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Germany Itinerary Advice

My wife and I will be traveling to Germany for the first time. Both in our late 30s.
We fly into Berlin September 22nd. I will be running in the Berlin Marathon.
After the marathon, we will have 11 full days to see the country.

We are looking for suggestions for an itinerary that isn't too rushed. We don't have to see everything in one visit.
Right now the plan is to fly out of Frankfurt October 6th. But we could fly out of Munich.

From research, it seems like these locations are the most popular and frequented.

  1. Berlin
  2. Dresden
  3. Nuremberg
  4. Rothenburg
  5. Rothenburg
  6. Munich
  7. Rhine Valley

Can we skip any of these or replace with another?
Maybe something off the beaten path or less visited?

Some of our interests are:

  1. Sites/Castles
  2. Food/Wine/beer
  3. History
  4. Nature
  5. Museums
  6. Food
  7. Octoberfest (is it worth it?)

We probably would take public transportation or maybe rent a car to travel around.
Any advice or recommendations would be awesome.
Thank you!

Posted by
19655 posts

You might throw Prague in the mix, easy train ride from Dresden, then bus to Nuremberg. Even Germans go to Czech Republic for the beer. Remember the price you pay there when you go to Oktoberfest. And yes, Oktoberfest is worth it IMHO. Go in the afternoon and you don't need a reservation, and for a midweek evening, you can probably get by without one. It is easy to make friends at the Wiesn. Bamberg is worth a stop for beer lovers. That and Nuremberg have a large number of small, independent breweries. Cannstaetter Volksfest in Stuttgart is another big beer festival with a season similar to Oktoberfest.

You probably don't need a car for this. Especially in Bavaria, look at using a Bayern Ticket.
https://www.bahn.com/en/view/offers/regional/regional-day-tickets.shtml?dbkanal_007=L04_S02_D002_KIN0060_REGIO-INDEX-LAENDERTICKETS_LZ01

Posted by
7 posts

How does the itinerary below look?

  • Berlin - 5 nights
  • Dresden - 1 night
  • Prague - 2 nights
  • Nuremberg - 2 nights (One day trip to maybe Wurzburg, Regensburg, or Bamburg)
  • Munich - 2 nights
  • Frankfurt - 2 nights (River cruise, go to Rüdesheim am Rhein or Lorch)

Does this seem too rushed or like we are trying to do too much?
Is there any place to skip or replace?

We will take public transportation.

Thank you!

Posted by
380 posts

Can you be more specific about what your interests are? Theatre? Art/Museums? History museums? Military? Ancient/Roman, WWI/WWII, or Cold War history? Fairy tales/folk lore? Classical music? Religion/church history? Nature? Hiking? Photography? Food? Wine? Beer? Architecture?

Oktoberfest is not particularly worth it.

There's a lot to see, obviously, but with more guidance on what you like people can offer specific suggestions.

Posted by
1117 posts

From research, it seems like these locations are the most popular and
frequented.

I love the way you put that - and the way you separate it from your second set of questions. :-)

Yes, those you listed above are some of the most popular ones (though I am shocked to see you missed Neuschwanstein). They are, however, by no means your only choices for a great time in Germany. I like your approach of looking at what you are interested in first instead of just going where everyone else is going.

