Berlin to Munich

I'd say take the train from Berlin to Munich, since a car will be a hindrance in Munich. I don't know how much time you have. You could rent a car leaving Munich and do the Romantic Road drive to Rothenburg o.d.T., then to Frankfurt airport. Not sure what the "Castle drive" is.

Stuttgart is a bit of a side trip. You could take the train from Munich to Stuttgart, then rent the car to go to Rothenburg nd FRA.

Welcome to the forum.

"...or just take train if it’s faster and cheaper then rent a car..."

A car in Munich is a liability. Getting around in Munich requires public transportation - subways, trams, buses, etc. because of its size. The same is true for Berlin. Stuttgart is similarly bad for getting around in by car. Doing inner-city transport can be a big undertaking... I know why you will be in Berlin. May I also ask why you are going to Munich? It's entirely possible to have a nice trip without going there, which right now, with your flight out of FRA, looks like a detour and an inconvenience you probably do not need.

Rothenburg is easy to reach by train or by car.

"Castle drive" - I assume you are referring to the German Castle Road (Burgenstrasse) which runs through Rothenburg. Romance drive is probably the Romantic Road.

Zuffenhausen (near Stuttgart), where the Porsche Museum is located, is also easy to reach either way.

So... Thoughts... The Castle Road is a huge long route that you likely don't have time for.

https://www.burgenstrasse.de/upmedia/Uebersichtskarte_Burgenstra%C3%9Fe-und-Europa.jpg

What about a plan like this... without Munich? This plan would keep you out of the major metro areas and in some nice smaller places which are accessible either by train or by car....

• Transfer from Berlin: 3 nights in or near Rothenburg; visit some old-world towns etc. on the Romantic Road and the Castle Road near there.

• Transfer from Rothenburg area: 2 nights in/near Zuffenhausen. Hit the Porsche Museum and some other highlights nearby.

• Transfer from Zuffenhausen: 2-3 nights at the western end of the German Castle Road - maybe Heidelberg or Bad Wimpfen on the Neckar River.

If your flight out of FRA is early, stay 2 nights at the previous stop and one near the airport somewhere.

Your travel dates would be necessary if anyone were to answer your question about train costs for such a trip. Share them for that kind of help.

Welcome.

What are your interests?

There are a lot of interesting places around Autobahn A9. Examples:

• Halle (culture and history)
• Dessau (Bauhaus architecture)
• Nuremberg (castle, history)
• Bayreuth (culture, history)
• Lutherstadt Wittenberg (religion and history)
• Ingolstadt (Audi)

One tip for car enthusiast: Porsche and BMW have production plants in Leipzig. How about a tour?

Thank you for the tips! We have from 6 more days to tour from Berlin. Sorry the castle I wanted to see from Munich is Neushwanstein. I should have said that one. I am following a lot of Rick’s recommended touring and there is so much to see! I prefer the quaint towns and castles, but felt it might be good to go to Dachau?
I will check out the other recommendations for towns.
Thanks again!

In any case, I would take the train (ICE Sprinter) from Berlin to Munich. If the train is on time, it's the fastest option.

Perhaps in your case it's better not to stay in Munich, but rather in Füssen? That is, if the castle is the reason you're traveling south.

There's always the discussion about whether Neuschwanstein is a tourist trap, but at the end of the day, everyone can only decide for themselves. My opinion is that you don't have to see the inside. For me, the magic lies in walking up to the castle very early in the morning, before all the other tourists arrive, and enjoying it from the Marienbrücke. I love the castle and the surrounding area, but only from the outside. I would also highly recommend visiting Hohenschwangau and Linderhof Castle.

As for Dachau, I always say it's important to do it, but everyone should ask themselves, why am I doing it? It makes the most sense if you want to learn something from it (for example, what you personally can do to ensure that something like this never happens again). You could see if it wouldn't be better to visit the Sachsenhausen concentration camp while you are in Berlin. The learning effect will be the same as in Dachau.

"I am following a lot of Rick’s recommended touring and there is so much to see! I prefer the quaint towns and castles..."

Yes. Quaint towns, castles, and the Porsche Museum. You have made clear what you want. And in 6 nights you simply cannot see everything. So why are you following Rick to MUNICH for 2 of your 6 nights? After 4 nights in Germany's largest city, it does not make sense for someone with your goals to travel to another huge city. Stay out of Munich, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Frankfurt, all of which have populations well over 500,000. And don't try to drive the whole country. There are wonderful small towns to visit everywhere without spending all your time in the car.

Berlin is where you start. You finish at FRA airport. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is clearly a must for you. Zuffenhausen (Porsche) too. These are your trip anchors.

For a nice 6 days, I give you this assignment. Get a map of Germany, pinpoint these places with red dots, and draw lines between them and connect the dots. That is your trip.

Then, look for some additional small, quaint, old-world towns that you can visit or stay in that are near those lines. You will probably find the towns below on/near the Berlin > Rothenburg > Zuffenhausen route:

Erfurt
Bamberg
Schwäbisch Hall
Vellberg

Look for these places between Zuffenhausen and Frankfurt:

Ludwigsburg
Besigheim
Hassmersheim (Guttenberg Castle and Falconry show)
Heppenheim and the old-world wine towns along the Bergstrasse Holiday Route

The auto enthusiast in your family can drive this route over 6 days; you will visit some unbelievably nice places with quaint old-world buildings, castles, and palaces, and you will enjoy some lovely scenery as well.