Itinerary for Germany

This is a 2.5 week itinerary from a trip this year (2016) to Germany. I had been to the Rhineland decades earlier so this loops from Frankfurt to Munich to Berlin to Hamburg and back with a lot in between. I took a Viator bus tour to Castle Neuschwanstein and thoroughly enjoyed the day. I planned long and hard to fit all I wanted to do in Berlin in 3 days. The Natural History Museum in Frankfurt was a highlight. I enjoyed the walking tours and was impressed with the Hans Museum in Lübeck. So for anyone trying to decide what to do on a visit to Germany but not partial to pouring over a lot of books to see what is on offer, I recommend my itinerary for your consideration. You could well spend 3 weeks with this itinerary. Enjoy!

Friday,FRANKFURT AM MAIN arr 6am, put bag at hostel

get Tageskarte, all day transport ticket at airport

Kaiserdom (cathedral)

10:30am (English) “Frankfurt on Foot” walking tour 

• Historisches Museum (city history)
• Museum for Moderne Kunst (modern art)

Lodging:  Frankfurt Hostel

Saturday,  FRANKFURT

Tageskarte all day transport

Senckenberg *Natural History Museum

Then >Food Market for lunch

Then these three art museums are in the same location:

• *Stadel Museum (art museum)
• Libieghaus (art museum)
• Museum Giersch (art)

Option: The English Theatre 

Lodging:  Frankfurt Hostel

Sunday,  Take  Train to HEIDELBERG

Heidelberg Card E13 at tourist office, unltd transport/Schloss Heidelberg

Lodging:  Lotte The Backpacker

Monday,  Take Train to Mannheim connect to BADEN BADEN   Check bag in luggage locker or at luggage desk

Friedrichstadt bathhouse  (P.S. In the pouring rain, I spent all at at there.) 

Go to train station and retrieve bag; Take train to Karlsruhe to connect to  train to Muench arr MUNICH

Lodging:  Hotel Cocoon

Tuesday,  MUNICH

Two hr CITY WALK + *ENGLISH GARTEN

Egypt Museum

Pinakothek der Moderne

*Alte Pinakothek Museum (ancient art)

try weisswurst (veal sausage) 

Lodging:  Hotel Cocoon

Wednesday, – MUNICH

DAY TOUR: Schloss Neuschwanstein 

overnight in Munich  Lodging:  Hotel Cocoon

Thursday,  Get all day transport pass 

Palaontogiste Museum (open @8am)

Neue Pinakothek Museum

Bavarian Natl Museum (no English signs but free English audio)

Sculpture Museum (at Residenz)

3pm-5:30 Third Reich 2.5 hr walking tour 

Lodging:  Hotel Cocoon

Friday,  –Haubtbanoff in Munich,   train to NUREMBURG  check luggage at station

10am TRAIN to BAMBERG, hrly trains

>Dom, >Historisches Museum, >Kloster St. Michael (church is clsd for renovation but gardens offer good view)

3pm train – Return to Nuremberg.

Germanisches Natl Museum 10-6

Retrieve luggage from train station

LODGING:  Five Reasons Hostel

Saturday,  NUREMBERG

Café Celona by the river for breakfast

Kaiserburg (imperial castle) There is a museum here too (Kaiserburg Museum) both palace & museum

11:15-3:15 walking tour from Hauptbahnhoff

Dokumentation Center (at end of walking tour)

Stadt Museum

LODGING:  Five Reasons Hostel (Dorm)

Sunday,  train (arr Hof and next train in 3 min. departs @9:27am) to DRESDEN 

Get Bus/train day pass E6,

2:30-4:30 Dresden Walks 

ZWINGER MIT SEMPERBAU

*Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister – Zwinger, 

Go to train station to retrieve luggage

Lodging:  Hostel Mondpalast <Great neighborhood>

Monday,  – DRESDEN

Residenzschloss  (*Grunes Gewolbe) open on Mondays 10-6 

• Neues Grunes Gewolbe,
• *Historisches Grunes Gewolbe,
• Rüstkammer (Armoury) of Riesensaal
• Option: Türckische Cammer (Turkish Chamber)
10- 6 ALSO in Residenzschloss

*Militarhistorisches Museum Dresden

Lodging:  Hostel Mondpalast

TUESDAY,  AM direct train > BERLIN

So Check luggage at train station and walk to tourist office.

3-DAY Berlin Welcome Card

ORIGINAL BERLIN WALKS  tour

Deutches Historisches Museum

DDR Museum (East Germany behind the wall, 10am- 8pm)

 See inside Berlin Dom

Retrieve luggage from train station

Lodging:  Arte Luise Kunsthotel

Wednesday – BERLIN

 timed entry to *Reichstag/OBSERVATORY too 

Go to Charlottenberg neighborhood (10 minute TAXI to Schloss Charlotteberg $20) and walk 5 minutes (350 M) to museums along Spandauer Damm

Sammlung Scharf-Gersetnberg (surrealist art museum) (see highly recommended café for coffee and snack before you leave)

THEN

Go to Kreuzberg neighborhood in West Berlin (Ubahn Carlottenberg>Ostbahnhof)

@4pm -7pm Food and Art Tour 

Chamaleon Variete @8pm (variety Show)

Lodging:  Arte Luise Kunsthotel

Thursday, – BERLIN

7:30 Bus 100 – ROUNDTRIP

*Pergamonmuseum (antiquities, 10am-get TIMED ENTRY)

*Neues Museum, (art, 1:30 pm get TIMED ENTRY)

DDR Museum

*Gemaldergalerie

Berlin Philharmonie @8pm

Lodging:  Arte Luise Kunsthotel

Friday, Take 8:39am train to HAMBURG  (check luggage)

At Rathaus (town hall) Free English tours depart daily @11am (duration 2 hours)

If raining, *Kunsthalle (big art museum) 2.5 hours, get audio tour of NOLDE 

Option:  One hour Port and Elbe River Cruise or take FERRY 62

Go to train station and retrieve luggage

 Lodging:  Instant Sleep Backpacker Hostel

Saturday– HAMBURG

walk about city  (P.S. Locals recommended I not spend my visit in museums.)

Option:  Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg

12:30 train to Lübeck (World Heritage Site) 

• Holstentor (city gate); Option: with Holstentor museum 
• *Europaisches Hansemuseum
• Get Marzipan for trip back to Hamburg

7:39pm Train to Hamburg

Lodging:  Instant Sleep Backpacker Hostel

Sunday, after AM fish market, take train to BREMEN

Check out two museums

walking tour in English

Retrieve luggage from train station

Lodging:  GastHaus Hotel

Monday, – BREMEN

train to Frankfurt AM MAIN Airport  FLIGHT HOME.  

TATTOO—Journeys on My Mind by Tina Marie L. Lamb is available at Amazon and BarnesandNoble and iBooks.

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