The Ultimate Germany Itinerary

Planning a trip to Germany? This 3 week Germany itinerary will take you through some of the most beautiful scenery that Germany has to offer.

I was completely blown away by Germany, it’s one of the most beautiful countries that we have visited. Honestly it’s gorgeous.

This Germany Itinerary will take you through some of the most beautiful towns and landscapes. You will visit castles, wineries, enjoy delicious food and of course, sip on a pint of beer or two.

Our itinerary is best done with a rental car but can be done with public transportation.

I recommend spending at least 2 weeks in Germany but 3 would be ideal. There is so much to see in Germany and you are not going to want to leave, we sure didn’t.

This post is all about The Ultimate Germany itinerary.

Germany

There are several international airports in Germany. I recommend flying into which ever airport has a the best airline fare and adjust the itinerary as needed.

For the purpose of my itinerary we will be landing into Munich International Airport.

I recommend taking the S-Bahn train which will take you approximately 45 mins and cost €12.30, you can buy your ticket from the RED DB Ticket kiosks. A Taxi costs approximately €95.

We rented our car starting the morning of day 5 when we started our Romantic Road journey through Rentalcars.com, we spent $638 for 18 days.

Parking Fees will vary from €5 a night to €23 a night but most fees were around €10 per night.

Our phones have an E-SIM so we purchased a data plan with Airalo, cost was $30 for 15GB.

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Germany Itinerary

~ Munich aka München

Recommend Days : 4

What to do in Munich:

BMW Welt and BWM Museum
Englischer Garten (Munich’s Central Park) along Isar River
Olympiaturm (broadcast tower) for a view over the whole city.
Olympiaberg (hill next to the tower) for sunset.
Deutsches Museum
Dachau Concentration Camp

Marienplatz and the Neues Rathaus, Munich’s Iconic Town Hall ( Visit at 11,12 or 5 o’clock to see the famous chime with 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures reenacting various ancient stories for more than 10 minutes)
Viktualienmarkt near Marienplatz
Munich Residenz (the ancient city castle, Don’t forget to walk around the Residenz to see the court garden and enjoy a cool beer in its beer garden)
St. Peters Church (Munich’s oldest church)
Eisbachwelle-famous surfer spot

If you happen to be there in September/October make sure to add Octoberfest to your Germany Itinerary. It’s a must!

Foods Spots:

Tattenbach Wirtshaus & Stüberl
Liebighof
Schneider Bräuhaus München
Mr. Pancake
Café Frischhut

Where we Stayed: Hotel ADRIA Munchen

~ The Romantic Road

Pick up your rental car and head out to explore the romantic road.

We had plans to stop by Lake Eibsee and walk the 4.5 mile Eibsee Loop around the lake as well as Zugspitze Cable Car but we were all super hungover from Octoberfest and wanted to get to our hotel as quickly as possible. If you have time though I definitely recommend the additional 30 min drive time. I would add an additional night and overnight in Wuzburg instead of just a day visit if you plan to add this in.

Recommended Days: 3-4

~ Fussen (overnight)

Drive Time Munich to Fussen: 1hr 45mins

Walk Through Fussen Old Town
Visit Neuschwanstein Castle and Mary’s Bridge
Visit Hohenschwangau Castle
Lechfall

Food Spots:

Restaurant RIWA at Hotel Sonne for dinner and breakfast. Both times were so delicious.

Where we Stayed: Hotel Sonne

~ Augsburg (overnight)

Drive Time Fussen to Augsburg: 1hr 20mins but you will be making two stops in between which are the first two on the list Wieskirche and Landsberg am Lech.

Vist Wieskirche
Walk around Landsberg am Lech
Walk down Maximilian Street
Fuggerei (The world’s oldest social housing project, the annual rent is €0.88)
Climb Perlachturm

Food Spots:

Bricks Café & Bar Augsburg-the pancakes were delicious

Where we Stayed: Hotel Maximilian’s

~ Rothenburg ob Der Tauber (overnight)

Drive Time Augsburg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber: 2hrs but again today you will be making two stops, first visit Nördlingen followed by Dinkelsbühl.

Visit Nördlingen and walk the entire city walls
Wander through Dinkelsbühl
Explore the picturesque town of Rothenburg ob Der Tauber
Medieval Criminal Museum

Food Spots:

Cafe Kasarm (Nördlingen) for Coffee and Pastries
Food Point (Dinkelsbühl) try the pizza it’s actually so good but they specialize in Turkish
Zur Hoell ( A Rothenburg Must) one of the best meals we had, the ribs were chefs kiss

Where we Stayed: Historik Hotel Goldener Hirsch Rothenburg (The name of this hotel is 100% accurate, this hotel is historic, very outdated, corky room layout and terrible breakfast but was in a great location with cheap parking.) Not a bad stay for one night.

