Itinerary suggestions for Germany with kids?

We really liked Boppard on the Rhine, recommended here on the Forum. The small town had a nice River city vibe, has many choices for dining and lodging, and is a transportation hub.
A few thoughts-
We liked Salzburg much more than Munich, and Berchtesgaden was beautiful. ( The boys should like the Salt Mine Tour.)
Fussen is a tourist trap IMHO,
Loved Rothenburg.

I'll attach my 2022 Trip Report, perhaps you'll find the itinerary helpful , or at least a starting point to be revised to meet your needs.
Have a wonderful family trip.
Safe travels!
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/san-diego-to-munich-just-getting-there-part-1

We like Boppard as a base for the Rhine area. It’s a lovely town, with a beautiful promenade along the river. The train station is a few blocks from the river, so you’re less likely to feel like the train is RIGHT behind your lodging. We’ve stayed in Bacharach (where we had a busy street out our window and the train track on the other side of the room), and the town was too small. Many places were closed, even in summer. Highly recommend the Marksburg castle nearby. You can do a river cruise, or rent bikes. Lots to see in the area. Boppard isn’t too far from Frankfurt to spend your last night there.

Hi, John, I stayed in Boppard when I was in Germany for 3 weeks in 2023, and traveled mostly by train. Boppard is a good base for the Rhine area, as it sits right on the water so you can easily get a ferry for one of the river cruises, there are a decent number of hotels and restaurants in town, and the train station is a quick 10 minute away from the main part of town. So you can easily reach any number of attractions in the area, like Burg Eltz and Marksburg.

I think your order works pretty well. In terms of nights, I would probably go with 3 nights in Munich, 3 nights in Salzburg, 2-3 nights Fussen, 2 nights in Rothenburg, and 3 nights in Boppard (or another Rhine location). You might need a night in Frankfurt before you fly out. Yes, Boppard is close to Frankfurt (about a 90 minute train ride) but train delays and cancellations can spoil the best-laid plans.

Either way, I would definitely not add anything to the mix. if you wanted to get rid of one, I would vote for Fussen, or at least take away a night from it, especially if you're going there just to visit Neuschwanstein Castle.

Are these the best choices for places to visit (and order), or would
you add/remove anything

From Rick Steves' planning page for Germany: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/itinerary

- 3 days: Munich, Bavarian Alps
- 5 days, add: Rhine Valley, Rothenburg
- 7 days, add: More of Bavarian Alps, side-trip to Salzburg

You have named places that are at the very top of Rick Steves' list. In July and August, lots of others who rely on this travel guru's tips will be going to those same exact places, in the greatest possible numbers, and in what is expected to be a very heavy travel year. So this plug-and-play itinerary is pretty much guaranteed to yield heavy crowds, long lines, strong competition at high prices for limited family accommodations, etc. It is not one that I would recommend as it stands, though some places/sights might be keepers if they hold a special place in your personal travel goals...

The way I see it, the best choices would be those that best suit your family's interests - and I think looking just slightly off the over-hyped and well-worn tourist trail for those things would be a solid approach.

Whether your interests (and those of your kids) include outdoor activities, auto museums, wineries, amusement parks, fossil-hunting, spas, folk festivals, medieval life, art museums... whatever... I'd encourage you to share them. With that kind of information, an itinerary with MUC and FRA at either end is VERY easy to alter - and to alter in your favor.

Thank you all for the responses, they are very helpful, particularly the suggestions of Boppard for a home base in the Rhine Valley.

Russ, thank you for your thoughts. I understand that it will be a busy time to visit, but this is what fits in with our schedule the best. As far as our interests go, the kids have a general interest in Germany. If I had to try and break it down I would say we would be most interested in a mix of museums, medieval life/architecture, and outdoor activities, but certainly not limited to just those areas. If there is an amusement park of note, we would be interested in checking that out as well. If you have some ideas for places to remove from the itinerary and what to replace them with, based on this info, I would certainly be interested in hearing them.

In Salzburg, check out the Redbull Hangar. My boys loved it. We spent 5 nights in Salzburg (with a car) and never got bored. The fortress in Werfen is very good. There are ice caves near Werfen also. It’s a gorgeous part of the world. Try to get to a sommerrodelbahn. There is one right across from the salt mines near Hallein. Great views.

Munich, Salzburg, the Rhine; I would put those on the list. Rothenburg and Fussen, in July/August, I'd avoid like the plague. It's the top of the tourist season and there's not a lot for kids to do in either place. They're going to see enough castles and old buildings between Munich and Salzburg. Make the next stop Stuttgart. It's easy to do by train, and you have the Porsche and Mercedes Benz museums, a great dinosaur museum, a good zoo, along with the old town. Trust me when I say the boys will thank you.

