18 Summer Nights in Germany

Is there any place (natural or history wise) I'm missing from my rough
rough rough Germany draft?

Certainly.

"History wise": Your choices point to WW II, which you mentioned, but aside from those 2 decades or so that constitute WW II history, I'm not sure what you're looking for. If you're genuinely curious about medieval times, I'd probably see Regensburg and/or Bamberg on your list, or the castles of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. All 3 are UNESCO World Heritage sites, btw. What about the Hohenstaufen dynasty, or Ancient Rome?

"Natural wise":
The UMRV, central to European history for 2,000 years, is also one of the most scenic areas of the country. It inspired several generations of Germa artists and poets.

https://worldheritagegermany.com/upper-middle-rhine-valley/

Historically, Germans have had a love affair with nature with a focus on hikes in the forest. Maybe that's something you could consider.

If you enjoy nature and landscapes I'd suggest a stop somewhere on the way north from Venice. E.g. Innsbruck.

From Fussen don't miss visiting the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles.

Bergen-Belsen may be out of your way, but based on your interests, I'd strongly recommend it.

Similarly, Sachsenhausen and Potsdam from Berlin.

Oh yes Bergen-Belsen looks interesting. I knew Anne Frank had passed there, but I didn't know she had a tombstone there. From RS programming, I wasn't interested in the Rhine Valley. I wish Rick had a few more episodes on Bavaria.

RafaFan, you might want to check a few other guidebooks as well. I agree that RS guidebooks can be somewhat limited. I do use them but always couple them with the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet. I get them from the library initially and then decide which one(s) has the best information for what I need and buy one copy to take with me. I also check out digital copies which are nice for linking you to sights, restaurants and so on. Those are great because you can download them to your phone and have them available when you're out and about.

DW (Deutsche Welle) is also a good resource - they have lots of information on travel in Germany (in English) along with videos of places. I've been on the fence about day trips from Nuremberg, and found some 26 minute videos featuring towns like Regensburg, Bamberg and Wurzburg. After watching them (and reading the posts here), I made my decision about where to go. So if you're unsure about a destination, it wouldn't hurt to watch something like that (and of course, you can probably find many on You Tube and TikTok as well).

https://www.dw.com/en/all-media-content/s-100826?filter=&type=18&programs=19117544&sort=date&results=40

In case you haven't already planned this, it sounds like you will also be interested in the Topography of Terror history museum in Berlin. It's free to visit and very well done.

Oh wow. I follow DW for news (nice to get European perspective, like BBC) I had no idea they also had travel videos. Thank you. And yes the topography of terror is very interesting to me, also the documentation center in Nuremberg.

From RS programming, I wasn't interested in the Rhine Valley.

To his credit, RS includes the Rhine among the destinations you should visit if you have only FIVE days in Germany. You have EIGHTEEN:

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/itinerary

(That doesn't mean you have to go there - only that his videos and writings may not be in sync and his real opinions may be somewhat unclear.)

To his discredit, I agree with you that his videos - and his guidebooks as well - provide very weak information on the Rhine. I would not consider his offerings on Germany the final word, generally speaking. No single travel authority can be an expert on all of Europe's individual countries, a point he pretty much proves when it comes to Germany. You need to have a look at some different travel materials as well.

Hi, Rafafan.

Based on your primary interests, you might have a look at the following. I hope you'll find plenty.

Berchtesgaden:

• Dokumentation Obersalzberg (Obersalzberg Documentation Centre), before ascent to Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest)

Munich:

• KZ Gedenkstätte Dachau (Dachau Concentration Camp Historical Site)
• NS-Dokumentationszentrum München (Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism)

Berlin:

• Alliiertenmuseum (Allied Museum).
• Ehemaliger Grenzübergang Bornholmer Strasse (former border crossing at Bornholmer Strasse, 1st breach of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989).
• Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial).
• Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand (German Resistance Memorial Center).
• Gedenkstätte Hohenschönhausen (Hohenschönhausen Memorial Site).
• Gedenkstätte Plötzensee (Plötzensee Memorial Site).
• Glienicker Brücke (Glienicke Bridge), if you’re already in Potsdam.
• Grunewald rail station Track 17 Memorial.
• Haus der Wannsee-Konference (House of the Wannsee Conference).
• Stasimuseum (Stasi Museum).
• Topografie des Terrors (Topography of Terror, mentioned above).
• Tränenpalast (Palace of Tears).

Thank you, some of your suggestions were missing from my ever growing list.
Just FYI Obersalzberg Documentation Centre is closed for construction, website says the will reopen sometime in 2022. Hopefully by June when I'm there.

