Munich, Neuchewanstein, Lucerne, Zermatt, end in Paris withing 1 week

You gave a week, with 3 days in Munich and 2 in Paris already spoken for. Leaving 2 days to visit these 3 places AND get to Paris. No it's not doable.

Hi, Mary, and welcome to the forum.

A week is not long but your proposed route is pretty long and requires a lot of troublesome changing of trains and buses etc. considering your overall travel time. You can check into the unpleasant details of all that at the German Railways page, which has information on all those trips you were planning:

https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de//bin/query.exe/en

If you mostly want to enjoy some lovely mountain scenery before Paris, then I suggest a couple of nights in Munich first, after which you travel to the German alps just to the south for maybe 4 nights. Some places you might want to see/stay:

Mittenwald:
http://requisitosparavisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/mittenwald_-3.jpg
https://hastingshouse.typepad.com/hastings_house_us/travel_in_europe/
https://www.zugspitzcard.de/images/pdf/Karwendelbahn-flyer-english.pdf

Oberammergau and nearby:
https://www.ctscentral.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/AmmergauerAlpen_Oberammergau_panthermedia_01917575_RET.jpg
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/271
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ettal_Abbey

Garmisch-Partenkirchen:
https://www.gapa.de/en/Ort-Umgebung_en/Attractions

Presumably you already know about Füssen. There is more there than nearby Neuschwanstein (a more modern palace built in the late 1900's, not a castle.) Pay a visit to the Hohes Schloss as well:
https://en.fuessen.de/

Besides the great mountain towns and scenery you will find this part of Germany very affordable when compared with Lucerne and Zermatt! It's easy to get around here by public transport - and your final journey to Paris will be a good deal less expensive without the added travel costs involved in getting around Switzerland.

I'm afraid you have a classic case of add-on-itis. Here's how that goes:

"When you go to Paris you simply must see the French Riviera."
"How can you go to the French Riviera without seeing the Italian Riviera?"
"While on the Italian Riviera you'll be near Florence, so you must go there too."
"You can't go to Florence without seeing Venice and Rome too!"

Pretty soon, people have planned for you a great two month trip. But, you only have ONE week! So, you must be ruthless in cutting places that will not fit. You'll just have to return.

To get train schedules for all of Europe, here's Rick's tutorial: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/online-schedules

You'll quickly see that some of your proposed transit (such as Zermatt to Paris) will take most of a day. With only one week, you can't be using a whole day for transit. If you are really locked to flying into Munich and flying out of Paris a week later, and want to spend 3 days in Munich and two days in Paris, that's your trip. You can see the Neuschwanstein castles, but that's about it for the add-ons you'll have time for.

I'm afraid you have a classic case of add-on-itis.

Harold. "Add-on-itis". I love it. It's a very contagious "disease".

I would spend two days in the German alps and save Switzerland for another trip

Thank you all for your very informative and helpful posts. We're still considering some parts of Switzerland and renting a car to get around.

Mary, how many nights in total will you be in Europe? Is this your first trip to Europe? What are your main interests? If your time there is a week then I second what others have said and limit yourself to 2 cities, Paris and Munich stopping at Neuschwanstein on your way to/from Munich. Moving from one place to another will eat up 1/2 day at least, more if you are gifted as me that always manage to get lost finding the apartment. As others have said before, think that you will return and don't try to do it all in one trip (been there, done that, did not get a t-shirt).

Thank you for your advice.
We will be flying in Friday morning, so we have 3 full days in Munich. Once we rent the car on the 4th day, we'll drive to Neuchewanstein Castles. On that same afternoon we will drive to Lucerne which is around 3 1/2 hours. On Tuesday we'll spend 1 1/2 days there and then start our journey to Paris on Wednesday. According to google maps it takes around 6 1/2 hours to get to our destination , and we'll drive half way Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, God willing we'll be Paris Thursday noon. I know we don't have much time in Paris, but we have to come back another time, for at least 2 weeks.

I think your planning is seriously ill considered, and you are underestimating the time required to do what you want to do.
For example : Your first travel day- figure at least an hour to get to the rental agency and pick up the car. Then it's a minimum 90 minutes to Schwangau. Except you'll likely be driving in morning rush hour, then you have to park and get to the ticket office. So more likely 2-2 1/2 hours. Then there's the wait to get into the first tour, even if you have a timed ticket (look this up online). Then the second castle. Somewhere in there you need to eat lunch. That's about 6-7 hours spent. Then the drive to Lucerne. You're kidding yourself if you think you can do it in 3 1/2 hours. You'll need to stop to get a vignette for the car when entering Switzerland, and at the end of the trip you'll have to hunt for your hotel and find parking. Count yourself lucky if it only takes 4 1/2 hours. By then it will be time for a late dinner and you'll be exhausted.

Driving to Paris- again underestimating driving times and not accounting for rest stops, getting gas and negotiating unfamiliar French cities (and I really hope you aren't considering dropping off in central Paris.)

Which brings us to the drop off - have you looked at the cost of renting a car in Germany and dropping off in France? The sticker shock wasn't a shock to you?? It's certainly a deterrent to many.

Oh, and don't forget that you will need to get an International Drivers Permit for each driver before you leave home. Make sure you have cash for the toll booths, since many won't take American credit cards.

OR

You could stay an extra day in Munich and spend it doing a side trip to the castles , then fly to Paris and have a couple of extra days there. Save Switzerland for your next trip, when you can plan more time to actually explore and enjoy it instead of having a few rushed glimpses. JMO

Travel Man: Resistance to seasoned advice is pretty common on this forum, nothing new really. Typically, the hotels are booked (at the no-cancel price,) and the flight tickets and the other tickets are already booked. The cart (the planning process) has already been built, painted and hitched firmly in front of the horse instead of behind it. It's better to inquire about and figure out the details before you tell the whole family about their trip, but hey... I've been there myself and done the same at times, actually.

mano96: Best wishes for a fun time, whatever you choose.

Thank you all again for your input, we finally decided NOT to go to Switzerland, and booked a flight from Munich to Paris on our 5th day, and spend 3 days in Paris. Merci beaucoup.

As the great cites of Europe go, Paris is second rate & Munich is third rate. Rent a car & get out Munich after one night. Go to the Fussen Castles & then follow the Deutchalpinestrasse (see the Michelin Green Guide) until time runs out or take a dip down to Innsbruck & the Oeztal in Austria (good weather only). If the leather is bad, take the Romantic Road (green Guide again) to Augsburg, Nordlingen, Dinkelsbuhl, and Rothenburg odt.

Best sight in Paris: Versailles Palace by local train.

mano96 So relieved that you made some changes so you don't spend most of your vacation in a car. Have a great time.

Yes, the Paris hater, above, loves to shock by calling Paris second rate, yet in a previous post has said he has been there 3 times, for a total of 22 days. That’s a lot of time to spend in place you don’t like.