Check out Europe itinerary for 16 days

I don't think it is unsafe to travel in Europe now. We have a trip to Ireland in July.

Your itinerary does include a fair amount of travel, but it is not unreasonable.
I suggest that you go to the rail sites for each country and check out the trains are are available. You might not be able to use the exact dates of travel, but still it is good for you to discover tenetive connections and how much time each rail trip will take.
You will find that going from large cities to other large cities that you will be able to find fast trains, but for example going to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, will involve regional trains that are slow and stop at many places.

You might consider renting a car to go from Frankfurt to Munich with a stop at Rothenburg. Also, you can consider taking The Romantic Road which has many small medieval towns that are intact.

https://www.romantischestrasse.de/en/
https://www.romanticroadgermany.com

Also, use TripAdvisor.com under "things to do" in each city that you plan to visit.

You will likely find that you need more days to explore the places you listed than you have planned.

You mentioned Munich, but failed to consider outstanding places close to Munich, like Salzburg Austria/near Berchtesgaden, Germany. Also, Garmish/Fussen south of Munich.

You can see Berlin and Prague in the days you listed, but you might wish to stay longer. If that is the case, then consider eliminating a city or two.
You didn't mention where in Poland that you wanted to visit. I recommend Krakow, which was not bombed in WWII. Warsaw was pretty much totally bombed out.

You list six locations (Frankfurt, Rothenburg, Munich, Berlin, "Czech" (which is a whole country - presumably Prague?), and Krakow. You say you have "16 days" (I suggest you count your days v-e-r-y carefully - do those 16 days include travel/arrival/departure days? If so, then maybe you only have 14 actual days...). You also say you're thinking of about "3 or 4 days" in most of these places.

I'm not sure if its rushed.

As the expression goes, "do the math."

Respectfully, I don't think your plan is realistic, something's gotta give or you are not going to enjoy your blitz through these places. Since you are trying to cover more than a few places and you don't have enough time to do what you would like, I would suggest the first thing you do is stop speaking in generalities ("16 days", "3 or 4 days" etc.) and start getting specific with actual dates. Until you do, it's too easy to gloss over (and not face up to) the challenges you will have trying to pull this off. Even if you don't have specific dates locked in yet, use specific dates to start your planning - you can always change them later. But you need to be honest with yourself about how much usable time you have and how thinly you want to stretch yourself. If you can add more days to your trip, that would make things easier, of course.

Its a doable sampler tour. Just realize 1 day attributed to each city is really a travel day. so instead of 3 ot 4 you have 2 or 3 and a late afternoon/evening.

You mentioned trains. I dont know if there is a sleeper train Prague to Krakow but if there is, that might help. Otherwise i would check out flights.

Have fun.

Personally I wouldn't undertake a long train ride on my arrival day especially if you have jet lag (I don't know where you are coming from). Depending on your precise travel dates in "fall", you could run in to some busy times in places (Oktoberfest, for example, in September) which could make logistics more challenging (and expensive). As noted by others, it would help to outline your trip by day so you can visualize how long you actually would have in each place, travel times, and where you would need to find hotels. You'd have train trips ranging from 2.5 - 12 hours, even on high speed trains. For example:

Day 1 - flight to Frankfurt from homeland
Day 2 - arrive Frankfurt 6:30 a.m., mid morning train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2.5-3.5 hours), explore RobT in late afternoon, sleep RobT
Day 3 - morning in Rothenburg, midday train to Munich (2-3 hours), sleep Munich
etc.

Oh wait! Is it safe to travel in Europe? Given the war between Iran
and Israel and strikes in Europe.

No one can answer that question for you and your own personal risk tolerance. If you are from the USA you can review the State Department advisories for various countries to help with that analysis.

Your itinerary shall produce more “see there” and fewer “be there” memories. What are your travel objectives?

Romantic Road which has many small medieval towns that are intact.***
You didn't mention where in Poland that you wanted to visit. I
recommend Krakow, which was not bombed in WWII. Warsaw was pretty much
totally bombed out.

In fact, I do not know how to drive the car. That's why.
Yes, i intend to visit Auschwitz concentration camp in Krakow which my former colleague mentioned to me long ago.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber - YES I want to go there but am thinking whether to drop it due to time constraint. Is it sufficient to visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber for few hours before continuing for Munich in the evening. Please advise me, thanks.

