After reading through so many of these forums and my brain turning to mush I thought I would ask for advice for a trip my family is planning. We will be leaving the US on Oct 4th and arriving in Munich 9 AM on Oct 5 (just in time for the last 2 days of Oktoberfest). We need to end the trip in Munich as well because flights are THOUSANDS cheaper by flying in and out of Munich.Originally I thought we could do Oct 5-12 in Germany and Oct 12-16 in Switzerland but after reading through so many posts it seems like we would be better off staying in Germany the entire trip and take possible day trips to Austria. With that being said, what would you suggest would be the best use of time for an 11 night trip? What cities should we visit/stay in and how many nights? We are interested in WW2 history, castles, hiking. Is squeezing in another country not worth it? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
"...take possible day trips to Austria."
Maybe to Salzburg or Innsbruck. Both are near the border. If you visit/stay in Berchtesgaden, Germany (hiking, WW II) then a day trip to Salzburg is a simple matter. Likewise, staying in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany would make it easy to visit Innsbruck (as well as several other towns in Germany.) A Munich-Salzburg-Munich day trip is possible too, but then you may be spending too much time in Munich... getting out of Munich to one of these other towns instead would likely be refreshing and a sound idea.
Castles: Hohensalzburg Castle in in Salzburg. Hohenwerfen is outside Salzburg in the town of Werfen.