Greetings. I will be traveling to Munich with my wife and 8 yr. old daughter in late June and am torn on where to visit and lodge. We fly in to Munich on a Tuesday afternoon and fly out on Sunday evening. We certainly want to see some of Austria, and don't want to spend all our time checking in/out of lodging. I thought we would use Munich as a base and only travel to Salzburg in Austria, as Vienna seems too far (unfortunately). The town of Berchtesgaden and nearby(Konigssee/national park/Eagle’s Nest) near Salzburg also looks nice, but not sure how to fit that in without staying overnight. My wife would like to see a lot of old Germany and (hopefully)castles along the towns of the "romantic road". Upon a bit of research, I found that the romantic road is a long car rental ride from Munich, and it seems the towns along the way are what is interesting, not the actual drive. Rothenburg (and Heidelberg) seem wonderful, but they are quite far from Munich. However, I also read that there are old/medieval towns near Munich, like Mittenwald for example. I'd like to spend as little time as possible getting from one sight to the other. I also have read a lot about Fussen and the palaces there, but am conflicted because many say they are swamped with tourists, not really castles, and eat up a lot of time. Additionally, we have an 8 yr. old, so we need to do things she will like. She is quite social, so I was thinking of places where other children congregate at least one day, like a park in Munich, or a children or science museum in Munich. I know those choices exist, so we will certainly explore Munich at least one day - maybe on our last day in town before the flight. My wife and I both enjoy culture and history to a large degree, and also enjoy the outdoors. Additionally, my father's side of the family has been in the USA since the mid eighteenth century, and I have never visited Germany, which is where my father's ancestors are from. At this time I have not pinpointed the area where my family is from, although southern Germany seems to be accurate.
My core questions are: Do we really need to venture out on the Romantic Road? Should we stay overnight in Salzburg (and explore Berchtesgaden(rent car?) , or is a day trip enough from Munich? Should we go to Fussen area? Should we go to Rothenburg? Do we need to rent a car? And really, what is a good itinerary for each day?
The option I am leaning towards is to see Munich first day, visit Berchtesgaden and Salzburg next two days, and see castles in nearby towns to Munich last 1.5 days, hopefully using Munich as base. I would not be opposed to using another city as a base, but since we are flying in/out Munich and Munich is a hub for transportation, seems most practical. Your suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.
