First trip to Germany

Certainly doable. Take the train from Amsterdam to Berlin, as it is city center to city center. No dinking with train/bus to Schipol, security, waiting, then landing at Tegel and having to get a bus or taxi into the city. Book starting 4 months in advance and you can get 39.90 EUR per person 2nd cl. add 4.50 EUR for a seat reservation. It is a 6+ hour train ride, but probably a wash when you add all the flying hassels in. After you decide where you want to stay in Berlin, book to a Berlin station closest on the S-Bahn and it will be included in the train ticket price. Otherwise, you pay a bit more for a local transport ticket.

In a couple of weeks, the new high-speed rail line will open between Berlin and Nuremberg, so that it can be a quick trip. You'll have to pay up for the ICE Sprinter service, which cuts 30 minutes off the normal 3 hour and 25 minute ride time. But again, 4 months out trains as low as 29.90 EUR per person.

You can really do anything you want, its easy. I like Nuremberg and I really like Berlin.

I just did a similar trip this last September. My friend and I flew into Berlin and stayed 4 nights/4 days. We had a great budget hotel and saw all of Berlin's highlights. We took one day trip to Wittenburg/Lutherstadt by train to enjoy the Martin Luther/Reformation sights. Then we took the train to Munich, had a great hotel there close to Oktoberfest. We even bought dirndls/lederhosen to fully participate in things. If you've not been before, Oktoberfest is like a giant state fair- only with lots of drunk/puking/vulgar young people mixed in the sane ones- who are all dressed funny. That being said, we really enjoyed ourselves there- minus the vomit. We took a day trip from Munich (train again) to Salzburg and loved it there- a great day!

You could definitely take a train from Amsterdam to Munich. I've been to Amsterdam twice and its a lovely city- so much to see and do there, a very worthwhile visit.

Your itinerary sounds very doable. My suggestion would be to count your nights as you plan (two nights equals one full day) and keep in mind your flight over causes you to lose a day, and flight home takes a day. Write that out and then add in your train travel times to really understand what your exploring days are. Train travel takes time, but is often preferable, shorter and cheaper than flying. Then you'll understand how much free time you really have, to know the feasibility of your plans.

Just FYI- Oktoberfest stuff books up fast. We booked our hotels last November for this September. Because of that we got some great deals!

Lisa

I would not fly into Amsterdam just because there are no direct flights to a place you would rather fly into--only if you want to see Amsterdam. You can check on bahn.de for the time it takes to go from place to place on the train. Amsterdam to Berlin is 6.5-8 hours on the train. Sure this is do-able but you might want to check into hotel prices during Oktoberfest and definitely book well in advance. Munich is always an expensive city for lodging, but I think it can be especially so during that time. I find Nuremberg a nice city to visit, with lots to see without the crowds of Munich.

I'm with VS. I wouldn't make a stay in a city just because there is a direct flight there. Connections are fairly easy in Europe, including Schipol, which I've flown through many times. I personally would fly into Berlin Tegel. The airport has a great history. It was built in 1948 on old Prussian and Nazi military training grounds to support the Berlin Airlift. It's worth landing there just to soak in the history of the place and to walk through its terribly outdated terminal where bags are delivered to your arrival gate instead of a centralized baggage claim area.

Berlin can easily fill a week by itself, even without day trips to the recommended Potsdam, Wittenberg, and Leipzig. Rick Steves has a nice walking tour of the Mitte area of Berlin (if you want to do it on your own), but The Rough Guide to Berlin overall is a far superior guide for Berlin.

Nuremberg is a great place to visit. I enjoyed my stay there 2 years ago for Christmas markets.

Over the last 2 years, I've spent a week in Berlin each year to kick off more extended trips (I'll be back for 9 days in 2018). My trip reports, if you are interested:

2016 Trip that included both Berlin and Munich

2017 Trip that started with a week in Berlin

Berlin is a sprawling city with fabulous large museums and many interesting historical sites. I would want more than 3 nights there. I have no idea how much time you'll want to spend at the Oktoberfest; taking that out of the equation, I'd say Berlin definitely needs more time than Munich.

"Does this sound like it is doable?"

14 days - good amount of time for an introductory trip to Germany, and doable as planned... but IMO "doable" isn't the mark of a great trip. What the others have said about Berlin is right - it takes longer than the 2.5 days (max) you've allotted. You have scheduled 5 nights for Munich at the beginning, (which is about right for Berlin but not so necessary for pricey Munich during O'fest.) And later you are returning to Munich as well. And you are not visiting Prague, which was on your original wish list. And you are visiting only major cities, places that were trounced in WW II then rebuilt, when so much of Germany's charm lie in smaller, better-preserved towns.

"Or would it make more sense (easier) to take the train from Amsterdam to Munich w/ some stops on the way?"

IMO you have found a solid answer on your own (especially if you will use A'dam airport.) This is a good route, one with good variety, one that is commonly pursued by first time visitors. In between A'dam and Munich - Nuremberg is on the way... but so is the city of Cologne - just 2.6 hours from A'dam by direct train - and so are the old-world towns and castles of the Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site, as are the Franconian towns of Bamberg (an ideal city if you appreciate beer!) and Würzburg, both of which are UNESCO WH as well. (There are other choices as well on the way - these are just a few of my favorite stops.) On a subsequent trip, do Berlin and Prague (and perhaps some of the other suggestions you've received in eastern Germany) when you can allocate the right amount of time for them.

BUT... since you can apparently get a direct flight OUT of MUC, why aren't you flying INTO MUC at the beginning instead? O'fest ends October 7. After a few days in Munich start your trek north to Nuremberg and end it with a couple of nights in Amsterdam.

Happy planning!