Advice for a relaxed honeymoon itinerary?

Hi Emily. You have 11 nights in Europe and you want to visit 4 cities/sites. That comes out to less than 3 days per site, not including travel time, and you have some far-flung stops on your itinerary. I'd recommend only 2 places for this visit: Amsterdam and Munich, Amsterdam and Berlin, or Amsterdam and a couple of castles. The Mosel River Valley is packed with castles and it's not too far from Amsterdam. If castles are at the top of your list, you could fly into Amsterdam and out of Frankfurt. If you prefer breweries, fly out of Munich. You could visit all 4 of these places, but you wouldn't have a relaxing trip at all.

Since you want a relaxing trip, limit it to 2 places. You don't have a lot of time especially when you factor in travel which will usually eat up the better part of a day.
I agree with the last poster. Start in Amsterdam using it to see both the city and some of the castles in the surrounding area.
I'm assuming you're on the younger side since you are on your honeymoon? If that is the case then I suggest Berlin - it will take much less travel time to get there and is full of great restaurants, art, and lively culture of all kinds!
If you choose to go to Munich, you should fly.
Paris is also not that far from Amsterdam...talk about a romantic destination for a honeymoon! It would be a great place to pair with Amsterdam. Both beautiful in their own way but perfect for some together time just wandering and getting lost. Some great chateaux around Paris too!
If you are talking about Sept/Oct 2015 then you should make all of your hotel reservations now. It isn't summer but both cities are well visited in the fall as well. You don't want to be worrying about making reservations while you are there trying to relax and enjoy! We have traveled this way before and it is very stressful and takes up a lot more time than you think it will. On a trip this short you should reserve everything before you leave.

Hi,

I agree, Amsterdam, Mosel (Burg Eltz), Munich and Berlin is way too much for 11 nights. It's quite the opposite of a relaxing trip. The Mosel in quiet and beautiful with Burg Eltz (agree it's the best, incl. the setting) and a few very charming towns including Cochem, Beilstein, Bernkastel and even Trier. You could combine a few nights in Amsterdam with the Mosel before heading to Berlin.

Paul

Also agree 3 spots would be best. The Mosel is especially relaxing. I see that October is getting late in the grape harvest, but there will still be some wine festivals in the Bernkastel-Kues area on the week end of Oct 2-4. Especially one in Erden that weekend. This is where Holland spends its weekends. The Germans provide the wine and the Dutch provide the fun. Most of the Weinguts (B&B with a winery in the basement) have bicycles for rent so you can easily get around the local area on bike trails. You can get to Burg Eltz with a Rheinland Pfalz ticket. This was the lowest cost/most fun/most relaxing part of a trip we did 5 years ago. From there, you could pick Munich or Berlin. Munich has castles and culture, Berlin has, well more fun.

Two major stops at most with some day trips out from each. Because it always takes more time to go from Point A to Point B than anticipated. Since you "...are beer/brewery/etc fans...", don't rule out Oktoberfest entirely. If you go in the early to mid afternoon it isn't that hectic at all.

If you like castles maybe a perfect honeymoon idea would be to stay in one. We stayed at
http://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/castle-oberwesel-rhine/index.html. It is a $plurge for sure, but for a once- in- a-lifetime occasion so worth it. We had room 34, at the very top. It was the size of an apartment with windows/views in every direction. You actually get to pick your room from their website, and the pictures are very accurate. The included multi-course dinner every night is unreal. You get a little bound book (that you can keep) each night with the special menu listings. (substitutions allowed)
Oberwesel is tiny, right next to the river. From there you can make day trips(by train or boat) to places like Boppard, Bacharach etc Plenty of opportunities to drink a beer and watch the world go by, or visit castles and cobblestoned streets of small towns.
If I were planning this, I would start the honeymoon by flying into Frankfurt and heading to Oberwesel upon arrival. (not that far by train or car) After all the stress/work of a wedding this area seems like the perfect place to unwind. Then you can head north, ending up in Amsterdam and flying home from there.

Wow, thank you for all this great advice! You guys are great! We definitely will eliminate at least one big city from the lineup!

That hotel in Oberwesel sounds amazing. I'm definitely going to look more into that one!

if you decide to go to Berlin and want something a bit more romantic than hectic Berlin consider Potsdam. The city is on the outskirts of Berlin and surrounded by lakes, parks, islands and forests. It was the summer residence of the Prussian kings and German emperors, there is beauty everywhere. Trains to Berlin are frequent (every 10min), and it takes less than 30min to get to Berlins centre.

Here is a incomplete list of sights:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ListofsightsofPotsdam

Incomplete because some sights already belong to Berlin, like:
Peacock Island
Glienicke Palace
Schwanenwerder

Thank you all SO much. This advice has really helped us with our planning!