2 weeks in Germany- Need Itinerary Help

Since you are going to be in Munich and are interested in going to at least one museum, then I highly recommend either the Alte Pinakothek, the Neue Pinakothek, or both if you have the time. These are two of my favorite museums in Europe and the collections are truly stunning. The Alte Pinakothek has paintings from about the 1400s - 1700s and the Neue Pinakotek houses newer pieces from the about 1800s forward. Both contain pivotal masterpieces that are well worth your time. You can see each museum in about 90 minutes depending on how quickly you move. They have a good audio tour where you can pick and choose the pieces you want to hear more about. Since there are no descriptive tags by any of the pieces aside from the artist and title of the painting, the audio tour is a good idea. Prague has 4 very good art museums on Castle Hill and, although they are interesting, their collections are not as important, from an art history perspective, as the collections at the Pinakotheks.
If you are choosing between Salzburg or Innsbruck, I would choose Salzburg. Innsbruck is more "in" the mountains but Salzburg is much more picturesque (IMHO) and has more to see and do. You can be in the mountains for hiking very quickly from Salzburg - I recommend taking the Untersberg gondola to the top of the mountain and hiking from there. You can also walk out of Salzburg up to the fortress (or take the funicular up) and walk along the ridge through the beautiful fortified houses above the city - the views are spectacular and it's one of my favorite places to be when all of the 8 o'clock bells ring in the city below.
When staying in Prague I would choose a less central neighborhood on a tram line or near a metro station. Prague at night is quite noisy with lots of partiers and beer so if you want to get some sleep choose a quiet area. The city is not large and the tram and metro system are easy to use and cover the city very well. In Prague we ate at Slavia Kavarna several times - this is where many poets and writers used to hang out and Vaclav Havel also frequented. It's perfectly preserved vintage Art Deco and the food is great! The pianist is a little cheesy but it's all part of the atmosphere... There is a modern art museum on the river east of the Charles bridge in the Little Quarter that has an outdoor restaurant right on the river...highly recommend as well. And if you want a restaurant with a view, eat at the cafe in the Zizkov radio tower...excellent food and amazing views over the city.
Those are just a few thoughts that come to mind - I'm sure others will have lots more to add!

Since he's interested in WW2 history, here are a few suggestions regarding Munich.

Look at the Munich pages of the Third Reich in Ruins website.

Once in town, walk the route of the "Beer Hall Putsch" march of Hitler and the Nazis, of 9 November 1923. The actual beer hall no longer exists, but you can start just east of the Ludwigsbrücke. Cross the bridge, where outnumbered police declined to confront the 2,000 marchers. Continue west on Tal, past the Old Town Hall, where exactly 15 years later, Goebbels gave the incendiary speech that touched off Kristallnacht and gave the go-ahead to brutal persecution of Jews throughout Germany. Turn north just past the New Town Hall on Weinstraße, then east on Perusastraße (following the curve of the tram tracks) for one block, then north again on Residenzstraße. At Odeonsplatz, on the street between the Residenz and the Feldherrnhalle, the march came to a bloody end. See the small bronze plaque on the exterior wall of the Residenz honoring the fallen policemen; and read the interpretive sign at Viscardigasse, just south of Feldherrnhalle.

Continue west from Odeonsplatz on the south side of Briennerstraße, past the small square dedicated to the victims of National Socialism, then past the obelisk in the Karolinenplatz. The modern white cube-like building ahead on the north side of Briennerstraße is the newly-opened NS Doku-Zentrum, built on the site of the Nazi party headquarters. On the corner next to the DZ is the foundation of one of the so-called "Honor Temples" built by Hitler's regime to hold the coffins of Nazis killed in the Beer Hall Putsch, and destroyed by the Allies immediately after the War. The three-story building next door was the Führerbau, Hitler's office building, where the 1938 Munich Accord was signed. The building now houses a high school for music and theater, and what once was Hitler's office is now a practice room for music students. You can go through the large doors into a tiny foyer, and though visitors are not welcome inside, you can see the elegant stairway through the glass security door.

The Alte, Neue and Moderne Pinakotheks mentioned above are just a block or two north of the Führerbau, and the new Egyptian Museum is immediately north of the Führerbau. My favorite is the Alte Pinakothek, with works by Dürer and daVinci.

Get a copy of Where Ghosts Walked -- Munich's Road to The Third Reich by David Clay Large. It's out of print now, but available on Amazon. It traces the political and socioeconomic upheavals in Bavaria and Munich from the 1880s, through WW1, that laid the groundwork for the rise of the Nazis; and chronicles Munich's role as "Capital of The Movement" through the end of WW2. Great read.

The Doku-Zentrum website offers excellent free downloadable maps and audioguides for thematic history walks around Munich.

