Need help making a efficient 10 day itinerary for Germany

Braunschweig is a great base for real Germany (not the Disney-land kinda Germany most other tourists get to see). Do a Google or Bing picture search on "Kassel Herkules" and visit that great castle/gardens S of Branuschweig. Also visit Sababurg castle, the original sleeping beauty castle the Grimm brothers had in mind (the one in Neuschwanstein got built much, much later and is as authentic as the one in Anaheim, CA). Consider visiting Autostadt in Wolfsburg, the VW world headquarters and muesum. Spend 2 or 3 days in the Harz mountains in with base in Goslar or Quedlinburg. Take the steam train up Mt. Brocken. Visit Hannover and the Chateau/Gardens there. Keep in mind that's where the English royal family stems from (their name used to be Hannover until WW2 when they thought a German family name might not be too sensitive). On a warm day visit Steinhuder Meer, a very big lake with beautfil towns surrounding it. Your hosts should know where best to go. Berlin is just an hour by train. As to concentration camp (KZ): Bergen-Belsen is in the area (outside of Celle). http://www.bergenbelsen.de/en/. Celle, by the way is also quite a picturesque place. www.goslar.de, www.celle.de, www.wilhelmshoehe.de/home.htm

Here was my 2006 10 day Germany Itenerary:

Flew into Berlin, stayed 2 days.

Dresden, 1 day.

Nuremburg 2 days. We arrived late, and really just had 1 day to get to know the historic core, but also made a trip out to the documentation center and Zeppelin Field.

Munich 3 days (side trips to Neuswanstein and Dachau, both on separate days). I now realize that we did not see much of Munich in the day time due to my 2 side trips but experienced some nightlife in the famous beer halls.

Rothenburg, 1 day, wished we could have stayed there forever. We were to leave Rothenburg pretty early to take the train that brings you along the Rhine but just could not break away from the cutest medieval city in the world.

Cologne. 1 evening and flew out the next day. We arrived so late, and it was pouring rain. we did not see any sites, except the facade of the cathedral at night in the pouring rain. Had I known that it would have been missed out on, I would have booked my flight out of Frankfurt, just to have been closer to Rothenburg.

After you land in Frankfurt, you can do the Rhine stuff and make your way to Rothenburg. After Rothenburg, Munich is only 2 hours away. Dachau is not too far from Munich. Heading back north to Berlin may be long, approx 6-8 hours. This could be broken up with a stop in Nuremburg.

Going North in Germany is a great idea, so no need to take extra time going South.

If you are going to be in Berlin, then you can go to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and also Ravensbruck Camp which was for the women. They are very near each other. Potsdam is beautiful especially in late May, in its park setting.

You might want to see if Lübeck or Quedlinburg (UNESCO site) are on the route where you are going. Both are wonderful medieval cities.

http://www.luebeck-tourism.de/

http://www3.quedlinburg.de/neu/englisch/

Michael,

Good that the focus of your trip is not in the south of Germany. I heartily recommend going to Berlin and while there make a full day's trip to Potsdam, especially if you are interested in Prussian history.
I haven't been to Hannover since 1989, when it was from there you flew into Berlin-Tegel in the old days. But I did see the Herrenhauser Gardens, very interesting and historical.

I agree with the posts about visiting Goslar & Quedlingburg in the Harz Mountains. I would add Wernigerode and Bad Harzburg to the list. These are all high on my list of places not to be missed in Germany. I would also suggest the beautiful little town of Lemgo in Lippe just to the SW of Hannover which has much to see is is totally ignored by travel books. As for the castles Burg Eltz and Marksburg, its a toss up. I loved them both. Burg Eltz is your dream of what a castle should look like but with a so-so tour. Marksburg in a grand setting with a great tour.