If you're going to base for a couple days and take either the train or a boat ride (or both) on the Rhine, do the kids a favor and stay in Mainz. It's not that much longer a trip via train (20-30 minutes), and there's a lot more to do in the city after you get back from the days expedition. All those little towns are picturesque, but jammed with tourists, and they're oriented towards adults.

Take the boys to Therme Erding in Munich, and to Hanger 7 in Salzburg.

Rothenburg and Fussen, in July/August, I'd avoid like the plague. It's
the top of the tourist season and there's not a lot for kids to do in
either place.

Kids are all different of course, but if yours are "typical", I would take the advice to drop both R'burg and Füssen.

The fortress in Werfen is very good. There are ice caves near Werfen
also. It’s a gorgeous part of the world. Try to get to a
sommerrodelbahn.

Strongly suggest you take travel4funs tips (above) as well. The value of these activities/places has been understated. See details in links below.

Hohenwerfen fortress and falconry (Werfen)
Eisriesenwelt ice cave (near Werfen)
Sommerrodelbahn (summer bobsled run) Keltenblitz (haven't tried this one myself but these things are fun.)

We actually based ourselves outside Salzburg in an apartment at the Cafe Meier in Golling (a train stop on the route fromSalzburg to Werfen,) a small town that provides easy access to both Werfen and Salzburg. Because we travel exclusively by train, we tend to stay in SMALLER towns like Golling where we can find accommodations that do not require a bus ride or a long walk to the station. (Werfen itself is also small and might work as well.) A visit to Hohenwerfen can be combined with a walk/hike on the "Sound of Music Trail" (which we basically had to ourselves and enjoyed very much. Beautiful spot.)

To be perfectly clear, we went to Rothenberg and Fussen at the end of May (not peak season as you are suggesting), but my kids (age 14/17) loved them both. In Fussen we did Neuschwanstein (if your kids have read the Land of Stories books this makes it really neat to them) and the treetop canopy walkway into Austria that RS covers in his book - greatly enjoyed both. In Rothenburg we happened to be there for a big festival with a parade that was super fun. Very picturesque town.

The RHINE:

If you're going to base for a couple days and take either the train or
a boat ride (or both) on the Rhine, do the kids a favor and stay in
Mainz.

Mainz is an underrated city not far from FRA airport. It lies where the Rhine and Main rivers meet, in a mostly flat plain south of the Rhine Gorge. I had the privilege of living there years ago. All that said, I would recommend Mainz only for your last day/night in Germany. Boppard - or St. Goar, or one of the other small towns located within the Rhine Gorge - would be vastly more convenient and more enjoyable for you as a base town for exploring the Rhine/Mosel region. Seeing the Rhine/Mosel is about much more than just a train ride or a river cruise...

• Mardee and travel4fun have both mentioned Marksburg Castle (town of Braubach,) an excellent suggestion you should take to heart. Unlike most castles, Marksburg was never burned to the ground; it's the best castle experience for a look at real medieval life.

• Up the Mosel River from Koblenz on the way to Trier is Cochem, a touristy but delightful old-world town where I have spent many nights on different occasions. Cochem is blessed with a scenic river setting and proximity to lots of stuff for families... IN town there's a cool chairlift ride and Cochem's own castle (Reichsburg.) Just outside Cochem in Klotten is the "Klotti" wildlife and amusement park (also with falconry exhibition.) Burg Eltz, Rick Steves' favorite castle in all of Europe, is highly-furnished and attractive castle option just a short distance from Cochem as well. Cochem is also home to the Moselbad waterpark/pool facility, a good place to let off steam. A short train ride from Cochem gets you to Bullay, a good place to head out on the riverside bike trails or to take a short hike... this photo shows Bullay on the right with Alf on the left. Cross the river to Alf (ferry or bridge) and hike up to the Prinzenkopf lookout tower, located high on a spit of land that is nearly surrounded by the curvy Mosel River, for commanding and scenic views.

So... while Boppard makes for a good base to see both river valleys on day outings, Cochem or Bullay (where I've also stayed on separate occasions, very quiet place) or one of the other nearby Mosel towns that lie on the Koblenz > Trier railway might work just as well or better if these Mosel things look good to you. (I did not mention TRIER itself, a huge draw for anyone interested Roman history. Direct trains from Cochem or Bullay get you there in under one hour.) Note that from Cochem, it would be possible to daytrip to certain Rhine destinations as well (for Marksburg Castle, Boppard, St. Goar, for example.)

