Need help with trip to Germany and Austria!

Hi Kathy: Although we are not big into museums, art, history (WWI & WWII), we have traveled extensively throughout Germany and DO like wine! If your time allows, I would suggest a tour down (or up) the Mosel River Valley (Trier to Koblenz or vice versa). I know a lot of folks like to use public transportation which is very good, but we like the independence of being able to stop when and where we want at any time. In my many travels around Europe, I have found that opinions for public transportation v.s. renting a car is about 50/50. While the cost of renting a car can be high, not to mention the cost of insurance and fuel, issues in dealing with traffic, etc., many lower-cost for overnight accommodations can be found if you can get away from train stations for example. I don't know what city you are arriving at, but if you want a "dip" into Austria, then you may want consider arriving in either Stuttgart or Munich which will give you a little more time to visit the southern areas of Germany, as well as Salzberg, Halstatt, etc.
I like to rent cars through Expedia.com, and have had very good experiences renting that way. I would also suggest you consider a GPS but maybe purchase your own with Europe maps instead of renting a GPS through a car rental agency. Again, just my opinion, and I'm sure you will find that others have very good input as well. Happy travels! Jim

Well, now we are nervous about renting a car and have decided to do the more familiar and probably faster train. If we change our mind though, I will check out the expedia site. Thanks.

If you do change your mind about renting a car, check out AutoEurope or Kemwel (which is affiliated with AutoEurope). We have rented from them for many years without any issues. Have a great time making lifetime memories with your girls!

"I will check out the expedia site" I don't understand. Expedia doesn't show rail connections. Use the German Rail schedule site. You'll find schedules and fares. It seems that most of your travel will be in Bavaria. You can go anywhere in Bavaria, all day long, hop on/hop off, on regional trains, for €29, for up to 5 people after 9 AM workdays. You might need a car in Houston, but this is Germany. You don't need a car in Bavaria.

You can go anywhere in Bavaria, all day long, hop on/hop off, on regional trains, for €29, for up to 5 people after 9 AM workday. Just make sure you buy the right train (pass). I bought the wrong one (it had a mile radius stipulation on it) and paid dearly.

Rick doesn't exempt college girls from his packing mantra. My daughter's 22. She's traveled with us to Europe multiple times in the last 13 years and has always carried her own stuff on trains and buses, wherever we went. Hair dryers and other items can be shared. It can be done, but it requires a little planning. Germany is the perfect country to be carless in. Regional daypasses, available within the German states or "Länder", are good for 5 people using the regional trains together and are about 30 Euros per day. It would be quite inexpensive for you to, say, fly into Munich and get around on daypasses to see Bavaria (and Salzburg, Austria, which is included on a "Bayern Ticket" daypass.) The Bayern Ticket is also good for a swoop through Tyrolean Austria on the "Ausserfernbahn" train that runs from Garmisch to Reutte to Kempten. From northern Bavaria (like Rothenburg or Würzburg) your family could travel to another state, like Rheinland-Pfalz, where the Rhine/Mosel region is located, for 39 Euros on the "Happy Weekend" ticket, a daypass good on Sat or Sun for the whole country. Then for subsequent travel days, a "Rheinland-Pfalz" ticket gets you around at will to see the many medieval castles and interesting cities in this region too. You could fly out of FRA, which lies just a few miles east of Mainz, a good town within Rheinland-Pfalz to end your trip. Tickets from Mainz to the airport are about 4 euros each. If it were me, I'd allocate maybe 7-8 days for Bavaria and 3-4 for the Rhine/Mosel. WWII sites: Look into Dachau, Nuremberg, Berchtesgaden; on the Rhine, Remagen: http://www.bruecke-remagen.de

"it had a mile radius stipulation on it" ??? First, the Germans measure distances in km. Bayern-Ticket. There is also something called a "Regio-Ticket-Bayern", good for RT travel of 100 km. But it's not for €29.

http://www.gemut.com/ Check out this car rental broker. They took care of me and family while in Germany. I studied and research all sorts of options but chose them. These folks specialize in German car rental and they can quote you a large car. A large car will be pricey, get their advise. Seeing bavaria by car is ideal, with GPS of course.
Have fun!

Stick with the trains and tell the girls to cut back on their luggage. I was going to suggest visiting Berlin, as your college age girls would love it there, plus you have all the WW2 history, world class museums and art there too. Is this too far from Austria for you? If so, then maybe a flight instead of train in between these 2 destinations? If you want to stay in Bavaria, then consider going to the Deportation Center in Nuremburg. In Munich, book a tour with Dark History tours to get a deep, intensive view into the 3rd Reich.

Take the trains. You'd need to rent a van for your luggage. As the mother of a college-age daughter I can tell you that she can travel for a week with only a midsized backpack. Remember, you'll only need shorts and perhaps a skirt in the summer. It really is possible. For WWII sites go to Nuremburg. The sites are easy to get to by city bus and the museum is good. The courtroom will have reopened by then. Berchtesgaden has a good museum at Eagle's Nest and the views are beautiful. Salzburg is a very nice city, and you can rent a small car for a day trip to get you to Berchtesgaden and back. If you were going to France I'd suggest the museum in Caen. WWI was not fought on German soil, so no sites to see. Munich and Berlin are great cities and Rothenburg is fun. Stay there overnight, inside the wall. Wherever you go sample the local beers.