UPDATED ITINERARY BASED ON FEEDBACK I RECEIVED HERE AND ON OTHER FORUMS
Day 1: Munich Arrival PM
Day 2: Munich to Berlin via ICE train early AM or late flight/train Day 1
Day 3: Berlin
Day 4: Berlin
Day 5: Berlin to Nuremberg via train (Possible Erfurt Stopover)
Day 6: Nuremberg
Day 7: Nuremberg (Bamberg Daytrip)
Day 8: Nuremberg to Mittenwald via train
Day 9: Mittenwald
Day 10: Mittenwald to Munich via train
Day 11: Munich
Day 12: Munich
DAY 13: AM Departure Munich
Biggest changes:
- Decided to switch to Mittenwald for two nights instead of staying near and focusing on Neuschwanstein Castle.
- Get to Berlin as quickly as possible from Munich to begin our trip (unable to adjust flight with airline to still get a business class flight so our current options include intentionally skipping our flight to Munich from Paris and booking a separate flight to Berlin which I believe is possible because our return flight is with a different airline, taking a flight or late train day 1, or taking an early train day 2 which is most likely what we will do)
- Skip Dresden as it was slightly out of the way and another larger city in an itinerary with a lot of larger cities
- Added a possible stopover in Erfurt
- Hoping I have added a little variety to the types of cities/towns we will be visiting and lessened the pace of travel a bit from the first itinerary.
Remaining Concerns:
- Still might be too fast of a pace and too many locations. Would take additional suggestions on what to cut or skip to slow down if recommended.
ORIGINAL POST
I am planning an anniversary trip for my husband and I during late August/Early September. We are 39 and live in Portland, OR and have never been to Germany. Our main goals in visiting Germany are to experience the culture, food, beer, history, and architecture. At first all I knew is I wanted to visit Munich and Berlin so I pieced together an itinerary that connected the two but would really like feedback.
Day 1 Arrival Munich PM
Day 2 Munich
Day 3 Munich to Hohenschwangau PM
Day 4 Hohenschwangau (Neuschwanstein Castle) Day to Nuremberg PM
Day 5 Nuremberg
Day 6 Nuremberg (Daytrip to Bamberg)
Day 7 Nuremberg Day to Dresden PM
Day 8 Dresden
Day 9 Dresden Day to Berlin PM
Day 10 Berlin
Day 11 Berlin
Day 12 Berlin Day to Munich PM
Day 13 AM Flight from Munch
Cities that nearly made the itinerary: Salzburg Daytrip from Munich, Rothenburg de Tauber, Potsdam Daytrip from Berlin
Concerns:
1) Is the overall itinerary too rushed in chosen locations or have I chosen too many locations for the length of the trip? What to cut if it would be better to spend more time in fewer cities?
2) Does a car rental make sense for any portion (I was considering car rental for Munich to Hohenschwangau to Nuremberg)?
3) Am I overlooking any better locations or have I chosen locations that are redundant or don’t give enough variety to the overall trip?
Thanks in advance!