Germany for 2 weeks, need day trips advice

The alpine park at Berchtesgaden has gorgeous scenery. Take a cruise on Königssee all the way up to the Obersee. Visit Hitler's mountain retreat Kehlsteinhaus (Eagles Nest).

I'm not particularly a fan of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but farther south, Mittenwald is a charming little town with mountain, the Karwendelspitze. There's a cable car to the summit.

Farther west, the ski town of Oberstdorf, in the Oberallgäu, looks naturally like Vail pretends to look like. From there you can go up into the beautiful Austrian alpine valley of Kleinwalsertal.

It's not in the mountains, but the island town of Lindau is very scenic, with the little harbor looking out at the Swiss alps.

Every bit of that is easily accessible by train, and they are all in Bavaria, so you can go to those places inexpensively using a Bayern-Ticket.

With your interests, perhaps you should not base in the cities rather smaller towns.
Berlin- day trip to Potsdam.

Suki's right. If you want to see castles, half-timbered/medieval towns and gorgeous scenery, don't plan to stay in big cities like Cologne, Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt.

Also, with just 2 weeks, you are attempting to cover too much territory, I think.

Here's one suggestion for a smaller base town in a scenic area:

Boppard has a riverfront setting on the Rhine and good connections by train - take day trips by train to the smaller Rhine towns and Mosel towns, to Marksburg Castle in Braubach, to Burg Eltz Castle (train + bus or train + hike.) Maybe take a train to Bingen and a cruise boat back to Boppard. If you want to visit Cologne for a day, take the train there from Boppard. A day trip to Frankfurt is also possible - or visit Frankfurt on your way to somewhere else. A week in Boppard would not be too long.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen (suggested by Lee) makes for a good travel base town in the German Alps. It's less than 2 hours from Munich by train. Mittenwald, Innsbruck (Austria,) Oberammergau, Ettal, Linderhof, and other nice places are easy to reach from G-P by train or by bus. And you can visit Munich on a day trip as well if you wish. A week here is about right as well.

If you want castles and medieval towns, than basing in Frankfurt for a few days will give you what you want. The train system is great and this is good hub for you to visit the Rhein and all of their castles, and you are with-in a 1 hour train ride from medieval towns like Marburg, Limburg, Idstein, Gelnhausen, Büdingen, Seligenstadt, or a tiny bit farther, Michelstadt or Miltonberg. Cathedrals and ancient churches abound in this area, from the Mainz Cathedral, Eberbach Monastery and Basilica, Justinus Kirche in Frankfurt Höchst, Worms or Speyer Cathedrals, Union church in Idstein, Einhard Basilica in Seligenstadt.

You only have two weeks with plans for Cologne, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt areas. This is not enough time.

First of all, you could easily spend a week in the Rhineland, visiting Rudesheim, Heidelberg, Mainz, Frankfurt, Baden-Baden, Triberg, Strasbourg, France.

Berlin deserves four days minimum. Munich deserves four days plus trips to Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, Austria, Garmisch/Fussen, Oberammergau, Augsburg and more for the Romantic Road including Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbuhl, etc.

You expressed an interest in WWII sites. That being the case, check out www.thirdreichruins.com. It shows many photos taken during or just after the war, and later more comtemporary photos of the same places.

Lots of WWII sites in Belgium and France.

In Germany, most large cities were heavily bombed. Cities like Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin and Hamburg were mostly destroyed. Munich and Augsburg in Bavaria were heavily damaged, not quite as much as Berlin or Cologne.

Gorgeous scenery can be found in the Rhineland, Black Forest and Southern Bavaria.

I would like to add my two cents. Don't skip beer gardens just because you don't drink. You don't have to drink in order to enjoy a fun time at a beer garden! There is plenty of other things to drink and to eat. You go to be with others, meet locals and have fun talking and eating. If it is a nice day, it is great for lunch or a rest spot to have a liquid refreshment or evening outside , it is an enjoyable way to spend an hour or more. Great place to rest, have a bite to eat, sit outside and meet others. Germans bring their families, it is not always rowdy like Octoberfest! People of all ages go!

Frankfurt is a wonderful city but it was bombed heavily during the war and rebuilt. It is more of a modern city and more like Manhattan than small charming cities. Not to say it doesn't have things to see and visit but it is not the quaint medieval type of towns you are looking for. You need to decide where you want to fly home from if you are going home from Germany so that you end your trip in a city with an airport you will need and not spend time getting to that city to make your flight.

You should look at YouTube for free videos on Germany which will feature castles and medieval towns and beautiful scenery. This will give you an idea as to what there is to see and do. Also get the Rick Steves Germany book. For now you may be able to get it out of your local library for reference. Rick Steves also has free videos on YouTube of Germany.

You should look at the Rick Steves 14 day Germany tour to get ideas as to where to go and what to see and do.

Hope this helps with your research. Germany is beautiful.

