Two comprehensive weeks connecting Northern Germany's maritime harbor, Berlin, Saxony, the Rhine castles, the Black Forest, and the Bavarian Alps.
Route overview
- Day 1 — Hamburg Speicherstadt & Elbphilharmonie: Start on the Elbe waterfront and historic Deichstraße.
- Day 2 — Lübeck Hanseatic Day Trip & 1h45m ICE to Berlin: Morning in Lübeck, evening high-speed train to Berlin Hbf.
- Day 3 — Berlin Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag & Museum Island: Full day exploring historic Mitte and Unter den Linden.
- Day 4 — Berlin Wall Memorial, East Side Gallery & Potsdam Sanssouci: Cold War landmarks and Prussian palaces.
- Day 5 — Dresden Baroque Old Town & Saxon Switzerland: Visit Frauenkirche, Zwinger Palace, and Bastei Bridge.
- Day 6 — ICE West to Cologne Cathedral & Kölsch Brauhaus: Cross Germany by high-speed rail to the Rhine at Cologne.
- Day 7 — UNESCO Middle Rhine Gorge Cruise & Bacharach: Cruise past Loreley and hilltop castles from Koblenz/Boppard to Bacharach.
- Day 8 — Heidelberg Castle, Old Bridge & Neckar Valley: Explore Germany's oldest university town and red-sandstone palace.
- Day 9 — Baden-Baden Spas, Black Forest & Freiburg: Thermal baths, Black Forest pine valleys, and Freiburg's Gothic Münster.
- Day 10 — Rothenburg ob der Tauber Medieval Walls: Walk the intact 14th-century ramparts and Plönlein.
- Day 11 — Nuremberg Kaiserburg & Bamberg UNESCO Old Town: Franconia's imperial castle and smoked beer heritage.
- Day 12 — Munich Marienplatz, Residenz & English Garden: Bavaria's royal capital and traditional beer gardens.
- Day 13 — Neuschwanstein Castle, Füssen & Lake Alpsee: King Ludwig II's Alpine castles and Marienbrücke gorge viewpoint.
- Day 14 — Garmisch-Partenkirchen / Zugspitze & Departure from Munich: Final Alpine panorama before flying home from Munich (MUC).
Rail & Transit Strategy
Combine a 7-Day or 10-Day German Rail Pass (or advance DB ICE Sparpreis tickets) with the €58 Deutschlandticket for unlimited urban and regional transit.
Day 1 — Hamburg Speicherstadt & Elbphilharmonie
Start on the Elbe waterfront and historic Deichstraße.
Day 2 — Lübeck Hanseatic Day Trip & 1h45m ICE to Berlin
Morning in Lübeck, evening high-speed train to Berlin Hbf.
Day 3 — Berlin Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag & Museum Island
Full day exploring historic Mitte and Unter den Linden.
Day 4 — Berlin Wall Memorial, East Side Gallery & Potsdam Sanssouci
Cold War landmarks and Prussian palaces.
Day 5 — Dresden Baroque Old Town & Saxon Switzerland
Visit Frauenkirche, Zwinger Palace, and Bastei Bridge.
Day 6 — ICE West to Cologne Cathedral & Kölsch Brauhaus
Cross Germany by high-speed rail to the Rhine at Cologne.
Day 7 — UNESCO Middle Rhine Gorge Cruise & Bacharach
Cruise past Loreley and hilltop castles from Koblenz/Boppard to Bacharach.
Day 8 — Heidelberg Castle, Old Bridge & Neckar Valley
Explore Germany's oldest university town and red-sandstone palace.
Day 9 — Baden-Baden Spas, Black Forest & Freiburg
Thermal baths, Black Forest pine valleys, and Freiburg's Gothic Münster.
Day 10 — Rothenburg ob der Tauber Medieval Walls
Walk the intact 14th-century ramparts and Plönlein.
Day 11 — Nuremberg Kaiserburg & Bamberg UNESCO Old Town
Franconia's imperial castle and smoked beer heritage.
Day 12 — Munich Marienplatz, Residenz & English Garden
Bavaria's royal capital and traditional beer gardens.
Day 13 — Neuschwanstein Castle, Füssen & Lake Alpsee
King Ludwig II's Alpine castles and Marienbrücke gorge viewpoint.
Day 14 — Garmisch-Partenkirchen / Zugspitze & Departure from Munich
Final Alpine panorama before flying home from Munich (MUC).