7 days in Germany
 

We are going to Germany in the middle of May 2012. We arrive in Munich are planning to go North to Berlin and return to Munich. What are the must sees for our first trip to Germany?

With just 7 days, I would stick to 2 main areas. Munich and Berlin if those are the cities you are interested in. You can fly or take an ICE train - the train is 6 hours or so. Or, choose Berlin or Munich and see that city plus a little of the surrounding countryside.

Why do you feel the need to return to Munich? Can you fly out of Berlin instead to save time and money?

Also, if you choose Munich and Berlin, you might consider flying into Munich and out of Berlin to save yourself the trip back to Munich.

Thanks for that website, hanabi. It is really cool!

There is also an overnight train running between Munich and Berlin in case you want to go one way at night, saving a night in a hotel to boot. If you went full fare the German Railpass could well be cheaper than two full fare tickets - full fare tickets are completely flexible, changeable, refundable, etc - many folks find they can cope with the train-specific and non-changeable nor refundable advance online discounted tickets and if you do not desire flexibility and can book your train up to several weeks in advance to guarantee the limited in number discounts that would be the best way.

Once basing in Munich and Berlin you may well want to do a day trip by rail - another factor of the pass. Say in Berlin over to Poland, about an hour by rail, just to say you were in Poland or even just out to suburban Potsdam - in Munich you may want to day trip by train to Fussen and Mad Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle, Europe's most famous castle, or even to Salzburg, Austria, to me one of Europe's most splendidly gorgeous towns (considered to be a part of German train system for pass purposes and Bavarian Pass purposes.)

Great sites to find out oodles of stuff about German trains - www.bahn.de the official German Railways site with schedules and fares and www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

German trains are uber modern, fast, clean and run very very frequently - up to several an hour between key cities.

Overnight trains are called CityNightLiners - search bahn.de for CNL trains - they have a variety of accommodations from private singles, doubles to multi-person with strangers included couchettes and reclining seats. Some CNL trains even I believe have showers and WCs in private compartments.

Once place roughly in between Munich and Berlin is Dresden, one of Germany's most historic cities. Or close to Munich you could stop by Rothenburg, one of Europe's finest medieval-looking walled towns.

I also like Nurnberg, smack on the main rail line I believe between Berlin and Munich - though suffered in WW2 nicely pieced back together and if into Third Reich stuff it has the most intact and complete collection of Third Reich relics in Hitler's old parade grounds just south of the city - you can still see the dias the Fuhrer stood at attention on reviewing the thousands of goodse-stepping Nazi troops - the long parade street has recently been restored as well.

We like Nuremburg too - the town itself is great and because it is a rail hub and geographically in the middle of things, it is very convinient as a stop enroute from one place to another and as a base for visiting the local area.