Germany, Bavaria and Austria

I honestly need help!!

First, relax. We need some info. to help you.

• "Off season" isn't enough. What are your travel dates?

• What sorts of accommodations are you thinking of with a family of 5? Most families that size will rent an apartment or small house in one place for several days. Or are you thinking family rooms in hostels?

• "we love local culture..." Museums do tend to provide insights into how people have lived over the years. In real world terms, what do you hope to see/do? I get the idea of "festivals" that you mentioned, but something else as well? The only specific things I see (Neuschwanstein, Sound of Music tour) are experiences that mean rubbing elbows with your fellow international tourists.

You can go to Hofbrauhaus or other biergartens in Munich (and probably other towns too) year-round and some would have a similar feel to Oktoberfest. If you want to find other festivals just google the town name and festival and it usually brings up a calendar of local events.

I think the Hofbräuhaus, with it Umpah band, is about the closest thing you will find to Oktoberfest out of season.

Research the movie Sound of Music and you will find that most of the venues used for filming in Salzburg are easily visited on your own - no tour required. In fact, the 3rd party tours throw in a lot of places that were not actually in the movie (and say they were).

I went to Hallstatt a few years ago, and took the bus from Salzburg so that I could see the Salzkammergut up close. Definitely enjoyed that trip.

Be sure to spend some time in Berchtesgaden. It's real close to Salzburg.

I also "love local culture," to the point of learning German in my free time for the last 2 years to enhance my ability to enjoy local culture in German-speaking countries, BUT I thoroughly enjoyed rubbing elbows with my fellow international tourists at Neuschwanstein and on a Sound of Music tour. You'll see both, particularly Neuschwanstein, denigrated in this forum, but if it's something that's important to you to do, then do them.

Stay in Apartments if you can. One in Anthering ( just outside Salzburg ) that I like is www.neuwirtgut.at

In Salzburg, look at taking in the salt mine at Hallein - sommerrodelbahn near it - and if possible the Ice cave at Werfen. Look for a 'kletterwald' or high ropes course.

With boys your age this is a great region! I don't think a lot of the advice here is geared towards kids. I generally am a fan of trains but exploring Bavaria/Austria by car makes more sense generally and will save you some money, too.

To experience a high speed rail ride, I'd take the ICE train from Frankfurt Airport directly to Munich, that would be a fun experience and it will save you trying to drive while jetlagged, and shaves about an hour off the driving time. Plus you won't need a car in Munich.

I'd spend 4 nights in Munich, there's a ton to see and do. Even if you're not museum people, the Deutches Museum is a science and technology museum that's a must for kids and adults. I'd visit the Hofbrauhaus for the atmosphere, but there are better (and cheaper) places to eat. Definitely watch the "surfers" on the Isar then walk through the Englisher garten to the Chinesicher Turm biergarten. Another great Biergarten worth visiting is the Augustiner Biergarten near the HBF. Food prices at biergartens are cheap and the portions are hearty. And keep in mind that large biergartens often have playgrounds so they're a great place for kids to blow off steam while mom and dad relax with a beer. Take a tour of one of the palaces in the city, that's totally worth it (I like the Residenz, personally). Shop for cheese and salami and produce at the Vituaklienmarkt. Check out the nearby Heilig-Geist-Kirche (Holy Ghost Church) for some creepy relics in the form of a skeleton of a saint, all blinged out. Popping your head into churches in Bavaria you're likely to see a lot of relics.

From there you could easier stay in Munich a few more days using it as a base to see nearby cities via train (Regensburg, Bamberg, and Nurnberg are all worth visiting, in that order) or you could rent a car and head for Fussen for the castles (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau). Don't let people here tell you they're not worth seeing, I've seen a buttload of German Castles and none has a setting as breathtaking as Neuschwanstein, and it's still "historic" by American standards, as historic as the Winchester Mansion or Hearst Castle, anyway!

From there I'd drive to Berchesgadenerland. Basing in Salzburg makes sense, but Berchdesgaden gives you that German alpine village feel (albeit yes, with plenty of tourists. This area is popular for a reason!) You could easily spend 4 nights there, visiting the Eagle's Nest, the Koeningsee (take the boat, it's well worth it!), hiking, visiting villages in the area, salt mines, Sound of Music tour (do it, everyone has fun on it!)

I'd drive over and spend one night in Halstatt, there's not a ton to "see" but the setting is so stunning that I really think it's worth it. Yes, expect more tourists.

After that you've got a few more days, and you're flying out of Frankfurt, so if you're willing to pay extra to drop off your car in another city, doing a bit of the Romantic Road makes perfect sense to me. Don't stay in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, it's touristy AND overrated given how stunning the other towns on the Road are. I'm a big fan of Noerdlingen, but if you want to be closer to Rothenberg for the Night Watchman's tour (this you should do) Dinkelsbuhl is another good option. There are some great nearby villages that aren't on the Romanatic Road proper that are worth visiting, like Swabisch Hall, or Aalen for their ruins of a Roman fortress.

If you let us know when you're visiting we can recommend if any festivals are going on. Germans have festivals from May-October, basically, so there's always something going on.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice. A few more questions.

1) We will be there from mid-July to July 29th. Just wonder what are some festivals that we should make a point to see.
2) If we take the train from Frankfurt to Munich, will we miss anything that worth visiting on the route that if we would rent a car from the airport? If it's not much to miss, yes, I would rather do the train as it's suggested that we won't need a car anyway in Munich, so to avoid parking fees and additional rental fees. We can just pick up a car from Munich when we are ready to head SE to Salzburg.
3) Will we have time to venture to Venice? Or is it too much hassle and wasting time on transit for this visit that we should do that on another trip?
4) How are hotels in Germany? We have a family of 5. In the U.S, we can just all fit into one room with double bed as our youngest sleep with us anyway. Will we need to book 2 rooms? Airbnb? Any other suggestions?

For a family of 5 you will need two rooms as hotel rooms in Europe rarely have more than one double bed. Family rooms are available at some hotels in Germany and Austria. These rooms typically include a double and an extra single - maybe a set of bunk beds if you are lucky. With a family of 5, I would suggest and airbnb, though.

Are you going this month or next year?