Depending on your precise travel dates in "fall", you could run in to
some busy times in places (Oktoberfest, for example, in September)
which could make logistics more challenging (and expensive).

Luckily, I won't be there for Oktoberfest. I will arrive there before Oktoberfest. But I won't spend my time sightseeing in Frankfurt because of drugs there.

Day 1 - flight to Frankfurt from homeland Day 2 - arrive Frankfurt
6:30 a.m., mid morning train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2.5-3.5
hours), explore RobT in late afternoon, sleep RobT Day 3 - morning in
Rothenburg, midday train to Munich (2-3 hours), sleep Munich etc.

Hahaha, arrive Frankfurt at 6:30am is considered day 1 to me.

You mentioned Munich, but failed to consider outstanding places close
to Munich, like Salzburg Austria/near Berchtesgaden, Germany. Also,
Garmish/Fussen south of Munich.

I really want to visit these interesting historical and cultural places in Berlin, Munich, Czech and Poland. Such as Auschwitz concentration camp, Residenz complex, Eygptian Museum, Numbergh palace. 16 days are sufficient?
Well, I'm unable to visit Salzburg due to time constraints.

Any experiences with sleeper trains? Is it comfortable and spacious sleeping in the sleeper trains? From google, i find that it seems a bit cramped. I really want to book the sleeper trains on two occasions in order to save accomodation costs. Night in ICE/IC trains? EuroNight, Obb Nightjet?

EuroPass for overnight trains?

Is it sufficient to board trains straight at 8:35am from Frankfurt airport which i arrive at 6:35am? How long will it take me to ICE train terminal from Frankfurt Terminal 1?

I hear that Bahn trains are known for the delays. I hope that I wont miss the flight on the last day. Any experiences with the delays?

You won't visit Frankfurt because of the junkies that hang around the train station? There is a whole city here that is not full of junkies, but is full of history, and it is centuries older than Munich, which also has junkies by its' train station as does Berlin. That is how train stations are in Europe.

Still not sure why you are flying to Frankfurt. You could fly to Munich, leave from Krakow or Berlin and save a ton of money on the trains.

What country are you coming in from?

it is centuries older than Munich, which also has junkies by its'
train station as does Berlin.

I do not know that Berlin has its own junkies.

Still not sure why you are flying to Frankfurt. You could fly to
Munich, leave from Krakow or Berlin and save a ton of money on the
trains.

Because the flight to Munich is costly compared to Frankfurt. Frankfurt costs $1326 while Munich costs $2k. I have to buy 2 way air tickets which is much cheaper than one way air ticket.

Your itinerary shall produce more “see there” and fewer “be there”
memories. What are your travel objectives?

My travel objectives is to understand the history and culture.

I just learnt that Poland may restrict the german border crossing.

https://www.reuters.com/en/poland-may-introduce-partial-controls-german-border-summer-pm-says-2025-06-11/

I'm from Red Dot.

Like I said above, it's a good sampler tour but you don't have time to learn much of tge culture. For that, save Poland for your next trip and concentrate on Germany.

Er...my bucket list is to visit Auschwitz concentration camp. I'm really torn.

Brigitte,
Dachau is a concentration camp near to Munich. We went as a day trip from Munich. (I know, that sounds flippant. It isn't meant to be, and the experience made a tremendous impression on us.) I haven't been to Auschwitz, but I reject the idea of a "best" or "most impressive" concentration camp to visit. Each and every one should give one pause to reflect.

Brigitte,
Please wexcujse my ignorance, but where is Red Dot?

Singapore.....

And if this trip checks the boxes of your bucket list .... then do it. You csn always return and spend more time in the places you most enjoyed on the fast trip.

Look at Open Jaw tickets. The amount of money you are spending on trains to leave Frankfurt and get back to it, plus wasted time sitting on a train for hours in both directions, when you could be seeing the things you want to see, should surely equal the difference in plane tickets. An open jaw ticket is not the same as 2, one-way tickets.

Every large city has junkies by their train stations. It is simply a fact, but you don't need to go near them. For example, the train from the Frankfurt airport also goes to the city center, which is not near the main train station.

I have been to many of the Concentration camps, and they can be very important for people to see. If you are in Berlin, you might want to go to Sachsenhausen or Ravensbrück instead of Dachau by Munich. In Auschwitz, you are not really allowed to walk around on your own all day long. In the other KZ, you are, as well as being able to take a tour.

You won't visit Frankfurt because of the junkies that hang around the
train station?

