Best Germany Packing List for 2025

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You’re planning a trip to Germany. What should you pack?!

I know how hard it is to decide what the must-bring items are (and what you should leave at home) before you even leave. In this guide I share what we bring on my trips to Germany and my best packing recommendations.

You can also check out the 15 most essential items we always pack here or here.

Quick Answer: Top Travel Items

• Best European outlet adapter: we use this one every day
• Best power bank for charging your phone: we love this one to charge our phones on the go
• Best for keeping your phone secure: we use this Pop Socket and this wrist strap (Cate) and this wrist strap with this case (Aaron)
• Best TSA-approved bag for liquids: we’ve used this one for years
• Best refillable shampoo pouches: we love these flat pack pouches
• Best day pack: Aaron’s used this one on several trips and he loves it
• Best travel purse: Cate likes that this one is comfortable and keeps contents secure

Packing List for Germany 

I’ve been traveling to Germany (and all over the world) for 35+ years…and over the years have made every packing mistake you can imagine.

I’ve overpacked, lugged around items I regretted packing, spent hours of my trip buying things I should have packed, and wasted more money than I’d like to admit.

Fortunately, I’m an excellent packer now! Aaron is too. We’ve got packing down to a science, so I thought I’d share our most essential travel items.

This isn’t an exhaustive list of every t-shirt, skirt, and sock we bring, but everything on this list (except for just a few items at the very end) is something Aaron or I have used for several years and love.

A few notes about how we travel and pack:

• We’re mostly carry-on only travelers. Sometimes I check my carry-on size suitcase or backpack out of convenience, but I still pack for carry-on only — even when we traveled around Germany, Türkiye, and the UK for 6 months!
• Our style is simple and fairly practical. We like to be comfortable. It’s not super important to either of us to wear unique or super stylish outfits every day when we’re traveling.
• You’ll notice that I frequently mention that we’ve had an item for years and years — it’s true! Except for a few items I have my eye on for my next trip, I’ve only listed the things we have used (and used and used) and love.

Luggage: Suitcases & Backpacks

I highly recommend bringing 1 carry-on size suitcase or travel backpack and 1 personal item per person on your trip to Germany.

You really don’t need to bring very much with you. Nobody will care if you wear the same clothes over and over. It’s easy to do laundry in Germany, so you can bring enough outfits for a few days and then do a load of laundry once or twice. And if you really need something, you can buy it.

Remember, if you’re traveling by public transportation you’ll need to take your luggage everywhere you go…that means up and down flights of stairs, on, off, and in the train, over cobblestone streets, over curbs, on and off busses, and up and down hotel stairs.

All of that is SO much easier with a small amount of luggage.

In the photo above you’ll see my old carry-on size spinner suitcase and a backpack I used on several trips. That’s what I took on a 2 1/2 week solo trip to Germany in December a few years ago, and it’s what I’ve taken for several months traveling around Europe for our business.

Our Travel Backpacks & Suitcase

1. Cate’s Travel Backpack 
I just got this 28l travel backpack for our next research trip and I’m so excited to use it! I’ve head such good things about it from other travelers and I love that it’s one of the few items I own that’s not black lol. I love that it has zippered compartments and a pass-thru so I can attach it to my spinner suitcase if I don’t want to carry it.

2. Aaron’s Travel Backpack
After a lotttt of research, Aaron recently got this new travel pack – and he loves it!

3. Spinner Carry-on Suitcase
We often bring a carry-on sized suitcase that we share. It’s perfect for when we need room for extra shoes or bringing home souvenirs. I was 100% team backpack until I got this spinner suitcase…and now I prefer using my small spinner (carry-on) + a smaller backpack (personal item).

Unfortunately, the company that sent me my favorite suitcase has gone out of business, which is too bad because it’s such a great suitcase and I’d love to recommend it to you. So while I can’t recommend the suitcase we use, I do recommend carry-on sized spinners in general because they’re so easy to maneuver. You can find several great alternatives here in all price points.

Our Day Pack, Day Bag & Wallet

1. Cate’s Travel Purse / Day Bag
A couple years ago I started using this cross-body purse for travel and I highly recommend it. It’s so comfortable to wear and the pockets keep me organized and my phone and wallet safe. It’s definitely more functional than cute but I’m ok with that when I travel.

2. Travel Wallet with an O-ring
I use a small travel wallet like this one because I mostly just carry a couple credit cards and a few Euros. I attach the wallet’s o-ring to the key leash in my purse and then I don’t have to worry about dropping my wallet or having it snatched from my purse.

