Munich to Cologne and then what?

"...we are coming in early (3/30) and leaving later (4/9)."

Hmm... I'm guessing you might be flying into Munich. Are you also flying home out of Munich? If so, then you have 3/30-31 in Munich, 4/1-3 in Cologne, 4/4-7 elsewhere, and 4/8 back in Munich prior to your return flight. Is this correct?

Cologne's museums are likely your daughter's best bet on those days when you're busy: http://www.cologne-tourism.com/attractions-culture/museums.html

Check with the tourist office for available tours: http://www.cologne-tourism.com/guided-tours.html

"...she wants to see castles and has a very good palate and wants authentic food..."

On 4/4 (or in the evening on 4/3) you may want to move south along the Rhine to the Koblenz area and the Middle Rhine Valley for a couple nights - there are 3 authentic castles nearby that you can tour:

Braubach, 10 min. south of Koblenz: http://www.marksburg.de/en/
St. Goar, about 25 min. south of Koblenz on the west bank: https://www.st-goar.de/17-1-rheinfels-castle.html
Near Moselkern: http://www.burg-eltz.de/en/ (requires a lengthy walk through the forest.)

German food in Germany is authentic by definition, wherever you are.

Austria (Salzburg anyway) is the closest of your heritage-countries to Munich (less than 2 hours by direct train) and probably your best bet for the nights of April 6 & 7.

If you need to stay at the airport for an early flight out, the Novotel Munich Airport Hotel is a very good choice - the bus to the terminal stops right out front.

In Cologne you can use the airport Köln-Bonn. It has connections to Prague and Vienna. From Prague you can make one or two day trips, for example to very nice Hradec Kralové (1hr45 mins on a direct train) or Melnik (1 hr; beautifully situated on the river Labe) to get some feeling of provincial Bohemian life. From Vienna you can easily visit Bratislava or Melk (wonderful baroque monastery) and Eisenstadt (Esterhazy palace). This train planner is useful to get an idea of what's possible.

I'm pretty sure I had gone to NYC (home) museums at 14. But children have much more attentive parents today-to put it mildly. Although I like the Hilton in Cologne, both it and the Marriott (in fact, worse) feel (incorrectly so ...) isolated. So you'll be uncomfortable leaving her alone at those modern, luxury hotels. Although I've never been there, the Dom Hotel or the Hotel Mondial Dom look like they would allow her to get to around six or eight museums without crossing more than a single lane of traffic, as well as the archaeology zone, the roman ruins, and the old town and the riverwalk. There have to be other well-located hotel choices. Anyone who likes castles should visit the Applied Art (MAK) museum and the Kolumba museum. Unfortunately, a short subway ride is needed to get to the excellent medieval art museum, which is paired with a very modern and enjoyable Ethnographic museum.

I think Cologne is an ideal place for her to be on her own, if you have ever allowed her to be alone in the U.S. (Are you from the U.S.? We can't tell from your hidden profile.)

You have cultural reasons for Prague (a better choice than Krakow), but it would be easier to fly home from Amsterdam or Brussels/Antwerp. As another noted, the Middle Rhine provides plenty of castles, and also avoids annoying cut-rate airline luggage restrictions. Otherwise, Prague is a great idea, also good for three days. I notice that Keukenhof is open during your travel week, if that interests the two of you.

I don't know where you're leaving from to fly home, but have you looked into Bruges? Ride bikes around town, out to Dame to explore and have lunch, visit chocolate shops, take a canal boat tour, visit the town center and go up the tower for a look around the town and countryside.

If you wanted to do a whirlwind, you could go there for 2 days and late in the afternoon of the 2nd day, head to Paris. Just an idea!

I know these locations don't jive with your heritage but they are easy to get to via train from Cologne.

Or head to Paris directly from Cologne.

Happy Planning and Travels!

These are wonderful suggestions. Thank you and keep them coming.

Building on your Austrian heritage, your daughter's interest in castles and your two nights in Munich you might consider these suggestions:

Neuschwanstein. It is thought to have been Disney's inspiration for his Cinderella's Castles in Disney Land and Disney World. It should appeal to any 14 year old girl - particularly one who wants to see castles. Neuschwanstein is near Fussen and is about 80 miles from Munich. Bus tours and train service are available from Munich.

In Munich there are two palaces that were occupied by the Bavarian Kings, The Residenz which is located very near the town square (Marienplatz) and Nymphenberg which is about five miles away.

If you would like to get a glimpse of Austria you could head to Salzburg - famous for the Sound of Music and Mozart's birthplace. Salzburg is only about 100 miles from Munich. It also is available by bus and I think by train.

Unfortunately I have done almost all my European travel by car and so I cannot be much help in finding train or bus schedules - but there are lots of train/bus experts on this site.

As Fussen is SW of Munich and Salzburg is SE of Munich I would not attempt both in the one day that you will have in Munich. If it were my daughter I would choose Neuschwanstein.

Referring to the Bruges suggestion, I wonder if your daughter's interest in Castles could be broadened to medieval cities, half-timbered towns, and so on. That's a vote for Antwerp and Prague, as well. I've never been to Neuschswanstine, but some posters here were disappointed. Despite Rick Steve's worship of Burg Eltz, I was disappointed by the modern interior. OTOH, I thought Eisenach's Wartburg was a bit more satisfying in that way.

My original comments were a warning against too much travel time for a relatively short trip. I personally would not sleep more than one night in Bruges, but I am in the minority here. I love Antwerp, which has something for everyone. You have to learn what's available. For a child who loves castles, there's the (the period, not a castle) Vleeshuis Museum, for example. Alas, their Steen castle interior is closed. I wonder if the Silvermuseum interior is open with something else by now. In Czech Republic, the isolated Cesky Krulmlov is every bit as remarkable as Bruges.