Need Input on Munich Itinerary

"Did I miss any other must see places around Munich?"

Herrenchiemsee - https://www.dw.com/en/herrenchiemsee-a-dash-of-island-magic-mixed-with-megolamania/a-18524402

Nymphenburg - http://www.theworldisabook.com/16991/munich-with-kids-nymphenburg-palace/

Regensburg - a UNESCO World Heritage site - see the town's website: https://tourismus.regensburg.de/en

Andechs Monastery and Brewery - (in Rick Steves' guide)
https://www.m-luftbild.de/luftbild/kloster-andechs-71.jpg
http://westcoastersd.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/samandechspretzel.jpg

These are just some of MY suggestions. There are others too. Whether these places are "must-see" or not for YOU and YOUR group depends on the people involved. I would say the same for all the choices you have already made - those are mostly RICK's favorites, I believe, but his personal tastes - and his entrepreneurial motivations for emphasizing some "sees" over other "sees" - are unique to HIM. Not all guidebooks share the same "must-see" list or emphases, so I encourage you to dig around some more in other guidebooks and online sources before finalizing your plans. Some of their "must-sees" - or even their second-string sees - might actually fit your group's interests better. Feel free to make your own menu choices in that very large restaurant that is Bavaria.

Also, you are attempting some very distant day trips from Munich. It's going to be a lot of hours on buses and trains in some cases, which will dig into your on-the-ground sightseeing time in these towns - there are only so many hours in a day. And sightseeing with a larger group requires extra time already. For both independent tours and commercial tours, do consider distance and travel time from Munich as a factor in all your destination decisions.

Don't forget there are some great sites in Munich itself. You could do these on your free days. Residenze and treasury, the churches, there are some great art museums, the English garden, the Nazi documentation center, etc...

Thank you both for your input. We definitely do not want to be travelling so much and may skip Rothenburg and Nuremburg. Still open to any comments and recommendations.

Can someone provide some clarity on the trains? With the current itinerary would it be advisable to get a train pass or pay for daily tickets when needed? We are staying near Munich Central Station and plan on taking the train to Dachau, Salzburg, BMW museum and may occasionally take it to Marienplatz.

You can often find transport directions to different sights in/around Munich from their the official websites.

https://www.bmw-welt.com/en.html#Arrival

This trip would involve the subway or local buses, not trains. But subways, buses, local trains and trams all fall under the authority of the MVV around Munich. You'd need MVV tickets. Same for Dachau (train + bus on MVV tickets) and same for transport to/from the MUC airport.

https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/tickets-and-fares/tickets-daytickets/index.html

The MVV offers a journey planner for the tickets it sells:
https://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/journey-planer/index.html

Trips to Salzburg, Nuremberg, Herrenchiemsee Palace, and other journeys outside the MVV zone will involve train travel on local/regional trains. The Bayern Ticket (day pass) is usually best for the round trip.

http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm

A German Rail pass would be complete overkill.

I was about to suggest heading straight to Salzburg or Rothenburg when you land, and spend a couple nights at one of those first. I just don’t know how much you get out of day tripping to these places. They’re high on atmosphere and need a little space to enjoy. I also don’t know how wrangling six people around makes either way easier. With a big group, you will lose time all over the place trying to do things together. Everyone moves at a different pace. Just something to keep in mind with your planning. I would keep plans light, and play it by ear.

Not sure when you’re going, but Englischer Garden can be a day on its own. The Residenz is pretty awesome, and I would prioritize that. Vitkelienmartk (sic) is also a great place to while away a nice afternoon. Munich has some fine art museums, though I unfortunately did not get to them.

Nuremberg makes a good day trip. It’s a direct hour train ride. It has a really lovely town center, and the Documentation Museum is phenomenal. Simply one of the best, most engrossing museums I have ever visited.

