Judge My Itinerary (and Hiking Trips!)

By far too rushed itinerary for my taste. Did you check the travel times?
Check train journey planner: https://int.bahn.de/en

One full day plus 2 halfs for Berlin is by far not enough for a city with 170 museums. Museum Island alone will kill this time. Not mentioned the other great places for art warriors.

For landscape scenery check Saxon Switzerland near Dresden.

Why Leipzig and not Erfurt? And only for a half day??

No reason for slow train to Cologne but also there: why the long ways for max. half a day?

To formulate it friendly: I am not sure that by this way of traveling you will get the best experience out of your time and money for this journey. Too much travel time, too less quality time. And the judge's sentence version you will not read. Basically throw out Leipzig and Cologne and concentrate on Berlin and Frankfurt area incl. Rhine Valley.

Heads up: Traveling Germany is not like traveling cities in the USA. Here you have tons of centuries and layers of experience. Many places (in the US) you can do in a full day if you are interested enough - you'll want more time with most destinations in Germany.

Tip: book asap, September is always a busy month.

Hope this helps.

I'm incredibly into scenery, hiking, wine, and museums. I'd like to avoid too-touristy areas, and I'll be purchasing the Germany ticket for regional trains.

MarkK's analysis of your current plan is spot on.

I actually love your idea of using the D-Ticket (regional trains only) for the Germany portion of Prague > FRA airport. I suggest that you review this route at the DB site. Do a rail itinerary search pretending you are doing the whole route at once using the regional trains (select "local transport only" under "Mode of transport.")

I just did this for Sept. 11. Found a 12-hr itinerary at 9:28 with 4 changes of train. Prague > Cheb > Hof > Bamberg > Aschaffenburg > Mainz. (I used Mainz as a final destination because it's so close to FRA airport, because staying at FRA airport is dull, and because I like it more than Frankfurt.)

Then I clicked on the "journey information" box to review the stops in Germany. Other great places that are WAY off the Rick Steves Tourist Trail popped up. Kulmbach, Bad Staffelsten, Bamberg, Gemünden am Main, Dieburg... You would be passing through wine country and fine scenery and old-world towns with plenty of hiking options and museums as well.

I want to do this trip myself, right now. Not in 1 day of course. I'd spread it out over 8 days and include a small detour here and there to places nearby that aren't right on the route... Bayreuth? Coburg? Michelstadt?

Hi, artwarrior212, it sounds like a very nice trip! It doesn't sound too terribly rushed to me. Everyone's traveling style is different and this is your trip, so your preferences should matter.

You might consider dropping Leipzig and heading straight to Cologne and spending two nights there. That will give you time to explore Cologne and all of its sights, but will also give you time for a day trip to Aachen, which is a quick 30 minute train ride away. I loved Aachen. Its cathedral is quite beautiful (especially the interior, which is drop-dead gorgeous) and houses the remains of Charlemagne, leader of the Holy Roman Empire. The town is also very charming and has a lovely vibe to it. It's smaller than Cologne and you could easily spend some time just walking around and enjoying the sites. If you go, don't miss the Granus tower, which is next to the Rathaus (town hall) and is one of the few pieces remaining from Charlemagne’s palace. It dates back to the 8th century, making it over 1200 years old.

After Köln, you could head down to Frankfurt and continue your travels. Is there some reason you are choosing to base in Frankfurt? If you are mostly interested in the Rhine area, it might make more sense to stay in one of the towns there, like Boppard, etc., and get out of the city. But that's just one thought and you probably have some specific reasons for staying there.

With regards to Luxembourg, it is a beautiful place and you would have the advantage of the free public transportation it offers. Plus it is included in the Deutschland-ticket, so getting there is free. But it is at least a 3 1/2 hour+ train ride, and there are many beautiful places in Germany that would offer gorgeous scenery. I'm partial to the Black Forest, but really you can go just about anyplace.

Hi all! These are FANTASTIC and so incredibly helpful for my trip. I’ve made some adjustments below.

September 11 Arrive into Prague.

September 14 Train to Berlin.
Potsdam day trip.

September 17 Erfurt. Day trip to Bamberg.

September 19 Train to Munich.

September 21 Train to Freiburg. Day trips around & perhaps Stuttgart?

September 23 Train to Mainz.
Sankt Goar day trip.

This seems more doable , but if I were to cut out something, what would I cut out?

So basically, except for Prague and Berlin, where you have 3 nights, you will only have 2 nights in all the other places. Keep in mind that with travel, that really only gives you one full day.

For example, on Sept. 21, you train to Freiburg. By the time you get there and get checked in, you've got maybe a half day, and then the next day. So you've got to decide whether you want to spend that time exploring Freiburg or take your day trips. You won't really have time to do more than one day trip.

