Here is a sample itinerary of a 10 day trip I was thinking of...is there enough time?
Fly into Frankfurt
Rhine River Valley & Castles
Baden Baden
Bavaria Castles
Out of Munich - with maybe a day trip to Salzburg
Any suggestions? Baden Baden is in there because that is where our family is from.
That's probably too much for ten days and too much moving around. I'm not a middle ages buff, but I think the Bavarian castles aren't any better than the ones on the Rhine.
My personal suggestion would be to stay in Baden for half the time and somewhere in the Rhine Valley for the other half, exploring the areas around.
"Bavaria Castles"... if you mean Neuschwanstein and the other "King's Castles", those are actually more modern palaces, maybe worth seeing, but maybe not. N'stein has a fake castle exterior.
On your way from the Rhine to Baden-Baden, you might wish to stop off for Ludwigsburg palace instead. Or visit Nymphenburg palace in Munich.
Herrenchiemsee Palace (King Ludwig) is on the route between Munich and Salzburg.
If you make it to Salzburg, you'll find less palace-like and more castle-like structures at Hohensalzburg and/or Hohenwerfen (in Werfen a short drive outside Salzburg.)
You don't have a lot of time, but I would consider some time in Strasbourg, not that far from Baden Baden. For me, it's a lot more interesting than the touristy Bavarian castles.
