Germany itinerary, day by day

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.

🗓️ 3, 7 or 14 days📍 5 stops☀️ Best time: May to September and December (markets)

Berlin · Photo Ronny Siegel / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Germany in 3 days

2 stops · 12 things to do · ≈ 290 km

1Berlin

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Generator Berlin Mitte (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Oderberger (€150 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Adlon Kempinski (€390 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

A Mano ↗ ★ 4.8 · 4102 reviews · €€
BLESS Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2118 reviews · €€
Malakeh Cuisine Berlin ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1758 reviews · €€
Restaurant Facil ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1238 reviews · €€€€
Pantry ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1102 reviews · €€€

Photo Claudia Solano / Pexels

🚄 ICE · 1h45 · 290 km

2Hamburg

Day 3

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Harbour cruise1h · from €18
An hour among the container ships, docks and cranes of the busiest port in Germany.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Superbude St. Pauli (€48 a night) · Mid-range: 25hours Hotel HafenCity (€160 a night) · Luxury: The Fontenay (€340 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Edmondo ↗ ★ 4.8 · 10776 reviews · €€€
Erdapfel Hamburg (Altstadt) ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1693 reviews · €€
Bless Restaurant Hamburg ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1478 reviews
philipps Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.8 · 978 reviews · €€€
HAERLIN ↗ ★ 4.8 · 298 reviews · €€€€

Photo Juri Schick / Pexels

Germany in 7 days

5 stops · 28 things to do · ≈ 1 420 km

1Berlin

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Generator Berlin Mitte (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Oderberger (€150 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Adlon Kempinski (€390 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Claudia Solano / Pexels

🚄 ICE · 1h45 · 290 km

2Hamburg

Day 3

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Harbour cruise1h · from €18
An hour among the container ships, docks and cranes of the busiest port in Germany.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Superbude St. Pauli (€48 a night) · Mid-range: 25hours Hotel HafenCity (€160 a night) · Luxury: The Fontenay (€340 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Juri Schick / Pexels

🚄 ICE · 4h · 425 km

3Cologne

Day 4

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Rhine cruise1h · from €16
An hour on the river, with the cathedral and the old town seen from the water.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Station Hostel (€42 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Mondial am Dom (€150 a night) · Luxury: Excelsior Hotel Ernst (€300 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

PULS - Restaurant & Bar ↗ ★ 4.9 · 307 reviews
Kuchi Mami ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1744 reviews · €€
Ox&Klee ↗ ★ 4.8 · 587 reviews · €€€€
Trattoria l’Ancora ↗ ★ 4.8 · 383 reviews
Augustiner am Heumarkt ↗ ★ 4.7 · 6294 reviews · €€

Photo Pham Ngoc Anh / Pexels

🚄 ICE · 4h15 · 575 km

4Munich

Days 5-6

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Nymphenburg PalaceTicket · from €12
The summer residence of the Bavarian electors and kings, with a park laid out along its canals.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wombat's Munich (€46 a night) · Mid-range: Louis Hotel (€180 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Bayerischer Hof (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Wildmosers Restaurant-Cafe am Marienplatz - München ↗ ★ 4.8 · 3386 reviews · €€
Ristorante Risotto ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1706 reviews · €€
Le Stollberg ↗ ★ 4.8 · 388 reviews
Zum Alten Markt ↗ ★ 4.7 · 1271 reviews · €€
Andy's Krablergarten ↗ ★ 4.6 · 7561 reviews · €

Photo Prakhyath Deshpande / Pexels

🚗 Car · 1h30 · 130 km (day trip from Munich)

5Neuschwanstein and Füssen

Day 7

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Hohenschwangau village · Lake Alpsee · Füssen old town

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Christine (€85 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Sonne Füssen (€140 a night) · Luxury: AMERON Neuschwanstein Alpsee Resort & Spa (€220 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Pizza da Peppe Originale ↗ ★ 4.9 · 1108 reviews · €€
Restaurant San Marco Hopfen am See ↗ ★ 4.8 · 1089 reviews · €€
NASHI ↗ ★ 4.8 · 955 reviews
Restaurant Maucher's ↗ ★ 4.8 · 628 reviews · €€
La Perla Ristorante Pizzeria Füssen ↗ ★ 4.7 · 3063 reviews · €€

Photo Gildo Cancelli / Pexels

Germany in 14 days

6 stops · 34 things to do · ≈ 1 700 km

1Berlin

Days 1-4

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Generator Berlin Mitte (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Oderberger (€150 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Adlon Kempinski (€390 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Claudia Solano / Pexels

🚄 ICE · 1h45 · 290 km

2Hamburg

Days 5-6

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Harbour cruise1h · from €18
An hour among the container ships, docks and cranes of the busiest port in Germany.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Superbude St. Pauli (€48 a night) · Mid-range: 25hours Hotel HafenCity (€160 a night) · Luxury: The Fontenay (€340 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Juri Schick / Pexels

🚄 ICE · 4h · 425 km

3Cologne

Days 7-8

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Rhine cruise1h · from €16
An hour on the river, with the cathedral and the old town seen from the water.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Station Hostel (€42 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Mondial am Dom (€150 a night) · Luxury: Excelsior Hotel Ernst (€300 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Pham Ngoc Anh / Pexels

🚄 ICE · 4h15 · 575 km

4Munich

Days 9-11

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Nymphenburg PalaceTicket · from €12
The summer residence of the Bavarian electors and kings, with a park laid out along its canals.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wombat's Munich (€46 a night) · Mid-range: Louis Hotel (€180 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Bayerischer Hof (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Prakhyath Deshpande / Pexels

🚗 Car · 1h30 · 130 km

5Neuschwanstein and Füssen

Days 12-13

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
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.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Hohenschwangau village · Lake Alpsee · Füssen old town

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Gildo Cancelli / Pexels

🚗 Car · 1h30 · 130 km (back to the airport)

6Munich

Day 14 · return

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.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Nymphenburg PalaceTicket · from €12
The summer residence of the Bavarian electors and kings, with a park laid out along its canals.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

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

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wombat's Munich (€46 a night) · Mid-range: Louis Hotel (€180 a night) · Luxury: Hotel Bayerischer Hof (€420 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Prakhyath Deshpande / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

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.

⚠️ What to avoid

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.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Germany guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Germany, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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