The following day make your way to Wuzburg the final stop on the Romantic Road.

~ Wuzburg (day visit, overnight in Heidelberg)

Drive Time Rothenburg to Wuzburg: 45mins

Würzburg Residence
Marienburg Fortress
Fürstengarten
Alte Mainbrücke

Food Stops: I would literally go to Wuzburg just to eat at Istanbul Kebap again. Go, don’t miss this place!

~ Heidelberg

Drive Time Wuzburg to Heidelberg: 1hr 45mins

We stayed one night but wished we would’ve stayed two. If you can only stay one night that’s perfectly fine.

Recommend Days: 2

What to do Heidelberg:

Walk around Altstadt (Old Town)
Visit Heidelberg Castle
Alte Brücke
Deutsches Apotheken Museum
Neckarwiese
Philosophenweg
Königstuhl

Food Spots:

Café NOMAD Heidelberg Neuenheim
Bent Bar
Weinstube Schnitzelbank
Heid’s Grill & Restaurant

Where we Stayed: Hotel Panorama

~ Koblenz

Drive Time Heidelberg to Koblenz: 2hrs

Recommended Days: 2

What to do in Koblenz:

River Cruise ( Visit the Tourist Center for departure times )
Koblenz Cable Car
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
Wine Tasting (Weingut Göhlen, Weingut Schwaab – Koblenzer Weinerlebnis, Weingut Spurzem, Weingut Kloster Ebernach)
Visit or Overnight at Schloss Arenfels. Purchase a bottle of wine and charcuterie board from the gift shop and enjoy an afternoon relaxing and enjoying the views of the city.

Food Spots:

Cowboys Burger Saloon
Altstadt Café Koblenz

Where we Stayed: Sander Hotel & Schloss Arenfels ( The Castle, grounds and rooms are beautiful but management needs a lot of work. So much potential to be something so amazing but it’s not there yet. Skip breakfast it was terrible.)

~ Cologne

Drive Time Koblenz to Cologne: 1hr 15mins

Recommend Days: 2

What to do in Cologne:

Cologne Cathedral
Cologne’s Old Town
Church of Great St. Martin
add a lock Hohenzollern Bridge
NS Documentation Museum
Enjoy the Views from Koln Triangle
Ludwig Museum
The Fragrance Museum

Food Spots:

Rievkoochebud Reibekuchen
TAKEZO
Noodle Fan
Oma Janßen Colonialwarenhandel

Where we Stayed: CityClass Hotel Residence am Dom

~ Hamburg

Drive Time Cologne to Hamburg: 4hrs 30mins

Recommend Days: 2

What to do in Hamburg:

Speicherstadt- world’s largest warehouse district
HafenCity
Harbor Tour
Elbphilharmonie Building
Miniatur Wunderland
Planten un Blomen Public Park
International Maritime Museum
See a concert at Elbphilharmonie
Bike along River Elbe
Stroll around the Picturesque Alster Lakes
St Pauli for drinks
Jungfernstieg- waterfront promenade
Walk the Elbe Tunnel
Hamburg Rathaus
Fischmarkt (Only on Sunday Mornings)

Food Spots:

Clockers Bar
Erste Liebe Cafe
Burger Heros
Schifferbörse Restaurant

Where we Stayed: Fraser Suites Hamburg

~ Berlin

Drive Time Hamburg to Berlin: 3hrs

Recommend Days: 3

What to do in Berlin:

Visit Checkpoint Charlie
Visit a Part of the Berlin Wall
Visit Berlin Bunker + Museum
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Visit Brandenburg Gate
Reichstag Building
Tiergarten Park
Go to Gendarmenmarkt
Climb the Dome at Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom)
Visit the Pergamon Museum
Cross Oberbaum Bridge
East Side Gallery
Walk to the Berliner Fernsehturm Tower & Alexanderplatz Sqaure full of shops
Visit the DDR Museum
Markthalle Neun Market

Food Spots:

Unser Cafe
Kaffeehaus SowohlAlsAuch for hot chocolate and cake
Burgermeister Schlesisches Tor
Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap
Cocolo Ramen
ZEIT FÜR BROT for the best cinnamon rolls
Hokey Pokey Ice Cream

Where we Stayed: Parlamento Rooms ( Nothing fancy, not an actual hotel but was extremely clean, amazing location and priced very well )

~ Dresden

Drive Time Berlin to Dresden: 2 hrs

Recommend Days: 2

What to do in Dresden:

Frauenkirche
Zwinger Palace
Semperoper
Dresdner Residenzschloss
Fürstenzug Mural
Brühl’s Terrace
Dresden Cathedral
Altstadt or Old Town of Dresden
Kunsthofpassage, singing drain pipes
Saxxon Switzerland National Park

