Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Trip to Germany (From Someone Who’s Spent Decades There)

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Planning your first trip to Germany can feel equal parts exciting and overwhelming. I’ve been obsessing over Germany for decades (literally since I was 15), and I’ve helped hundreds of travelers figure it out. Here’s what I wish every first-timer knew before they landed.

This article is also available as the Germany Travel Planning podcast episode 37. Use the player below to listen or continue reading the article below. See episode transcript on Apple podcasts.

Essential Germany Travel Tips Every First-Time Visitor Should Know

What Is Germany Actually Like for Tourists?

Germany gets underestimated. Yes, there are those iconic images, but the reality is so much richer: towering castle ruins, world-class Christmas markets, alpine coasters, beaches, dense forests, excellent wine regions, and some of the most fascinating history you’ll ever encounter.

And unlike some of its more crowded European neighbors, Germany generally isn’t over-touristed. The two exceptions? Christmas market season and Oktoberfest. Plan around those or lean into them with solid advance planning.

How Big Is Germany? Why You Need More Time Than You Think

This is probably the number one planning mistake I see. Germany is a large country by European standards, and travelers (especially those coming from the US) routinely underestimate the distances between regions. Trying to squeeze Bavaria, the Black Forest, Berlin, and Hamburg into five days is not going to work.

Before you lock anything in, pull up Google Maps and check the actual travel times between every place on your list, both by car and by public transit. That one step will completely reshape your itinerary for the better.

How to Plan a Germany Itinerary: Airports, Routing, and What to Book in Advance

A tip a lot of people don’t know: you can fly into one German airport and out of a completely different one. Flying into Munich and out of Frankfurt (or the reverse) means you’re not wasting half a day looping back to your starting point.

Also worth knowing: beyond the big three (Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin), there are solid options like Hamburg, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Cologne. And if you’re open to it, flying into nearby cities like Zurich, Prague, or Paris can sometimes get you better prices and a great starting point for a broader trip.

Whatever you do, book early. Hotels, rental cars, private guides (more on those in a moment) fill up fast during peak times like Christmas markets, Oktoberfest, and German school holidays. The earlier you start looking, the better your options and prices.

Should You Rent a Car in Germany? A Practical Guide for First-Timers

This is one of the questions I get most often, and my answer is always: it depends on where you’re going.

Skip the rental car if you’re spending time in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, or other large cities. The public transit is excellent and parking is a headache.

Get the rental car if you’re exploring smaller towns, villages, and rural areas like the Black Forest or rural Bavaria.

A great middle-ground: rent a car for only half your trip. I’ve helped clients combine trains for city travel with a car for village-hopping. It saves money and stress.

A few practical notes: automatics cost a bit more and tend to come in larger sizes, parking garages are easy to find on Google Maps, and parking spaces in Germany can be surprisingly narrow. Rent small if that sounds stressful.

How to Get Around Germany by Train: Apps, Tips, and What to Expect

I take trains all over Germany and genuinely love it. You can get almost anywhere by rail. A heads-up: Deutsche Bahn is currently upgrading tracks and systems, so some delays and platform changes are more common than usual. Just go in prepared and it’s fine.

Two apps I use constantly:

• DB Navigator for train planning and tickets
• Google Maps for navigating cities and deciding between walking and transit

One more thing: people seriously underestimate how much time travel days take. Packing up, checking out, getting to the station, finding your platform, arriving, settling can take up most of your day. Too many single-night stays leads to exhaustion, not adventure.

How to Travel Germany on a Budget

Germany is not the cheapest destination in Europe, but it’s very manageable with a little strategy:

• Stay just outside the old town. Hotels a 5 to 10 minute walk from the historic center are often noticeably cheaper, and sometimes include breakfast.
• Skip the hotel breakfast if it’s not included. At around 25 euros per person, it adds up fast. Grab something from a grocery store or a nearby cafe instead.
• Don’t eat every meal at a restaurant. German grocery stores like REWE and Edeka have great grab-and-go options: salads, sandwiches, soups, and snacks. Pick something up and find a park bench or town square to sit and people-watch. Save your restaurant budget for dinner.

Also worth knowing: Berlin has a wonderful selection of free museums, and concentration camp memorial sites and documentation centers are free throughout Germany.

Germany Cultural Etiquette: What First-Time Visitors Often Get Wrong

A few things that catch first-timers off guard:

• Bank transfers are a real thing. If you book a smaller guesthouse or apartment, they may ask for payment via bank transfer or cash upon arrival rather than charging your card. This is normal and how a lot of family-run places operate.
• Bring cash. While credit cards are accepted far more widely than they were even five years ago, plenty of smaller shops, restaurants, and even parking meters are still cash-only. Never leave your accommodation without some euros on you.
• You will pay to use the toilet. Using public toilets typically costs 50 cents to 2 euros. The upside is they’re usually clean and well-maintained.

Beyond Bavaria: How to Find Germany’s Under-the-Radar Gems

Bavaria is beautiful, and I understand why it dominates the imagination, especially for American travelers. But Germany has so many regions worth exploring, and a lot of visitors never discover them simply because they don’t know to look.

Even if Bavaria is your main destination, try building in at least one unexpected stop: a smaller town, a less-visited region, an experience that isn’t on every travel blog. Germany is full of under-the-radar gems just off the main tourist trail, and those are often the moments people remember most.

What to Eat and Drink in Germany

Traditional German food is delicious and you should absolutely try it. But no, you don’t have to eat schnitzel at every meal. Germany has a really diverse food scene and honestly, some of the best things I’ve eaten there have been everything from Döner Kebab to incredible Vietnamese lunch specials.

For traditional German meals, look for schnitzel, rouladen (beef or pork rolled with mustard and fillings), Sauerbraten, bratwurst (regional variations everywhere), Käsespätzle (think German mac and cheese, amazing and great for vegetarians), sauerkraut, and dumplings.

But beyond the classics, here’s what I especially recommend:

• Döner Kebab: available all over Germany, and genuinely one of my top recommendations
• Spaghetti ice cream (Spaghettieis): vanilla ice cream pressed through a sieve to look like pasta, topped with strawberry sauce and white chocolate. It’s a whole experience!
• Kaffee und Kuchen: the beloved German tradition of afternoon coffee and cake. Find a Konditorei (pastry shop) and try whatever looks good.
• Local beer and wine: wherever you are, ask what’s local and what they recommend. The glass the beer comes in is part of the experience, too.
• A food tour: I did one in Berlin that took us out of the tourist center and into a neighborhood, with a great mix of traditional and international bites. Highly recommend as a way to get oriented in a city.

Best German Souvenirs: What to Bring Home from Germany

If you’re wondering what to pack into your suitcase on the way home, here are some of my favorites:

• Christmas market mugs (each market has its own unique design)
• Grocery store finds: chocolate, mustard, interesting snacks
• Cuckoo clocks if you want to splurge
• Fountain pens and notebooks (Germany’s stationery culture is genuinely excellent)
• Football jerseys or kit for the sports fans in your life