  • Sites/Castles: Not sure what you mean by "sites", but castles are all over the place, especially in the Rhine valley. And Neuschwanstein, among all the castles of Germany, is by no means an especially important or historically relevant one. It just happens to get better marketing, and it is fortunate to have posed for the Disneyland castle, so every American knows it.
  • Food: everywhere. :-) Just as long as you don't expect Sauerkraut all over the place. And people tend to confuse Bavaria with Germany, and Bavarian cuisine with "German" cuisine. Bavarian cuisine tends to be pretty heavy. Try the regional cuisines of wherever you happen to be. And what is really unique is the many kinds of bread we have.
  • Wine: Rhine valley or Moselle valley
  • Beer: everywhere. With a focus on Bavaria certainly, but there are many breweries all over the place, and some local specialties.
  • History: everywhere, obviously, but Berlin would be the place to see and experience lots of history.
  • Nature: Wow, that's the first request for nature I have seen on this forum. Alps, Wadden Sea + the islands, Mecklenburger Seenplatte, Harz mountains, Black Forest, Elbsandsteingebirge, Bayerischer Wald, Baltic Sea... I could go on.
  • Museums: Berlin is the place to go. Have a look at the Museumsinsel for world class museums. Is there anything specific you're interested in?
  • Food: again? ;-)
  • Octoberfest (is it worth it?): Depends on who you ask. I personally - native from Northern Germany - got to know the Octoberfest in the United States. My impression is that it's much more important to American tourists than to most Germans because it's part of the "Germany" cliché in America. If I happened to be in Munich at that time of year, I'd have a look, if I were a beer lover, I'd have some, and if I loved umpah music, I'd probably enjoy myself. But I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to visit it, just like Neuschwanstein.
Posted by
315 posts

I understand the marathon times in Berlin are fast? Will that be you? How much of your Berlin stay is prep for the race? Berlin 3-4 nights. One for jet lag or arrival and 2 for site seeing. There is history in those streets and memorials. Dresden, my hubbies birth place is a gem. After all it was flattened in WWII. Central sites can be seen in a short stay, others may require a longer stay. It could be a wonderful place for a recovery run. Our itinerary was Munich 3 nights, bus to Regensburg (a hidden gem) 1 nt, bus to Prague (3 nts), train to the "Swiss Alps" (Decin) for 2 nts to hike, train to Dresden 1 nt, Berlin 2 nts.

Posted by
315 posts

Berlin to Cologne by fast train. Immediate transfer to get to Mosel area for 2 nts. On to Rhine for local cruise, lunch and castle exploration for a full day before heading to Frankfurt to head home.

Posted by
7 posts

Thank you all for the info and taking the time to write back.
More specifically our interests are:

  1. Medieval (castles), WWI, WWII and Cold War history
  2. Art museums
  3. Walking around towns/cities, street photography (getting lost and wondering around)
  4. Cycling
  5. Wine and beer tasting, German and local food, ethnic, French or Italian inspired restaurants.

How does this look?

Berlin 6 nights - 9/22 - 9/28

  1. Marathon prep
  2. Marathon 9/24
  3. Museum Island
  4. Check Point Charlie
  5. East Side Gallery
  6. Holocaust Memorial
  7. Brandenburg Gate
  8. Potsdam

Dresden - 9/28
Stop over on the way to Prague

Prague 3 nights - 9/28 - 10/01

Nuremberg 2 nights - 10/01 - 10/03
Day trip to Regensburg

Wurzburg - 10/03 Stop over on the way to Frankfurt

Frankfurt 3 nights - 10/03 - 10/06
Rüdesheim am Rhein
Sankt Goar, Lorch

Fly home at 2 pm 10/06

Posted by
1117 posts

Medieval (castles)

In that case, definitely not Neuschwanstein. :-)

If you can decipher a bit of German, try the sites mentioned here for early or later Middle Ages. Check if one of them is somewhere near your itinerary.

Art museums

Anything in particular or just any kind of art?

You should certainly find some in Berlin (Museumsinsel, again); Munich would also be a good place (Alte and Neue Pinakothek), but there are also some quite noteworthy places not anywhere near your itinerary (Sprengelmuseum Hannover, Kunsthalle Emden). Depends on what you are interested in.

street photography

Make sure you understand the laws on that which are quite different from most U.S. states. An attempt at a short summary:

  • people only with their consent
  • children only with their parents' consent (people have become quite sensitive about that)
  • If you take a picture of a building and a person happens to be in it without being the main focus point, that's o.k. ("Beiwerk")
  • Taking pictures of buildings etc. from public grounds like sidewalks is o.k. ("Panoramafreiheit"), don't need the consent of the owners. This does NOT include stepping up on a ladder or flying a drone etc.

