17 Day Whirlwind Tour of Germany

Rothenburg odT is at least 5-1/2 hours from Dresden by train, so I don't think what you plan for Day 7 is workable.

You are devoting 3 days to traveling back and forth across Germany in order to have one full day and a few hours on and around the Rhine. It is a beautiful area, but that's a lot of time on the move. The train from Berlin to Bacharach takes at least 5-1/4 hours; the train back to Munich takes at least 4 hr. 50 minutes.

Flights already booked? Otherwise, I'd look for an open jaw into Munich out of Berlin or vice versa, often the same price as a round trip and would save you some backtracking on an already quick trip.

I'd probably cut a night from Nuremberg and add it to Dresden. I must admit, I found all of the Nazi stuff in Nuremberg disappointing - I guess my expectations were too high. I could have done without seeing just about all of it, given the time involved in getting there.

For Berlin, I think if you would go on a good city walking tour, it will cover many of the items on your list of things to see. (same thing with Munich) Try Insider Tours for a quality tour and best use of time in Berlin. Then you will have more time to visit the museums on your list even though you only have 3 days in this city. Since it seems you have a lot of interest in 3rd Reich, a tour covering that aspect of German history would be a good idea too. Consider going to Sachsenhausen KZ instead of Dachau? I personally found the exhibits there to be very well done and informative.

You will never get all those things done in Dresden that you want to see and do. Your time there is far too short.

Is it possible to drop some of the items on your whirlwind tour? Perhaps Fussen, Oberammergau or Salzburg?

Yes, your time on the Rhine is short, but you can get a cruise in from Bingen/Rüdesheim up to St. Goar and a visit to one or 2 castles in the time you have.

Instead of travelling across the country to the Rhine (which is beautiful and worth seeing), I suggest you look at the region called "Saxon Switzerland", perhaps starting with a boat tour from Dresden. Also a beautiful landscape, but not such a big detour.

Yes, that is a pretty ambitious schedule. Even though Fussen is a very scenic area, it is very remote, takes a lot of travel time, and very overwhelmed by tourists. You are very top heavy on Nazi sights. You can skip some of those also. Maybe you should consider spending some time just exploring neighborhoods in cities you are visiting and mingling with ordinary locals and getting a true German experience.

I don’t know about the Dresden& Berlin portion but the other part is o.k. I think doing Salzburg as a day trip on day 15 is quite rushed. As mentioned, if you can do open jaw, it will save quite a few hours on the train.

I think you have on your plate at least 7-8 different Nazi sites, multiple sites memorializing some of humanity's worst moments, and at least two separate tributes to torture. On balance, the trip is quite "dark", don't you think? Then there are 7 or so different palaces, and uncountable museums...

"I am very much open to your suggestions on how we can make the it very doable or if there are any sights you feel that would be worth seeing..."

At least you see that it's gotten unmanageable. I cannot see making suggestions for more sights unless you undo all the sightseeing duplication. Must-sees are only must-sees if you actually have the time to see them.

A few suggestions to get you started:

• See just Nymphenburg in Munich, skip the Residenz.

• Cut one night in Munich.

• Cut the Füssen journey and stay, as kschmelzer8 has already suggested (which saves 2 nights) thus cutting N'stein (a palace, not a castle), H'schwangau, and Linderhof. Substitute Herrenchiemsee Palace, King Ludwig II's palace - it's on the train route half way between Munich and Salzburg, on an island in Lake Chiemsee. This will also save you some travel hours.

• With the two nights saved, add one to Berlin (time is much too short there) and one to Salzburg. Perhaps that will give you time to substitute the Alps near Salzburg for Füssen. The Königssee and Berchtesgaden make for a nice outing - they're very close to Salzburg.

• Be sure to visit Marksburg in Braubach on the Rhine - it's a real castle.

Thanks for all your responses! :) Unfortunately our ticket was booked under a promo, and couldn't choose the multi-city flight.

