I slightly disagree here as well.

Many cities were hit during WW II but have been rebuilt carefully, e.g. Lübeck, Nuremberg. And also the city center of Munich has building rebuilt like they looked before 1939.

Your post assume, that all Germany cities are faceless cities rebuilt after 1945. Munich and many other cities have old world charme ... I want to avoid the impression of someone not knowing Germany that it is a faceless country (and we have had people here in the past asking if we have electricity 24 hours a day in Europe and if you could drink tap water :rolleyes:)

Regarding your comparison of Salzburg and Heidelberg. Both cities have a historic heart, but this of Salzburg is not bigger than that of Heidelberg. Salzburg and Heidelberg have both close to 145000 inhabitants, while Salzburg is the smaller city in regard to the area. Density with 2300 inhabitans / qkm is for Salzburg while it is only 1378 inhabtians / qkm in Heidelberg.

Salzburg is more than a "Sight".
We have a big Outlet Center, Cinema and a brand new Train Station. There is also a big Shopping Mall and dont forget the "Westbahn"!

Just the sort of things a foreign visitor would want to see, I'm sure...

And I didn't know of this "Westbahn" attraction. Do tell us more!

I don't presume anything, it is based on my travels and living in Germany. I really liked the smaller cities/towns. Berlin though is very interesting in that there are parts of the city where old architecture sprinkled around glass and steel mega structures. Berlin also has a lot of history and Museums.

Germans go on holiday to Heidelberg because it has an intact original old city. Heidelberg is my favorite city to have lived in.

Although Heidelberg and Salzburg have the same number of people, the main part of the altstadt, old city, of Salzburg is nicer than Heidelberg. Salzburg has a bigger castle/fortress that has a great view where you can have dinner. Salzburg has a bigger and more stunning Cathedral (used in the Sound of Music). Salzburg has more "larger" buildings with nicer architecture. Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart and you can tour that house.

Heidlberg has better hiking, jogging, and nightlife (because of the University), which I don't think the OP cares as much about. I loved jogging up and on the Philosopher's trail or hiking up Konigstuhl (wow I can't believe I still remember the name of that). If you go to Heidelberg you won't be disappointed; however, I recommend Salzburg over Heidelberg as a tourist destination.

Munich itself is easily worth 3 days. As far as Salzburg that can be done as a day trip. From Munich there are Regensburg,Nurnberg and Bamberg just to name a few great places to easily visit never mind the Alps. You won't find a shortage of things to do with 9 days.

So you're recommending that tourists visit Salzburg to look at some trains?! :confused:

Useful information for trainspotters, I guess...

That is absolutely true. However, if somebody wants to visit Germany for 9 days he has a lot to see. If he wants to see Austria or Switzerland, be should go there for a few days - but that’s a different trip.

European countries aren't fortresses. If someone is staying near a border then there is absolutely no reason why they can't take day trips across that border. People even COMMUTE across borders, so why shouldn't a tourist cross a border if there is something interesting to look at just the other side?

My family took regular holidays near the Austrian-Italian border when I was a child, on the Austrian side. I don't think there was a single holiday when we didn't take a day trip across the border (the nearest town happened to be in Italy!). I had a penfriend in Malmö in my teens. We always popped across to Copenhagen for a day whenever I stayed with her - and that was long before the bridge was built. Crossing borders is no big deal (it wasn't even a big deal pre-Schengen), and Salzburg is very much a "natural" day trip from Munich.

Not trying to push Salzburg or anything - but I disagree with the idea that it's off-limits just because it's in another country!

Tough to say what might be of interest without knowing more ... There are way toooooo many options. :D

What about:

While true, it becomes an issue of travel. The Alps provide a logistical nightmare, especially for Switzerland. If you want to see Austria, you won’t have enough time for Switzerland in 9 days and vice versa. If you do 3 days in Munich and 1 in Salzburg, you either have to go back to Munich to get to Switzerland or out east to Hallstatt to enjoy the countryside.

Where does Switzerland come into this? The OP hasn't mentioned Switzerland as far as I can see. The OP is planning to spend nine days in Germany flying in and out of MUC. Some people suggested a trip to nearby Salzburg, just an hour away by train.... which sounds like a perfectly sensible suggestion for a nice easy day trip. I was responding to those who suggested that one mustn't take that easy day trip because Salzburg is the wrong side of the Austrian border.

You know...I have no idea. Perhaps it's time for me to lay off the cold meds and stop looking at multiple threads at once.

Sorry, it's flu season! ;)

There is a lot to see in Bavaria. If you're staying in Munich and only want to make some daytrips, there are a lot of possibilities.
I'd recommend going to smaller cities like Regensburg or Bamberg, both unesco world heritage sites with beautiful architecture and good restaurants, pubs and coffee houses.
Nuremberg is also a good place to visit. The Franconia area is also famous for its beer the highest density of breweries in the world.
If you're using trains, you can get day passes for local trains within Bavaria for a reasonable price (around 26 Euro for 2 persons)

If you are planning on visiting a lot of castles & palaces in Bavaria, save money & buy a Bavarian Castles Pass which is vaild for 2 weeks from your 1st castle visit. We visited 4 sites in Bavaria last year and it worked out that we'd covered the cost of the pass on the 1st 2 castles so, in effect, the 2nd 2 were free.
I love both Bavaria & The Black Forrst regions and they are both easily accessible by both rail & car.