Cycling

Does that mean for getting around in a city, or would you want to take a tour? There are classics like the Moselle valley of course, but a lot more. And you can rent bikes in most cities and get around by bike quite well (some cities more, some less).

Wine and beer tasting, German and local food

See my previous post.

ethnic, French or Italian inspired restaurants.

Italian + ethnic: all over the place. French, not so much.

.

On your previous wishlist, you had the word "nature". That seems to have disappeared now. Is it just the lack of time, or is it not that far up on your list of priorities?

Depending on your priorities, you might make that one full day in Dresden and add time (at least half a day) for the Elbsandsteingebirge. That would be some beautiful nature within easy reach of your itinerary.

Posted by
315 posts

Check Point Charlie appears to be a Disneyland attraction. Quick peek and pic. East Wall area was empty when we went by. Quick peek and pic. Reference berliner-mauer-gedenkstaettle.de for Berlin Wall Memorial. This site is worth the visit. The subway site was blocked for east/west travel. ssl.stadtentwicklund.berlin.de for Berlin cycle routes. Holocaust museum and memorial is a must to pay respect to a few of those who perished. We road heavy rental bikes from Potsdam on parts of the Wannsee and Berlin Wall bike route. Sites included Wannsee Villa (Conference 1/20/1942), Peacock Island and Glienicker Bridge. Due to weather and time we missed sites in Potsdam. Routes were safe and with no mountains!

Posted by
7 posts

Yes, we took out "nature" due to lack of time. P
Elbsandsteingebirge looks quite pretty, thanks for the suggestion.
Cycling would just be in the city and getting around in town.

What about skipping Prague and spending a night in Dresden and using the other 2 nights somewhere in Germany?

Posted by
1117 posts

That's a difficult choice you've got there, but I think it would be smart to drop one of those places because with 11 days only, you'll only be rushing from place to place.

Prague certainly is worthwhile seeing, but it would be one possibility to save that for a later trip.

You could drop Würzburg and Nürnberg instead, but that will give you a somewhat boring drive between Prague and Frankfurt.

Another possibility would be to drop the Rhine valley at the end.

All of them really too bad to sacrifice, but trying to do everything will end in not having enough time for anything.

Posted by
32523 posts

Although both Würzburg and Nürnberg are in the state of Bavaria, they are very different to most Americans' expectations of Bavaria.

Nürnberg in particular, although it looks very close to München on a map is a completely different atmosphere and vibe. It is in the part of Bavaria called Franconia and sees itself much more Franken than anything else. You could, for example, go miles without seeing a single maypole or noisy biergarten, Munich style. Not that they don't enjoy themselves, certainly they do, but in a different way.

I just returned from another trip to both and reminded myself just how different they are.

In Nürnberg have a walk up to the castle.

Posted by
7 posts

Based on everyones feedback, I revised our itinerary, what do you?
We will travel by train and might get the railpass if it make sense.
The trip to Cochem from Wurzburg is a bit long...
Is there a place on the Rhine that is just as good or better than Cochem?

Berlin - 9/22-9/28 (6 nights)

  • Marathon prep
  • Marathon - 9/24
  • Walking tour
  • Reichstag
  • Topography of Terror
  • Berlin Wall Memorial
  • Pergamon Museum
  • Holocaust Memorial
  • Brandenburg Gate
  • Potsdam
  • Cycle around city

Erfurt - 9/28-1/10 (3 nights)

  • Eisenach, Wartburg castle
  • Buchenwald memorial
  • Weimer
  • Naumburg

Wurzburg 1/10 - 2/10 (1 night)

Cochem - 2/10 - 6/10 (4 nights)

  • Reichsburg castle
  • Burg Eltz castle
  • River cruise to Beilstein
  • Wine tasting

Frankfurt - 6/10

  • Early Train to airport
  • Fly home

Thanks :)