It's still a little unclear what you are looking for, so I would think about that. But I think you will be able to see more if you spend 3 nights, rather than two. Now having said that, there are some folks who don't mind traveling every couple of days to new places. There is one woman here on the forum who has been traveling for decades, and that is her mode of travel. She likes sleeping in new places, and doesn't mind the travel time to get there. I don't know how much you've traveled, but it is definitely something to think about. I'm the opposite. I like staying in a place for at least 3 nights and preferably 4-7 if possible. But I'm retired and I can travel for much longer periods of time. And that's me.

If you're okay with moving on every couple of days (except for the beginning), then have at it. As I said, this is your trip and you should see what you want. But if you want some suggestions, here are a few.

Erfurt is nice, but if this is your first trip to Germany and you want to see Bamberg, it might make more sense to base in Nuremberg, which has tons of history, and you can take day trips to Bamberg or Regensburg, which are both pretty wonderful and within a short train ride from Nuremberg.

Munich is nice, and if you really want a good look at the Bavarian culture, it's a good stop, but you don't need much time there. Or better yet, skip Munich and head to the Black Forest after you leave Nuremberg or Bamberg. I would recommend the town of Gengenbach as a good stop. I think this places gives you a better look at the German culture that Munich sort of strives for. I stayed in Gengenbach for 4 nights in 2022 and absolutely loved it. The town is very charming (it's frequently called a "chocolate box" village) and has a beautiful Altstadt, with quite a few restaurants and cafes to choose from. Gengenbach makes a good base as it is right on the main train line, and gives you the options of some interesting day trips, including taking a day trip to Strasbourg, France, which is a quick 40 minute train ride away.

The town has cobblestones and half-timbered houses, flower pots and cats resting on doormats and quaint dolls in the window. I felt like I had walked back in time when I strolled through these quaint and narrow streets. There is also a nice hike you can take that will get you above the town with some absolutely beautiful views of below. The hike ends up at a church called St. Jakob auf dem Bergle that sits above town. The TIC in town will have maps showing you how to get there. it was a really nice hike and as I said, the views are just lovely. And there are so many more hiking opportunities available. It's really a lovely area, and usually free of American tourists.

One nice benefit if you stay there is that you receive a KONUS card, which entitles you to free public transport throughout the Black Forest region, although the Deutschland ticket will give you that as well. There are many charming villages in the region that you can visit along the Black Forest Railway, and there is also the Vogtsbauernhof (open-air museum) that is a joy to visit and easily accessible by train.

From there, you could easily head up to the Rhine area and your final destination.

Erfurt > Munich on the 19th and Munich > Freiburg on the 21st? By regional train? Wahnsinn.

You appear to be creating these itineraries without reference to the train hours involved with regional train across long distances. My advice is to use the DB site - and the "only local transport" filter - to see what your D-Ticket train trips are going to require in terms of trip length and changes of train. Plan your itinerary out day by day - figuring out as well how you plan to get around within Berlin, Munich, and Leipzig from sight to sight - to see how it all fits together.

Of course, that's not my best advice. That would be what I suggested previously. You said you want wine, scenery, hiking, museums and less-touristy destinations. Why should that necessarily entail Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne, Leipzig and Berlin, exactly? Save the museums, these cities don't appear to have what you want. Don't attempt to navigate the entire country. Stick to a fairly direct trajectory between Prague and FRA to minimize the number of hours you are inside a train and maximize your "boots on the ground time." If it's a FOMO on the German place names that you recognize - larger cities for the most part - then a tight trajectory between Prague and FRA could still include Frankfurt and Nuremberg and Würzburg (wine), all with very worthwhile sights and museums.

You’re going to be here 7.5 days and travel across Germany. Please hold up and relax. Now if you’re just trying to check boxes you will do it. If you’re looking at enjoying a little of each city take a look at Berlin, Prague, Dresden. Fine restaurants and museums and just good old sightseeing. People forget to add in time to the train stations, waiting, getting to hotels then finally finding the ways of the city. Just my opinion. This year we e our 35th flight to Europe since 1996. It’s been a highlight of our retirement years and since we are heading to 80 we decided to find a city to spend 3 months and travel out of it.

I'm not a Germany expert, but I have this on my list of places to visit, and it's potentially on your route. Covered (mostly) by your regional ticket. https://www.seat61.com/places-of-interest/by-harz-railway-to-the-brocken.htm

I'm incredibly into scenery, hiking, wine, and museums

Unfortunately you dropped the area around Dresden totally which would fit all of these criteria. Saxon Switzerland is perfect for scenery and hiking, the Elbe valley north of Dresden is a wine region and the city itself has some of the best museums in Germany.

You will spend a lot of time travelling by trains (especially if you use slow trains, and that doesn't even include the delays that Deutsche Bahn is infamous for).