I've been to all of Henry's suggestions in Berlin, and I think they are all worthwhile. I would add a few other places to his list of WWII and Cold War sites:

• Cecilienhof at Potsdam (perhaps already on your list) -- site of the Potsdam Conference at the end of WWII -- I thought the audio guide was quite good -- the meeting room is still set up as it was for the conference
• Rathaus Schöneberg -- the site of JFK's speech -- clear your head of the common misconception that the speech was delivered near the Berlin Wall
• The Soviet Memorial at Treptower Park -- a grand Soviet memorial to the soldiers who fought the Nazis with an enormous sculpture of a Soviet soldier clutching a German child while trampling a swastika (all of which stands over an enormous mass grave for Soviet soldiers. It is everything a Soviet memorial is supposed to be.
• Tempelhof Airport -- massive Nazi architecture at one of the two primary airports for the Berlin Airlift (one of America's finest moments) -- large mural of the Airlift inside that includes Gail Halvorsen (who recently died at the age of 101) who dropped chocolates to the children of Berlin during the Airlift -- English tours are supposed to restart in early April
• Berlin Airlift Memorial outside Tempelhof Airport (+ a C-54 used in the Airlift located away from the memorial, on the airport's ramp)
• If you hit the Stasi Museum, don't miss the murals on the walls surrounding the Magdalenenstraße U station train platform that show 20 great moments in history -- at least according to the East German government, as painted by East German artist Wolfgang Frankenstein.
  

Well in my area is Flossenburg. Castle ruine, concentration camp and on the border in the Oberfalzer Wald (National Forest) with the Czech Republic (WWII and cold war). Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed here two weeks before the camp was liberated. Not your average tourist destination. It would probably require an overnight or two with public transport. Nice towns in the area, but I would not call them cute. Rural echt Germany.

Just FYI Obersalzberg Documentation Centre is closed for construction, website says the will reopen sometime in 2022. Hopefully by June when I'm there.

RafaFan, at this time, the website is saying it will not open before December 2022. https://www.berchtesgaden.de/dokumentation

Update: made some changes now it’s 20-22 nights Coming in from Lauterbrunnen and leaving to Amsterdam.

6/7n Munich (Dachau Salzburg 1.5h fast train, Nuremberg, Berchtesgaden zugzipitize? )
4/5n Salzburg (Berctesgarden-Eagles Nest, Hallstatt, Salzkamergut Lakes, Konigssee)
3n Rothenburg ob der Tauber (DT Nuremberg? Romantic road bus wed and sun maybe sat too 7n Berlin Sachsenhausen(memorial) Dresden DT? June begins rain season)

It’s 5 hours roundtrip from Salzburg to Hallstatt undecided if I should just spend the night in Hallstatt. Also has anyone had Nuremberg as a day trip from Rothenburg or Munich?

I would throw in the Harz. You have fantastic hiking and cute towns like Quedlinburg. Furthermore, there are several ruins--not that you can officially visit them, but you can see them--of East German vacation spots. There is also a GDR museum in Thale, though I have not been and cannot speak to its quality.

Nature? Consider Saxon Switzerland (along the Czech border), with Dresden--a WWII site if there ever was one--as a base.

And of course there is the north. Your tour completely ignores it, as does most American tourism. You might enjoy sights like Peenemünde, where the V2 rocket was developed and which has the added advantage of being on the Baltic coast, so you have your nature.

The Wattenmeer along the North Sea Coast is a UNESCO Natural Heritage site. St. Peter-Ording is a great place to see this, but really most places along the North Sea are great.

For both nature and WWII, consider the island of Helgoland for a day trip or even an overnight. The bunker tour is amazing, though you might need an interpreter. Absolutely compelling, one of the most interesting WWII tours I have ever been on. The red cliffs are beautiful, and you can get up close to the seals on the neighbouring Düne.

Hamburg is a great base for both Helgoland and the Wattenmeer. It also has a bombed out church and other, smaller WWII sites, but mostly would serve as a base for your other trips.

You might enjoy some of these less visited places as much or more than Rothenburg. Three nights in Füssen is also a lot.

Notice your revised plan omits Wurzburg. You might want to do some research and possibly reconsider. It is a great city and the Residence is not to be missed. The chapel there is rococo over the top. The fortress there is also impressive.

Since you have an interest in WWII, check out a site named thirdreichruins.com. It has photos taken just after the war, and photos of the same places taken in more modern times.

Spending a night in Hallstatt is a great idea. The town is absolutely fantastic after the day trippers have departed.

How about focusing your trip only on the WW2 sites in eastern and North Germany?

Numerous places I can suggest to you...Berlin,

Potsdam, Kiel, Weimar, Kleve, Munster/Oetze, Seelow, Bautzen, Stralsund, Torgau an der Elbe, Wustrau-Zossen/Brandenburg, etc.

