Munich and berlin

Take a good look at the potential overnight trains on the Deutsche Bahn website. Consider what you will do if you arrive in Berlin before 7 AM (one option) and how you will feel about a 2-hour layover in Nurnberg between midnight and 2 AM (another option). Also look at the intermediate stops. Will you sleep through those or wake up every time? [Edited to add DB link.]

If you're flying into Munich from the US or Canada, you likely won't accomplish much that first day in Munich due to sleep deprivation and jetlag. Perhaps the timing would work for you to take a day train? You'd sleep much better in a hotel in Berlin than you would on a night train. The difficulty is that you'd probably have to pay full base fare (which is not cheap), since it's hard to predict when you'll be free of the airport and ready to get on a northbound train.

It's hard to say whether you should split your time between the two cities. I spent six days in Berlin (not even going to Potsdam) in 2015 and didn't have time for everything I wanted to see. Take a look at a guidebook to see how you feel about all those museums and historical sights. The city is a paradise for people interested in World War II and Cold War history. If the museums and historical sights don't thrill you, a few days in Berlin will be sufficient (maybe more than sufficient). I would have been massively frustrated with only 3 or 4 days in Berlin, but you may be completely different.

A lot of people do side-trips from Munich, so you could probably spend all your time in that area, too.

Thanks for the replies and the advice! We are first flying from the US to Iceland for a couple days (getting over our jetlag there hopefully) and then arriving in Munich in early afternoon "Day 1". We aren't departing until early afternoon "Day 8" from Munich, giving us a solid 6.5 days and 7 nights.

The night train looks good but from what acraven is saying it seems to be a lot of running around, especially since we want to enjoy our time over there and not feel rushed. Although seeing the history up there would be amazing.

We definitely want to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. I do photography as a hobby and the wife loves art, so we would appreciate museums/historical sites, especially related to WW2. We are also fans of good beer/wine so we're excited to check that out in Munich/surrounding areas, including beer gardens, etc.

Does this help with suggestions with sidetrips? It sounds like Berlin may be a bit far but does the number of days change your opinion?

Honestly, much as I love Berlin (and am not head-over-heels about Munich), I'd stay in the area around Munich. If the castles around Fussen are a must, maybe one night in that area to facilitate a non-rushed visit. I think a somewhat relaxed visit to Bavaria is to be favored over a rushed visit to Munich and Berlin, especially since you want to see those castles. Leave Berlin for another trip when you can include Potsdam, perhaps the Spreewald, and maybe some time in Leipzig and Dresden.

I agree with acraven on 3 things -- Berlin is awesome, Munich is okay, and a less rushed vacation in Bavaria is your best option, particularly since you flying round trip to Munich. You could add Nürnberg (Nazi Rally Groundps, courtroom for Nuremberg Trials) or Berchtesgaden (Obersalzburg/Eagles Nest) to get a WW2 fix. Good luck with planning. Viel Spaß.

Hi,

Very doable taking the night train to Berlin. I've done it a few times...very satisfactory. Since the direct night train to Berlin no longer exist, (discontinued in Dec 2015), going there at night still can be done easily. Take the Munich Hbf to Hannover Hbf. direct, which arrives ca 6 am or so, then take the ICE to Berlin, ie, you depart at a decent hour, likewise with arriving, both legs direct. You have a tight schedule of 7 days, take the night train you squeeze out another day.

Hi,

Any specific interests you want to pursue in Berlin as it pertains to history or the war? If you want to see the war sites/museums, etc, I would suggest the (1). Resistance Museum (Gedenkstätte deutscher Widerstand), (2). the Prussian-German cemetery, the Invalidenfriedhof, walkable from Berlin Hbf, if you're already familiar with the military personalities in WW1 and 2.

(3). go to Berlin-Karlshorst on the S-Bahn #3 to see German-Russian Museum focusing on the Nazi-Soviet war. I went last June, totally different in presentation from what I saw in 1999. From the S-Bahn it's ca 30 mins walk or you can take bus from the station that goes along Treschow Str. stopping practically in front of the museum.

(4) The Ger Hist Museum (DHM) on Unter den Linden gives you an overview, conceptually very good but it has its short-comings if you focus specifically on certain presentations.

More suggestions if you intend to do any day trip from Berlin.

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. Based on your advice, we think it is better to stick in the Munich and surrounding areas. We appreciate all of your Berlin recommendations and we are definitely excited to go back to Germany after this trip to see it!

We're now thinking of Munich for a few days, Fussen for a night, and Salzburg for a night. Thoughts?