We are going to be in Germany in early December this year. Beginning in Berlin and ending in Dusseldorf or Frankfurt. Definitely want to see Christmas Markets along the way. We'll be leaving the Schengen in early January. I was thinking Berlin for 4-5 nights but not sure where we should go from there. We don't want to rent or buy a car...we'll be taking trains or public transportation.
Could you please help us with itinerary planning?
Thanks very much!
- Ronda
How much time do you have in total (4 weeks)?
What are your interests?
Maybe Hamburg is an option with Christmas Markets in Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck? A stop-over would be possible in Schwerin to see a beautiful castle.
Another option is to visit Harz Mountains with Goslar incl. Weihnachtswald and other small towns and markets.
Also NRW state (capital Düsseldorf) has beautiful markets near castles: https://www.nrw-tourism.com/christmas-markets/castles.
Train journey planner: https://int.bahn.de/en
*How much time do you have in total?* - We will be in the Schengen for the allowed 90/180, beginning in Budapest for month 1, then Warsaw for month 2, last month will be in Northern/Western Germany.
*What are your interests?*** - Historical in Berlin, for sure. Bundesliga games, when possible....I bleed Schwarz-Gelben!
We are definitely interested in smaller towns and what they offer, instead of just the large city sites.
Thank you for the other suggestions and links!
For "Historical in Berlin" I would plan 6-7 nights because so many history layers.
Btw: Niko Kovač, current trainer of the "Schwarz-Gelben" (BVB Dortmund) is a Berlin child and were grown up in a more intense neighborhood (Wedding). His brother is co-trainer.
*For "Historical in Berlin" I would plan 6-7 nights because so many history layers.* - That's do-able, for certain. During that time, what are the "must sees" that would be on your list?
Yes! I knew that about the BVB manager & his brother, Robert! :)
I'll focus my remarks on Berlin especially pertaining to your historical aims there. I did too my first time to Germany which included (west)Berlin, obviously.
Fantastic that 7 nights are being set aside to track down "historical sights" in Berlin. One needs at least that much time to devote to seeing these sights seriously. Keep in mind that as a general rule :historical Berlin " is east of the Brandenburg Gate and adjacent Pariser Platz.
Yes, historical sites are to be found in the western side of Berlin such as those in Spandau, Charlottenburg, Wannsee , Steglitz, etc but these area until 1920 suburbs, likewise in the eastern Berlin, such as Koepenick, Karlshorst.
First of all, Berlin is huge, going from the western end, say Spandau to the eastern end, therabouts, west to east laterally on the S-Bahn takes at least one hour. If you want to do this, I suggest taking the S-3 (Direction: Eckner).
Eastern Berlin offers numerous cultural and historical sites, it all depends on the level of your interest in pursuing them, such as the house / museum of that great dramatist, writer of the German Enlightenment, G. Lessing. Aside from cultural sites, if you want those connected with Prussian-German history, they're there too.
Small towns in the Greater Berlin area: I would suggest from cultural and historical perspectives Rheinsberg, Potsdam (not merely to see the Sans Souci palace) but also other Potsdamer Schloesser and museums in the Zentrum, Babelsberg, (Schloss Babelsberg) , Werder an der Havel
Can't help with the Bundesliga and Berlin, I like Borussia Dortmund...regardless.
Hi Ronda, I’m sure you don’t want to go at the pace I will be traveling, but I received a lot of very helpful comments about Christmas Markets on the route you’re thinking about in Germany. Here’s the link:
