Germany, Austria?, Switzerland, Paris in October

"Day 1-3: train to Munich, Bavaria, Salzburg
Day 4-5: drive the Romantic Road, Rhine castles" "We are mostly interested in people-watching, diving into the culture, eating good food, and seeing the major history of places (but not too much art/museum time). We are active, and don't mind walking." I'm not sure you'll have time to walk. This isn't realistic. You're covering so much territory here that you'll be driving past the sights to get them all in, leaving time for a meal or two, but the only culture you'll be diving into is the DB or the rental car culture. I think you need to shrink this up and make some choices. Are these just loose ideas, or have you chosen specific things to see and do in these places? What historical sites do you have in mind? "Bavaria" is an immense German state stretching from around Coburg in the north (not that far from Dresden, actually) to the Swiss and Austrian borders. A lot of Americans visit Nuremberg for its importance in WW II history - Dachau near Munich as well. Like Nuremberg, Bamberg and Rothenburg are also in Bavaria - northern Bavaria - and are both extremely well-preserved cities of some historical importance. Rothenburg is very touristy. But Bamberg and other places in this region (Franconia) have unique regional culture with food and beer (like smoke beer) that you won't find everywhere. The only specific thing I see here is Rhine Castles. The ones you might want to tour include Marksburg and Rheinfels. It would be possible to tour both in one day. But I would plan on at least 2 nights in the area to accomplish this if you're making a car or train trip from Dresden or Munich, or even from Bamberg.

Thank you, my itinerary is still very loose and I welcome the must-sees in the areas I have noted. Looks like I will be cutting out the romantic road/rhine. Perhaps going from Dresden down through Bavaria makes the most sense. Is Munich a must see? Would I regret not seeing Salzburg? Arrive in Dresden Day 1-3: train/drive to Bavaria via Coburg -visit some of the Bavarian towns including Nuremberg, Bamberg and Rothenburg, any others? Any reccomendations on which to stay in? Is it realistic to have a "base" for a few days.
Day 3-6: Berner Oberland (Swiss Alps) -can I have a base here, or is it most relaistic to move through the region? Any reccomended places to stay? Should I be worrid about weather in mid-October? Day 7: Train from Bern or Lausanne (Switzerland) to Paris Day 8-10: Paris for 2-3 days (Versaille too?) What is your favorite Paris neighborhood to stay in as a base to explore the city. Quiet, cozy, but near the excitement of the city, with neighborhood sidewalk cafes, shopping nearby. Maybe near a large park or path to run on.

You're kind of bouncing around here. First of all, your proposed route has you moving south, then north, then VERY far south, then north again. Secondl, don't go out of your way to drive the Romantic Road. The road itself and the view from it are nothing special. The intention behind the road (and all of the designated tourist roads in Germany, of which the Romantic Road is only one of about 100) is that they link together sites or towns of interests, not the drive itself. If you are dead-set on some of the towns, along the road, visit them. However... ... it isn't that hard to find attractive towns and castles throughout Germany. I know the territory between Dresden and Munich far less than other areas of Germany, but you can probably easily find a scenic drive between the two full of attractive towns and castles. Try to find a copy of Frommer's 25 Great Drives in Germany for recommendations. Going to the Berner Oberland from Munich is a long drive. Going from the middle Rhine area is a VERY long, and VERY stressful drive. If you really want to see this area, I would go directly from southern Bavaria. Otherwise, get your Alpine thrills in while in Bavaria, see the Rhine, then head to Paris. Finally, what part of October is your trip? Although October is usually a fairly dry month, keep in mind that as you move closer to November, the days generally start to become more gray and dark. The payoff for rural scenery gets less and less rewarding because everything starts to look kind of hazy and faded. And by late October, most of the tourist infrastructure in the Berner Oberland closes until the ski season starts in December.

"Day 1-3: train/drive to Bavaria via Coburg -visit some of the Bavarian towns including Nuremberg, Bamberg and Rothenburg, any others? Any reccomendations on which to stay in? Is it realistic to have a "base" for a few days." IF you decide on this area instead of the others, and I do mean IF, then yes, a base town makes sense - Nuremberg might be most convenient. A daytrip by train for two to either Bamberg or Rothenburg would cost 16.20€ total round trip with a VGN daypass - the Tagesticket Plus. But my purpose for suggesting this area was not really that you should summarily dump the ones that you had in mind, but to give you something to look into, based on your stated interests, with the idea that you might ALSO look into Munich, Salzburg, the Rhine, and the other places on the tip of your tongue with an eye to specific sights you might take in in those places. Once you do some more reading up, you can probably judge for yourself which places would best suit your interests. Or come back later with specific questions about this castle, or that sight. I like Munich, and I like Salzburg too. My favorite area of those you mentioned is the Rhine. But I can't be sure which area you'd enjoy most with just a few days for Germany. Do some more research before you do your planning. But with just 3-4 days, you'll surely see more by staying in just one of the 3 areas - the Rhine, Franconia, or Munich/Salzburg.