Germany itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Nights are the minimum that does each place justice. All legs are by train. Prices are 2026 estimates for one person, mid-range, excluding international flights.

The 7-day answer is two bases, not five. Berlin takes 3 nights: the Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Museum Island and one evening in Kreuzberg or Prenzlauer Berg. Then take the ICE to Munich, about 4 hours, and stay 4 nights.

From Munich, use one full day for Neuschwanstein and Füssen, leaving early to beat the coach crowds, and one day for the Alps — Garmisch-Partenkirchen or the Zugspitze. Keep the last day for the city itself: the Residenz, the Deutsches Museum and a beer garden. Salzburg is about 1 h 30 by train if you would rather swap the Alps for Austria.

Book a Sparpreis ticket in advance; walk-up fares on the same train can be far higher.

Two weeks lets you travel one line instead of bouncing between regions: Berlin 3 nights, Dresden 2, Bamberg 2, Nuremberg 2, Munich 3, Füssen 2. Every leg is a direct or one-change train ride, and the whole route runs roughly north to south, so you can fly into Berlin and out of Munich.

Dresden gives you the rebuilt baroque centre and the art collections, with Saxon Switzerland an easy add-on. Bamberg is small enough for one full day of walking and smoked beer. Nuremberg covers the medieval centre and the Nazi Party Rally Grounds documentation centre, which needs 2–3 hours. Finish in Munich and Füssen, where sleeping near the castle beats a day trip from the city.

If you have three more nights, Prague sits between Dresden and Bamberg on the same rail line.

Three weeks is enough for two loops. Keep the 14-day eastern and Bavarian route, then add either the Rhineland — Cologne 2 nights, the Rhine Gorge at Bacharach or St Goar 1–2 nights, Heidelberg 1–2 — or the north, with Hamburg 2–3 nights and the Baltic coast 2–4.

The Rhine stretch is about castles, river boats and Riesling villages; the north is harbour, canals and the Elbphilharmonie, with Rügen chalk cliffs if the weather holds. Pick one, not both: Munich to the Rhine is about 4 h 30 by ICE, and Hamburg to Munich is a long day on the train.

Three weeks also lets you slow down. Add a second night in Dresden or Leipzig rather than a new city, and keep one unplanned day for weather.

Trains: ICE and IC services connect the main cities; regional trains are cheaper and slower. Seat reservations are optional on most routes but worth it on summer weekends and Friday afternoons.

Tickets and money: cards are widely accepted, but some bakeries, kiosks and small taverns are cash-only, so carry €20–50. Tipping is rounding up or about 5–10% at restaurants. See germany currency and tipping.

Entry: US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish passport holders can generally enter Schengen for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa; check the current rules and any ETIAS-style registration before booking. See germany visa requirements.

Timing: May to September is the easiest window for trains, beer gardens and Alpine day trips; December suits Christmas markets but daylight is short. Book accommodation early around Oktoberfest and major trade fairs.