that area to three nights.

Still, you will need 2-3 nights in Garmisch to see the area well. You probably want to see Oberamergau where the Passion Play is held, as well as other castles in the Garmisch area. Further, you would want to go up to the Zugspitze.

You may be able to split the time between two places, for six nights, but not three places (you include Munich).

You only have two nights for Munich, far too little. Perhaps you should plan on coming back to Bavaria in the future and same one of the areas for another trip.