10 days in Germany: itinerary

Ten days covers one line through Germany well. The parent country guidance is to pick two bases on a first trip; with four extra days you can add a third stop and a night on the Rhine without the trip turning into a coach tour.

This route runs north to south: Berlin for museums and 20th-century history, Cologne for the cathedral and Kölsch taverns, one night in the Rhine Gorge for castles and river villages, then Munich for beer gardens, art and the Alps as day trips. Every leg is by train, and the longest is under five hours.

If you would rather see the north, swap Cologne and the Rhine for Hamburg (2–3 nights) and keep Munich. If you want the east, compress the 14-day shape: Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg, Munich — that is four bases and three hotel changes, so expect less time in each place.

The line is Berlin → Cologne → Rhine Gorge (Bacharach or St Goar) → Munich. Berlin to Cologne is about 4 h 20 by ICE; Cologne to the Rhine Gorge is a regional train of 1–2 hours; the Rhine to Munich is about 4 h 30 with a change in Mainz or Frankfurt.

Book open-jaw flights: into Berlin Brandenburg (BER) and home from Munich (MUC), or the reverse. That removes a wasted return leg. Train tickets are cheapest as Sparpreis fares bought weeks ahead; a Deutschland-Ticket covers regional trains only, not ICE.

Coordinates below are approximate city or town centres.

Days 1–3, Berlin. Day 1: arrive, walk the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag area, then the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Day 2: Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse, the East Side Gallery and a neighbourhood evening in Kreuzberg or Prenzlauer Berg. Day 3: Museum Island or the Stasi Museum and Hohenschönhausen prison, then the Tiergarten. Memorials are free; documentation centres need 2–3 hours.

Days 4–5, Cologne. Morning ICE from Berlin. Day 4: the cathedral beside the station, the Roman-Germanic Museum area and the Hohenzollern Bridge, then Kölsch in a Brauhaus. Day 5: the Chocolate Museum or a Rhine riverfront walk, or a half-day to Düsseldorf (30 min).

Day 6, Rhine Gorge. Regional train to Bacharach or St Goar. Walk or cruise between villages, see a castle, sleep in a small hotel or guesthouse. KD and other boats run the Loreley stretch from about April to October (check).

Days 7–9, Munich. Day 7: ICE south, then Marienplatz, the Viktualienmarkt and a beer garden. Day 8: the Alte Pinakothek and Deutsches Museum, or a day to Dachau. Day 9: Neuschwanstein and Füssen, booked ahead, or the Zugspitze. Day 10: Nymphenburg Palace or the English Garden, then fly home.

Deutsche Bahn ICE trains link all four stops. Sparpreis tickets are tied to a specific train and are much cheaper than flexible fares; they open roughly six months ahead and climb as departure nears. Regional trains and city transport are covered by the Deutschland-Ticket, but ICE and IC are not.

City transport is simple: buy a day pass or tap a contactless card in Berlin, Cologne and Munich. Munich's airport is about 40 minutes from the centre by S-Bahn; Berlin's BER is 30–45 minutes.

For the Rhine Gorge, regional trains stop at small stations along both banks and ferries cross the river. Boats are seasonal, so check timetables before relying on them.

Berlin: Mitte for sightseeing on foot, Kreuzberg or Prenzlauer Berg for food and nightlife. Cologne: the Altstadt or near the station, so the cathedral is outside your door. Rhine Gorge: Bacharach, St Goar or Oberwesel for small hotels and guesthouses. Munich: the Altstadt or Maxvorstadt for museums, or near the station for early trains.

Book Munich and the Rhine Gorge first in summer and during Oktoberfest, when prices jump and rooms sell out. Three hotel changes in ten days is the practical limit; each move costs half a day.

Mid-range, per person, excluding international flights: about €1,300–2,100 for ten days (roughly $1,400–2,300). Budget travel with hostels and supermarket food can land near €800; a hotel-and-restaurant trip runs higher.

Trains are the biggest variable. Booked early, the four main legs cost €110–260 in total; bought late or flexible, they can double. A Deutschland-Ticket is worth it only if you use regional trains on many days.

Swap the Rhine for Hamburg: Berlin 3, Hamburg 3, Munich 3, with a day trip to the Alps. Swap Munich for Dresden and Nuremberg if you want the east: Berlin 3, Dresden 2, Nuremberg 2, Munich 2 — four bases in ten days means more train time and less time in each place.

Seven days is Berlin and Munich only; fourteen days adds Dresden, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Füssen. Both are on the site.