Family of five (two young adults, one teen) Stuttgart and Munich advice!

Get the Rick Steves books for Germany and Munich - In Munich, he recommends a company called RADIUS TOURS - we used them for Day Trips to Dachau, Regensburg, Nazi Walking Tour - they offer MANY amazing trips (I know you said you'd have a car, but they were so great about education about the area and they take care of the tickets, etc).

The RS book goes over a great way to go to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich by train also.

We love Strausbourg and Colmar, but not sure about getting there from where you'll be.

Nuremburg is another amazing option - easy train or Day Trip with Radius Tours. We plan to spend 2 weeks there (hopefully) next Dec too (doing a Xmas Market River Cruise on the Danube and then another week on our own in Nuremberg and Munich).

We try and go over there every other year.

On the Deutsche Bahn webpage I see that the trip from Stuttgart to Strasbourg can take as little as 1 hr. 21 minutes (each way) by train. ViaMichelin estimates 1 hr. 46 min. by car for the fastest route, but that doesn't include the impact of stops, getting lost, weather or traffic delays or the search for parking.

Is the picturesque architecture of the historic district your major interest in Strasbourg? If so, I'd look for one or two lovely German towns that would require less transportation time. I'm not familiar enough with that part of Germany to be of much help there, but I know we have other posters who will have suggestions. I also have no idea whether you may encounter difficult driving conditions in December.

One possibility would be to depart from your first German destination earlyish and make a stop or two on or near your route to the second destination. That would avoid the need to drive out from and back to one of your base cities. That could mean arriving at your second hotel after dark, though, which would be more of a challenge with a car than by train. I haven't been to any of these places, but I know they've been mentioned on the forum: Ingolstadt (not on your direct route), Ulm, Augsburg, Tubingen (also not on your direct route). There may be easier/better options, but "better" would depend on the specific interests of your family.

The shortest morning rail trip I found from Munich to Salzburg takes 1 hr. 29 min. ViaMichelin lists the minimum driving time at 1 hr. 34 min. (same caveats as for Strasbourg)

I'm not sure having a car is going to be an advantage except possibly for Neuschwanstein (and that assumes driving conditions are OK while you're there). I know people have said Munich is a particularly difficult city to drive in.

Strasbourg is as mentioned an easy day trip from Stuttgart. And Salzburg from Munich. Other options, apart from the ones acraven mentioned are Ludwigsburg just outside Stuttgart or Nürnberg. But it depends what you are looking for. Neuschwanstein is also doable as a day trip from Munich, the Man in Seat 61 has a guide: https://www.seat61.com/places-of-interest/day-trip-to-neuschwanstein.htm and with a Bayernticket it is pretty cheap for a family.

I also agree with acraven that there might no be any benefit in having a car for this trip. You've only listed cities and larger towns that are all well connected by trains and having a car just complicates things. It might be useful for the trip to Neuschwanstein, but that can just as well be done by train.

Regarding flights, open jaw tickets are usually a great idea. But Stuttgart airport is pretty small so a return ticket to Munich might be a better option, or flying to Frankfurt and home from Munich, two large airports that have direct flights to many US and Canadian cities.

I lived in Stuttgart for 9 months. It is not a great tourist city. The car museums are about it. Frankly, I would save time and skip Stuttgart. You can do the BMW building in Munich.

You can do Strasbourg from Stuttgart, just get an early start.

If you visit Salzburg, you should also visit nearby Berchtesgaden, Germany. Plan on an overnight stay. You will spend a full day in Salzburg at the castle, cathedral and Mozart house. Also, some do the Sound of Music Tour.

Consider taking the Romantic Road, pick it up at Rothenberg ob der Tauber and take it down to Garmisch/Fussen.
https://www.romanticroadgermany.com

We were in Munich 3 years ago with our kids (early-mid 20's).

