Itinerary for 6 nights in Germany

Katie, it would help to have a few more details about your Itinerary. For example, where will you be coming from in Switzerland? Also, if you don't want to spend the time in big cities, what are you primarily interested in seeing? Have you been to Germany before, and if so, which areas? ¶ Given that you're coming from Switzerland, you might consider either the Black Forest region and the Rhine, or Munich and the Romantic Road. There are lots of choices, so it would help to know a bit more about your plans. Cheers!

Katie, thanks for the additional information. Where will you be going AFTER your trip to Germany? With only six days to spend there, I'd also suggest that you limit your trip to the south this time and save Berlin for another time (as Rick frequently says "assume you will return"). ¶ My preference would be to travel only by train (fast trains preferred) rather than rental car, as travel by car will take longer and use more of your somewhat short holiday time. ¶ As you haven't been in Germany before, you might consider spending a few days on the Rhine (I'd recommend Bacharach) and then moving to Munich. In addition to touring Munich (which is a wonderful city with lots of history), you could also take day trips to Fussen (tour Neuschwanstein Castle) and/or Dachau (if you're interested in that type of history). Good luck with your planning!

Hi Ken, thanks for your help! I'm not sure where we will be coming from in Switzerland, yet, as I'm working on planning that, as well. I have not been to Germany before. My husband has, but he was quite young and doesn't remember much. Maybe I misspoke about the cities. We're certainly willing to visit them (from what I've read, Munich is probably our best bet), but I wanted to express that we don't necessarily want to jump from city to city (3 days Berlin, 3 days Munich) without seeing anything in between, if that make sense? I'm mostly just looking for the opinion of someone who has been there before, if you only had 6 nights, what would be your "must-sees"? I've heard great things about the Rhine and surrounding areas, as well as Munich, Rothenburg, Bavaria, etc... I just don't know what's realistic for a 6 day trip. Thanks for any help you can offer!

Consider going to Berchtesgaden. It's a beautiful small town and sights include the Eagle's nest, Königsee and Berchtesgaden National park. Chiemsee, Munich and Salzburg are all relatively close too. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I have used the train for this travel from Switzerland to Germany and saw several places that I enjoyed last year. I went from Basel, to Colmar France, as a side trip, then to Freiburg, The Rhine, and stayed in St Goar at the Hotel Hauser, then while on the Rhine, took a River cruise to Bacharach, Rudesheim, Boppard. Then went on to Cologne, and then Frankfurt on the way back to USA. It was alot of fun and had plenty of time to relax on the Rhine. It just depends what you want to see and how long you want to stay in each place. I spent 1 night Freiburg, I day trip to Colmar, France, 3 nights in St Goar, and 2 nights in Frankfurt, with a day trip to Cologne. Whatever you decide, have a great trip.

If you have six nights to spend, I would recommend that you concentrate on a single area of Germany rather than spending a lot of your time traveling from destination to destination. Since you're coming from Switzerland, staying in the southern part of Germany (Bavaria or the Black Forest area) makes a lot more sense. While many folks prefer the use of public transportation, I always opt for a rental car because of the flexibility it provides. I also tend to base myself in a small town fairly centrally located from all of the sights/places I want to visit (either in a rented apartment or a small gasthaus), thereby reducing the amount of time traveling and increasing the time for visiting sights and exploring the countryside. For example, coming from Switzerland by car, you could drive along the north shore of the Bodensee (heading east), check out a town or two (Lindau is nice, although it tends to roll up for the season in October), pick up the Alpine Road and head for Fuessen (Ludwig's Royal Castles), from there you can head over to Oberammergau (check out the Wieskirche along the way) noted for its Passion Play and woodcarving. Linderhof, Ludwig's hunting lodge, is just around the corner. Find yourself a fairly centrally located village - say somewhere in the vicinity of Bad Tolz - Rosenheim and make it your base. From there you can easily day-trip into Munich (probably a couple of days), hit some outlying areas such as the Chiemsee, especially the Heereninsel (Ludwig's unfinished palace), Mittenwakld, Berchtesgaden, etc. If you aren't going on to Austria, I'd highly recommend a day trip to Salzburg. If you're coming home at the end of your six days, you can easily fly out of Munich without spending a lot of time on the road getting to your departure airport.

Thanks for all of the great replies! After Germany, we will be heading home, unfortunately! I'm looking to fly out of either Frankfurt or Munich. I had heard that airfare was cheaper out of Frankfurt, but they're looking comparable right now. I think we will probably rely on public transportation for this trip.