Germany,Austria,Switzerland and Italy
 

I welcome any & all recommendations for an itinerary for this trip. We plan to travel in fall of 2014 (just my husband and me). We're thinking 3 weeks & it's a first trip for both of us. We're open to renting a car, but would prefer train travel.

A car rental is doable, particularly as a round trip. Start in Munich, and consider Salzburg, Venice, the Italian Lake region, Switzerland (Lucerne or farther east such as St. Gallen) and then return to Munich. There's lots to see between the places mentioned.

For car rental: www.autoeurope.com

Well - you've listed 4 countries - that is less than a week per country . . . so I assume you have some ideas about which part(s) of each of those countries you want to visit.

So -- what sorts of places do you hope to see/do? What are some of your 'musts'? Have you decided where you are flying in to and home from?

(If you don't have answers to those questions - then the first thing you need to do is get a couple of guidebooks and do some basic research and come back w/ a bit more focus)

Since we have a relatively short amount of time in each country, I'm looking for "must sees" in each of the countries listed. We'll prioritize from there. Thanks for your help!

Must sees depend on YOUR interests.

History?
Architecture?
Castles and palaces?
Fine dining?
Wine tasting?
Hiking?
Biking?
Clog dancing?
Mountain climbing?
Ballooning?

You have named 4 countries - and really need to provide more info. If you don;t know - agree to get a coupleof guide books and tour books (for the pictures) and pick out 8 or 10 places (not cities, but individual places) that YOU have to see.

Then people can give sensible suggestions.

You need to do some research of your own -- you've picked those four countries for some reason - so what sorts of things do YOU want to see/do . . .

An unfiltered must see list, even if such unique list exist in the first place, is enormous to cover these four countries. People are not likely to spend a lot of time listing them only to be told later that posters' interests are elsewhere.

Guidebooks, such as Fodors, Rick Steves, etc. has pages listing what each author thinks are key attractions at each destination. You don't have to buy any of these books, find a copy in your library at no cost. I routinely check out over a dozen books from a local library to whittle down prospective destinations. When I am sure about where I am going, I buy the latest edition of the guide book I found useful.

You want a online list quickly? Here is one such list for Germany,Austria, and Switzerland http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...any/germ22.htm. Look at the "priority" at the bottom of the list. For Italy, here is a sample http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...ly/italy22.htm. Many people here don't agree with Rick Steves's assessment. But since you don't have any yet, this can be a start.

Regarding car, train, etc. let your destinations dictate the transportation choice.

You'd have a better trip if you slowed down a little and skipped expensive Switzerland. I'd suggest Austria, Bavaria and Northern Italy. You'll get your fill of incredible mountain sceneery.
Fly into Vienna and stay 3 nights in this great city.
Stop at Hallstadt on the way to Salzburg 2 nights.
Tour Munich for 4 nights. Rent a car as you leave town.
Drop down to Innsbruck 2 nights. Ramble through the mountains.
Drive down to Venice for 2 nights.
Come back up to Innsbruck and over to Fuessen/Neuschwanstein area, SW of Munich.
Turn car in at Munich and fly home from there.

<i>Fly into Vienna and stay 3 nights in this great city.</i>

I don't see how that is slowing down compared to driving through Switzerland.

Thank you to all...already the suggestions have been helpful. Regarding our interests, we will want to see one or two castles and a few historic sites in each country if possible. Explore little towns, short hikes perhaps, wine/beer, local music and enjoy the scenery. We realize we can't see everything there is to see.

NYtraveler, just curious, where is the best place for Clog Dancing? The Irish part of Italy? ;-)

You can find almost anything anywhere. One day vising Nymphenburg outside Munich we came across a contest of folk groups from many different cuontries around the world - not just German - but from a ton of countries, yes, including an Irish step dancing troup.

NY, Thanks for the information. I'll look for them the next time I am in Munich. :-)

Bernese Oberland, Luzern, Innsbruck, Dolomites (Ortisei), Venice, Salzburg, Munich