Agree with MsJo that the atmosphere around a train station is no reason to not visit a city. Speaking of Frankfurt specifically, you can ride the S-Bahn from FRA directly to many fantastic neighborhoods and never need to experience the activies around the Hbf.

Your "hard parameters" as I understand them.

• You will fly Singapore > FRA > Singapore.
• You will travel by train.
• you have maybe 14-16 days for sightseeing (exact number not yet completely clear)

Your wishes... NOT etched in stone, but penciled in at this point:

• Rothenburg, Auschwitz, Berlin, Munich, Krakow, "Czech" (which everyone here is assuming to mean PRAGUE.)

Your goal: to understand the history and culture.

The consensus so far: Your trip is too rushed.

Here's my contribution... Listen to the consensus.

1) DROP 1 or more of your wish-list destinations. I completely agree with the idea of dropping Auschwitz/Krakow, not because of border controls, but simply because, as others have stated, you can visit Dachau from Munich. The fact that one person you have worked with recommended Auschwitz does not outweight the recommendations that others have given you for Dachau. Krakow is on your BUCKET list, right? So are you almost ready to "kick the bucket"??? I hope not. As Rick Steves has advised, travel with the understanding that you will be back again sometime later.

2) Ignore suggestions for ADDITIONAL destinations. If you can create a travel plan for Rothenburg, Munich, Prague, and Berlin, that alone will be MORE than challenging in the time you have. If you cannot, drop a second destination. It is presumptuous to think you can really understand the history and culture of even ONE country in two weeks. But there is no doubt in my mind that if are able to spend at least 4 nights in the major cities (Munich, Berlin, and Prague) then you will understand more about each of those places than you will if you try to also include time in Krakow, Frankfurt, the Romantic Road, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden...

3) You are struggling to get a ticket to Rothenburg right after your flight. Try this.

• Flight arrives FRA 6:30 am (maybe.)

• Pre-purchase a saver fare ticket for FRA > Rothenburg which uses ICE trains from FRA to Frankfurt Hbf, then REGIONAL TRAINS from Frankfurt Hbf > Rothenburg.

Here is a sample schedule I just reviewed: 9:02 - 12:51, sample date Sept. 23

• ICE from FRA 9:02, ar Frankfurt Hbf 9:13; change trains

• RE train from Frankfurt Hbf 9:30, changes of train in Würzburg and Steinach as usual; ar. Rothenburg 12:51

• Price = €23.99 saver fare. (To find this schedule and saver fare ticket, you might need to specify Frankfurt Hbf as a stopover and also to specify Long-Distance trains only for the FRA > Frankfurt Hbf segment, local transport only for the Frankfurt Hbf > Rothenburg segment.

Regional train travel in Germany is 100% flexible; only the ICE train time is fixed. So if your flight is late and you miss the 9:02 train, it's no big deal. You simply purchase a standard one-way ticket to get to Frankfurt Hbf (€15.90 on any ICE train, or €6.60 on the S-Bahn train.) And then you travel on some later regional train sequence using your original saver fare ticket, which is still valid for ANY of the regional trains to Rothenburg that same day. Rothenburg is not a short trip from FRA airport. But Rothenburg and FRA were your choices, so...

I would spend no more than 2 nights in Rothenburg. Then 4 each in Munich, Prague, and Berlin. Then ONE night at FRA airport before your final flight - you don't have time to understand Frankfurt proper or the street people by the train station and have no stated interest in seeing Frankfurt anyway, and you should encounter no druggies around an airport hotel. I am not sure you have 15 nights. Maybe you have 16. Then you have one additional night for Berlin.

Hello, sorry for the late reply. I'm a bit fatigued lately.

I checked out few places which you mentioned: Berlin with close Sachsenhausen offers also a permanent exhibition about Holocaust in Topography of Terror. Yes, I'm interested to visit Topography of Terror.

Personally, I feel that 16 days is not enough. Is autumn sufficient for 16 days because time span is shorter due to weather? But i look at the opening hours of the museums. Seems the same. I know spring got longer day span.

After my research, I think Dachau is good for a visit. Moreover, i feel that Auschwitz is an addition place for a visit. In other words, Dachau and Auschtwiz are in my itinerary. Yes, it is rushed. Challenging. Thanks for recommending Dachau. I read from google that Auschwitz is more depressing and more haunting. I'm a bit confused that Auschwitz is actually remodelled. Oh yes, i recalled that the German soldiers wanted to destroy Auschtwitz by burning some. May i know how much of Auschtwitz is remodelled?

