8 days in Germany

I think your idea of exploring cities in March in a limited amount of time by rail is a good one. Germany has all kinds of well priced train options for families and advanced purchase tickets. Look at fares for next week and 3 months out to see what buying in advance can save you. Bahn.de

I'm not a fan of your first itinerary because I don't think it's worth changing hotels for a city only 1h away. You could explore Nuremberg as a day trip from Munich. Some other cities on your way to Berlin for a nice 2 night overnight stop might be Leipzig, Erfurt or Dresden. These are all cities that had been a part of East Germany until 1989.

Your second option looks OK too but somehow it is one night less than your first option. I'm not sure why. If you do have 8 nights like you indicate in option one, I'd add a night to Munich.

"I just thought Munich and Berlin were not to be missed ( would like opinions on this as well)."

Both were significantly destroyed just 70+ years ago. Nuremberg as well. Berlin typically requires 4 days; you have 3 nights but you'll spend nearly half of one day getting there so your plan gives you closer to 2.5 days.

There's no requirement that you see all or any of those cities. For a better peek at Germany's history, what you should not miss would be some smaller places that survived WW II better. So maybe keep one big city and visit some of the places suggested below (or similar.)

The German Timber-Frame Road connects dozens of attractive old-world towns and extends from north to south through Germany.

In Bavaria, not far from Nuremberg:
Iphofen
Bamberg
Regensburg
Marktbreit, Ochsenfurt, Sommerhausen
Bad Windsheim's Open Air museum

You can't see all these places so be picky. If you want to use the trains, no problem, most of them are accessible. For a visit only to major cities like Berlin, Munich and Nuremberg, I wouldn't even think of using the car.

Just a preliminary note: Your first option includes eight nights, your second option only seven. You may want to do some math there. ;-)

Since Munich and Berlin seem to be set, I'd really just focus on those two since you have such a limited amount of time. Relocating is going to cost you a lot of your valuable vacationing time. And since you want to give your kids an impression of Germany, I don't really see what Prague is doing in there anyway. :-)

I am not at all concerned that you will run out of things to do or see in either city within three or four days, and if you do, you can always do day trips from there.

A car will be nothing but a pain in the butt in either of those cities. The train connections especially between major cities are excellent, and so is public transportation within those cities. With a car, you'll spend all your time hating the city traffic and looking for (expensive) parking.

I hope to provide to my kids a good sense of what Germany is like
today

That is a difficult task you have set yourself for eight days. :-) Within such a short time, it's more like "get a first impression of what Germany is like today", or rather, "get a first impression of what two of Germany's largest cities are like today". Large parts of Germany are rural areas, which you will only get a faint idea of from the train window. You might of course make a stop at one of the smaller towns mentioned by Russ, but I think that for your short vacation, I wouldn't recommend it.

I think just generally there is no way you can get a "good sense" of what any country is like within eight days. Which of course should not discourage anyone from giving it a try. :-)

Hi Russell,

I took a similar trip back in September, starting in Berlin and ending in Munich. I agree with the posters who suggest you take a couple of day trips. From Munich its less than an hour to visit the Dachau Concentration camp. Its 90 minutes to Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is a beautiful town. From there you could take the cheesy but amazing Sound of Music Tour, visit Mozart's home and museum, visit Hitler's Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden and tour the salt mines... so much to do! Berlin is a much darker, colder (not temperature wise but looks wise) city, but fascinating. From there its 90 minutes to the charming village of Wittenberg, where hey are celebrating the 500th anniversary (as of October 2017) of the protestant reformation. You can see the beautiful churches where Martin Luther and other reformers preached, climb the bazillion stairs up to the "crown" of Castle church, tour Martin Luther's home, etc. You're only an hour or so from the lovely town of Postdam. From there you can visit beautiful Sanssouci Park and the palaces there. From Berlin you can also visit Sachsenhausen concentraction camp. The towns of Dresden and Leipzig (and so many other charmers) are less than 90 minutes away by train.

