3 sisters seeking help with 3 weeks in Germany with a VW Grand Campervan

So, have you eliminated the idea of visiting any cities or large towns, or do you plan on finding campgrounds that are close to train stations for day trips into cities? Or did you think that driving and parking a camper van in European cities would be easy?

What time of year? When you say you will "do Bavaria", what parts of Bavaria are of most interest? What other parts of Germany interest you? The Rhine? The Black Forest? The northern shores?

Welcome to the forum.

And this is the first point - it is a forum, not a travel agency.

advise best route, where to go, and to stay and to park and how long?

Please do own research first, e. g. on this forum.
Please come up with an own rough itinerary which can be feedbacked by other users and add interests and other frame conditions.

As a first help and inspiration I spend the link to ADAC - Germany's largest car and driver association - and a possible round tour for two weeks:
https://www.adac.de/reise-freizeit/reiseplanung/inspirationen/deutschland/roadtrip-deutschland/

Translation is best with DeepL.

We will be going from the first 3 weeks of May. We will pick up the campervan from Berlin and return in Berlin. We will avoid most big cities because we have been to Munich, Frankfurt, Heidelberg before but never outside.

Of interest
Garmisch Partenkirchen
Oberammergau
Mittenwald
Berchtesgaden National Park
Salzburg

Itinerary
Berlin
Bamberg
Nuremberg
Rothenberg ob de Tauber
Mittenwald
Ausburg
Garmisch- Partenkirchen
Zugspitze
Berchtesgaden
Salzburg
Berlin

I have driven a 24’ RV from Texas to Colorado before. This campervan is a VW California Grand. Where possible, we would like to stay in hotels some nights. And eat at some Michelin restaurants . We’re not doing the campervan to save money but for convenience and because my sisters have never been in a campervan before. Making memories.

Parts in Bavaria sound like German Alpine Road and Romantic Road.
An option for three ladies is the Porcelain Route.
More scenic routes in Bavaria.
Do not miss sportive outlet shopping in Herzogenaurach at HQs of Adidas and Puma.
Other places you can discover on this Germany tourist map by activating your interests.

btw: take care that you have driving permission in Germany, not your national driver's license only. This can become very expensive when checked and in case of accident you may lose insurance coverage fully or partly.

EasyPark app is recommended for paying public parking fee.

If you drive on the autobahn, STAY IN THE RIGHT LANE.

Correct, the right-lane driving rule applies on Autobahn: Drivers whose next overtaking maneuver is foreseeable do not have to move back into the right lane immediately. However, if the right lane could be used for significantly longer than 20 seconds before the next overtaking maneuver, the driver must move back into it.

btw: I remember the well-known Tom Hanks on Autobahn video.

Can someone advise best route, where to go, and to stay and to park
and how long?

With nearly 5 decades of VW Westfalia camper ownership and use behind us, Russ and Russ-wife are pretty familiar with the "campervan experience." We have discussed - but have decided never to carry out - a Euro-camping adventure unless our destinations are 100% rural. The "convenience" you are seeking to achieve (not having to port your bags to/from your hotel rooms) in our eyes will likely be minimal when compared with the multiple levels of inconvenience you will be creating by staying in RV facilities. Places like Berlin, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Salzburg, etc. are non great places for campervanning or even for parking these vehicles.

We’re not doing the campervan to save money but for convenience and
because my sisters have never been in a campervan before. Making
memories.

I think the other two inexperienced seasoned-citizen campers will probably have better trip memories if you make traditional hotel/train arrangements for all the destinations north of Augsburg. Spend about 2 weeks on that part. Then rent the campervan for a week to visit the alpine destinations (Mittenwald, Berchtesgaden, etc.) if you want to try that out.

If carrying luggage is a problem... please read Rick Steves' packing advice - and book rooms near the train stations. DW and I have hit our 70's, and this year's Eurotrip rooms will be closer than ever before to the rails!

Markk and Russ: I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your invaluable responses and insights. Russ- you have pointed out what I secretly know but am in denial just how difficult this campervan thing may turn out to be. Alas- it is much too late for us to cancel the campervan or to make any changes. Your plan to just take the train to cities then rent a campervan for 7 days near Berchtesgaden is an excellent one if Freeway Camper will even allow us. Supposing we cannot cancel or change the campervan, what parts shall we eliminate? Perhaps we can park the van in a Stellplatz near a train station and then make the most of it with hotels etc?

If you will be keeping the rental for 3 weeks and still plan to visit Nuremberg or other cities, I would look into the availability of public transport (bus stop or train station) from the RV sites.

There's a precious little Bavarian town on the Altmühl River - inside the Altmühl Nature Park - called Pappenheim, which might serve as an example. It might even be a good place for you to stay... I stayed at the Zum Hirschen Inn right in town there, but there's a campground there that I remember passing by on my walks as well, and it's almost right in town. You'd have no trouble getting to Pappenheim's castle, restaurants and other facilities, and it's an easy walk to the train station for outings. Augsburg, Nuremberg, and other good destinations you did not list including Ingolstadt, Neuburg, Noerdlingen, Donauwoerth, and Harburg (last 3 are Romantic Road towns) would be reachable by train in anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hr. 15 minutes. Rothenburg would require a little more time, but less than 2 hours. You could probably leave the RV parked in this campground for a week or longer and not exhaust your options.

The Altmühl Valley btw is very scenic and has a nice bike trail which takes you to other nearby towns and brings in biking enthusiasts from all around.

The Bavaria Ticket (day pass, €49/3adults, Bayern-Ticket in German) can get you to these destinations (and back) from Pappenheim very economically without parking issues/fees/gas etc.

Pappenheim:

https://pappenheim.de/en/tourism.html

Naturcamping Pappenheim:

https://www.frankentourismus.de/data/thumbs/img/12730293_campingplatz-pappenheim_denger-1.jpg

Hmm.... as a former VW owner and someone who once owned a VW camper (and a 12 window)....oh the horror.
If you stay off of all of the major roads, you might avoid the agony of going 45 or more MPH slower than all of the other traffic. And if you stay off of all of the twisty roads you should be able to avoid the experience of lifting one of the wheels off the road during a quick turn.
For three passengers, open the back table for the third person and hope they can be content with a view from one window and through the narrow glass on the sliding door. A stool placed in the small aisle between the front seats will not do for any lengthy rides. These are good for two people, not three. The so-called hammock bed in the front will fit a small hand puppet.
I loved my bus but my wife put an immediate end to it when we got married. She preferred something safer with heat and the acceleration of a modern vehicle (she drove a 260Z). She was also not real keen on me spending untold hours working on the undersized and over-heated engine.
Rent a proper modern vehicle..... from the Vdubs I have moved on to Porsches. Consider one of them over the bus. Hit the Autobahn with a car that can get out of the way of a passing Ferrari while passing a crawling VW.