RosieinOz

We are planning a trip of about three weeks through Germany in December and then on to the French Alps for Christmas.
Can anyone suggest appropriate itineraries and modes of transport for a Winter trip to Germany? Of course we want to see Berlin and some other cities but would also like villages and scenery and to go a bit off the "tourist trail".
We don't mind driving if that will get us to nicer areas.
Thanks to all.
Rosie

noe847

If you're going to be in Germany in December and before Christmas, it would be logical to plan to see some of the Christmas markets - every city and town has them. There are lots of threads on here about German Christmas markets, so do a search and see what comes up.

CarolJean

We did this once years ago and did it all by train. You might look into a German rail pass. CJ

iwannagonow

Rosie, With that much time available I would be sure to include what I call the 4 B's :

Berlin ( you said this is a given)
Bamberg (authentic old town)
Berchtesgaden (beautiful scenery)
Baden Baden (lovely city ambiance)

I would take the train everywhere except to the really remote places. In winter I think it is most cost effective, safe, and time efficient.

That is for starters. Lucky you having that much time.

Underhill

For the Christmas markets, add in Nuremberg and Regensberg. Don't miss Munich, which is a lovely city and has a big market on the town square.

Ingo

When making your way from Berlin down to Southern Germany before finally heading to France definitely pay a visit to Dresden and the Erzgebirge mountains. Dresden has the oldest Christmas market in Germany and definitely one of the most beautiful (plus the historical Christmas Market in the courtyard of the Royal Palace).

Erzgebirge mountains is where they manufacture the famous wooden Christmas items - in towns like Seiffen, Annaberg etc. Base yourselves in Dresden and do one or two driving excursions to the mountains.

Booking accommodation early is recommended - Christmas season is peak season for these areas.

Ingo

RosieinOz

Thanks everyone for the suggestions...not sure about the train as we traveled last year and enjoyed a lease car through France and Italy and we could leave stuff in the car and just took a small bag into Hotels and B&B's. Lugging bags up and down railway stairs is a pain at times.
We also want to see some smaller villages and perhaps stay a couple of days and relax...they might be easier to access by car.
Winter driving in Germany may of course be difficult.
Thanks again for the posts.
Rosie

Cowboy1968

You can also have a mix of means of transportation. Use trains to get from A to B, rental cars for exploring. With the high costs of gas, it can be more reasonable to limit the driving to those days when you really need a car to get away from the main tourist trails.

I also don't know if you can drive a rental or lease from Germany to France without a steep surcharge for cross-border drop-off.

Driving is not really a problem. Except for higher elevations, e.g. the Erzgebirge region Ingo gave you some advice on, or the Alps, you have to deal more with occasional rain or black ice in the morning or evening hours than lots of snow.

Since you will see the French Alps anyway (and probably also Switzerland by getting there), I don't know if Berchtesgaden/ Salzburg will make sense for you.

If you have Berlin as your starting point, you could go West 150km to the Harz mountains (Wernigerode, Quedlinburg -- half-timber towns, Unesco World Heritage). South from there you will find Dresden and Erzgebirge. Next stop could be Bamberg, then Würzburg/ Rothenburg. Then either straight south to Munich, or Southwest to the Black Forest area to get you in a better position to eventually end up in France for your Christmas time.