We are interested in the history of Germany so we plan to visit museums, concentration camp and other areas of interest. I am thinking that we should spend 2 full days in Nuremberg. We have 3 full days planned for Munich and Berlin but are willing to take one away to add to anther day to Nuremberg. Any suggestions on whether we should move one of the days to Nuremberg.
Day 1 - arrive to Munich
Day 2 - Munich
Day 3- Munich
Day 4 - Munich
Day 5 - Train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Day 6 - Train to Nuremberg
Day 7 - Nuremberg
Day 8 - train to Berlin
Day 9 - Berlin
Day 10 - Berlin
Day 11 - Berlin
Day 12 - home
Posted by
Schwerin
4442 posts
Berlin plus Potsdam have more history related sites than Munich, e. g. Berlin Wall / GDR / Cold War related.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9683 posts
I agree with Mark. Spend more time in Berlin. Go to Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück. Visit Track 17, go to the Olympic Stadium, the Wannsee Villa and the many museums in Berlin.
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
2517 posts
I think 4 days in Berlin is enough for a visit. Frankly I prefer Munich and Nuremberg. Berlin is the dirtiest big city I've ever seen in Germany, and while it has a lot to offer it's not my favorite.
Posted by
Schwerin
4442 posts
KGC, OP's demand was history, not clean city. ;-)
Posted by
NZ
47 posts
You could spend weeks in Berlin and not tire of the history sights and sites. The various neighbourhoods are very different. Great food choices everywhere. Great walking adventures. My personal favourite things were:The Bibliothek memorial (Empty Library Square) at what is now Humbolt Uni. It's where the 1933 book burning took place. The Stasi Museum. The Rosenstrasse Statue , a memorial to the German women who demanded the release of their Jewish husbands. Seeing the Stolperstein (stumble stones ) everywhere. Wannsee Villa. Jewish Museum, Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. A Reichstag Tour. The EastSide Wall. Art Island. Sachsenhausen Concentration camp: a pleasant train trip, a 20 min walk to the site, past suburban house from which the inhabitants must have seen lorries rumbling past, crammed with prisoners, 85 years ago.
Posted by
Paradise
7949 posts
So far, the the periods of German history referred to in this thread total roughly.... one. WW II (with pre-/post-war periods) is of course important, but alone, it shines only a small light on how Germany has evolved over the centuries.
Maybe that's all you wish to focus on. But an altered itinerary might provide options for exploring Germany during Ancient Rome's period of dominance, medieval times, Prussia, the Thirty Years' War, the Hanseatic period...
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
11245 posts
I agree with Russ. There's a lot of history in Germany, and not all of it is focused on World War II or the DDR. That said, if you are focused more on the 20th century, there is a lot of history in the places you have named, especially Nuremberg and Berlin.
I do think it would be more helpful if, instead of putting days, you list nights. Keep in mind that two nights in a place only equals one full day and possibly some time on either the arrival and departure day, but it's not going to be two full days. It looks like you have two nights in Nuremberg, so that will be affected. However, I think that that's probably plenty of time for Nuremberg unless you want to visit some of the places in the surrounding area like Regensburg, Bamberg, or Wurzburg.
Same with Berlin. You have four nights in Berlin, which is going to equal three full days, plus any time left over after you take the train there from Nuremberg, and whatever time you have on the day you fly home.
And also Munich although honestly, I don't think you need four nights in Munich. I enjoyed Munich, but there's not as much to see there as there is in places like Berlin and other cities. Of course, you may be planning to take some day trips from Munich to Dachau or Salzburg or other places in Bavaria, in which case then you might need more time.