I already posted previously but I think I've narrowed my plans down. Just looking for any helpful hints advice about lodging and how to travel...cheap of course!

Here is my itinerary, there will be 3 of us

Arrive in Frankfurt 9/10 7a fly straight to Rome (what are some good cheap airlines, I've found some good deals from Ryanair)
9/10 - 9/14 Rome
9/15 - 9/17 Florence
9/18 - 9/19 Venice again just want to ride a gondala and get lost in the city...really expensive there...
9/20 - Munich Neuschwanstein castle and wherever the wind takes us
9/21 or 9/22 - fast train to meet flight in Frankfurt by 9/22 5pm

When we are in Italy should we travel by bus or train?

What's the best (cheapest fastest) way to get to Venice from Munich?

Any advice on Munich I know we will be there during Oktoberfest...is there anywhere near Neuschwanstein castle we could stay for cheap?
- I was thinking train it to Munich 9/20 early train to Fuessan, bus it to the castles then staying somewhere cheap around there? Munich is all booked
-9/21 train back to Munich somehow leave our bags somewhere and spend a couple hours in Oktoberfest and train it back somewhere close to Frankfurt airport and we don't know what to do with ourselves until 9/22 flight leaves at 5pm. Guess we could stay in a cheap hostel in Frankfurt and walk around the city before our flight leaves the next day?

Or we could skip Munich go to another cool city in either Italy, Switzerland or Germany? I was attracted to Munich b/c of the castles.

Or just stay in Italy and go to either Bologna, Padova, or Perugia? High tail it from Italy back to Frankfurt

I am also researching all of this too, but would love any helpful advice from anyone familiar with the areas we will be travelling. Thanks so much, I'm so glad I joined this forum, lot's of helpful advice so far

I wouldn't bother with Munich and N'stein and then going on to Frankfurt.

I would fly out of Venice on the evening of 9/19 to FRA or Frankfurt Hahn (cheaper.) Then spend the 20th and 21st seeing the nearby Rhine Valley - take a river cruise and see a castle or two there.

www.marksburg.de

From there it's a short train ride on the 22nd back to FRA for your flight.

Sounds like we'd have a batter chance doing that than Munich!

How do you plan to get to Munich from Venice? It will not be easy.

Hmmm ! Not so bad--only 7:18 by rail. So, plan on most of the day in transit. I would stay in Germany.

night train departs Venice SL at 22:51 arrives Munich at 6:30 AM

I would also be more tempted to do the Rhine from Frankfurt - it is a lot easier to just take the plane to and from Italy and arrive back in Frankfurt and stay local. Munich / Fuessen / Neuschwanstein are beautiful but you could always take another trip and see those. The Rhine has its charms and maybe by the end of the trip it would be nice and relaxing to just sit on a boat and take in the sights. And by September the Besenwirtschaften will be open in the Rheingau. The Besenwirtschaften are small wine bars that operate only in the wine harvesting season. You can usually walk from one township to the next in the Rheingau (Ruedesheim - Wiesbaden), stopping off at each town to sample the local wine. Federweisser is the (very) young white wine that has a slightly cloudy appearance and a bit of a prickle. It is traditionally enjoyed with Zwiebelkuchen (a kind of onion slice). Along the Mosel they also have young red wine (Roter Rauscher). You can recognise these bars usually by a blackboard which they have propped up outside the doors (in Swabia it's a broom). Don't let this dissuade you if you want the fairytale castles that are Bavaria, it's just that this is nice and close to Frankfurt.

Lavandula

I really like the idea of touring the Rhine...or maybe just staying extra days in Venice and skipping Germany all together.

Thanks for all the advice I would have never thought of that lavandula and Russ!