Germany and Amsterdam Honeymoon Itinerary
 

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are planning a 3-week honeymoon in Germany, with a brief stop in Amsterdam. We will be travelling in August, 2024. We are looking for feedback on our itinerary. We are planning to travel primarily by train, but we are considering renting a car to do part of the Romantic Road (but open for suggestions on this idea). We are 28 and 30, Canadian, and are interested in wine, fine dining, coffee, scenic landscapes, museums, short hikes and smaller towns and villages. We like our travel to be a mix of leisurely days where we spend the day walking around and finding cool places to grab a glass of wine, and fast-paced days where we are doing touristy things. I have been to Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Amsterdam and Berlin, and while I am happy to go back, I am also open to alternatives. My husband has been to none of these cities. We must end our trip in Berlin, as my husband is running the half marathon on August 25th.

While we are open to any feedback, we are specifically wondering about the following questions:

1. Is 5 nights too many in Munich?
2. Should we do the Romantic Road by car or just pick a couple towns and do it by train?
3. Is 2 nights too many in Rothenburg?
4. Any other suggested stops that we have missed? Anything you would skip or spend more time on?

Tentative Itinerary

Flying from Canada and landing in Munich on August 7thMunich (5 nights)

Rent a car in Munich to do Romantic Road

Drive to and spend a half day in Dinkelsbuhl (do we need an overnight?)

Drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg (2 nights)

Drive to Wurzburg and return car in Wurzburg

Wurzburg (2 nights)

Train from Wurzburg to Mainz (3 hours)

Mainz (3 nights) with wine tour of the Rhine

Train from Mainz to Amsterdam (5 hours)

Amsterdam (5 nights) with day trip to Volendam or Giethoorn

Train from Amsterdam to Berlin (6 hours)

Berlin (5 nights)

Departing from Berlin on August 28th

Day trips from Amsterdam: change to Delft, The Hague and Leiden.

There is actually nothing picturesque or romantic about the Romantic Road itself, it is actually the cities linked by it that punch above their weight. The name came from a 1950s advertising campaign. You would appreciate a car to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber as the rail connection is a difficult one, but as for the rest of the cities (not listed in your post, I don't know how many you intend to see), you could easily do it by train, it's really up to you. Dinkelsbühl is also a nice inclusion - it has much of what Rothenburg has but is a bit more unspoilt. I don't think you need an overnight there. I also personally would not need 2 nights in Rothenburg but that's me. I would lavish a bit more time on some of the other Bavarian cities like Nuremberg or Bamberg.

Good luck, sounds like a nice trip.

Lavandula

Your itinerary is all about towns and cities, and completely beautiful natural areas such as the Alps/southern Bavaria. For me, I quickly tire of one cute little (or big) village/town/city after another, and at some point they quickly just merge into more of the same. Far more enjoyable to me would be a minimum of a few days based somewhere like Garmish Partenkirchen, taking a cable car up to the top of one of the many ski areas, and spending the day hiking down. Or any number of other outdoor / rural activities. You can break up the day (lunch) or end it (dinner) in a local pub or restaurant and enjoy the many great foods Germany has to offer.

Ditto for the Netherlands (minus the Alps, of course). My favorite trips to BeNeLux have been when I've rented a bike and ridden for many miles on the great network of bike paths all over the country. My top favorite of all was when I rode out to the North sea beaches with a towel, and stopped at farmers markets here and there to pick up a picnic.. I remember more about that trip then any village or town or city I may have visited.

Thanks for your input everyone. I have taken all of your suggestions into consideration. I have decided to keep Amsterdam for the time being, as I think my husband would really enjoy it. We have decided to spend less time in Munich and include more nature by spending some time in the Alps to add some variety to our trip. We are not doing Salzburg because we have already been to Salzburg. This is our new plan:

Munich (3 nights)

Rent a car in Munich and drive through Alps to Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen (3 nights)

Drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2 nights)

Drive to Burghotel auf Schoenburg (2 nights)

Drive to Mainz and return car

Mainz (2 nights) and full day wine tour from Mainz (this is our reason for doing Mainz over Wurzburg, but if there is a way we can fit in Wurzburg, it does look more our speed...)

Mainz to Amsterdam by train

Amsterdam (4 nights)

Amsterdam to Berlin by train

Berlin (4 nights)



Any thoughts and/or suggestions based on this new itinerary?

You can fit in Würzburg on your way to Obserwesel (the Burghotel), although that is a long day in the car from Rothenburg. I have always done Würzburg from somewhere else, never stayed there. It's mainly for the Residenz, the city itself is pretty but not spectacular. Your stay in Mainz is a bit redundant because both Oberwesel and Mainz are on the Rhine but as you say you will have a wine tour starting from Mainz and dropping the car off, so I see why you want to keep it separate, and of course the Burghotel would be your 'honeymoon' hotel, right? Mainz is interesting in its own right so you are right to budget some time for it. I would perhaps even shave off a night in Rothenburg and give it to an overnight in Würzburg just to break the journey up but then you are creating one-nighters which is less desirable. Anyway, that's how you would fit Würzburg in, your call in the end.

Lavandula

I'd skip Amsterdam, too much of an outlier, in exchange for some time in Saxon Switzerland or the Harz mountains.

The Romantic Road by car sounds perfect for wine and scenic landscapes. Consider shaving a night off Munich and adding it to Wurzburg or Mainz for more wine tour time. A day trip to Volendam or Giethoorn from Amsterdam would be a nice addition.