Germany

Germany, in a few days

From Berlin to Munich by fast train, by way of Hamburg and Cologne, with a side trip to Neuschwanstein: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Berlin

Days 1-2

Divided by the Wall from 1961 to 1989, and capital of a reunified country since 1990. Museums, memorials and a night life that runs until morning.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Museum Island2h · from €19
  Five museums on an island in the Spree, UNESCO-listed. The Pergamonmuseum is closed for restoration until 4 June 2027, so start with the Neues Museum and the bust of Nefertiti.
• Guided walk along the Berlin Wall2h30 · from €15
  The course of the Wall and the Cold War sites that survive along it, with the stories of those who crossed it or died trying.

✦ Free to visit

• The Brandenburg Gate
• East Side Gallery
• The Reichstag dome (free, book ahead)
• Tiergarten park

📲 Book things to do in Berlin on GetYourGuide

2

Hamburg

Day 3 · 🚄 ICE 1h45

Germany's largest port, on the Elbe. The red-brick warehouses of the Speicherstadt are UNESCO-listed, and the Elbphilharmonie concert hall rises from an old warehouse on the waterfront.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Elbphilharmonie: the Plaza and a concertEvening · from €25
  The public Plaza, 37 metres up, wraps around the building with a view over the harbour. A concert in the Grand Hall is the reason to book.
• Harbour cruise1h · from €18
  An hour among the container ships, docks and cranes of the busiest port in Germany.

✦ Free to visit

• Speicherstadt, the UNESCO-listed warehouse district
• The Alster lakes
• St. Pauli
• The Reeperbahn

📲 Book things to do in Hamburg on GetYourGuide

3

Cologne

Day 4 · 🚄 ICE 4h

A Rhine city under the twin spires of its Gothic cathedral, begun in 1248 and finished only in 1880. The old town runs on Kölsch, the local beer served in small glasses.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The cathedral and its south tower1h · from €8
  More than 500 steps up the south tower to a platform close to 100 metres above the Rhine.
• Rhine cruise1h · from €16
  An hour on the river, with the cathedral and the old town seen from the water.

✦ Free to visit

• The old town (Altstadt)
• The Hohenzollern Bridge and its padlocks
• The Rhine promenade

📲 Book things to do in Cologne on GetYourGuide

4

Munich

Days 5-6 · 🚄 ICE 4h15

The Bavarian capital: beer halls, the Oktoberfest, baroque churches and one of the largest city parks in Europe.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Beer halls and the Hofbräuhaus, guided2h · from €30
  The Hofbräuhaus, founded as the royal brewery in 1589, and the beer halls and gardens that grew up around it.
• Nymphenburg PalaceTicket · from €12
  The summer residence of the Bavarian electors and kings, with a park laid out along its canals.

✦ Free to visit

• Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel
• The English Garden
• Viktualienmarkt
• Surfers on the Eisbach wave

📲 Book things to do in Munich on GetYourGuide

5

Neuschwanstein and Füssen

Day 7 · 🚗 Car 1h30

The castle Ludwig II began in 1869 on a ridge above the Pöllat gorge, often cited as the model for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. Füssen, the old town below, is the easiest base.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Neuschwanstein Castle (timed ticket)Visit · from €21
  Ludwig II's unfinished castle, seen only on a guided tour with a fixed time slot. Book online: summer days sell out.
• Pöllat Gorge and the MarienbrückeTrail · from €9
  The iron footbridge over the gorge gives the classic view of the castle. The paths close in winter and after rockfalls, so check before you walk up.

✦ Free to visit

• Hohenschwangau village
• Lake Alpsee
• Füssen old town

📲 Book things to do in Neuschwanstein and Füssen on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

ICE high-speed trains · Deutsche Bahn's ICE links Berlin and Munich in about four hours, with Hamburg and Cologne on the same fast network. Book early for the cheaper saver fares.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Bratwurst and currywurst: grilled sausage, the second sliced under a curry ketchup, Berlin's street food since 1949.
• Schnitzel: a thin cutlet, breaded and fried, on menus across the country.
• Brezel and rye bread: the pretzel of the south, and dense sourdough loaves in dozens of regional kinds.
• Sauerkraut and slow-cooked dishes: pork knuckle in Bavaria, sauerbraten on the Rhine.
• Beer: Kölsch in Cologne, wheat beer in Munich, and a local brewery almost everywhere in between.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Most shops close on Sundays, supermarkets included, so buy what you need on Saturday.
• Carry some cash: cards are now common, but some bakeries, bars and market stalls still take notes only.
• Rules matter here: sort your rubbish, keep the noise down on Sundays and at night, and wait your turn.
• On the autobahn the left lane is for overtaking only: pull back to the right as soon as you have passed.

Words that help

English ↔ German

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The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/germany

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.