We did a day trip to Neuschwanstein from Munich using Mike's Bike Tours. Loved it!!! I thought my husband would think it was cheesy, but he said not at all. You meet up at their office in Munich and get on a big coach bus. We stopped and got bikes and rode out to Swan Lake, where we had a view of Neuschwanstein. Then stopped in town for lunch where we all ate at the same restaurant, but did not need to order off a group menu or sit as a group. Then the bus took us and dropped us off to walk up to Mary's Bridge and then up to the castle for the tour. On the bus you could purchase soda or beer for very cheap. I know you said you will have a car, but I just throw this out there as an option. We did not have a car for this trip, but have for other trips to Germany.

Salzburg is an easy train ride/drive from Munich and could be done in a day if that is all you had. An overnight at least would be much better, IME.

We also went to Dachau, which was quite interesting and moving. Many people say not to plan anything else for that day, but after we had lunch, we went to the BMW museum. That worked well for us.

With the car as a "given" I think you should rethink your travel base strategy.

It is OUTSIDE of Munich and Stuttgart, in smaller towns where Germans themselves might spend their vacations, where you will find a better selection of vacation-rentals (Ferienwohnungen) and other accommodations suitable for 5 adults. Big cities in fact often have local statutes that prohibit such rentals.

Driving in Germany can be enjoyable, but driving out of, into, and around major cities like these is not. You are better off driving into a big city for one day to visit something (like BMW Welt) than to do so every day for your outings. (The Porsche Museum, BTW, is not in Stuttgart proper.)

If places like Salzburg (worth MORE than a few hours on a day trip,) Colmar, Strasbourg (an easy day trip from each other) and Neuschwanstein are big on your wish list, then just stay there or nearby. Sounds to me like you might not actually be looking to stay in major cities that were destroyed by WW II bombs. Don't make the mistake of thinking that it's only huge cities where you might enjoy yourselves; smaller, more charming places like Tübingen, Regensburg, Füssen, Ulm, Esslingen and a few dozen others in southern Germany are often better preserved and full of things to see and do (Christmas markets, museums, monasteries, and much more.)

You have lots of time, so do a little more research into how you will spend your short time. A visit to Germany can offer many surprises to those who look beyond all the simplistic stereotypes found in most guidebooks (Hitler tours, work/death camps, etc.)

Stuttgart has some pretty palaces, vineyards and is not a big zero like some folks would have you believe. Their Xmas market is one of the very best in my opinion. Its location near Esslingen is a plus. Take a look at the Half-Timbered route that goes through Germany to find more quaint towns.

For the car, it better be a large one with 5 adults and luggage. You might want to consider some trains for quick and easy transport from one city to the next. Look on the Deutsche Bahn website to see how long trips are from Stuttgart to Strausburg, or from Munich to Salzburg.

In 2017 we drove from Hohenschwangau to Munich. A few days later we drove from Munich to Dachau and that afternoon on to Salzburg. Everything was easy except that construction delays on the main highway to Salzburg doubled the time we thought it would take. So yes you can drive between these areas as day trips.

Last December we met friends for 5 days in Colmar. Strasbourg is close but we had to skip it due to logistics. After Colmar one of our friends drove to one of the car museums in Stuttgart. So yes both Colmar and Strasbourg can be day trips from Stuttgart. Have fun planning!

You don't say if you will be staying over Christmas, which you need to consider. Christmas in 2021 falls on a Saturday, which means that Friday - Sunday will have minimal accommodations and services available. That's three days out of your maximum of 10 where you're not going to do a lot of tourist stuff other than walk around the streets and sit in the hotel.

Another issue is that places like Berchtesgaden, or the vineyards around Stuttgart, are going to be closed up for the winter. Likewise, IMHO Strasbourg is not at it's best in the winter. And, unless the day is crystal clear (unlikely), Neuschwanstein is a waste of a whole day to see something that's not especially attractive in the grey and wet. Those fantastic postcard views are made from helicopters, not from the ground.

Weather is going to be another consideration. Yes, you can drive from Munich to Salzburg in a couple hours in the summer. It can take twice that long in the winter, and the time is going to be a major factor in your short stay.

