Curious what others think about towns and time spent to see the most of Germany. 2 of us are 50+ and 1, 21 yo student. Arrive Frankfurt, see some of the city and go to Cologne for 3 nights. 1 night in Hamburg. 4 nights in Berlin. 1 night in Nurnberg. 4 nights in Munich. 1 night in Heidelberg. 2 nights in Frankfurt and fly home. Plan on normal touristy stuff... river cruise, museums, castles, but not too much, so as to not overload or bore any of us... 2 of us are 50+ and 1, 21 yo student. Going to rent a car but would like to do a train or 2, if not too expensive. Maybe Cologne to Hamburg to Berlin?? Trains seem a bit confusing. Can you fit Zugspitze mountain and Neuschwanstein castle from Munich in 1 day?
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
5448 posts
I see no advantage to having a car for the majority of your proposed trip. Cars are only a liability in cities and parking is rarely at your hotel, and is expensive. Most cities in Germany have excellent public transportation, and the German rail system is one of the best in the world. However you might want to rent a car for your day trip to see Neuschwenstein and/or the Zugspitze. If you find the trains confusing, read up on them on this excellent site: https://www.seat61.com or ask your questions here.
I'll remind you that every time you change locations, you lose at least a half day of sightseeing. So all those 1 night stays equal only a half day in the city. A 2 night stay is only 1.5 days. Many experienced travellers would say that 7 locations in 16 days is about 2 or 3 too many.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Good point. thank you.
Do you need to make reservations ahead of time for a Middle Rhine cruise? Is there 1 site that would list hours of operation for museums/castles across Germany?
Posted by
Chicago
2049 posts
Rick show about Germany had a segment on daytime Rhine cruising. As another poster pointed out, you have way too many one-night stays, you won't see much in Hamburg or Nurnberg in that time. Unless there is something you want to see in Frankfurt, a day or two is all you need there. Finally, if all you want to see is bigger cities, the train is a better way to travel in Germany. If you plan ahead DB(Deutsche Bahn) has some great early bird fares for the ICE trains-which is what you would take from Hamburg to Berlin and from Berlin to Munich.
Posted by
8254 posts
Having a car in a large city like Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin or Munich will be a liability, having to likely pay for parking.
On the itinerary
Franfurt has little to see, although Weisbaden and Mainz are interesting.
You don't need three nights in Cologne. The main item there is the cathedral and you can see that in half a day.
Hamburg compared to Berlin, Munich and the rest of Germany would not rate a visit, suggest you go directly to Berlin.
Bavaria is the place. Plan on those 4 nights in Munich, as well as The Romantic Road, which goes from Wurzberg down to Garmisch/Fussen. Rothenburg on the Tauber is a wonderful intact Medieval town. Donauwurth, Dinkelsbuhel, Augsburg, Oberamergau and Garmsich are on the road. There are tours from Munich that do the Road. You can see Garmisch and Neuschwanstein Castle and Oberamergau on a day tour from Munich. You might not have time on a day tour to go up the Zugspitze.
Also, a short trip to see Berchtesgaden Germany and nearby Salzburg, Austria is a must.
Nurenberg you can see in one day.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2592 posts
I wouldn’t get the car until you are ready to leave Munich.
The best part of the Rhine is between Bingen and Boppard. Stay in that area to see it rather than trying to do something from Cologne. Is there some reason to spend so much time in Cologne? As mentioned, the cathedral is the main attraction and since it is right by the train station, it could be seen as a long stop on the way to Hamburg ( I wouldn’t go there for only one night ) or Berlin.
I would take one day from Frankfurt and perhaps one from Munich and add them to your time between Munich and Heidelberg
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
444 posts
Agree with other posters-we just had 6 nights in Germany, and we did 2 in Nuremberg, one in Rothenburg od Tauber (so we could do the Nightwatchman tour) and 3 in Bacharach (on the Rhine). One night stays are not ideal. Travel days (plus packing) suck up a lot of time, so try to minimize those.
We had 4 hours in Cologne, and that was enough. And 4 hours in Frankfurt, which was also enough (perfectly nice cities but not my favorite part of Germany-that would have been the Rhine and Rothenburg). I am glad we stayed where we did. I'd recommend focusing on the smaller towns- Nuremberg is quite lovely (but you could do a day trip from Munich). Also-stay 2 nights somewhere on the Rhine and do a day cruise, we did Bingen to St. Goar, it was fantastic. No need to reserve in advance. You can see and explore some castles. It is really cool.
We used trains to get everywhere. Not confusing, very easy actually. Get the US version of the DB Bahn app, it was great!
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thank you all for suggestions. I originally had 2 days in Cologne followed by 2 in Hamburg. I cut Hamburg down to 1, but our hotel in Berlin filled up, and we can't get in a day earlier. I will recheck this. 2 or 3 in Cologne is bc we are traveling from US west coast and figure to have a day or 2 of jet lag. I picked big cities bc I was having a hard time finding a hotel in smaller ones that would fit 3 adults. Staying mostly in Marriotts and using a a base to explore. Staying at Adina Hotel in Belin which has a washer and dryer in the room. bonus.