Food Spots:

Cafe Milchmädchen
Curry 24
The Burtwurst Stand at Saxxon National Park

Where we Stayed: Residenz am Zwinger

Final stop on our Germany Itinerary before heading back to Munich is

~ Nuremberg

Drive Time Dresden to Nuremberg: 3hrs 15mins

Recommend Days: 2

What to do in Nuremberg:

Browse at the Handwerkerhof Market
Walk Weißgerbergasse
Kaiserburg
Visit Lorenzkirche
Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds
Nuremberg Trials Memorial
Admire Weinstadel
Walk the City Walls (Start at the west side of Old Town and make your way to Fürther Tor towards the south of the city)
St. Sebaldus Church
St. Lorenz Church
Schöner Brunnen
Nuremberg Toy Museum
Nürnberger Felsengänge

Food Spots:

Santos
Osteria Del Centro
Gin & Julep Bar

Where we Stayed: Karl August – a Neighborhood Hotel

~ Back to MUNIch

Drive Time Nuremberg to Munich: 1hr 45mins

International Flight Home

Transportation in Munich:

The U-Bahn (underground railway)-Is fast and efficient at avoiding traffic and congestion.
Straßenbahn (tram)-This is an excellent mode of transportation in Munich with many stops.
S-Bahn (aboveground railway)-Similar to the U-Bahn but it runs above ground.

Food to try in Germany:

Kasespätzle- Pasta
Schnitzel- Breaded meat dish
Flammkuchen- German pizza
Currywurst- Ketchup and curry powder served over grilled sausage best in Cologne & Berlin
Sauerkraut
Bratwurst
Weisswurst
Königsberger Klopse- meatballs in a creamy white sauce with capers best in Berlin
Maultaschen- A larger version of ravioli, maultaschen are typically palm-sized, square pockets of dough that vary in filling from sweet to savory and meaty to vegetarian
Rouladen- blend of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped together in sliced beef or veal. Popular Rhine Region
Kartoffelsalat- Thinly sliced potatoes mixed with bacon, chives, and vinegar
Kartoffelpuffer- Fried potato pancakes
Brezeln-Pretzel
Obatzda- Bavarian cheese dip served cold.
Kalbshaxe- Cooked veal knuckle
Schweinshaxe- Pork Knuckle
Spargel Soup- Creamy white asparagus soap
Gulaschsuppe- Hearty chili like soup
Speckpfannkuchen- Glorified crêpe with strips of bacon in it
Sauerbraten- German pot roast
Döner Kebab- Popular in Berlin
Kartoffelkloesse- Potato balls
Strammer Max- Fried eggs and ham atop buttered toast

Drinks to try in Germany:

Hefeweizen Beer
Apfelschorle- apple juice and carbonated (sparkling) water
Radler- Beer mixed with sparkling lemonade or soda
Berliner Kindl Weisse- A dose of raspberry syrup mixed with a light beer is served in a bowl-shaped glass.
Local Reisling Wines

Desserts to try in Germany:

Spaghetti Eis- Vanilla ice cream pressed into a Spätzle machine, and oodles of thick ropy cream come out. Topped with strawberry sauce.
Apfelstrudel- An apple pastry
Krapfen-Berliner Donuts
Bratapfel- A caramelized apple
Black Forest Cake- Cherries, chocolate, whipped cream, and liquor sponge cake
Kaiserschmarrn- Fried pancakes that are torn and dusted with sugar
Schneeballen- Sugar covered fried dough
Apfelkuchen- Cinnamon soaked apples baked into a butter crust
Lebkuchen- Spiced cookies
Pfeffernusse- Mini cookies made of molasses, honey, nutmeg, ginger, and other spices.

That wraps up this post The Ultimate Germany Itinerary.

Travel Resources

Here you can find all the travel site links that we personally use and recommend.

CAMPSITES/CAMPGROUNDS We like to use a couple apps for last minute campsite bookings. Our favorites are HipCamp, The Dyrt and Campendium.

ACCOMMODATION: We find the best deals with BOOKING.COM. The more you book the better the perks like free breakfast with your stay, room upgrades and even higher discounted room rates.

CAR RENTALS: We have always used RentalCars.com and find them to have the best deals, customer service and selection of locations.

FLIGHTS: Our go to for looking up flights is SKYSCANNER, but we try to always book directly with the airline.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: GET YOUR GUIDE and VIATOR are two very reputable sites with easy and hassle free bookings.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: It’s so important to travel with insurance and for this we use SafetyWing. We are currently using them for our 1 year trip.

TRANSPORTATION: For all our bus, ferry and train transfer needs in Asia we use 12go.as ia.

The Ultimate Germany Itinerary

Germany