Russ, thanks for recommending saver fare ticket. May i clarify that saver fare ticket can be used for any day to use any regional train without fixed time? Saver fare ticket is for only Deutschland-Ticket? Sleeper train comfortable? Any experience? Seems that sleeper train journey incur high costs.

Surprised to see you recommended 2 nights for Rothenburgh. I intend to spend a day in Rothenburgh. Yes 15 nights.
For example, 11pm on Fri night till 6:35am on Saturday. Is it considered 1 day - Sat? Departure from Europe at 8:35pm till the next day 5pm is considered 1 day? Which means there are 16 days. But i do not intend to spend in Salburgz.

Oh yes, i forgot to ask a question about Brussels. Is Brussels worthwhile for sightseeing? It's famed for fries, waffles and chocolate. I want to buy best chocolate. Is it sufficient to spend only a day in Brussels? Is it safe to store luggages at train station?

Look at Open Jaw tickets. The amount of money you are spending on
trains to leave Frankfurt and get back to it, plus wasted time sitting
on a train for hours in both directions, when you could be seeing the
things you want to see, should surely equal the difference in plane
tickets. An open jaw ticket is not the same as 2, one-way tickets.

I intend to use flight from my homeland to Germany but most of time, i use train. My airline requires flight for multi-city. How? It won't allow me to fly from my homeland to London and Poland to my homeland like that.

I am puzzled to read why EuroRail is not recommended because the tickets are expensive. How come Rick Steves website recommend Eurorail?

Look at Open Jaw tickets. The amount of money you are spending on
trains to leave Frankfurt and get back to it, plus wasted time sitting
on a train for hours in both directions, when you could be seeing the
things you want to see, should surely equal the difference in plane
tickets. An open jaw ticket is not the same as 2, one-way tickets.

My reason for visiting 4 cities - Poland, Berlin, Munich and Czech within 16 days is to save flight costs.

Additionally, my mum recently told me that she does not like to see Auschtwitz camp because she doesn't like being sad.

So I'm thinking to change my travel plans. Spring is more better because of longer day span, right?

The amount of daylight on the first day of Spring and the first day of Fall is the same. As these are the mid points between the longest day, 21 June, and the shortest day, 21 December. I believe all the dates can move 1 or 2 days from year to year .... not my expertise.

intend to use flight from my homeland to Germany but most of time, i use train. My airline requires flight for multi-city. How? It won't allow me to fly from my homeland to London and Poland to my homeland like that.

Is there some reason why you must fly on one specific airline both ways? I'm assuming that you are looking at Singapore Airlines? There is a button for multicity flights on the first page of their booking section. Did you know that they are part of Star Alliance, and could just as easily fly on any of their member airlines if a connnecting flight ior code share is necessary? For example, both Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa have nonstop flights to Frankfurt. And there are flights from Krakow (or wherever) to Frankfurt or Munich, connecting with Singapore Airlines to Singapore. So you can certainly book a multicity ticket. I suggest looking at Google Flights to see all of your options before going to the airline to actually book your ticket.

Separate topic,but you have repeatedly misspelled Dachau as Danchu. Be careful with this when trying to get info on the internet.

Is there some reason why you must fly on one specific airline both
ways?

Travelling on one specific airline is much cheaper than one way flight. As for multi-city ticket, i tried but it cannot budge because
for example: I book departure - from my homeland to Frankfurt via air flight and return from Poland to my homeland while i take train to different cities Frankfurt - Munich - Berlin - Czech - Poland. Multi-city ticket means we have to take air flight for every city visited. I do not want to take air flight for every city.

I correct some typo error - Danchu to Dachau. Thanks for the correction.

Multi-city ticket means we have to take air flight for every city visited.

That is not correct. I've never encountered that on any airline I've ever flown on. I was assuming you were looking at Singapore Airlines. I did a dummy booking that absolutely allowed just the flights from and to Singapore. Apparently you are using a different airline. What is it?

Here is a website that can help you plan your train travel, including timing, costs, how to buy tickets, etc. https://www.seat61.com
If your trip is planned for Autumn 2025, I suggest you postpone until at least Spring 2026 so you can continue your research and itinerary planning. If there is any way to add time to the trip, I recommend doing so. It's something like 14 hours to fly from Singapore to anywhere in Europe. To turn around and go home again in two weeks just sounds awful to me.