I would recommend you fly into Munich, plan a couple nights in Salzburg (and travel by train), and rent a car for local trips (like a stretch of the Romantic Road, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Augsburg, etc). Frankly you could spend a week in Munich alone and never leave the city, but there's just so much within an 50 mile radius it's a good place to stay.

Remember Munich is a University town, your kids are not going to want to spend too much time with you once they meet some of the locals. Also, if your teenager is over 16 she's going to find it's legal to do stuff that's off limits Stateside.

Regarding the teens and getting up- note your northern geography and that it's still dark at 8:00am in the winter- the days are short- and the sun will set around 4:30pm. So late start, and use the evenings for seeing the xmas lights.

We LOVED the Stuttgart xmas markets, and Esslingen is absolutely worth the short S-train trip from Stuttgart. Esslingen replicates a Middle Ages xmas festival, and is a total experience: entertainment, food, vendors in period dress, etc. [We did a xmas markets trip in 2019, and if you check my posting in Dec 2019 and Jan 2020, you can read my reviews of the areas.]

I have never seen towns decorate like they do in Colmar and Strasbourg , and would also recommend these markets. The old towns in these cities are pedestrian only for the markets, and I would expect having a car here would be a major parking expense.

For visiting the markets, shop before dark, before the 5:00pm crowds, but stay after dark for the lights and decorations- and the food [and wine!].

I'd also recommending skipping N'stein Castle- too touristy and if it's rainy and foggy, you wouldn't have the views.

One suggestion: fly into Zurich, [maybe go to Luzern and Mt. Rigi], then head to Colmar/Strasboug by train, on to Stuttgart, then Munich. Perhaps you don't have that much time, but it would be a great trip!

Do note what others have posted - Europe shuts down around xmas eve, day, and day after, so be aware.

Hopefully we are all traveling by then, and whatever your itinerary, have a wonderful time with your family!

I've driven (and ridden with friends) in Germany, and, quite frankly, I didn't think it was all that exciting. In very few places are there no speed limits, and in those places, on the autobahn, it isn't really that much different than driving in rush hour over here.

What is different in Europe (and isn't doing something different part of the reason we go to Europe) is the train system. It is fast, efficient, so unlike train traveling in the US, and it can be less expensive than renting a car. I always start planning for a trip by assuming I am going to use public transportation. Then, only if I can't get to somewhere I want to go, would I resort to a rental car. So far (12 trips) I have never needed to use a car [Added: And, BTW, after every trip I've compared what I actually spent compared to a rental car quote plus ViaMichelin's estimate of fuel cost, and I usually find I spent half on public transportation vs what a rental car would have cost me.]. And a car in a city is a liability; use public transportation. Since you want to base in two cities, you normally would only want a car to go between the cities, but between Munich and Stuttgart is probably cheaper and faster by rail.

Can we do Strasbourg from Stuttgart

Stuttgart and Strasbourg are both on the main line from Munich to Paris. There are regular express trains (ICE, TGV) between the towns, probably every hour or two. You can get good fares on those trains with advance ticket purchase. You can also go from Stuttgart to Kehl, right across the Rhein from Strasbourg, using a 3-Löwen-Ticket (Länder ticket for Baden-Württemburg). That's an all-day pass good for unlimited travel on slightly slower regional trains in the state of Baden-Württemburg, 48€ for five adults. That's for a round trip if you do it in one day.

Can we do Salzburg from Munich?

Yes, there are hourly regional trains from Munich to Salzburg. They take about 1¾ hours. Again, you can use a Bayern-Ticket (all day pass for regional trains in Bavaria) for 57€ for 5 adults. The main station in Salzburg is considered a border station; the Bayern-Ticket is valid to the station in Austria.

Getting to Dachau is easy with public transportation. There are excellent guided tours of the Memorial with their own trained guides for a very nominal fee.

Neuschwanstein is very doable as a day trip by train. I would recommend that you make tour reservations in advance.