Itinerary help

Welcome to the forum ClarkG. My advice is to devise a travel plan that fits your family well, which may or may not match up well to one of Rick Steves' itineraries.

On the surface that does look like too much travel for your allotted time. Bavaria alone is immense, varied and interesting and could easily take up all your time. I could see landing in Frankfurt for the Rhine Valley and proceeding to your wedding venue (wherever that is) with the balance of your time in Bavaria and departure from MUC. This in fact is a pretty common travel outline. But a lot should depend on your family's interests and travel style.

A few more details from you would be helpful...

What town is the wedding in?

What outdoor activities do the kids and the parents enjoy?

Any special interests? (Auto museums, medieval history, WW II history, technology, art???)

Do you prefer to spend time in urban or less-urban/rural places, or a mix thereof?

Have you made a firm decision yet on car rail travel?

Hello again! I think we have narrowed it down a little. How is this?

Sunday - arrive in Frankfurt mid day, train to Bacharach, day cruise to St. Goar if time / weather / jet lag allows. Sleep in Bacharach.

Monday - More sightseeing - Eltz Castle. Unsure where to sleep. (do we stay another night in Bacharach? Do we train up to Cologne? somewhere in between?)

Tuesday - Train to Berlin from either Bacharach or Cologne. Activities TBD. Sleep in Berlin.

Wednesday - Berlin

Thursday - Berlin morning - train to Salzburg. Possible "hop offs" to see towns along the way. Sleep in Salzburg

Friday - Salzburg - Sleep in Salzburg

Saturday - Sunday - Munich. (sleep in Munich both nights)

Monday afternoon - Thursday morning - wedding

Thursday afternoon - Neuschwanstein. Sleep in either Fussen or Munich

Friday - Saturday - Munich again

Sunday - fly home from Munich

Some of the activities we want to hit include Dachau, BMW tour, alpine slide / coasters, salt mine tour (salzburg), sound of music tour (salzburg), and we would love to see Dresden and Nurnberg of course. I also feel like maybe we have too many days in Munich and not enough in, say, Berlin. Or do we build in an extra day to visit Prague? Definitely open to ideas.

"A few more details from you would be helpful...
What town is the wedding in?
What outdoor activities do the kids and the parents enjoy?
Any special interests? (Auto museums, medieval history, WW II history, technology, art???)
Do you prefer to spend time in urban or less-urban/rural places, or a mix thereof?
Have you made a firm decision yet on car rail travel?"

We will be in bernried. We enjoy being outdoors, hiking, exploring, etc. One of the luge / mountain coasters is right up our alley. It still sounds like a fun break from traditional sightseeing. Interests: yes to auto museums and WWII history. I guess we want to see a little bit of everything. In terms of "urban vs less urban", I'd say a healthy mix. We definitely want to visit both Berlin and Munich. We plan to travel by train.

If you want to cruise on the ship to St. Goar, than please get on farther down the Rhein. If you only get on in Bacharach, you miss 3/4ths of the castles. I know Rick has this teeny cruise as advice in his book, but seriously have no idea why. If you were on a train, it would take about 5 min.

Coming from Frankfurt, get on the ship at either Bingen or Rüdesheim and ride to St. Goar. This is almost 2 hours and you then get to see all of the castles.

If you want to cruise on the ship to St. Goar, than please get on farther down the Rhein. If you only get on in Bacharach, you miss 3/4ths of the castles. I know Rick has this teeny cruise as advice in his book, but seriously have no idea why. If you were on a train, it would take about 5 min.
Coming from Frankfurt, get on the ship at either Bingen or Rüdesheim and ride to St. Goar. This is almost 2 hours and you then get to see all of the castles.

Thank you. This is all a little overwhelming. Would you suggest two nights in Rhine valley or one in the Rhine and one in Cologne? The primary reason for the Cologne addition would be to see the cathedral.

I would stay two nights in the Rhine. If you must visit the cathedral in Cologne ( i found it underwhelming although the three kings reliquary is interesting ), do so as a day trip from Bacharach ( that's what I did ).

I would skip Berlin, again unless there is something you absolutely must see there , and spend more time in Bavaria, or better yet, Salzburg. There take a salt mine tour ( in Hallein ) and the ice cave in Werfen ( wear a coat, hat andf gloves!). Both are unique adventures that i'm sure your kids ( and you ! ) will enjoy.

Your time in Berlin is much too short to even get a start. Anything less than 4-5 days may leave you frustrated. You will spend too much time traveling there and back during your short visit. There are tons of towns to see in southern Germany and a better use of your time. Get out a map and see what I mean. If you are in Munich, you have Regensburg, Nuremburg, Salzburg, even a bit farther north - Würzburg. Or head over to Baden Württemburg to Stuttgart and perhaps the Mercedes Museum?

You are pressed for time already without the long trek to and from Berlin for so little time there. I completely agree with the others. I'd pass on Cologne too. Just take the train from the Rhine to Nuremberg for 2 nights minimum... but since you must pass through Würzburg to get there, make a stopover there on the way if you wish. A stop is worth it if only for the Residenz Palace.

Rhine: Agree with JO - train to Bingen + cruise from BINGEN to ST. GOAR for the best scenery. But do this cruise on DAY 1 as you arrive on the Rhine by from FRA airport. You should be able to catch the 14:30 or the 16:30 K-D cruise no trouble and get to St. Goar by 18:00. (Show your train ticket for a 20% cruise discount.) AND I would book 2 nights right there in St. Goar (home of Rheinfels Castle.) That way you aren't forced to backtrack by train to Bacharach, and St. Goar has better river scenery than any other town, as well as hotels with river views (unlike Bacharach.) DAY 2: I like Burg Eltz, but I like Marksburg Castle (in Braubach) better - and it is vastly easier on your time this day. Burg Eltz involves a longer train ride and a longer hike also. You would then have ample time for something else too. Tour Rheinfels in St. Goar? Visit Rüdesheim? Bacharach + Oberwesel? Boppard + the cool chairlift ride to an outstanding overlook? I mean, if you weren't rushing off to other places, you'd be smart to spend much of Day 3 on the Rhine also, then take off in the direction of Nuremberg in the evening.

Rick definitely misses the mark with his cruise recommendations, minimizes the value of extra time on the Rhine, and overemphasizes both Bacharach and Eltz (far from the Rhine, actually) as THE most special places. The above strategy will maximize your experience for the 2 nights you have.