Initial Itinerary - Germany > Amsterdam > London

We lived in Augsburg, Germany for four years and traveled all over southern Germany as well as many other countries.

I suggest starting in Munich then taking the Romantic Road from Augsburg through Dinkelsbuhel to Rothenburg ob der Tauber then stopping in Heidelberg, then moving up the Rhein stopping in Cologne before reaching Amsterdam.

You can see Rothenburg in a day, you don't need to spend the night there. Dinkelsbuhel is another medieval city like Rothenburg. Augsburg is worth a day or part of a day.

Some tours may be available from Munich that do the Romantic Road, which also goes south to Garmisch.

I suggest Munich for three days, another two days to see the Romantic Road (north only), a day in Heidelberg and another in Cologne, then three days in Amsterdam with more days if you visit places outside of Amsterdam (suggest the Zyder Zee).

For getting from Amsterdam to London, you can take the overnight ferry, or the Thalys train to Brussels and then a Eurostar to London. This latter option is about as fast as a plane door to door, and much more relaxing (particularly on the London end). However, if you can get a flight from Amsterdam to London City, this can be faster than the train; the other airports are much farther away.

To learn more about trains, you can't beat The Man In Seat 61. For instance, here's his page on getting from London to Amsterdam without flying: http://seat61.com/Netherlands.htm

In Rothenburg the Nightwatchman tour is a don't miss. Rick mentions it in his Germany book. It is in the evening so you might need one night there. We actually stayed two and enjoyed our stay, a little less harried than the larger cities.

Yes, a day trip to Rothenburg will be elbow-to-elbow with all the other day trippers. And 2 nights can be quite pleasant, especially after all the DT's leave. And are you really driving? Be sure to ditch the car before crossing the border. Otherwise train travel in Germany is quite nice. Although Rothenburg is an out-of-way place, it does have frequent train service.

I'd recommend at least four nights in Amsterdam, which will give you three full days. What do you want to see there? The city is compact and walkable, but taking trams will save time and your feet! You can get a 24-, 48-, or 72-hour pass for the trams.

We were in Amsterdam this past summer. I would highly recommend the Rijks, Van Gogh and the Dutch Resistance Museums. We also used Those Damn Boat Guys for a canal tour(www.thosedamboatguys.com), They were just fantastic.

Spend the night in Rothenburg.
Spend a couple of days on the Rhine on the way to Amsterdam