Germany Trip Advice

Extra day for Berlin. A lot to explore for your "aviation stuff, or zoological stuff" interests.

The German tourist spots you are aiming for aceept widely cards. For "emergency" cases I would carry EUR 200-300 per person. Further fallbacks are ATMs.

I was in Germany for 3 weeks in 2022, and only used cash twice (once on a KD river cruise to get a cappuccino and once for a small Ferienwohnung I stayed at in Ostbevern). And I was in many of the same places you're going to (you will LOVE Gengenbach—it's so beautiful and such a wonderful place to stay).

I would probably only get €50-100 unless you have to pay for one of your lodgings in cash. As MarkK said, you can always hit up an ATM.

This may be up your alley.

It was a couple decades ago but every week there were regional hikes (volksmarches). Usual 10k hikes with beer at the end.

I just checked and they are still going on-- here is link to one of the clubs: https://www.sgawc.org/us/events.php

Happy travels!

I too would add another day to Berlin, perhaps a day trip to Potsdam?

For the cities, any interesting history (from most any time period),
aviation stuff, or zoological stuff is of prime interest, as are food
and beverage, and any recommendations as a part of suggesting where to
spend the day is appreciated!

Is it possible you have pre-determined destinations and a travel schedule - without enough things to see/do in these places?

Here are some well-known places to explore the history, aviation stuff, and zoological stuff you spoke of... they're not well known to everyone, I guess, but they are either ON or very NEAR your initial route to the Black Forest from FRA...

FRA airport > Mannheim > (Heidelberg) > Karlsruhe > Offenburg > Gengenbach

1) Upper Middle Rhine Valley... Highly rated UNESCO World Heritage site by travelers + Germany's most scenic train ride:
https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Upper+Middle+Rhine+Valley

2) Technik-Museum, Speyer
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g198634-d547848-Reviews-Technik_Museum_Speyer-Speyer_Rhineland_Palatinate.html

3) Ludwigsburg Palace
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g198389-Activities-oa0-Ludwigsburg_Baden_Wurttemberg.html

4) Wilhelma Zoo, Stuttgart
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelma

I would also point out that MUNICH is a major detour from a GENGENBACH > BERLIN route and that your current plans overlook several really good places for exploring history on the way to Berlin... Eisenach, Erfurt, Leipzig, Lutherstadt Wittenberg... Have you considered what there is to see/do/learn in these places? There's a whole lot there, and your specific plans for Munich sound slightly arbitrary right now; visiting these places instead would cut way back on the ground-travel time needed for the Munich detour.

Extra day in Berlin.

For aviation stuff, consider a tour of the former Tempelhof airport whose main building was built during the Nazi era and whose runways were used for the Berlin Airlift. https://www.thf-berlin.de/en/your-visit/guided-tours/english-guided-tour#/

Or the Military History Museum at Gatow Airport. https://www.mhm-gatow.de/en

For Frankfurt, the Jewish heritage here might be of interest. Frankfurt had the 1st and longest lasting walled-in Jewish Ghetto, and by the 1930s, had the 2nd highest Jewish population in Germany. There are beautiful, as well a medieval Jewish cemteries here, 2 Jewish museums (1 has the remnants of the medieval Ghetto), and for me, one of the most moving Holocaust memorials, with almost 12,000 names on it, including Anne Frank, her mother Edith, and sister Margot.
For old towns, visit Frankfurt Höchst, which is on the Half-timbered route in Germany with 400 half-timbered buildings, a lovely old schloss and one of the oldest churches in Germany - the Justinus church.

Have you considered another area other than the Schwarzwald in Southern Germany?

I would say an extra day in Berlin. We did a great food tour there years ago (although I believe that specific tour has closed). We found it a fascinating city just to walk around in. And also, if at all possible book tickets to go up in the Reichstag dome. You must book ahead through the Reichstag directly. That was amazing.

Regarding cash/credit -- last fall we spent a week in a small town of the Hartz Mountains; many restaurants and shops there were cash only. I always take cash, and if I find I haven't used it much during the trip, then I use it at the end of the trip.

Definitely appreciating the inputs!

@Russ very good suggestions! I think my initial post didn't do a great job of highlighting my intended stuff for Munich, but it's definitely a main point for the trip for me. Definitely want to see the Marienplatz and neighboring frauenkirche, the Residenz, visit the famous beer halls, make the half day trip to Dachau, with possible visits to the Englischer Garten, Schloss Nymphenburg, and the Munich Zoo, which (I think) should fill out two days in Munich well, but definitely open to suggestions for alternates or spending an additional day there! And if nothing jumps out will definitely look at the previous suggestions!

@mchpp I'm not super familiar with other potential places to visit in southern Germany, so definitely open to suggestions for using the extra day somewhere in that area!

And thanks to everyone for their inputs, still would very much appreciate further thoughts, including specific hiking routes in the black forest or places to visit in the cities!

You should stick with your plan. Have a honey Schnaps in the Schwartzwald. If you add a day in Munich, you could take a train to Garmisch or Berchtesgaden. A long day but you get to see some of the Bavarian Alps (weather allowing). You will find dense woods in Southern Germany, some impenetrable other than trails. Old growth not so much. Pockets of protected old growth and individual trees. Forests are managed. The Deutsches Museum in Munich has some great airplanes. Keep Southern Bavaria and Austria for another trip.

Hello Chris,
I can only agree with Russ, make day 12 & 13 space for Cities that are among the route, lesser known yet rising. Leipzig for example, named Nr.1 spot to visit by the lonely planets book „250 ultimative Reiseziele Deutschland“. Second best zoo in whole Europe, the city of Bach, the city where the unification of Germany started, the city of germanys new art school „neue Leipziger Schule“ centering around Neo Rauch, the city where you can make a kajaktrip after going into a museum and so much more.

The Deutsches Museum in Munich has some great airplanes

The aviation section is not at the main site of Deutsches Museum in Munich but it is out of town in Oberschleissheim.
https://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/flugwerft-schleissheim

Oberschleissheim can be reached by S-Bahn line S1 (one of the lines to/from the airport), and there is also a direct bus between Dachau and Oberschleißheim. So you could spend the morning at the Dauchau concentration camp memorial and the afternoon in Oberschleißheim. Schleißheim Castle is also close to the aviation museum.
https://www.schloesser-schleissheim.de/englisch/n_palace/history.htm

Your current Berlin plans doesn't appear to include any "tree time". I suggest using your day to hike the forests located to the west of Berlin, outside of Potsdam.

Or, for a historical experience you can't get in the US, visit Saalburg. It is a recreation of a Roman fortress originally built around 100 AD. The current version is built atop the original foundations. It includes a small Stone, Copper, Iron Age museum and a much more extensive museum about the Roman occupation of Germany and the Romans who build and lived in the fortress. Unless you rent a car, it takes some planning to get there by bus from Bad Homburg, which is served by the Frankfurt S-Bahn system.

Regardng food in Heidelburg, go to Vetter's Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus in old town on the same street as the old bridge or to BrauStadel, which is across the river in a newer part of town yet still easy to get to. And in Berlin, give Alt-Berliner Gasthaus Julchen Hoppe a try. It's across the Spree from Museum Island. All three are German restaurants with many more locals than tourists. Go only if you like German food and German beer.

I used almost no cash on 25 day trip to Germany in February. I recall only one restaurant being cash only, no cards. It was in a smaller town.

If you are a fan of zoos, you don't want to miss the Berlin Zoo. It has the most species of animals found anywhere. Also the areas they keep the animals are good for viewing without crowding the animals space. We were impressed with this zoo and the oldest zoo in the world in Vienna, started by the Hapsburgs.