Hi,

On the keen interest in WW 2, I'll focus on that in Berlin. From your schedule I see you have 3.5 days in Berlin. If he has that deep interest in the war, the military aspect of it, I heartily suggest doing a day trip to Seelow, where the attack on Berlin began with the Soviets attempting to break across the Oder. Take the train from Berlin Hbf to Frankfurt an der Oder, then the S-Bahn to Sealow. You're going to Gedenkstätte Seelower Höhen, where the battlefield memorial and museum are located. The outside display is in both German and English, the inside presentation is all in German, as far as I recall. Check if they have audio phones if you think you need them. The adjacent Museum shop is interesting if you read German.

I suggest the Invalidenfriedhof (cemetery). Take the Invalidenstraße exit from Berlin Hbf, ca. 25 mins down Invalidenstraße, make a left on Scharnhorst, is the cemetery, one of the oldest Prussian-German military cemeteries in Berlin. The section pertaining to the war is in the back. You'll recognise the famous names at the entrance of the cemetery.

How much time are you setting aside to track down more sites dealing with the war?

You had a question mark after Dresden. We did this part in reverse a few years ago. Left Berlin early on the train, stopped in Dresden for part of the day and continued onto Prague. It worked out fine. Dresden is definitely worth a stop.

I second the recommendation of Salzburg over Innsbruck. I would also recommend the hike up the Monchsberg to the Hohensalzburg Fortress for some magnificent mountain views. Then, rent bikes at the waterfront (about 1 or 2 Euros for a couple of hours) and take the waterfront path and visit Hellbrun. The bikes aren't anything serious (if I recall they actually have a basket in front), but it is a fun and beautiful ride.

If you leave Munich early so that you have a full afternoon in Salzburg on Day 5, you might consider to visit nearby Berchtesgaden for part of the day on Day 6. More mountains and hiking available from there.

Hi,

If you'd like to spend a day or two in the mountains, head to Innsbruck. While we loved our many Salzburg visits, the alpine scenery around Innsbruck is quite spectacular. We've stayed 18 nights over 5 trips (10/01, 10/03, 4/05, 12/10 and 12/13) in Hall in Tirol outside of Innsbruck. The Nordkettenbahn funicular/cable car trip is fantastic and leaves right from outside the pedestrian zone of Innsbruck. The Hofkirche is interesting as is Schloss Ambras.

Other alternatives for your day or two in the mountains could include Mittenwald, Garmisch or Berchtesgaden. We stayed twice in Mittenwald for 6 nights in 4/05 and 10/06 and 18 nights in the Berchtesgaden area on trips in 10/06, 10/07, 9/09, 12/10 and 12/13.

www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/sets

Paul

I love Salzburg so would definitely choose it....
Have you considered renting a car to drive there? Part of my love of the city includes the beautiful drive there from Munich. I have often stopped along the way for a roadside picnic as well as traveled into a number of little villages along the way just to see what they had to offer. It is just a little adventure that you might enjoy. Also a great opportunity for photos of the mountains as you approach... You will not need the car in Salzburg, but there are lots of hotels where you can park cheap and then enjoy your drive back to Munich.

Thank you all! Your advice has been very helpful! I will look at some of the WWII sites you have mentioned. We have briefly thought about renting a car in order to do some day trips/ drive into Austria, so I will have to look into a little more. Would a day trip to Dresden while we are in Prague be feasible? Or should we stop on our way to Berlin as mentioned? If we stop on our way to Berlin, does the train station have lockers for us to lock up our luggage? Thank you again!

Highly recommend taking a day trip from Munich to Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden. We used a tour company that takes a mini-bus up, and the tour leaders are US ex-pats. Their office is just across the street from the train station/bus stop in Berchtesgaden. It was one of the most memorable things we have ever done, and we were extra lucky because the weather was clear offering us unforgettable vistas from atop the mountain. http://www.eagles-nest-tours.com/EN/eagles-nest-tours/index.php?navid=2

@ Laura...A day trip to Dresden from Prague is time wise and logistically feasible. Dresden is roughly half way between Prague and Berlin., a bit over 2 hours by train from either city to Dresden direct. Both Dresden Hbf and Berlin Hbf (main/central stations) have coin lockers and left luggage facilities. Not feasible is a day trip to Berlin from Prague...too long and the connections aren't frequent.

Thank you all! I've been looking closer at our itinerary and am thinking about leaving Munich on day 4 and heading to Fussen for 2 nights (1 full day), then heading to Salzburg on Day 6 for 1 night before going to Prague on Day 7. Will 2 full days in Munich be enough? (we will want to go to Oktoberfest for one afternoon and also go to Dachau). Or should I keep it as it and go to Fussen on day 5 for 1 night before going to Salzburg on day 6 for 1 night? I think we have ruled out Innsbruck and will just focus on Salzburg for Austria. Thoughts?? Thank you again!!

Since you are going to be in Berlin as well as in Munich, and you want to go to a Concentration Camp, go to one of the 2 that are near Berlin rather than Dachau. The exhibits at both Sachsenhausen and Ravensbruck have been done in a far better manner, as well as having many of their original buildings still there. There are many artifacts made by the prisoners in both of these, where as I saw very little in Dachau. Any of these places are moving as well as chilling, so this is just my opinion as to better use of your time. Also, combining Oktoberfest with a Dachau visit may not fit well together for you.