Munich & Salzburg: Train, Bus & Food suggestions

Seems you are really much rushing through. Very little time for the cities.

Most trains in / to / from Germany you can search and book on Deutsche Bahn website: https://www.bahn.com/

Full details about Bavaria ticket. see also Q&A on bottom of page:
https://www.bahn.de/en/view/offers/regional/regional-day-ticket-for-bavaria.shtml

"Must"-whatever depends obviously on your preferences. Top rated restaurants for every location you can easily find on TripAdvisor or by searching for travel blogs.

Party of 4 - including kids? Ages?

Assuming you are all adults, the way to simplify your 4 major train journeys - and achieve a little convenience and flexibility - is to get two German Rail twin passes (flexi version) for 4 days. That would cover...

FRA to Nuremberg: Frankfurt airport (FRA) right? Or is Frankfurt proper a destination? If you are traveling to Nuremberg straight away after landing, then the rail pass is a big advantage since you can take ANY train or train sequence; a "best-price" saver fare would be train specific, and you could miss that train if you have a flight delay.

Nuremberg to Munich: Not such a major trip, and you could use a Bayern ticket, but a rail pass permits travel on high-speed trains and gets you there much faster.

Salzburg to Stuttgart: (high-speed train for long journey)

Stuttgart to FRA (high-speed train for long journey.)

You can pick up two German Rail twin passes for two at €288/couple (Springtime Special.)

(If you want to squeeze out some cheaper prices it might be possible with saver fares - you just have to check - but you then have set departure times with no changes, no leeway if you show up late, fees for any pre-arranged refunds/changes - and then more expensive tickets bought on the spot, at least 3 tickets per couple to fumble with and pre-purchase...)

The other tickets can be purchased locally once you are there.
Munich - Dachau - Munich using S-bahn + bus (MVV fare)
Munich - N'stein - Munich; Munich - Salzburg: Bayern Ticket

Salzburg - B'gaden - Salzburg: Bus 840 or possibly by train on Bayern Ticket (see this thread.)

OH YEAH, you're the group that intends to do all this over 7-8 days, right? I cannot see your new schedule clearly, but if that's still the case, then, this is still an overly-rushed trip, and the previous poster is probably correct that you do not have sufficient time in the cities. I think I've already advised you to eliminate the day trip to N'stein; it's nearly 5 hours on trains and buses + an hour's + walk all for a 30-minute tour, and you already have a day in the Alps scheduled as a day trip from Salzburg anyway. I will stick by that suggestion.

And I think you have kids. Well, depending on their ages the two GR passes I suggested may work; kids may or may be free with adult GRPs - check the DB German Rail pass for details.

we too are going in Mid March and decided to purchase the flex pass rail twin ticket for 7 non consecutive days in one month. May have been a few extra dollars, but felt it was worth to not have to worry about purchasing too many individual tickets.

@Russ thank you for the info. After doing more reading last night I am probably going to drop N castle from the itinary, from what I read there are other castles more central to my travels that will be as enjoyable if not more so. That will certainly save us some travel time.
Probably still a too full schedule but much better than when started. We are now basing out of Munich and Salzburg with 3 night in each other that’s a minor improvement. I think dropping the castle will be a bonus.
Appreciate the input on the flex tickets, sounds like that may be worth the extra money. The kids are both adult so no $ break there. My daughter is currently studying in Germany and has some kind of discount rail pass but it may be more a headache her trying to use that then us just getting a package for all 4 of us.

Thank you again

"Appreciate the input on the flex tickets, sounds like that may be worth the extra money."

Without knowing the costs of individual saver fare tickets, it's hard to say whether the "flex tickets" (GR twin passes, actually) will cost extra or not. They might not. You can check those non-flexi saver fares on your dates for possible bargains. But the flexi twin passes are definitely cheaper than the flexi standard fare tickets. With the discounted twin pass I spoke of at €288 per duo, €144 per person, for 4 separate travel days, the rail pass cost is fixed at €36/ day per person. By comparison...