From Koln to Frankfurt you have the German Rhine castles. Based on what you say you're looking for this area is worth a minimum of 3 days of your time. Berlin is 3-4 days on it's own, but I'm not sure how much WWII stuff is still there other than the flak towers. Cold war stuff there's plenty of. Munich is another city worth 3-4 days, but it's not really what you're describing as your interest. I'd suggest Nuremberg for WWII and scenic old town, and then a swing over to the Rothenberg, Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen stretch down routes 7 & 25. Those are your old, walled cities and Bavarian countryside.

The issue really is how you plan to travel? because Berlin is way out of the way for most of the other stuff. I'm not saying there's aren't fantastic places to visit in and around berlin, or ever between Frankfurt and Berlin, but that's a lot of time on the road. You'll spend 2 days of your 2 weeks just coming and going to Berlin.

From Koln, with only 2 weeks, I recommend the Rhine castles, Frankfurt to Nuremberg, to Rothenberg/Dinklesbuhl/Nordlingen, to Munich and fly from there.

If you have to do Berlin, I suggest Koln, Frankfurt, Wurzburg, Bayreuth, Dresden, Berlin and fly from there.

Frankfurt is rebuilt and a modern city - not much different than you can see here in America. We also didn't care for Cologne other than the Cathedral and Chocolate Factory. I'd hit the smaller quaint towns instead.

You say you don't like art museums -- how do you feel about history museums and sites ? Churches ? Concentration camps ? Memorials ? Lots to see in Germany!

Thanks for all the wonderful advice, keep it coming! 😀
I’ve come to realize we need to re-think our whole trip. We’re definitely interested in WW2 historical sites. That’s why we were going to Berlin but may decide on somewhere else based on your suggestions. Really don’t want to spend a lot of time in the bigger cities, considering staying elsewhere with a day trip to the city for a few key sites.
As you can tell, I’m still a bit overwhelmed but am inspired by all the different advice.

We are supposed to go to Paris and Normandy as well as Germany (additional 6 days). Would like to fly into Paris and perhaps fly out of Munich to come home but it will depend on cost as well.
May end up doing Paris/Normandy another time.. we’ve already been to Paris once before, but never Germany.

Definitely interested in concentration camps, museums, churches, cathedrals, castles, etc. would love a cable car to somewhere, just need to narrow it down.

Keep the suggestions coming!

OK. You're kind of bouncing around, and I understand why, because there's just a heck of a lot and you're limited in time. Here's a practice I've found very help for planning trips like this.

1. Pick three things you absolutely have to see/do. No more, no less.
2. Plan everything else around those. You go and do the stuff that has to be done and then use the time in that local to do anything else that looks good.

Most people try to do too much, especially on the first trip. You can't see it all, but you can see the top three things on your list. And you need to have some open time, because you could be visiting the Castle in Prague (for example) and when you get there find out there's an unadvertised exhibition of armor that hasn't been seen in public in over 100 years. Or you could stop for a nice lunch and ask the waitress what's going on locally and find out the big summer festival starts that evening. It's those kinds of things that make your trip "your" trip. And you can't plan them.

@KGC
You are so right, I’m bouncing all over the place! 😊. That’s indicative of how overwhelmed I am, there’s just so much to see and do. Your suggestion sounds like a good place to start.. my hubby and I will probably pick our individual top three and then narrow down and... compromise.. Lol

Thank you for the advice!

We’re definitely interested in WW2 historical sites. That’s why we
were going to Berlin but may decide on somewhere else based on your
suggestions.

The Normandy Beaches are very worthwhile IMHO. By train, go to Bayeux for a couple of nights from Paris. Look into tour options from there or rent a car.

Trains connect Paris to Cologne and the Rhine/Mosel. WW II options there:

Cologne: NS Documentation Center (There are doc-centers in Munich, Nuremberg, and Berlin too. This one is housed in the former Gestapo Headquarters building.)

South of Cologne in Remagen: The Bridge at Remagen was partially filmed at this site, where nowadays you can visit a museum housed in the supports that remained after the wartime destruction of the bridge.

http://www.bruecke-remagen.de/index_en.htm

Definitely interested in concentration camps, museums, churches,
cathedrals, castles, etc. would love a cable car to somewhere, just
need to narrow it down.

Cologne/Rhineland area has some of Germany's top cathedrals/churches:

Cologne Cathedral

Aachen (near Cologne) Cathedral

Mainz (On Rhine near Frankfurt) Cathedral

Trier (Mosel River) Cathedral

The above cities have a good selection of museums as well.

Castles:

In the Middle Rhine Valley (south of Cologne and Remagen) Marksburg and Rheinfels (ruins w/museum) are your best bets for a tour. The others on this map tend to be hotels, ruins, private property. Click on castle names for more information:

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles.php

In the Mosel Valley (which intersects the Rhine at Koblenz) look into Burg Eltz (near Moselkern) and Reichsburg Castle (in Cochem) for tours.

Burg Eltz:
https://classroom.ricksteves.com/videos/germany-s-mosel-river-eltz-castle-and-feudalism
https://burg-eltz.de/en/

Reichsburg:
https://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/germany-for-tourists/castles-and-palaces/cochem-castle/
https://reichsburg-cochem.de/?lang=en
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGiaFS099bg

Cable car/lift rides are popular in many scenic spots. In the Rhine and Mosel Valleys...

