Need help with Germany/Alsace itinerary

On the surface, idea two doesn't show you much of Germany.

Could you please provide the number of days you expect to have for your time between your departure from A'dam and your arrival in Paris?

And if you intend to spend time in Amsterdam and Paris.

from Amsterdam train to Cologne ? Train to Heidelberg ? Train to
Strasbourg

Yes, you'll see a bit of Germany in Cologne and Heidelberg. Both are worth a visit.

I’m thinking 7-8 nights between A’dam and Paris.
Probably two nights A’dam, three in Paris. We’ve been to both many times.

If we do idea one, is
Cologne 2
Heidelberg 3
Strasbourg 3

Workable? Or that may be trying to do too much.

Idea two could be
Freiburg 3
Strasbourg 4, day trip to Colmar

I’d like to hire a private guide and do a day trip to Black Forest sites. I see that could be done from Heidelberg (north) or Freiburg (south).

7 nights should be adequate for...

A'dam > Cologne (3-4 train hours)
Cologne > Freiburg (4 train hours)
Freiburg > Strasbourg (1.5 - 2 train hours)

IMO Freiburg has a slight edge over Heidelberg as a destination, all things considered. And I don't see grounds for a airport transfers, security lines, and the taxi rides that come with flying to BASEL. The railway will drop you just steps from Freiburg's old town - and the journey from Cologne should be available by direct train.

Heidelberg is not a convenient springboard for the Black Forest, either. It's an easy matter if you are in F'reiburg to do a BF outing by train if you are interested.

Thanks Russ. So in your iteration, is it Cologne 1, Freiburg 3, Strasbourg 3?

That allocation sounds OK, generally speaking; Cologne might get shortchanged if you were to sprint outta there in the a.m. on Day 2, but you could stay several hours there if needed and fit in a "Tagesmenü" lunch before boarding your train to Freiburg.

Rail tickets: I don't know your sightseeing priorities in these places, so I suggest you think about those and the time they might require, then pencil in your train journeys around your sightseeing in each place. (You might later find that you need to swap a day from one base town to another, who knows?) Book those non-refundable saver fares only once your plan looks comfortable (and of course once they appear for purchase on the DB site.)