Germany itinerary suggestions and how long for Munich?

We now think we'll take the advice of all of you and ditch the car in Cologne. Do you think there would be any problem renting a car in the Czech Republic and returning it in Germany? (By "problem" I mean either not able to do it or have to pay a big surcharge).

For sure,you would have to pay extra.

Never rented a car in the Czech Republic so I don't know how much,but cross border drop off usually means considerably more expensive. ...

Maybe instead of Bamberg and Rothenburg, stay in Nuremberg and do some trips from there...
...Rothenburgs center is small and walkable and if you do that you might consider as well a trip to
Würzburg.

I would also choose a Hotel in Berlin (somewhere in the Center) and do Potsdam as a daytrip
instead of "commuting" to Berlin...

without knowing the terms and conditions of all rental agencies, a cross border rental will almost certainly incur a steep fee, usually several hundred Euro (since the car will need to be repatriated).

in case you consider a car essential for this stretch, consider picking one up in Dresden, drive through the Czech Republic, and drop off in Munich (or elsewhere), as domestic one-way rentals are often free of charge or only require a small fee. should be no longer a problem today but check smallprint carfully whether you're allowed to take the car over the border. perhaps easiest to compare agencies through a broker, alas I'm just lacking an English one.

Thanks again for your help everyone. In Europe we've usually had a Eurolease vehicle which has different conditions than a regular rental so I wasn't sure about crossing borders :)
We'll definitely stay in Berlin rather than Potsdam, following your advice. Are there any particular suburbs or areas recommended as better to stay in (or bad to stay in!)?
From reading other postings it seems that a day trip using a tour is the best way for us to visit Neuschwanstein (and the other castle and sights) rather than either staying in Fuessen a night or than getting ourselves there. Do you agree with that?
Many of you suggest not staying in Rothenberg, but I have a friend who is adamant that is simply gorgeous and that we MUST stay there! Haha, we all have different ideas.

If you have the time,a night in Fuessen is a nice thing.Its a small,traditional place (though very touristy,as you'd expect)....some nice restaurants and some interesting sights and scenery in the area.

Rothenburg is very picturesque.Also small and full of tourists...And as mentioned it is largely rebuilt..most people don't have a problem with that,unless you want 'authentic' medieval buildings.

I have no idea where you got the impression that a 'tour' is best to visit Neuschwanstein castle. by default, you can only visit by guided tour at a specific time, that's true, but all other arrangements you can easily and cheaply organise yourself. if starting in Munich, most visitors just get a Bavaria-Ticket (http://www.bahn.de/p_en/view/offers/national/regional/laender-tickets/bavaria-ticket.shtml) which covers all local and regional transport inside Bavaria. be aware that it's valid from 9am on weekdays (all day weekends), so if you want to start early, a common workaround is to buy a cheap city-ticket to Munich-Pasing, where the train departs at 9am sharp (board train at Munich Hbf and just stay seated).

as regards Rothenburg, actually I think it gets nicer with staying overnight, when all the daytrippers have left.

for Berlin, 'Mitte' is a popular area to stay, as it's closest to most of the major sights, allowing you to spend less time on transport.

as regards Rothenburg, actually I think it gets nicer with staying overnight, when all the daytrippers have left

Yes,it's true. Like pretty much every small,touristy town.The best times are early morning and evening.

Of course that implies staying in more places. So more packing,unpacking, checking in and out more often. ...

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