10-Day Germany Itinerary: Berlin, Potsdam, Hamburg, Munich and Neuschwanstein

Looking out over Munich. Photo: rcdesigner

No doubt about it: Germany is one of Europe’s top tourist destinations at the moment. A big part of the tourist boom, of course, is because of Berlin’s growing popularity. This exciting metropolis is rich with culture, has a famously vibrant nightlife and is refreshingly affordable.

However, if dirndl, lederhosen, beer gardens and quaint Fachwerk houses are what you expect on a trip to Germany, you’ll find little of this in Berlin. Dirndl and Lederhosen are Bavarian traditions and, although you’ll find beer gardens in Berlin, they’re nothing like the ones you’ll find in Munich.

And still, Germany has a lot more to offer than just these two cities.

To get the best feel for what Germany has to offer on a 10-day tour, we suggest you delve into Berlin’s uber hip vibe, Potsdam’s regal elegance, Hamburg’s maritime magic, and Munich’s ritz and glitz (and beer gardens!).

Below we’ve outlined an itinerary to help you see the best in each place, along with tips on how to save. But first a couple of budget basics for your trip to Germany:

1. Choose your own adventure. We’ve ordered this itinerary in and out of Berlin, as cheap flights to Berlin are often easier to find than those to Munich (or Hamburg!). However, you can easily rearrange this to fit your needs — fly into Hamburg and then hit up Berlin and Potsdam on your way to Munich (a much more direct route), or start in Munich, head to Berlin and finish in Hamburg.

2. Fly into one city, and home from another. If flying in from the US, also search for tickets into Hamburg or Berlin, and back home from Munich, thus saving you the time and hassle of returning to your point of arrival to fly home. (Just note that if you rent a car, you’ll have to pick it up and drop it off in different cities, which shouldn’t be a problem with most major car rental agencies.)

3. Booking train tickets? Do it through the official Germany railway site: Bahn.de. You can easily switch to English in the top header, and the prices (and special offers on tickets) will be the cheapest you can find anywhere on the web. (Read more tips on German trains.)

Start your adventure in Berlin. Photo: larssteffens

Days 1, 2, 3: Berlin

We’re starting our trip in Berlin, the hippest and biggest city on the list. It’s also, as we pointed out above, the easiest to find cheap flights from the US.

There’s a lot to do in Berlin and a lot of land to cover (historically and geographically), and three days (including your first jet-lagged day, if flying internationally!) will race by. We don’t recommend trying to see the city in fewer than three days.

While in Berlin, don’t miss:

• Visiting the Brandenburg Gate and take a stroll through Tiergarten Park.

• Get a taste of Berlin’s nightlife at one of the many bars and clubs in Kreuzberg, Neukölln or Friedrichshain. (Here’s an excellent overview of nightlife options from VisitBerlin.)

• Receive a culture infusion and experience priceless works of art and antiquities on Museum Island, worth a trip for the quaint, cobblestone streets alone!

• Explore the history of the Berlin Wall at the Berlin Wall Memorial and East Side Gallery.

• Enjoy a bite of scrumptious Turkish fast food, like Lahmucun and Dürüm Döner around Kottbusser Tor.

• Take a bike ride or stroll around Tempelhof Airport and sip a beer in the grass next to the former airstrip.

• Stroll down the swank tree-lined boulevards in Prenzlauer Berg.

• Treasure hunting at one the city’s many weekend flea markets.

• Peek through the gallery windows in Mitte.

• Sample the many cheap eats and finds Berlin has to offer, a city famously dubbed “Poor, but Sexy” by its former mayor. Here are our favorite street eats.

Additional info:

Tips for saving on Berlin restaurants and dining
How to save at Berlin’s top 10 attractions
Tips for saving on a shopping spree in Berlin
10 Ways to ride Berlin public transit like a local

Sleeping in Berlin

Unsurprisingly, Berlin’s hotel scene is also quite hip and very affordable (especially when compared to other capital cities in Europe). We love staying in Prenzlaeur Berg, Mitte and Kreuzberg, as the neighborhoods are still quite central and affordable options abound. See all of our favorite budget hotels in Berlin.

Day 4: Day trip to Potsdam

The former residence of Prussian kings as well as the German Kaiser, Potsdam is one of Germany’s most elegant cities.

Luckily, it is also less than an hour from Berlin and can be reached easily for the price of a regular BC region public transportation ticket. There’s no need to rent a car! Learn more about Berlin public transit tickets.

When in Potsdam, be sure to:

• Stroll around Sanssouci, Fredrick the Great’s iconic castle, and check out his final resting place next to several of his loyal dogs.

• Take in the beautiful green in the large Plant Hall of Orangery Palace, a 19th-century palace located on the grounds of Sanssouci Park.

• Take in the legend of the Miller of Sanssouci at the Historic Mill.

• Do a little window shopping in pricey but quaint downtown Potsdam.

• Check out the famous Dutch Quarter, one of the only places you’ll find Dutch-style houses outside of the Netherlands.

In the evening, head back to Berlin and either catch a little shut-eye or head right off to Hamburg. Another option is to spend the night in Potsdam. (There are about 70 hotels to choose from.)