Standard flexi fare for FRA - Nuremberg is €62 each (and you need a flexi since the saver fare is subject to forfeiture if you're late.)

Nuremberg - Munich flexi is €58 each (but a Bayern ticket only €11 each if you use the slower trains.)

Salzburg - Stuttgart flexi is €80-85 each.

Stuttgart - FRA flexi is €67 each.

Cost isn't necessarily the last word either. The convenience and flexibility of the pass is surely worth some number of Euros above the non-flexi saver fare costs.

Salzburg to Berchtesgaden (RT)

For this trip, you have three options:

1. The first is the Bayern-Ticket. I would cost you 46€ for 4 adults. It is only valid for the trains from Salzburg Hbf to Berchtesgaden Hbf via Freilassing, and it is only valid after 9 AM on workdays (all day on weekends and holidays). The train connection via Freilassing takes just over an hour and 5 minutes.
2. your second option is an RVO Tagesticket. RVO is the bus company operated by the Bahn. RVO 840 (Watzmann Express) goes from the Hbf in Salzburg to Berchtesgaden via Austria. It makes several stops in town after Salzburg Hbf including Mirabell Platz. The first bus leaves Salzburg Hbf at 6:35, so you can leave earlier than 9 AM. The last bus back to Salzburg leaves Berchtesgaden ZOB at 6:15 PM. The price of the Tagesticket is 10,40€/adult or 41,60€ for 4 adults. The bus takes 50 minutes.
3. The last option is the GBL Tagesticket Bus & Bahn. It covers both the RVO bus (840) and the trains through Freilassing, so you could take the bus from Salzurg to Berchtesgaden in the morning and then stay in Berchtesgaden past 6:15 and take a train back to Salzburg. It cost 14€/adult (56€ for 4).

All three tickets include unlimited use of most buses in Berchtesgaden, including the one that goes up to where the special mountain buses (not included) go up to the Eagles Nest or the buses out to Königsee.

So, if you don't want to stay in Berchtesgaden past 6:15 PM, the bast option is the RVO Tagesticket, which you can purchase from the bus driver.

I've been everywhere on your itinerary so many times I've lost count, and can count the number of times I needed reservations at a restaurant on one hand. If you have kids you're going to find the places that require reservations rarely accept children.

On the other hand, it's not hard to eat well anywhere. In Nuremberg if you walk up the Konigstrasse (the main way from the train station to the old city center) you'll pass dozens of places. But if you walk along the river (the Pegnitz) you can find a nice place with a view easily. One place I'd avoid is the Helig Geist Spittal, an old hospital that sits over the river. It's picturesque but expensive and frankly the food's only okay. There are places to get the local speciality (small pork sausages on a bun) but those are best as a snack from a small stall. March is Weissewurst season in Frankonia. try to do those for lunch.

In Munich I always hit the Victualmarkt for stuff early in the day and just eat as I go along. The beer garden in the English Gardens is a great place when the weather's good. The Hofbrau Haus is world famous, so that's usually on everyone's list, but Augustiner and Lowenbrau also have good places near the town center.

In Salzburg Cafe Tomiselli is ideally situated to sit and watch the world go by. It's between the Dom and the old market. Sit outside if the weather's good. If you want a view go to the Panorama up on the wall in the fortress. (this is good for kids). Augustiner is very popular here too, but for me it's over rated.

One term you need to learn is "Imbiss" that's a snack stand or food truck. They are all over, and most have a specialty they do best. this is probably the most popular way to eat for students. The tradition in Europe is a big meal at lunch, but if you don't want to waste an hour or more doing a "sit-down" open air markets and the Imbiss are the way to go.

Last, don't be afraid to try small, out of the way, places. Some of the most memorable meals I've ever had were in places with just a couple tables and a chalkboard sign out front. Every place will have the menu posted. Make sure you look before you enter.

to enjoy the beer garden atmosphere..i suggest the Augustiner brewery in Salzburg. The beer lines are interesting and their are deli style offerings thoughout the interior. You choose what and those combinations you would like. Great experience