Eight days in/around Munich

Given the season , you might want to carefully consider how much driving you plan to do , and besides , rail service in Germany is extensive and beautifully run , I would ditch the car . I'm not opposed to the use of a car , there are places where it's the better way ( the English countryside , Scottish Highlands , for example ) , but Germany in the dead of winter isn't one of them . Another consideration is the surfeit of places to see in Munich , A few examples - The great art museums - Alte Pinakotek , Neue Pinakotek , Lensbach Haus , to name a few . The Deutsches Museum - Science , Engineering ( of all kinds ) Transportation ( One of the best displays of first rate ship models , anywhere ) . Beautiful architecture from Baroque to modern - The Schwabing District has a great collection of Art Nouveau ( Jugendstil ) buildings . For now ,last but not least , The NS Dokumentation Center , newly completed , which tells the story of the rise of the Nazis . Much more !

I would use the overcast days to see the wonderful museums mentioned above. On some brighter days I'd use the inexpensive regional Bayern ticket to explore places in Bavaria such as Garmish, Passau, Regensberg, Bamberg, Nuremberg and even Salzburg, Austria. On a different type of ticket, purchased in advanced it will be less expensive, you can get to Innsbruck, AU (1h:44) and Prague, CZ (4h:40-5+h) for an overnight trip away from Germany --this can be as inexpensive as 19€. You can go to Vienna from Munich in 4h for 29€ on Railjet. Check the German website for train /bus information.

Another option is to visit the camp at Dachau using the S-bahn and a local bus. My experience is that the buses to the camp are timed to coincide with the train arrivals from Munich.

So, it sounds like I 100% do not want to rent a car, right?

What else should I consider? I want to make sure I get as much as possible out of my time there. Should I hop over to Prague, or are there things more closely situated I should do?

Driving in Germany in the winter is usually not a problem, unless you drive during the actual storm. Except for some of the mountain areas, snow usually doesn't accumulate more than a few centimeters, and the road crews remove it very quickly. In several years of living in Germany, snow never caused me to arrive late to work or delayed my evening commute.

However, if you want to stay within Munich, I wouldn't use a car. Navigating through and parking in most German cities is fairly easy, but Munich is the huge exception. Parking is scarce and exspensive and finding your way around the city is very confusing, even with a GPS.

If flying in and out of Munich, consider spending your first or last night at Therme Erding. Great place to work off jet lag or rest before a long flight, and it's only about 15 minutes away from the airport.

Some of the towns worth visiting in the region are Landshut, Passau, Erding, Burghausen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Rosenheim and Berchtesgaden. Chiemsee is also worth a look.

Depending on your interests you may consider these options for day trips:

Salzburg: Mozart and Sound of Music.

Berchtesgaden: Documentation Center.

Fussen: Neuschwanstein, Wieskirche (beautiful church interior), Linderhof Palace.

Ottobeuren: another beautiful church interior.

Nuremberg: Nazi Rallies, Documentation Center, WWII trial court house, beautiful old town.

Stuttgart: Mercedes and Porsche Museums.

Bad Tolz: Drive east or west to enjoy scenic Alpenstrasse.

Andechs: Hilltop Benedictine monastery, Beautiful interior plus a famous beer.

If you have all eight days at one time you might consider:

Dresden, Czesky Krumlov, Prague, Alsace (I know it's not Germany), Melk Abbey.