I'd suggest dividing all of your days between Munich and Berlin and since both cities have so much to offer, plan one day trip from each city. Germany's train system and subways are very user friendly and its not hard to find assistance from others. Everybody I spoke to was very friendly and willing to help with directions. Most Germans have at least a sprinkling of English if not complete fluency. When my friend and I couldn't find our hotel in Berlin, one German grandma (who spoke about five words of English- enough to ask "You- hurricane Florida?" through a series of hand gestures, my toddler German and her toddler English, personally walked us to our hotel, smiling all the while and saying "Oooo Esss Ahhhh", the German pronunciation of U.S.A.. )

Warning: People WILL ask you if you voted for Trump- and the right answer isn't "yes". If you voted Republican during the last election, you might just want to pretend you don't understand their question or quickly divert the subject. We also saw several anti- US demonstrations (non violent) in Berlin. I don't remember being asked in Munich, but I do remember several instances in Berlin, as soon as people realized we were American. Several of our waiters/waitresses asked us and also one of the guards at Checkpoint Charlie. The same guard them proceeded to tell me about his girlfriend from Omaha (when he learned I was from Nebraska). Everybody was very friendly. You're going to have a great time in Germany!

Lisa

Thanks to all for such wonderful advice and options! No, I didn't vote for Trump and I'm a Republican so I think we should be Ok on that front :) ... very excited to fill out our trip details and will share the experiences with all. Thank you again.

Russell

In 2016 when I was at one of the food vendors at Kiel Hbf, the owner asked me if Trump had a chance of winning. I told him there was a possibility by way of the electoral votes given the electoral votes assigned to the top four most populous states. I told I did not preclude such a possibility based on the electoral vote count. Since he knew that I was from Calif, it was a foregone conclusion which candidate would take Calif.

In June 2017 I was back again in Germany, no one asked me on Trump, certainly no strangers. If that had happened, I would not have ducked the question, let alone changed the topic.

Anti-US demonstrations...what? I missed seeing any of that in 2017 in Germany.

"...driving if it provides opportunities that I'll miss by train." Given the two options listed, my vote is for Option #1 . I would change that by skipping Nürnberg. Your time is tight, take the night train Munich to Berlin via Hannover (very doable, I've done this a few times) to squeeze out another day.

I would only suggest the rental car if you intend to go out to the villages outside of Gross-Berlin, ie, to see the traditional villages along with that interesting landscape of the Mark Brandenburg, just driving on the Landstrassen in Brandenburg and stopping at towns known for their cultural and historical sights connected to Prussian history. I've only been to a few of these towns... Neuruppin,. Neuhardenberg, Rheinsberg, Neustrelitz, Wustrau/Brandenburg.

Russell, I hope you can forgive my mislabeling Wittenberg as a "village" as opposed to a "large town". Please don't let my gaffe deter you from visiting this lovely place. In spite of the fact that the 500 year anniversary of the reformation was in October of 2017, its still within the 500 year time frame and still worth a visit if its in your area of interest. I'm assuming the architecture, charm and history of Wittenberg are not lessened due to the passage of several months.

I am a huge history buff and spent most of my time in Germany exploring museums, churches and other historical places. I also love musicals and having fun. Surprisingly the SOM tour was one of my most fun experiences. My tour mate had only seen the musical once as a kid, but she too loved the tour. Many of the sights visited are stunning and its a nice intro to Salzburg.

Whatever you plan, Russell, have a great time.
Lisa

We also saw several anti- US demonstrations (non violent) in Berlin.

In Berlin, there is always protesting somebody against something. Don't take that too seriously.

In June 2017 I was back again in Germany, no one asked me on Trump,
certainly no strangers.

No. We'd never do that. We are just still silently shaking our heads in disbelief. ;-)

As a matter of fact, shortly after 9/11 we met some travelers from New York who we later became friends with. They were very quick to emphasize that they were not at all in agreement with the post-9/11 governmental reaction -- something we would never have dreamed of asking them!

As for the discussion going on between Lubitsch and rankster, while I must admit I'm not fond of the tone of some of his posts, there is some truth to what Lubitsch says. Wittenberg is a permanent memorial of the Reformation of course and certainly worthwhile seeing at any time, but the 500 year anniversary is over. I'm Lutheran myself, and I could never quite understand why they did the whole anniversary before the anniversary itself, but that's how it went.

For those other sites, well, of course everyone has to decide these things for themselves, and anyone who wants to visit Neuschwanstein may do so in peace for all I care. But you have to cut us some slack for being annoyed a bit once in a while because Germany is constantly being reduced to Neuschwanstein and Eagle's Nest (add Rothenburg and Oktoberfest if you will), two fairly minor attractions compared to what Germany has to offer in terms of real history. To us, this feels like someone telling you "I've seen Disneyland and Alcatraz, now I know America."