Posted by
8934 posts

If you are going on a decent walking tour in Berlin, it will show you several of the sites you have listed as wanting to see. Check out Insider Tours to see all the stops they make.
http://www.insidertour.com/

My favorite town on the Rhine is Eltville. Lovely promenade along the river, quaint, pretty houses and winding, cobblestone streets as well as lots of wineries. It is also not that far from the Frankfurt airport.
http://www.eltville.de/

Posted by
3049 posts

Your current itinerary isn't bad, although I don't think the night in Wurzburg is necessary. It was one of the most disappointing places I visited, aside from the Residenz, but unless you're a baroque palace completist, it can be skipped. Although there is good wine in that region (Franken/Franconia).

I do kind of feel like going to Germany for a week and a half and not seeing a bit of Bavaria is a shame, though. But Cochem (technically the Mosel region, not the Rhine) is lovely so I think your current itinerary with a few tweaks is good, especially for wine/castles/cycling.

That said, if you wanted to visit the non-touristy Oktoberfest, Germany's second largest beer festival, the Canstatter Volksfest, will be taking place from 22 September to 8 October in Stuttgart. This region (SW Germany) has a ton to offer with regards to wine (3rd largest wine region in Germany, the citizens here drink 3 times the wine than the rest of Germany, beautiful undiscovered wine region with medieval villages dotting the way). Best of all, Stuttgart is 1 hour 15 minutes by train from the Frankfurt Airport.

Anyway, just a thought if you wanted the Oktobefest experience without the 300% increase in hotel prices and puking Australians that accompany the Munich fest.

Posted by
7 posts

Thanks for the feedback.
We have some friends that live in Bisingen that might meet us in Stuttgart.

I have revised the itinerary to refelect that. Any thoughts or considerations appriceated!


Berlin - 9/22-9/28 (6 nights)
Fly to Stuttgart

Stuttgart - 9/28-9/30 (3 nights)

  • Canstatter Volksfest
  • Day trip to Tübingen

Strasbourg, France - 10/1-10/3 (2 nights)

Heidelberg - 10/3 - 10/4 (1 night)

Mainz - 10/4-10/6 (2 nights)

  • Bacharach
  • St Goar

Frankfurt - 10/6
Fly home

Posted by
3049 posts

I don't see why changing his trip this far out makes him a troll or clueless. He's revising his itinerary based on new information and meeting up with a friend.

OP, this is an interesting new schedule. 3 nights in Stuttgart will allow you to enjoy Volksfest, the big museums (Mercedes is better than Porsche), see the city center, and the surrounding area. If you want to sample local wines in a more upscale environment, I recommend the Stadtbesen at the Rathaus. Otherwise I'd suggest taking the S-Bahn to Unterturkheim and walking up into the vineyards to visit the Collegium Wirtemberg winery, or Weingut Warth (may need to call ahead), you can hike or take a bus up to the Grabkapelle (royal grave chapel) for amazing views, then walk down through the vineryards to the Weinbau (city wine museum) in Uhlbach. The restaurants in that village are amazing. Tubingen is great, although Esslingen is closer and just as beautiful if you ask me.

If you have to chose a night to go to the Volksfest, try not to go on a weekend. You'll have an easier time getting into a tent. Also look for the "Almhuttendorf" outside area, which has a band and a rotating bar, it's a lot of fun there especially in nice weather.

Strasbourg is fantastic and well worth a visit. Book your TGV tickets well in advance to save some money, though.

Posted by
7 posts

Lubitsch, I can understand how it might seem like I am a toll. But I'm sincerely looking for advice and recommendations. The changing itinerary is due to the fact that only the arrival/departure cities are set. Everything is up in the air. I figure I have time to adjust. I guess I am a bit clueless ;)

Thats some great info, thank you Sarah!

I'm going to show this all to my wife and hopefully this is it.

Germany looks amazing! There is so much to see and do. Thanks for everyone's patience and suggestions.