Thanks acraven! - Im reconsidering our Day 7 by probably splitting it into 2 days since I'll be cutting one day from Nurnberg
Thanks Andrew H.! I cut one night from Nurnberg and added it to Dresden.
Thanks Ms. Jo! Will consider dropping 1. Im actually thinking of dropping Oberammergau . Will look into Sachsenhausen KZ.
Thanks chris-s for the suggestion! Will check Saxon Switzerland out :)
Thanks kschmelzer8! will re-evaluate my Nazi sites and will try to cut some out. As Russ also suggested, the IT i created might be too dark and heavy.
Thanks Russ! Will try to add another night in Berlin. Although I dont think I'll be able to cut out N'stein, but my goodness, Herrenchiemsee looks amazing! Will see how I can juggle the schedule and add another night to Salzburg.

Will fix the it and share with everyone the revised version. :)

Hi Everyone! I have revised our IT based on your suggestions. Requesting once more your help to comment on our IT and let me know if it is already doable versus our original IT. :) Suggestions are very much welcome.

DAY 1 SAT FLIGHT TO MUNICH, Munich to Fussen: Land in Munich, train to Fussen. RS Fussen Walk. Sleep in Fussen.
DAY 2 SUN FUSSEN: Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, St. Mary's Bridge, Tegelberg Gondola,
DAY 3 MON NURNBERG: Train to Nurnberg (Fussen-Munich-Nrnberg), Nurnberg Old Town Walk, Nazi documentation center. sleep in Nurnberg.
DAY 4 TUE ROTHENBURG: Train to Rothenburg, RS Self-guided town walk, medieval crime and punishment museum, Walk on the wall, night watchmans tour. sleep in rothenburg.
DAY 5 WED DRESDEN: Train to Dresden, Church of holy cross, Frauenkirche, Procession of princess, Dresden palace, Historic green vault, new green vault. Sleep dresden
DAY 6 THU DRESDEN: Royal Armory, Turkish Chamber, other Dresden sights
DAY 7 FRI DRESDEN: Trip to Saxon Switzerland
DAY 8 SAT BERLIN: Train to Berlin.Insider tour (4hrs)
DAY 9 SUN BERLIN. Sachsenhausen KZ, German History Museum.
DAY 10 MON BERLIN: Pergamon Museum, Neues Museum
DAY 11 TUE BERLIN: DDR Museum, Old National Gallery, Topography of Terror
DAY 12 WED MUNICH: Flight Berlin to Munich. Munich City Walk, English Garden
DAY 13 THU Munich: Residenz, Cuvilies Theatre, BMW museum
DAY 14 FRI Munich: Nymphenburg Palace, Alte Pinakothek, Train to Salzburg
DAY 15 SAT Salzburg: SOM tour, RS Town walk, Mozart's birthplace, Hohensalzburg
DAY 16 SUN Salzburg: Berchtesgarden, Konigsee
DAY 17 MON : Slazburg to Munich to airport. Flight Home

Thank you again for helping us in making this trip memorable!

Looks very nice. You certainly have a lot on your list while you are there. Don't be too disappointed if you end up dropping a few sights along the way. That happens, sometimes we just run out of gas.

Have you booked the flight from Berlin to Munich yet? You also have the option of taking the ICE Sprinter train that does Berlin-Munich in 4 hours. It does leave at 6 am, but there are later trains that do it in 4 1/2 hours. They are expensive bought spur of the moment, but cheap bought far in advance. A flight is likely to take just as long or longer when you consider time to get to Tegel Airport, check in, security, boarding time, flight time, deplaning, waiting for luggage, getting the train into Munich.

You may benefit with a 4-day Flex Twin German Rail Pass costing 314 EUR that will cover both of you. You have 4 major journeys that I count. Fuessen to Nuremberg, Rothenburg to Dresden, Dresden to Berlin and Berlin to Munich. The pass will allow both of you to travel at 78.50 EUR per trip, which is less than the walk-up cost for each of these, but not quite as good as purchasing advance train-specific tickets. That will give you a bit of flexibility as to choosing your travel times.

Munich airport to Fuessen you can use a Bayern Ticket for 31 EUR for 2 people, also for Munich to Salzburg and Salzburg to Munich airport. Nuremberg to Rothenburg is a 19.70 EUR VGN Tagesticket Plus.