Any geographic limit in Germany pertaining to the WW2 sites?

By " WW2 sites" I mean the following: Museums, memorial sites, battlefield memorials, war cemeteries, monuments, memorial plaques,

I forgot to mention 2 more places connected to WW2 military sites in Germany: Koblenz and Vossenack. I am sure you will find these sites enlightening and an eye-opener.

More editing more help. I have 20 nights (coming in from Swizterland on 5/29 for 20 nights then off to Amsterdam.

2 OR 3n Fussen (tegelberg luge/cable car, treetop walkway, 2 castles, mary's bridge, DT:Reutte> Ehrwald> Zugspitze
3 OR 4n Salzburg: sound of music (city overview, SOM, drive by lakes), monchsberg, hallein salt mine B.garden: Eagles Nest documentation (currently closed for remodeling)/salt mines/gorge/konigssee
2n Hallstatt

3n Munich: Dachau. DT Dinkelsbühl and/or Nördlingen??
2n Rothenburg ob der Tauber
2n Nuremberg: nazi documentation center, rally grounds nuremberg trial courtrooms(weekend), germanic national museum
6n Berlin: reichstag(book ahead), DT: Potsdam and Sachsenhausen

Maybe romantic road bus from Fussen to Munich and/or Munich to Rothenburg? I emailed the romantic road bus about hop on/hop off options (Dinkelsbühl and/or Nördlingen's) on way from Munich to Rothenburg

The Bayern ticket is 26 euros for an entire day starting at 9am and includes ALL forms of transportation in Bavaria, right?

I plan on going up Zugspitze on Austrian side, may be worth it coming down on German side?

I was thinking of just day tripping to Nuremberg from Munich since it's only 1 hour away and moving those 2 nights to Fussen and Salzburg. I'm trying to find a balance between not having to haul my luggage from town to town if I don't have to, but also not missing out on towns when they are least crowded once day trippers have left (think Hallstatt & Rothenburg). Are there any places I have listed I can simply day trip to and add those nights to an existing place without any sacrifices.

On the WW2 military and memorial sites in the greater Berlin area: 1. The museum in Berlin-Karlshorst where the Germans signed the surrender, the 4th and last in 1945, with the Soviets. That building in Karlshorst was a Wehrmacht tank training place. It houses the German-Russian war museum focusing on the Nazi-Soviet war, ie, the Eastern Front, ....more sites like this if you're motorised

1. the Invalidenfriedhof (the oldest Prussian-German military cemetery in Berlin) with its WW1 and WW2 areas., ca 35 min walk from Berlin Hbf.

2. Seelow ....the battlefield memorial/museum at Seelow Heights...well worth your time Berlin Hbf to Seelow via Frankfurt an der Oder.

The Bayern ticket is 26 euros for an entire day starting at 9am and includes ALL forms of transportation in Bavaria, right?

Not quite all forms. It excludes high-speed trains, some bus lines and any sharing services (cars, bikes, scooters). It includes all local trains (RE, RB), all city public transit (S-Bahnhof, U-Bahn, buses, trams) and a few other means such as specific non-German trains

The main exclusion is the fast trains.

3n Munich: Dachau. DT Dinkelsbühl and/or Nördlingen??
2n Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Thats a lot of backtracking.
I would plan Nördlingen as a stopover on the way from Munich to Rothenburg. The connections are not too comfortable (you have to change trains / buses several times), but doable. The trip is possible with a Bayernticket, as long as the route stays within Bavaria (i.e. does not go through Crailsheim, which is in Baden-Würtemberg). Search on www.bahn.com for Munich - Rothenburg with a stop in Nördlingen (-> "further options / stopover"). Personally, I would go the evening before from Munich to Nördlingen and then continue the next afternoon by bus to Rothenburg.

I see you added an additional night to Berlin from the original post....good.

Have you decided on where to stay in Berlin? In which district or the sort of accommodation? I've done six consecutive nights in Berlin. Whether my stay is 3 nights or 14 nights (the longest) in Berlin, I stay in a Pension.

I keep going back on forth on whether I should stay in Nuremberg or just day trip from Munich.
Same with Salzburg as home base and day tripping to Hallstatt.

On your deep interest in WW2 sites: Does that include naval history? What about German naval war history? The two places I would suggest are Stralsund doable as a day trip from Berlin. That train stops in Oranienburg if you want to see the camp memorial Sachsenhausen and Laboe, by bus from Kiel.

If you drop some of the places in the south, eg, Füssen, Rothenburg odT. you would have time for Kiel and the environs to see the Naval Memorial Museum and the U-Boat monument at Moeltenort.

The first is located in Laboe, reachable by bus from the stop just outside of Kiel Hbf., or take the ferry, get off at its stop, and transfer to the bus.