Train Travel in Germany, then to Stockholm

"Will be covering the south of Germany, beginning either with Ludwig's castles, or in Munich... I will be coming from Interlaken..." Southern Germany is actually a very large area to cover, even with the nice amount of time you have. There's a lot to see and do. If you plan to start in Füssen, it'll take 8 hours or so to get there from Interlaken, and you'll have bypassed the entire southwest corner of Germany. Freiburg is 3 hours from Interlaken and seems like a better place to begin. I wouldn't bother with Baden-Baden unless you're into gambling or expensive spas, and you don't necessarily have to stay in Freiburg either, but it's a handsome city for a visit and a major reference point on your way to the Black Forest. I would probably stow my bag in a Freiburg locker and spend 2-3 hours there before moving on to one of the BF villages on the scenic Black Forest Railway line. http://www.black-forest-travel.com/places-of-interest/black-forest-railway.html Gengenbach is an old walled town with cobblestones, towers, and half-timbered buildings, similar to Rothenburg without the hordes of foreign tourists, and a great place to stay: http://www.stadt-gengenbach.de/en/tourism/

(cont.) A regular ticket from Interlaken to Gengenbach is about 80€, BTW. But at the www.bahn.de site, you can find adv. sale tix for 29€ or 39€ on July 25. Buy soon if you want them - prices will go up as they sell. On Day 2 in Germany, take the train to nearby villages like Haslach, Hausach, Triberg, and Schiltach: http://www.black-forest-travel.com/schiltach/ From Hausach, you can walk (or take a short bus ride) to this open-air museum in Gutach: http://www.black-forest-travel.com/places-of-interest/vogtsbauernhof.html Your train/bus travel within the BF is free after checking in - you'll receive a free KONUS travel card from your hosts if you stay in one of the smaller KONUS-villages. http://www.blackforest-tourism.com/konus On Day 3, you might head to university town Tübingen and/or Ulm on the way east to Munich/Füssen. Alternatively, take the southern route via Lake Constance and Lindau. The Baden-Württemberg Single ticket (daypass good after 9 am weekdays, anytime on Sat or Sun, 21€) gets you to each of these places via regional trains. From Ulm or Lindau, you can travel the next day on a Bayern ticket single daypass (22€) to Füssen or Munich. Bayern Tickets will be good throughout Bavaria (huge state - use it north as far as Bamberg or even a bit further) http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm Don't know if your plans include the Rhine too. You might have time for that. I would FLY frm Germany to Stockholm. Trains take 14-20 hrs.