You could use a Bayern Ticket for the Fuessen to Nuremberg, but it is restricted to use after 9 am. You have a lot of things to do in Nuremberg, so you need an early start and the option of taking an ICE train to get there in the morning, so use the GRP for that trip.

I think this is way too much. For what is essentially a 2 week trip (15 days) you are trying to see nearly the entire country. With 2 weeks I'd focus primarily on two different regions, maybe adding a third "on the way". I don't know what you should cut, because I don't know what interests you to the most, but you should definitely cut something. You've got a lot of short stays, you're moving entirely by public transit, this will be exhausting and you'll be spending much of your time in transit.

For example, several years ago, I did a similar (but not quite as ridiculous) trip with my in-laws at their request, all by train where otherwise noted. They refused to cut anything so our trip looked like this: 3 nights Berlin, 1 night Posnan, 2 nights Hamburg, flight to Amsterdam, 3 nights there, 2 nights Brugge, 2 nights Brussels, then to Frankfurt for flight out.

They were completely wiped mid-trip, they barely left our flat in Amsterdam, their feet were sore, they were just exhausted. And note that we only had 1 one night stop, whereas you have FOUR. Stop. You will return. Bank on that, and focus on crafting a pleasant trip, not over-scheduling yourself to see "sights" you won't even remember much of in a couple years! What you'll remember was, did you have a good time? Did you smile and laugh with your partner? Find an unexpectedly delicious restaurant with that unforgettable meal? Whereas your memory probably won't even be able to distinguish between this baroque palace and that one.

OK, rant over, here's what I'd suggest cutting if it were me:

Rothenburg is an outlier that's on a spur train line. There are other charming medieval cities in Germany with much of their walls intact. I suggest you find one closer to a larger destination to save time.

Dresden: It's just so far from everything, and for one night?

Cut those out and you still have an overstuffed trip but at least you'd be able to take those two nights and add them to prevent so many one night stays. If I had my druthers, you'd cut the Rhine too, not because it isn't wonderful, but it's another geographic outlier. If you focused on Munich and Bavaria, hitting Nurnberg for a couple nights on your way up to Berlin, and then Berlin and environs, you'd have a wonderful 15 day trip.

Sarah, I think you might have missed the OP's revised itinerary.

Sam, you're right that I confused one bit of the two different itineraries but I don't think the second one is remarkably better than the first.

What I suspect happened here is that the OP read the blue book, and decided to visit as much of the highlights as possible, which makes sense but isn't the smartest travel strategy for having what many would consider to be getting the most out of their trip. It's as much about an approach to travel as it is about the nuts and bolts of the itinerary, and both I think could do with a little tweaking. Since the OP asked for the views of people who live in Germany and I've been living and traveling frequently here for 7 years, I figured I'd weigh in with my opinions.

One of those opinions is that while it's tough, trying to hit all the "must see" sites of a country/city with limited time just isn't a good idea. It's very easy to get overwhelmed, to get museum fatigue (it's real! and I live for museums!) and all the sights can just become a blur on a Bataan death march of sightseeing. There's hardly any room in the OP's itineraries for taking a breath, exploring a neighborhood, the sort of unplanned discoveries that make travel so rewarding. In addition to cutting down on one night stays as much as possible and eliminating geographical outliers (unless there's particularly good high speed connections to reach them) i'd also caution OP to try to schedule unscheduled time.

I'm someone who is a pretty high energy traveler, I experience significant FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), and I'm often overly ambitious, so I understand the impulse behind an intense itinerary aimed at maximizing every hour to see ALL THE THINGS! But what I've learned through trial and error is that:

-one night stays are almost always a bad idea, especially if you're not traveling by car

-hitting more than one major museum/time-intensive sight (like an extensive palace) per day is overdoing it. Mixing a major museum with a smaller city walk, or a palace with a tiny museum, makes for a better balanced experience

-Everything will take longer than you think. You might not be able to reach the people at the AirBnB, you will get on the wrong tram line, the police will have mysteriously closed the S-Bahn, Scheisse happens. Do not look at the exact duration of a train trip as the actual time getting from one place to another. You'll exit the train station disoriented, you'll need to get your bearings, figure out how to get a ticket for the tram or get a taxi, etc etc etc.