Is Day 3 entirely part of the 'private group tour'? It seems very busy, mostly travel with little time to see the sights. If only Neuschwanstein Castle is the booked tour, I would split that day's activities into 2 days. I went from Munich with my uncle to visit the Ettal Monastry, Oberammergau, lunch, Linderhof Palace, grotto and gardens, and return to Munich (by car), and that took up the whole day.
While you're in Munich, the Deutsches Museum across the river from the center of the city is a huge, great non-art museum you may well enjoy; then walk back across the bridge to the Viktualienmarkt for lunch (a large, open-air food court and food market; variety, benches and tables under the trees to eat on - great if it's not raining; extremely limited indoor seating.)
Spend more time in and close to Munich (maybe an Augsburg day trip?) rather than all those more distant side trips on such a short visit so you can relax and enjoy what you do see more, rather than being rushed and spending half your time on transportation.
Have a great time!

Yes, day 3 is an 11 hour private tour. This and Salzburg are the two further/longer day trips we'll be taking. We definitely do not want to spend a lot of time traveling and am thankful for everyone's input.

First of all, learn how to say Munich in the local dialect-. As close as an English speaking visitor can come, it's Munk-en with no accented syllable.

Russ has some good ideas, which I second and add these: Visit nearby Augsburg, long time home of the Fuggers, the richest family in the world for a few centuries. The Fuggers owned the Austrian Empire for a while.
Have dinner at real Beer Hall, the Augsteiner Keller near the train station. drink dunkle beir

Russ rightly notes that you are going to be spending a lot of time in travel. That's because Munich is a third rate tourist sight. The best thing you can do is rent two cars and get out of Munich and go see Germany. Get a Michelin Green Guide to figure out your route. With 8 days, plan a loop from Munich to Lake Constance to Heidleburg to Reggensburg and back to Munich.

Or take the train or fly to Prague or Vienna, cities where an 8 day visit just scratches the surface of thing to see.

If you have the RS book, I recommend following his Munich walking tour route to get acquainted with the city when you arrive.
Renting bikes and riding to and around the Englisher Garten was a highlight of our trip. We also did a WW2 bike tour tour with MIke's Bikes and used Radius Tours to visit Dachau. If you go on your own, be sure to rent the audioguide, or join a guided tour.

I agree that day 3 is very busy. I'm not sure there's enough time to enjoy each site fully.

Germany is such a beautiful country. It was perfect for exploring with a car.

I think it makes more sense to drop the Romantic Road in favor of Nuremburg OR Regensburg, both of which are stunning, but Regensburg is original, while Nuremberg was mostly rebuilt (if that sort of thing matters to you - the average person can't tell the difference). Nuremberg is a must if you're an art-lover for the largest museum of German art and the Duerer connection, Regensburg is more of a walking around and taking in the architecture and atmosphere kind of place. Both can be reached by direct train from Munich so they make feasible day trips. Augusburg and Ulm can also both be done, but I don't think they're as interesting as the other two cities for a tourist.

As others have said, it's important to leave time for sites in Munich. The museums are top-notch because one of the Bavarian kings wanted to create "The Athens of the North". The ancient Greek and Roman sculpture scene is good, and for Renissance paintings the Alte Pinakothek is also very good. Nymphenberg Palace and the Residenz are great sites. If the weather is good, you're definatley going to want to spend an afternoon in either the Augustiner or Chineseischer Turm Biergartens.

We visited Munich and Salzburgh last year. Dachau is a must see. We did a day tour to Neuschwanstein with a quick stop in Oberammergau. I think spending a night or even two out by Neuschwanstein looked like it might be fun. We really liked Salzburg - it is beautiful. We did a Sound of Music tour which sounds hokey (maybe it is?) but it was fun. Getting out to some of the surrounding towns was really nice. I'll second drinking dunkel beer. The Pschorr restaurant right off of the Viktualienmarkt was good and the best fresh beer I have ever had. If you go to Salsburgh go to the Augistiner Brau there and eat there. It's like a food court but amazing food.