mamb0

First of all evading on a National Route in case of a jam on the autobahn will add much more traveling time than google map told you. You have traffic lights, speed limits and to go through villages. On top, in case of a congestion, many people try their luck on the national route.

There is no way in hell STR and Stuttgart HBf can be reached in 10 minutes by car.

Traffic on A8 is hell. I did Munich Stuttgart shuttles for a period of time. The instances were I needed more than 4hrs for the ride outnumber the less than 3hr trips. Perhaps when A8 building is finished and it is a 8 lane highway, but with the increasing traffice coming from east going west, I doubt it.

I would recommend against going to Stuttgart, you will be in the morning rush hour for most of the time.

Leave Oberammergau at 07.00, not at 08.00am. With the traffic right now, better safe than sorry. There are always congestions where A95 hits the town perimeter, also B2R is a nightmare because of all the congestion (expect your GPS mislead you, because of all the new built roads and tunnel). When you are lucky and arrive an hour earlier, you still can sent me rant emails.

Helena Handbaskets

Rant emails? Not a chance. If I arrive an hour early I'll have the biggest smile of peace on my face... For once in my life to board a European train and not be drenched in sweat! More likely I'll be sending you roses!

Based on the feedback I'm getting, I took another look at Munich. The problem with the Munich departure was that I only had 7 minutes train connection time in Stuttgart with kids and luggage. So the first question is, is this a reasonable connection time? The train from Munich arrives on track 10, the TGV to Paris departs from Track 9. I assume this is an easy connection, but I suppose it depends on whether I'd just cross the island or have to run around the end of the trains. I know German trains are supposed to be famously punctual, but I've experienced trains in Germany that were a few minutes late. The 10:23 Munich-Stuttgart train is listed as an ICE train. Does that mean I can count on an on-time arrival, or is 7 minutes cutting it too close?

The other thing I've just learned is that the next earlier train from Munich leaves at 9:40 (the tight connection leaves at 10:23) and erases any worries of a missed connection in Stuttgart.

So now I'm beginning to try to weigh the options between the 10:23 from Munich (7 minute connection in Stuttgart) and the 9:40 from Munich (53 minute connection in Stuttgart).

Even if I have to leave 40 minutes earlier to catch the earlier Munich train, an extra 30 or 60 minutes built in for staus on a nominal 1-hour drive is much better insurance than the same cushion on a nominal 3-hour drive.

mamb0

OK. That puts things into another perspective.
7 minute connect in Stuttgart from DB to SNCF on prepaid lowcost not flexible tickets with parents, kids and luggage in Schlepp - even if its 2 steps right across the platform, would be a no no for me.

My advise to you is reduce your risks. Get up early, add a hefty 100% to the travel time Google tells you and go to Stuttgart. Beware lots of rural roads on your way to A7.

Helena Handbaskets

Reporting back after the fact:

I did as mamb0 suggested. We went with the longer connection in Stuttgart (thus the earlier train from Munich), and we doubled the drive time predicted by Google from O'gau to Munich, to account for any possible staus. We left O'gau at 7 am for the 9:40 departure from Munich Hbf.

Traffic was light on the autobahn, so we made it to Munich with plenty of time to spare. Did not regret one minute of our wait, nor even the sparse breakfast, as a good chunk of that time was consumed finding the Sixt return garage and getting all our luggage onto the platform. Even so, we still had a good wait, but what a pleasant wait it was, compared to a frantic rush.

Similarly, changing trains in Stuttgart, we had nearly an hour rather than 7 minutes. The change was not just across the platform, and we would never have made a 7 minute connection, especially if our arrival had been at all delayed. The extra time allowed us to buy lunch for the trip to Paris and for everyone to take a bathroom break.

The point of highest potential stress for the trip was a breeze thanks to flyertalkers, and your help was much appreciated!