As an experienced traveler in Germany who understands the signs and travel language and how the trains work, I could do OP's itinerary. But I wouldn't. Because it would be exhausting, would involve too much travel to time-on-the-ground ratio, and doesn't allow for enough time for true exploration and discovery.

OP, I strongly suggest after arriving in Munich you base in Munich for a few days, then do the Salzburg-Oberammergau-Fussen/palaces part of the trip immediately after, then head to Nuremberg/Bamberg (for the medieval city kick), then Berlin. From Berlin head straight back to Munich to depart. This is a good overview of several diverse German cultures (cosmopolitan Munich, rural(ish) Bavaria and Austria, Franconia, and international Berlin) with lots of WWII/Cold war sights, palaces, museums, etc which the OP seems to be going for.

You don't have to take my advice, I'm telling you what I'd plan for a friend who had the same schedule and wants that the OP does.

Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for your insights! I will go through the it again and tweak it, taking into consideration your suggestions ☺️

Hi Sam! Thank you for your advise on the trains! Will certainly consider it versus a flight from berlin back to munich. ☺️

I do not live in Germany but have visited a fair amount over the last few years (including a couple of private walking tours with Sarah -- Hi, Sarah!). My reaction to the re-worked itinerary is similar to Sarah's reaction, especially the 5 different sleeping locales in the first 7 nights of the trip. That would be miserable for me, but I hate the packing/unpacking/lugging luggage game. Is it possible? Yes. Would I enjoy it? Nein. I like Sarah's suggestions.

Two possible considerations for Berchtesgaden:

• I did a tour with Panorama (which also offers a SOM tour)
  in 2014 that included a visit to Eagle's Nest, the Berchtesgaden Salt Mine,
  and Königssee. It's a long day and the stop at Königssee is
  short, but it's a nice variety of activities. It made me think,
  "Gee, I want to come back here," which I did for 5 nights this past
  May.

• If you want to focus more exclusively on Königssee and perhaps do a little hiking, I would recommend trying to get there early. Pass all the touristy stuff at the entrance and go straight to the booth that sells tickets to the boats (time schedule for the boats is here). Buy a round-trip ticket to the Salet stop on the far end of the lake. After getting off there, take the easy path to Obersee. Take a moment to say "Ooh, ah." Then follow the path that goes around the right side of the lake (it's a little rocky -- be careful if wet!) to the snack hut at the far end of Obersee, and then hike through a lovely alpine meadow to Röthbach Waterfall. It's a very pretty hike that is not too taxing. As I recall, it's fine to hop off the boat at the chapel on the way back, just let the guys on the boat know what you are doing.

Hi Dave! Hope you're doing well. It was lovely to meet you last year!

OP, I haven't done the first tour Dave recommends, but the Königssee is pretty remarkable. I first viewed it from high at the Eagle's Nest and years later finally made it back to hike and swim and take the famous boat trip. It's a remarkably beautiful area, despite the tourist crush in the village. Honestly, that part of Bavaria is just lovely and you could spend a happy week there with plenty to do.

Hi Sarah, revised the IT already and decided to take your advice and do Munich, Salzburg, Fussen first.
So basically I removed all the overnight stays and made them at least 2 nights, specifically the Nurnberg/Rothenburg leg.

So far below are the number of nights that we will be staying at per city/town.

