14 days in Germany: itinerary

The 14-day route runs south-east to south-west: Berlin, Dresden, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Munich, Füssen. Every leg is a direct or one-change train ride of 1 to 4 hours, so you never lose a day to travel. Berlin and Munich get the most nights because both need three full days before day trips make sense.

Fly into Berlin Brandenburg (BER) and home from Munich (MUC). A one-way open-jaw ticket usually costs little more than a return, and it removes the 4-hour backtrack at the end. If you would rather see the Rhine than Saxony, swap Dresden and Bamberg for Cologne and the Rhine Gorge — see the variations section.

Days 1–3, Berlin. Day 1: arrive, walk the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Day 2: Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse, the East Side Gallery and a museum — the Stasi Museum or Hohenschönhausen prison need 2–3 hours each. Day 3: Museum Island or a day trip to Potsdam, then dinner in Kreuzberg or Neukölln.

Days 4–5, Dresden. Morning train from Berlin. Day 4: the rebuilt baroque centre — Frauenkirche, Zwinger, Residenzschloss — all walkable from the station. Day 5: the Elbe meadows on the north bank, or a half-day to Saxon Switzerland if the weather holds.

Days 6–7, Bamberg. Train via Leipzig or Nuremberg. Two nights is right for a small city: the old town is a UNESCO site, and the smoked beer and Franconian taverns are the reason to stay rather than day-trip. Day 7: walk the hillside paths or take a short train to Forchheim.

Days 8–9, Nuremberg. One hour from Bamberg. Day 8: castle, walls, Hauptmarkt and the Christmas market if you are there in December. Day 9: the Nazi Party Rally Grounds documentation centre — allow half a day; memorials are free, documentation centres charge a small fee.

Days 10–12, Munich. Day 10: train in, then the old town, Viktualienmarkt and a beer garden. Day 11: art — the Alte Pinakothek and Pinakothek der Moderne, or the Deutsches Museum. Day 12: day trip to Neuschwanstein or the Alps; book the castle entry slot in advance.

Days 13–14, Füssen. Two hours from Munich. Day 13: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, or the Tegelberg cable car. Day 14: the Alpine lakes, then train back to Munich airport for the flight home.

Trains do all the work on this route. Book Sparpreis (saver) fares on the Deutsche Bahn site or app as soon as your dates are fixed: they start around €18–40 for long legs and rise towards the walk-up price as the train fills (2026 estimate). A 2-week flexible pass is worth it only if you want to change plans on the day.

Regional trains and the Bayern-Ticket cover the Bamberg–Nuremberg–Munich–Füssen legs cheaply for groups. City transport is separate: Berlin, Munich and Nuremberg all sell day tickets, and most city centres are walkable once you arrive. Füssen station is a 10-minute walk from the old town; buses run to the castles.

Base towns are Berlin, Dresden, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Munich and Füssen. Six hotels in 14 days is the practical limit; if that feels like too much packing, cut Bamberg and add a night each to Dresden and Munich.

In Berlin, stay in Mitte for sightseeing or Kreuzberg and Neukölln for food and nightlife. In Dresden, the area between the station and the Elbe puts everything within a 20-minute walk. Bamberg's old town is small enough that any address inside the ring works. In Nuremberg, the area inside the walls near Hauptmarkt is the convenient choice. In Munich, look near the Hauptbahnhof or in Schwabing. In Füssen, stay in the town rather than the villages if you are arriving by train.

A mid-range 14-day trip costs roughly €1,600–2,600 per person, excluding flights (about $1,750–2,850). That assumes a private room or mid-range hotel, restaurant meals, museum entries and train tickets bought in advance. Hostel dorms and supermarket lunches bring it closer to €900–1,200.

Germany is not a cash-only country, but small bakeries, some Franconian taverns and rural buses still prefer cash. Cards work in most hotels, museums and supermarkets.

If you have already seen Berlin, run the same 14 days as Munich → Nuremberg → Bamberg → Dresden → Berlin, or start in Frankfurt and add the Rhine Gorge between Cologne and Munich. The Rhine version trades Saxony's baroque towns for castle-lined river villages and works best April to October.

With 7 days, do Berlin and Munich only. With 10 days, add the Rhine or Dresden. With 21 days, insert Prague between Dresden and Bamberg — it is about 2 h 30 by train from Dresden — and add Vienna after Munich.