Rick Steves Best of Germany

THE BEST OF GERMANY

Map: Top Destinations in Germany

THE BEST OF MUNICH

THE BEST OF SALZBURG

THE BEST OF THE BAVARIAN ALPS

THE BEST OF ROTHENBURG AND THE ROMANTIC ROAD

THE BEST OF THE RHINE VALLEY

THE BEST OF BERLIN

THE BEST OF THE REST

TRAVEL SMART

Designing Your Itinerary

Trip Costs per Person

Before You Go

Travel Strategies on the Road

Germany is blessed with some of Europe’s most spectacular scenery—the jagged Alps, flower-filled meadows, rolling hills of forests and farmland, and the powerful Rhine River. Its many castles range from evocative ruins to sturdy fortresses to Romantic-era palaces fit for a king.

In contrast to these beautiful images, the country has a troubled 20th-century past. Throughout Germany, you’ll see respectful acknowledgment of this tumultuous time, with thought-provoking museums and somber memorials.

As a nation, Germany is less than 150 years old (“born” in 1871). It was split into East and West after losing World War II. After the Berlin Wall fell, Germany was officially reunited in 1990, resulting in both euphoric joy and growing pains.

Today Germany is at the forefront of human progress, with high-tech trains, gleaming cities, and world-class museums. A founding member of the European Union, Germany leads the way in creating a stable, prosperous Europe for the future.

Yet the country nurtures its culture and traditions. You can visit idyllic half-timbered villages, enjoy strudel at the bakery, or sip a stein of beer while men in lederhosen play polka tunes.

With medieval castles, speedy autobahns, old-time beer halls, shiny skyscrapers, and the best wurst, this young country with a long past continues to make history.

THE BEST OF GERMANY

This book focuses on Germany’s top destinations—its most fascinating cities and intimate villages—from powerhouse Berlin to sleepy Bacharach. A focused 14-day trip highlights lively Munich, musical Salzburg (just across the Austrian border from Munich, it’s too convenient to pass up, even in a book about Germany), the castle-studded countryside of Bavaria, the medieval walled town of Rothenburg, quaint villages along the mighty Rhine, and the fascinating, ever-changing capital, Berlin. And when there are interesting sights or towns near my top destinations, I cover these briefly (as “Near” sights), to help you fill out a free day or a longer stay.

Beyond the major destinations, I cover the Best of the Rest—great destinations that don’t quite make my top cut, but are worth seeing if you have more time or specific interests: Würzburg, Nürnberg, Frankfurt, Baden-Baden, Dresden, and Hamburg.

To help you link the top stops, I’ve designed a two-week itinerary (see here), with tips to help you tailor it to your interests and time.

TRAVEL SMART

Approach Germany like a veteran traveler, even if it’s your first trip. Design your itinerary, get a handle on your budget, make advance arrangements, and follow my travel strategies on the road. For my best advice on sightseeing, accommodations, restaurants, and transportation, see the Practicalities chapter.

Designing Your Itinerary

Decide when to go. Peak season (roughly May-Sept) offers the best weather, long days (light until after 21:00), and the busiest schedule of tourist fun. Late spring and fall generally have decent weather and lighter crowds. Winter can be cold and dreary, but Germany’s famous Christmas markets brighten main squares from late November until Christmas.

Choose your top destinations. My itinerary (described later) gives you an idea of how much you can reasonably see in 14 days, but you can adapt it to fit your timeframe and choice of destinations.

Fun-loving Munich is a must for anyone, with its engaging mix of beer gardens and world-class art. If castles spark your imagination, linger in Bavaria and on the Rhine. Historians appreciate Nürnberg, Dresden, and Berlin. For music and Mozart, settle in Salzburg (Austria). If you like medieval walled towns, make tracks for Rothenburg. To feel the pulse of 21st-century Germany, head to Berlin. Hedonists luxuriate in the baths at Baden-Baden. Hikers love to go a’wandering in the Bavarian Alps, and photographers want to go everywhere.

Draft a rough itinerary. Figure out how many destinations you can comfortably fit in your time frame. Don’t overdo it—few travelers wish they’d hurried more. Allow enough days per stop: Count on at least two or three days for major destinations (and at least three for sights-packed Berlin).

Staying in a home base (such as Munich) and making day trips can be more time-efficient than changing locations and hotels. Minimize one-night stands, especially consecutive ones; it can be worth taking a late-afternoon train ride or drive to get settled into a town for two nights.

Connect the dots. Link your destinations into a logical route. Determine which cities in Europe you’ll fly into and out of; begin your search for transatlantic flights at Kayak.com. If you fly into Frankfurt (a popular arrival point), note that the airport has its own train station to easily get you to your first destination (the Rhine villages are just an hour away).

Decide if you’ll travel by car or public transportation, or a combination. Trains connect major cities easily and frequently. Trains in Germany are either fast and pricey (book ahead for discounts, or use a railpass), or they’re slow and cheap (even cheaper with one of several day passes). Long-distance buses are inexpensive, though it’s wise to book several days in advance.

A car is useless in big cities, but it’s helpful for exploring countryside regions, where train and bus connections are relatively infrequent and time-consuming.

For the best of both worlds, use trains to connect major cities, and rent a car strategically (or take a regional bus tour) to explore the countryside, such as the Bavarian Alps region, which has many scattered sights.

Allot sufficient time for transportation in your itinerary. Whether you travel by train, bus, or car, it’ll take a half-day to get between most destinations.

To determine approximate transportation times, study driving times (see the map in Practicalities chapter) or train schedules (Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, www.bahn.com). If Germany is part of a bigger trip, consider budget flights; check Skyscanner.com for intra-European flights.

Plan your days. Fine-tune your itinerary; write out a day-by-day plan of where you’ll be and what you want to see. To help you make the most of your time, I’ve suggested day plans for destinations. But check the opening hours of sights; avoid visiting a town on the one day a week that your must-see sight is closed. Research whether any holidays or festivals will fall during your trip—these attract crowds and can close sights (for the latest, visit Germany’s national tourism website, www.germany.travel).

Give yourself some slack. Nonstop sightseeing can turn a vacation into a blur. Every trip—and every traveler—needs downtime for doing laundry, picnic shopping, relaxing, people-watching, and so on. Pace yourself. Assume you will return.

Ready, set... You’ve designed the perfect itinerary for the trip of a lifetime.

Trip Costs per Person

Run a reality check on your dream trip. You’ll have major transportation costs in addition to daily expenses.

Flight: Frankfurt has the most convenient, cheapest flights from the US, though Munich is affordable and a more charming starting point. A basic round-trip flight from the US to Germany can cost about $1,000-$2,000, depending on where you fly from and when (cheaper in winter).

Public Transportation: If you’re following my two-week itinerary, allow $350 per person; it’d be worthwhile to buy a German Flexipass with five train days (to use for longer trips between major destinations) and purchase point-to-point tickets for short, cheap, regional trips (e.g., between villages on the Rhine). German rail passes are sold at most train stations in Germany.