Not much history at Neuschwenstein-it is just a palace built in the 1860's, unlike the ancient castles in the UK.

If the Berlin-to-Munich leg is your only train trip (Dachau is an S-bahn ride from central Munich) you could build in a short (4 hour?) stop in Bamberg -- leave your bags at the station, walk around, pick up a later train to Berlin.

@ Lubitsch, my intention was neither to offend anyone nor to hijack this thread, but only to give some background to help people understand why we (I assume you are German or live in Germany) sometimes react the way we do when we see the umpteenth repetition of the itinerary Rothenburg - Munich - Neuschwanstein. Since the OP has not expressed any more questions (or answered the ones put to him, for that matter), I don't see any issues with that small detour.

That said, this of course is a general forum thing and does not affect this thread or the OP's itinerary in particular. So we might as well wait for more comments or questions from him, and I am sure we will all do our best to keep coming up with good suggestions for him.

The German Timber-Frame Road connects dozens of attractive old-world towns and extends from north to south through Germany.

In Bavaria, not far from Nuremberg:
Iphofen
Bamberg
Regensburg
Marktbreit, Ochsenfurt, Sommerhausen
Bad Windsheim's Open Air museum

Excellent suggestions here through-out the thread. I do appreciate the feedback, and yes as it was mentioned numerous times we do not have enough days to immerse ourselves in the German culture, but enough time to open our and eyes and minds to German culture a bit. We would arrive on a Friday and leave the following Sat..

I do like the idea of exploring a few old-world towns in Barvaria ( mentioned above- thank you). I am not that interested in Sound of Music and Eagles Nest as others may be. I would like to see the contrast between East and West Germany. I think Prague would have to wait until another time. I am personally looking forward to some very Pilsners.
As far as Germany people wanting to know who I voted for I could care less and I imagine they don't care either - only to wonder what hell is going on :) . The important thing is I voted freely, and although our choices ( Clinton or Trump) we cannot change right now what has happened.

A quick question off the subject above - does anyone think the German National Futbol team would be playing in the late March/ early April timeframe - getting ready for World Cup? We do like Futbol quite a bit and thought it might be a nice surprise for my Teenage son.

Thanks again. I am now going to start piecing together the itinerary. You all have been very helpful!
Vielen dank

I’ll add that I agree with Mona’s suggestion of Erfurt to break up the trip between Munich and Berlin as it is closer to half way compared with Nuremberg and accessible via higspeed train direct from Munich.

You could do:
-First 3 nights in Munich with optional day trips
-Train to Erfurt 2 nights
-Train to Berlin 3 nights with optional day trips

There is enough to keep you busy in Erfurt for a full day plus give you a better contrast to Munich than Nuremberg would.

DJ

Even if you have time only for an overview, you could choose elsewhere in Germany, say, the north and the east without deciding to go to Bavaria, ie staying in the American comfort zone. Be advised that visiting Bavaria and Oberbayern is fine but it is not Germany, simple as that.

Yes, there is a distinct difference between being in eastern Germany versus the western part. You'll even feel that in the air, and I don't mean, air quality or pollution. When you're walking around in Leipzig, Magdeburg, Weimar, etc, you'll notice that.

Linguistically, it is expected you know the language...good! Don't expect an English language menu in small restaurant as you walk in, especially in non-tourist frequented areas. They know that when I enter since I have tourist written all over me, going over in the summer, etc.

We would arrive on a Friday and leave the following Sat..

O.k., good to know. Because that will not give you a full eight days for your visit but seven only. So that would basically leave you with three days for Munich and three for Berlin, with one travel day in between. I personally wouldn't cut down on those few days for greater side trips any further; a stop on your travel day at the most, or a day trip from one of those cities.

I would like to see the contrast between East and West Germany.

Berlin would be the greatest place to see that because you have East and West so close together, within one city, and I am sure there are a lot of city tours focussing on that.

Practically, however, that may just mean that whatever is new is East, and whatever is old, is West, because so much work has been done in the East since 1989. So you won't get a really genuine impression of what the East was like any more. In the 1990s, the East German Autobahn system was the most modern of all of Germany, so that's how you have to think of East Berlin too.

Maybe you can try and find some Plattenbau neighborhoods in East Berlin. Try and imagine living there in pre-1989 times - those were the apartments people really wanted to have!