It's a lengthy train ride to the Rhine/Mosel from the other places you are considering. A 4-night stay will necessitate most of one day for train travel, leaving just 3 days' worth of boots-on-the-ground time. The map link below showing the Rhine & Mosel train lines and towns will be helpful. The green VRM zone contains most of the Rhine/Mosel places of interest.

https://www.mobiregio.net/fileadmin/mobiregio/pdf/DB-Netz%20Rlp-Saarland.pdf

I'd be surprised if the kiddoes didn't love Europa-Park in Rust, BW. Ranks 19th out of the 25 most visited theme parks in the world and is the third most visited theme park in Europe after Disneyland Paris and Efteling, as well as the most visited seasonal theme park in the world. According to wikipedia, in 2022 the Golden Ticket Award jury of the US magazine Amusement Today voted Europa-Park the "best theme park in the world" for the eighth year in a row.

Germany's largest.

14 rollercoasters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa-Park

https://www.europapark.de/en

We lived in Augsburg and always loved going to stay in Garmish-Part. Loved the Fraundorfer. Also, recommend going up to the top of the Zugspitze. Would never stay in Fussen.
Consider taking the Romantic Road and visit Augsburg and some of the medieval walled towns like Rothenburg that aren't as full of tourists.
https://www.romanticroadgermany.com

In the Rhine Valley, Heidleberg, the Black Forest (Baden-Baden, Triberg and Titisee) as well as Strasbourg, France. North of Frankfurt, Rudesheim, Cologne and more.

Europapark, the Black Forest, Strasbourg, Garmisch, the Romantic Road towns... all great suggestions worthy of consideration. The issue of course is fitting into 2 weeks the ground travel for these scattered places, with MUC, FRA, Munich, Salzburg (w/Werfen options), the Rhine (w/Mosel options,) Füssen and Rothenburg as givens. Dropping the last two would help. Couple thoughts:

• Füssen, if it is not disposable, is possible as a day trip by train from Munich; add a day to Munich to avoid moving base.

• Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also a possible day trip by train out of Munich and would not require a change of accommodations. I would probably head to nearby Mittenwald in addition to or instead of G-P.

• Romantic Road towns: The RR is essentially a car journey. BUT... the rail system does cover parts of it nicely if you wish to attempt outings to SOME of those towns from Munich, again, by day trip. There is a direct train (9:35 am for example) that will take you to Noerdlingen (one of the better towns to see IMO) in two hours from Munich. It makes stops in 3 other RR towns on the way. So you could choose to visit one, or perhaps two, on the way back to Munich. The route:

Munich Hbf > Augsburg(RR) > Donauwoerth (RR) > Harburg(RR) > Noerdlingen(RR)

Europapark, the Black Forest, and Strasbourg would require adding another base town near Germany's western border with France to your itinerary.

Thank you all for the info.... you've given me a ton to contemplate. We've nailed down our flight plans and are looking at 16 nights to fill out. The last night will need to be close to FRA as the flight will be pretty early. The sequence/locations I laid out in my original post were just a starting idea and by no means a final plan. The multiple comments about potentially dropping Fussen and Rothenburg are something for me to really ponder. For anyone who thinks dropping Fussen is worth considering, are you suggesting to drop the Alps all together, or is there a different home base you would recommend?

I really like ROTHENBURG, and the kids would likely enjoy the NIGHT Watchman's Tour, walking on the town walls, climbing to the top of city hall to the lookout, and the Torture Museum.
For the Alps experience, spend time in Bertchesgaden, outside of Salzburg. The lake against the mountains is spectacular, and you can take the boat ride out to the island and beyond, with beautiful hikes and waterfalls. We actually skipped Munich, and spent our time in and around Salzburg.
In any case, you will have a wonderful family trip. Safe travels!

PS TheRed Bull Museum should excite the kids, and I second this idea from above. The museum is free, and it's a short bus ride from Salzburg.

...are you suggesting to drop the Alps all together, or is there a
different home base you would recommend?

I suggested Golling as an alternative base. It's located on the train line that heads south into the Alps south of Salzburg, roughly where the true Alps begin (and near Werfen, Hohenwerfen Fortress, the Eisriesenwelt ice cave et.) See the direct train connections between Salzburg Hbf and Golling-Abuenau and Werfen with this train line map.

Pam has mentioned another option, correctly spelled Ber-C-H-T-esgaden. Pronounce it "Beark-tess-gah-dun" and it's easier to spell.