A historic schooner docked in the Hamburg Port. Photo: Mark M.

Days 5 and 6: Hamburg

After a few days in edgy Berlin, Hamburg offers another side of Germany. It might not seem quite as “cutting edge”, but it’s not all buttoned up, either. This lovely maritime city still knows how to have a good time.

Getting there: The cheapest way to reach Hamburg from Berlin is by bus. The trip takes around three hours and buses run every couple of hours both day and night and can cost as little as €7.90 in each direction on Flixbus. (Read more tips for riding the budget bus lines in Germany.)

Trains: Check out train tickets on Die Bahn. The ride on the high-speed ICE train takes less than two hours. As mentioned above, book these tickets as far in advance as possible to get the cheap seats — from €19.

Otherwise, rent a car from Potsdam or Berlin. Again, booking as far in advance as possible to secure the best deal. The drive takes about three hours.

Activities

When you’re in Hamburg, make sure you:

• Get a glimpse of (and maybe participate in) the all-night-party vibe at the heart of the Reeperbahn red light district at night.

• Enjoy the vibrant nightlife in St. Pauli, the place where the Beatles got their start.

• Stroll along the waterfront past the red brick buildings of Speicherstadt, the largest warehouse district in the world.

• Lounge on the white sandy beach of the Elbstrand on the Elbe river.

• Take the ferry from Landungbrücke — but make sure it’s the regular HVV ferry, not one of the overpriced touristy ferries that basically travel the same route.

• Go for a nice hike through the Blakenese Stairs District.

• Check out artsy shops and little cafes in Karolinenviertel.

• Explore the cool Karo and Schanze Districts.

• Buy at least one souvenir with an anchor on it — believe me, they’ll be plenty to choose from!

More tips

7 Budget tips for visiting Hamburg
Weekend in Hamburg: A Budget-Friendly itinerary

Sleeping in Hamburg

Hotels in Hamburg, like restaurants and shopping, tend to be more expensive than in cheapo-friendly Berlin. But it’s not impossible to find a deal! Check out these five affordable picks in Hamburg and search over 370 hotels. 

Days 7 and 8: Munich

Now let’s head south to Bavaria to experience something totally different! Munich is known as the “world’s biggest village” and the city does have a low-key vibe, with plenty of historic sights and beer gardens to tickle your fancy.

It is also much ritzier and swankier than Berlin, and feels different than Hamburg. It’s a city of contrasts: You can hang out with a high-class crowd in fur coats and designer stilettos, or kick back with a lively beer-happy crowd with sausages and pretzels. Either way, you’ll have fun.

Getting there: There are plenty of ways to get down to Munich from Hamburg.

• Try finding a cheap flight out of Hamburg (although it might be easier to head back to Berlin to find a good price on a flight!).
• If you opt for the bus, it will take about eight hours from Hamburg.
• The train, meanwhile, will take about six hours from Hamburg, and tickets can be booked for under €50 on the Bahn website.
• Driving from Hamburg will take about eight hours on the Autobahn.

Some things you shouldn’t miss:

• A trip to the top the Neues Rathaus where you’ll get a great view over the city — and, on a clear day, see the Alps — all for a €2 admission.

• Have Weisswurst with sweet mustard and a soft pretzel for breakfast.

• Stroll around Viktualienmarkt and have an inexpensive spot of lunch.

• Do a little upscale window shopping on Maximilianstrasse.

• Hang out in the English Garden, one of Europe’s largest urban parks – and make sure you don’t miss the surfers!

• Pop in for a gigantic Maß of Bier at Lowenbräukeller, the less touristy alternative to the Hofbräuhaus.

• Check out Michaelskirche, the Renaissance church that would fight right in in Rome.

• Get artsy on a Sunday, when admission prices are only €1 at the Pinakothek museums.

• Sunbathe on the stony shores of the Isar river.

• Experience the regal beauty of Nymphenburg Palace and Park.

More tips
10 Simple ways to save on a trip to Munich
7 Free and cheap things to do in Munich

Sleeping in Munich

Depending on the season you’re visiting Munich, the city’s hotels can either be pretty reasonable or, if visiting during Oktoberfest, frightfully expensive. Our advice: Come well before or after the big party to avoid crazy prices.

There are a number of affordable places to stay inside the historic center (the Stadtmitte), although you’ll find many more options in the blocks just south of the station. See all of our recommended budget hotels here.

Day 9: Neuschwanstein Castle

Give your whirlwind tour of Germany a fairy-tale ending with a trip to lovely Newschwanstein Castle. The castle, the stuff of Disney dreams, is only about a two-hour drive southwest of Munich in Schwangau, making it an easy day trip.

You could, of course, pack up your things and spend the night in a nearby village, but, as you’ll be heading back up to Berlin, it’s probably easier just to keep your hotel in Munich!

Be sure to check out our tips for visiting Neuschwanstein Castle.

Day 10: Back to Berlin or last day in Munich

Depending on your flight, you’ll either spend your last day hanging out in Munich, or heading back up to Berlin for your last night.

Either way — enjoy yourself, and order one last taste of Germany before flying home!