Cochem:
https://www.moselcamper.de/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sesselbahn_5.jpg
Boppard
https://img.marcopolo.de/api/content/images/image/0/3/tf/ei/t1024/u/photo-6411834.jpg
Rüdesheim
https://rheingaulinie.de/files/rheingaulinie/files/Freizeit/KunstKultur/Niederwalddenkmal_Ruedesheim/Seilbahn/P7051941.JPG

Concentration camps: If you'll be in Munich, then Dachau makes sense. The bigger question to me is whether visiting any concentration camp is a wise decision. I believe these camps were turned into visitor centers mainly for post-war German citizens (and future Germans) who were/are obligated to see exactly what Nazi Germany was about. I'm sure they are also important as proof to Holocaust deniers that they are horribly mistaken. The details on display there are gut-wrenching, but I seriously question whether the average visitor who learned about these camps in school will gain newfound understanding from a visit. Concentration camps are not tourist attractions and usually do not mix well into a day that's full of sightseeing and fun.

We thought 4 days in Munich was enough and we did do a Nazi Walking tour, a trip to Dachau Concentration Camp, and a day trip to Rgenesburg with the RS recommended Radius Tours and we thought all were very worthwhile. We also LOVE Nuremburg - wonderful sites, two amazing cathedrals with a few smaller ones too, very good documentation center. We also love Passau, Vienna, Strausburg, = so many amazing places. Have you considered doing a week long river cruise to see many towns with guided tours and then staying another week on your own? That's one of our favorite things to do. Esp the Christmas Market River Cruises - we go every other year. Be sure to get the RS guide books as they are super helpful.

I seriously question whether the average visitor who learned about
these camps in school will gain newfound understanding from a visit.

Russ, you and I, and those of our generation, are not average visitors. Growing up in the immediate shadow of WWII, we had the reality of the holocaust hammered into our heads. One of the history teachers at my HS had been with the US troops that liberated one of the concentration camps, and he brought back photos of stacks of dead bodies that they found at the camp. We saw proof that the holocaust was very real.

I don't think today's students have the advantage of meeting real life witnesses to what happened, so maybe seeing the camp is important for them. It is certainly important in light of those who deny that it happened.

On the other hand, not to discount the atrocities that were committed at Dachau, but I went there thinking it was an extermination camp, and was relieved to find out is was just a work camp. "Just" a work camp! Although many thousands died there, it's primary purpose was to provide labor for the war industry, and you don't fulfill that objective by killing everyone there.

As I understand it, the majority of people who passed through the camp, particularly those who passed through in the early years of the camp, did survive. According to the official website of the Dachau concentration camp, "In the twelve years of its existence over 200.000 persons from all over Europe were imprisoned here and in the numerous subsi[a]dary camps. 41.500 were murdered." Of course, that don't think that accounts for how many were in the camp and were subsequently transferred elsewhere to be murdered. The real question is how many were in the camp and survived.

I don't know where you are coming from or what time of year. If you are up to it Prague and Salzburg.

I don't think today's students have the advantage of meeting real life
witnesses to what happened, so maybe seeing the camp is important for
them. It is certainly important in light of those who deny that it
happened.

No doubt you're correct that today's odds of meeting Holocaust witnesses and survivors in American schools is smaller now than it was for you, me and our classmates 50 years ago! But the odds of a school encounter like that were quite tiny back then anyway. The Holocaust involved book and lecture lessons for most of us, but they were not lessons you would casually forget. I've been absent from the ranks of public school teachers for a long time now, but I'm pretty sure it's still part of the curriculum almost everywhere. It's certainly required learning in California. Only nowadays, teachers have much more than just textbooks to make the topic real to kids. Dozens of films dealing directly and indirectly with the Holocaust have been made since the early 70's, several of which have become routine high school viewing assignments... meaning that many students have likely seen the better-known films previously as well.

I don't want to steer folks away if they are convinced they must go to Dachau or Sachsenhausen for whatever reason. OTOH I sometimes get the impression that a visit is near-compulsory for any trip to Germany - and IME that's just not so. I didn't find any enlightenment there that would make the event more understandable - it was of course the same history I'd studied, but with more gruesome detail than I was ready to handle. For some, especially for complete newcomers to Germany, I think it might not only be repetitive and depressing, but might also mis-color their view of today's Germany and its people.

suzette, take a look at the guidance on Germany here on this website (under Explore Europe, Planning) and especially here germany itinerary I think you'd miss a lot of the good stuff by staying in four big cities. Its like trying to see all the best of California by basing in LA, San Diego, and SF - too much time spent in the to and fro. I'd skip Cologne, or if you must, stop and check out the cathedral for about an hour, then get back on the train for parts further south.

Near Cologne in Königswinter the Drachenfels is worth a visit.

agree with uwe04 - the little tram up the mountain is fun too. Easy to get to by boat, train or car.