B'gaden can be either a day trip from Salzburg (easy bus ride, longer train ride) or a base town itself. I will mention the Jennerbahn lift as a way of getting into the Alpine air for some great views. The train line map above also shows how you would reach B'gaden (with a change of train in Freilassing) from Salzburg.

But you can have an alpine experience very close to Salzburg: The Untersberg Cable Car Lift is one of Salzburg's top attractions on Tripadvisor and accessible from town with a short bus ride. Homepage here:

https://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/excursions/cable-car-untersberg

Thanks Pat/Russ,

Golling or Berchtesgaden makes a lot of sense (Russ, sorry I did not realize you were suggesting Golling as a substitute for Fussen). If we were still interested in visiting Neuschwanstein Castle, I see there are options for day trip tours from Munich, do you think that would be the best way to fit that in (combined with Golling/Berchtesgaden for an Alps home base), as opposed to staying in Fussen/nearby?

Neuschwanstein: perfectly possible as a day trip done independently.

• The railway takes you from Munich Hbf to Füssen station (direct trains are possible at some hours, at other times there's a change of train at tiny Buchloe.)

• Bus 78 picks up near the Füssen station for a short ride to the "Neuschwanstein Castles, Schwangau" bus stop (green H on yellow background is the bus stop on the map below.) You walk from there to the ticket center and then to the N'stein entrance.

N-stein map

The train + bus journey is 2.5 hours in each direction. A "Bayern Ticket" day pass covers both train and bus round trip... €42 for your family. Individual tickets for the 25-minute tour are €17. Tours are conducted only by N'stein personnel, whether you go independently or buy a bus tour. (I know nothing else about the bus tour option.)

THIS VIDEO shows you much of the journey with some tips. Train types may vary from those in the video.

I side with those who look at this day trip as a large waste for a short, overcrowded and overpriced tour. On the plus side, the interior is elaborate and unique. Understand before springing for this choice that this was a royal palace built with a faux castle exterior near the turn of the 20th century, not a real castle. Much more valuable IMO would be some time at Nymphenburg Palace, the childhood home of King Ludwig II; it is right in Munich and offers much more to see. This family's visit may be informative and interesting.

Sample train schedule:
Lv Munich Hbf 9:41
Ar Neuschwanstein... stop 12:20

You can find your own schedules for the train + bus trip here:
https://int.bahn.de/en/

I wholly agree with Russ regarding N'stein visit. It's an exhausting day, very commercial, lot of walking and waiting in lines, hot, and IMHO, the time and energy are better spent elsewhere. Safe travels!

Beark-tess-gah-dun

Thank you Russ I ll put that on my T-Shirt

Got one with Schi-ka-goh

All the places you list are great places to visit. I have enjoyed Fussen 3 times and can’t understand the antipathy to touring inside Neuschwanstein. I love Rothenburg - spent 4 nights there on my last trip. In the Rhine I stay in Bacharach which I find to be just right. I stay in a small 3 room b&b ( Irmgard Orth ), If you don’t stay in Bacharach, I have 2 suggestions for things to do there that you and your boys might like - eat at Cafe Bistro Noy and have a wild boar bratwurst. Also take the short walk to Burg Stahlberg, a castle ruin above the suburb of Steeg. You will most likely be the only ones there.

Everyone’s view of a place are theirs and yours might differ. I love Salzburg, one year visiting for 9 days and wpuld go tomorrow if I could. However a former co-worker and her husband just visited for the first time and were unimpressed.

If you go to Salzburg, I strongly recommend doing a salt mine tour. I’ve done it on every visit. I also enjoy the Ice Cave at nearby Werfen

Just in case the kids like to stay a night in a castle at a reasonable price check out the Youth Hostel in Burg Stahleck Castle above Bacharach and the RiverRhine
Posted links earlier on the RhineCastle Trail Thread

Its not 5Star lodging but they meet other Kids there
But with luggage you ll definately need a Taxi from Bacharach Train Station up to the Castle

Additionaly a link to a Taxi and Travel Service in Bacharach

It doesn't look like you are spending any time in or near Frankfurt, but here are 2 suggestions if you are.
Hessen Park Open Air Museum - over 100 reconstructed buildings, with lots of space to run around for the kids and interesting displays including the farm animals and skills from the 1800s-early 1900s.
https://www.hessenpark.de/en/

Saalburg Roman Fort - the only reconstructed Roman fort around, with lots of interesting exhibits and for kids, usually fascinating.
https://www.saalburgmuseum.de/en/