In order to get a more genuine "East Germany" impression, you would probably have to go to one of the smaller towns farther away from Berlin, which of course is impossible within your given schedule. There, you might still see houses with the drab grey East German plastering, and you might also get an impression of the somewhat depressing situation of those towns, with many young people having moved away, and the economy going down.

The DDR-Museum would probably give you and your children a really good impression of life in East Germany before the wall came down.

does anyone think the German National Futbol team would be playing in
the late March/ early April timeframe

I am really not into soccer, but living in Germany, there's no avoiding it altogether, so I'll try to pass on my basic knowledge to you: Seems you might actually be lucky and have the National Team playing against Brazil in Berlin on March 27.

If that's not within your time frame, have a look at the Bundesliga games. That's what German fans go to on a regular basis, and usually they are really loyal to their club no matter if they win or lose. I would assume that you will actually get a more authentic German soccer atmosphere at a Bundesliga game than at an off-season National Team game.

During your time in Munich, maybe you are lucky to be able to attend a game of the FC Bayern München (they are the guys who win all the time). For Berlin, have a look at the Hertha BSC games. Keep in mind that most games are on the weekend and plan early for tickets since your time frame will not include a whole lot of Saturdays.

Yes, there is a distinct difference between being in eastern Germany
versus the western part. You'll even feel that in the air, and I don't
mean, air quality or pollution.

You don't? I certainly do...

Talk about air, there is of course also the Berliner Luft...

As to being asked who we voted for while in Germany, as I said, my experience was that I/we were asked several times while in Berlin in September. This may or may not be typical, but it was our experience. We had a waitress in a restaurant ask us outright as she took our order. We were also asked at a demonstration near the TV Tower and at Checkpoint Charlie. We were also asked on the train. Nobody was mean about it, they were curious, though their feelings for our president were clear. It led to some interesting conversations. I went on to visit four other countries and was never asked in those places. Again, that was my experience.

Have a lovely day,
Lisa

"...but it was our experience." True, everyone has different travel experiences, just depends on chance, luck, timing, people you come across, etc, etc.

I wish I had been asked, typical or not, in Germany on the 2017 trip Even the owner of the eatery in Kiel Hbf , with whom I had the conversation in 2016 (mentioned above) on the upcoming US elections did not ask me point blank. He only asked me for my view or prediction, I had said there was such a possibility (Er könnte gewinnen). In June 2017 I was at Kiel Hbf again since it was already Kieler Woche, aside from going to Eutin/Holstein, talked with him again. This time he gave his view.

Basically, there are certain rules of conduct. You will always find people who don't adhere to them, but for people with a certain degree of intelligence and good behavior, the rule is: Don't talk politics or religion. Or at least choose the people wisely with whom you are going to do so.

The reason for this being: Of course we have freedom of speech, and anyone can ask anything they like. But people (all over the world) will usually have very set opinions especially on politics and on religion, and these issues are not only very important to many people - no matter which side they take - , they are also highly emotional.

So you may easily find yourself in an uncomfortable spot, having an extremely pointless confrontation going on that will lead absolutely nowhere except to bad feelings on both sides.

Russell,

Because you mentioned your desire to experience East and West Germany with two teens (14, 15), I will mention an experience I had in Berlin. I did Context Travel's Divided City: Cold War Berlin tour this past May. It is an architecture tour that compares what Stalin built on Stalinallee (now Karl-Marx-Allee) with what the West German's built in the Hansaviertel. It includes a stop at Cafe Sibylle, an old East German coffee shop that opened in 1953, and a walk by Cafe Moskau (as well as a walk by some of the squatters tenants in Friedrichshain that were established after the Wall fell). I found the tour itself great, but our guide, Robert Sommer, was awesome. He has a PhD in cultural studies but delivers a tour that would be accessible to teens. And... he was the 15-year-old son of an East German bureaucrat (and was beginning to descend into the DDR counter-culture) when the Berlin Wall fell, which may make his experience of particular interest to your teens? He was quite willing to share his personal story. The tour is certainly pricey, but Context Travel will let you make a reservation contingent on a specific guide being available to do it.

Dave,
Thank you. The guided tour sounds very interesting. Depending on cost I will may give it a whirl.

I am very appreciative of everyone's contributions, thank you! I now have time this week to finalize my flights. Flight prices seem to be trending up so I probably need to book it now. I will report back. My German is terrible so I will need to work on it.