Itinerary Planning - 12 days Germany, Austria, and Prague

The Bavarian Alps aren't one distinct point, but a region. How long you spend there is entirely dependent on what you want to do. But in general for the Alps, if you're planning your trip without the benefit of a short term weather forecast, you should plan at least 3 nights in each location. It can and does sometimes rain all day in the Alps. Three nights gives you two full days and hence, more of a hedge against bad weather.

Rothenburg is nice, but not nearly as unique as advertised. If you have to drive out of your way to see it, you're bypassing plenty of alternatives.

Prague is about a 5 hour trip from Munich by train/bus. Driving across to the czech republic can be an issue as rental car companies in Germany didn't want you taking their cars there, so the cost was really high. With advance purchase the trains were a better deal. If you stay in Prague you wont need car there as the city is walkable and public transport Is good also.

As you are travelling with kids, I would find it a bit cruel to deny them the snow fun in the Alps. Because the alps still have snow in spring, for skiing and later for sledding. But you have to pick a suitable location and stay there for two days or so. Garmisch comes to mind, and the Innsbruck area in Austria. Also nice sights in the area, for example Hall in Tirol. That may be a nice contrast to Munich. Go to Salzburg through the Alps. After two days Salzburg/Hallstadt, you have about three days left and I would not go to Prague, because it's a 5 hour ride each direction. With kids, each one a whole travel day. Instead, go to Passau, Regensburg and back to Munich.

And of course, if you had been even more specific on the date and what you want to see, we could give a whole lot more options what to see in the area.

@ Tom - thank you for the info. I was hoping to spend at least 2-3 nights/3-4 days in the Bavarian Alps region. Was worried it was too much time. But hubby has always wanted to drive the Alpine Highway through there. He loves history, and we love the mountains...so it is a good match.

I appreciate your thoughts on Rothenburg. Its mentioned everywhere, so I started feeling like we really needed to get up there to see it, despite it not really being on our way anywhere....as of yet anyway. Thanks again!

@ Keith - thanks for the advise about Prague. While I do enjoy "road tripping" while on vacation, I also didn't want to add undue stress by driving, when things are just better experienced by train or walking. We actually love to walk around every city we explore, we find we discover better spots just taking a stroll! Thanks!

Thank you @jjj for your insight! We will be traveling the first two weeks of April. So while we will plan for varying weather, we have read and expect to have more spring-like weather. We come from Colorado in the US, so our kiddos definitely get lots of snow and mountains. We love to hike, and are hoping to find some places to do that. Nothing too strenuous as we have kiddos, but any trails that run 1-4 miles would be fine! I would say we are the type of travelers who like to seek a good balance between seeing new cities and having time to discover things, or stumble upon things. We definitely don't want to just check things off our list. :)

I appreciate your city suggestions, as I often feel there are many hidden gems that just can't be found on typical itineraries. I know that driving the Alpine Highway is a must for my husband, but I also know that while I'd like to spend 3-4 days there, I don't want to make everyone move to a new place every night. Is it feasible to stay in one city along that region and venture out from there. I feel its so hard to get a sense of how long it takes to get places. I only have our mountains for reference and it can take hours to reach various areas. :)

Thanks again for your help!

But hubby has always wanted to drive the Alpine Highway through there.

Which road do you mean? There's an Alpenstraße in Bavaria, and a separate Großglockner Hochalpenstraße in Austria. The former is more of less a secondary route that skirts the feet and forelands of the Bavarian Alps and links together the towns. It never ascends particularly high, however. Although it runs through a very scenic part of Bavaria, it doesn't necessarily provide the most impressive visuals.

The latter is a limited-access toll road that climbs up to a high mountain pass and provides access to Austria's highest peak, Großglockner. If you're thinking of a road that climbs into the sky and provides stunning vistas (weather permitting), this is the one to drive. However, it runs south in the opposite direction that you would need to travel to continue on towards Prague. You can drive it as a daytrip from Salzburg, although it would occupy most of the day.

I better link it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossglockner_High_Alpine_Road
There are some more roads like it in the Alps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_paved_roads_in_Europe

Coming from Colorado, the most impressive thing about the Alps would be how many people are living there, right in the middle of the mountainside. But then, that's something even better observed in Switzerland.

EDIT: I just read the Großglockner road is closed from end of October to start of May due to seasonal, heavy snow (10 to 21 metres peak, in February)

Thanks @jjj, and thank you for the update on that road. A couple of our mountain passes here are typically closed through the winter months, as they are just to dangerous to drive. But I really appreciate knowing that ahead of time so we didn't plan on it, and get surprised when we got there!

We are starting to consider NOT going to Prague on this trip, but rather using our time to explore more of Germany. This may actually allow us the opportunity to see Berlin! So, not sure how I'll lay this out either. We fly in and out of Munich. Still want to drive through the Bavarian Alps and into Austria (Tirol, Salzburg and Hallstatt).

Would LOVE to hear more about places we should see! Am hoping this is a good decision to not go to Prague.....another time.