Munich 3
Salzburg 2
Fussen 2
Nurnberg 2
Dresden 3
Berlin 4

DAY 1: Arrive in Munich. RS Munich City Walk. Sleep in Munich.
DAY 2: The Residenz, BMW Museum. Sleep in Munich
DAY 3: Nymphenburg, Alte Pinakothek. Sleep in Munich
DAY 4: Train to Salzburg. RS Town walk, SOM Tour. Sleep in Salzburg
DAY 5: Berchtesgaden, Konigssee. Sleep in Salzburg
DAY 6: Salzburg to Fussen. Fussen Walk. Sleep in Fussen.
DAY 7: Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau. Sleep in Fussen.
DAY 8: Fussen to Nurnberg. Nurnberg town walk. Nazi documentation center. Sleep in Nurnberg.
DAY 9: Train to Rothenburg. Town walk, Medieval crime and punishment museum. Walk on the wall. Train back to Nurnberg. Sleep Nurnberg.
DAY 10: Nurnberg to Dresden. Explore town. Dresden Palace. Historic Green Vault. Sleep in Dresden
DAY 11: Royal Armory, turkish chamber. Sleep in Dresden.
DAY 12: Day trip to Saxon Switzerland
DAY 13: Train to Berlin. Insider tour.
DAY 14: Sachsenhausen KZ, German History Museum
DAY 15: Pergamon Museum, Neues Museum
DAY 16: DDR Museum/Old National Gallery/Topography of Terror
Day 17: Berlin to Munich. Flight home.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Hope the revised IT above is a wee bit better. I understand its very tiring, so Im actually quite open to wing some of the sights. If we feel tired, im ok to drop some of them. :) Do let me know your thoughts.

What are your flight times and dates? So far you just say October and you arrive on a Saturday and flights are already bought. I hope that is October 13, because October 6 Oktoberfest is still going on and that will effect hotel availability and prices in Munich.

Departure time? You might have to return to Munich the night before your flight. There is a Sprinter at 18:05 that will get you to Munich just after 22:00.

@ Maam...I like your Day #8 in the original itinerary. Most of that part of Berlin you can see well in one afternoon...Pariser Platz, Brandenburg Gate, Neue Wache, (the Kollwitz sculpture is there), Humboldt Uni, the Reiterdenkmal is there too, Berliner Dom, Bebelplatz, Lustgarten.

Going all the way to Alexanderplatz is a longer walk. If you're into the history, beyond Bebelplatz are three statues all in a row, that of Blücher, Bülow, and Scharnhorst, all prominent Prussian commanders in the fight against Napoleon in Germany.

You will thank everyone for giving yourself at least two nights in each city. Otherwise your vacation will feel like all you did was pack and repack. As someone else stated, you want to give yourself time to just take in the atmosphere.

That itinerary looks good. You do need to make sure the logistics for catching your return flight home work ok. I'm glad that you are giving yourself at least two days at each lodging stop; it will make your trip much more enjoyable.

A great free activity in Berlin, if you have time, is a visit to the Reichstag/Bundestag dome. You do need to register online to guarantee entry. There is a same-day option that is subject to availability of slots. The dome is open 8 am to midnight.

I'm glad you worked in the BMW Museum - that and BMW World turned out to be the unexpected highlight of our time in Munich in 2014.

Across the street from the BMW sights you will find the grounds of the 1972 Olympics. Definitely worth a stroll if you have the time. We had great beer and sausage in the cafeteria there - but the food and drink offerings in BMW land also looked pretty good.

Your new schedule relieves me of some much anxiety, you have no idea. It's still busy and tiring, but doable for two weeks (you'll be ready to rest when you get home!)

My only negative comment is there are a few days where you're attempting two major museums in one day, and while I love museums, I find that I sometimes get overwhelmed after a few hours in a big museum in terms of information/art overload, it's surprising physically exhausting standing and slowly walking for hours can be. So I'd decide which museums are most important to you and do those first. If you have the energy and willingness to do the second museum after lunch, you can, but you may be museum-ed out by then.

Hi Sam, haha yes! we're arriving Oct 13. :) Made sure we arrived after Oktoberfest. As for the departure time, its going to be at 16:00. Do you think its still ok to return to munich the same day and fly out?

Hi Fred, Oh ok! Will try to see Day 8 again. Thanks for the suggestions.

Hi Dave, Thanks for the suggestion! :)

HI Traylaparks, Wow! Excited to see it! Im sure my husband would appreciate it for a change :)

Hi Sara, glad to hear that! :) Got it on the museums! Will try to see if i can mix a major museum with a minor one or something lighter to avoid the fatigue. Thanks again for your inputs!

For a 16:00 flight, you need to be at the airport by 13:00. I would not be comfortable coming all the way from Berlin on the same morning. You can get a train to Munich at 18:05 or 18:30 the night before and get a hotel in Munich and leave for the airport at noon the next day in a relaxed state, You can get in a full day of touring in Berlin the day before then head for Munich.

Thanks Sam! Might just do that to save my sanity ☺️