3. Aaron’s Day Pack
Aaron uses this day pack every single day when we’re traveling (he uses it at home frequently, too). It’s comfortable to wear on his back or chest (how he wears it when he has his larger pack on his back) and it’s held up super well over a couple year’s use.

4. Reusable Grocery Bags
We have 2 of these reusable shopping bags and take them on every trip! I bought ours about 14 years ago and they’re still going strong. We use them for groceries, souvenirs, laundry, taking snacks on trains, and luggage overflow. Ours roll up very small and are lightweight and durable. We highly recommend bringing one or two of these – they are invaluable!

Packing & Organization

1. Packing Cubes
I’ve used packing cubes to keep my suitcase organized for years. Aaron, too. We have these three sets of packing cubes: an older version of these packing cubes, this lightweight set, and a few others we’ve picked up along the way. Aaron also uses these compression packing cubes. They keep our clothes, electronics, and miscellaneous items SO much more organized. And packing/unpacking takes about 5 seconds.

2. Mesh Pouches
A few years ago I came across these lightweight mesh pouches and now we use them on every trip for toiletries, cords, meds, and other little items. They’ve held up well and I like that I can see what’s in each bag without having to unzip each one.

3. TSA-approved Liquids Bag
For liquids we both use this TSA-approved liquids bag. It’s held up well.

4. Refillable Flat Pack Shampoo Pouches
A few weeks before leaving for a 6-month trip to Europe a few years ago, I came across these flat pack refillable bottles and decided to give them a try. I liked them so I got a set for Aaron and we both used them every day for 6 months. They’re great! I like that I can label each one, they don’t leak, and that they take up less space as I use shampoo, conditioner, etc. We now have a couple different designs and we use them on every trip.

5. Travel Umbrella
You never know if it’s going to rain in Germany so we always have this lightweight umbrella in our day bag or rental car.

For Doing Laundry

1. Laundry Sheets
We’ve started bringing some laundry sheets in a ziplock bag to use in laundromats and apartments we rent.

2. Dr. Bronner’s
Sometimes we bring a travel-sized bottle of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap for doing hand wash. I’ve tried doing travel hand wash with all kinds of laundry soaps (liquid, powder and those little sheets of soap) and Dr. Bronner’s worked the best.

Tip: if you’d rather wait until you’re in Germany, just buy a bottle of “Rei” at a drugstore – it’s cheap and works great for hand wash.

3. Sink Stopper
Sometimes we bring a sink stopper if we think we’ll want to do a little hand wash in a sink.

Must-haves For the Flight

1. Memory Foam Travel Pillow
I don’t bring this on every trip but flights are more comfortable when I do! Several years ago I bought a memory foam travel pillow at the airport just before flying from the US east coast to Australia and it made that super long flight sooooo much more comfortable. This pillow enabled me to sleep upright like no other travel pillow has. If we’re renting a car I’ll often bring this pillow with me to use in the car. If we’re taking trains, I take the inflatable pillow below because it’s easier to pack.

2. Inflatable Travel Pillow
I also have an inflatable travel pillow. It’s not quite as comfortable as the memory foam pillow but it’s more convenient because it packs up so small.

3. Travel Eye Mask
Once I started wearing an eye mask on flights I was finally able to sleep!

4. Ear Plugs
These are another must-have. I have a stash of disposable ear plugs and just grab several sets for each trip. With my travel pillow, eye mask, and ear plugs I can reliably get sleep on long flights, finally! They also come in handy in hotels (especially in cities or in the summer when we keep the windows open) or on trains.

5. Lightweight scarf
I always bring a lightweight scarf…even in the summer. Sometimes I wear it as a scarf and other times as a wrap over my shoulders. It comes in so handy and weighs nothing.

6. Travel Journal
This is one of the most important things I take traveling. I love sitting down in a cafe or even on a park bench and jotting down notes about my day…and then having a wonderful memory of my travels to look at weeks, months, years later. The travel journal I’ve linked to is one I created. Click here to get one for your trip.

Clothes & Shoes

1. Merino Wool Cami
I bought a merino wool cami a few years ago before I left for a month in Europe in the summer and it’s now one of my must-must-must have travel items. Merino wool is perfect for travel because it doesn’t absorb odors, and it will keep you warm on cold days and cool on warm days. It’s easy to wash by hand (if needed) or you can throw it in the washing machine. Plus, it dries quickly.

2. Merino Wool Shirts
My travel wardrobe includes a lot of merino wool! I recommend getting at least one merino wool t-shirt or long-sleeved base layer and/or a long-sleeved 1/4 zip pullover like this one.

Aaron also has several merino wool shirts he wears all the time: this short-sleeved t-shirt, this short-sleved t-shirt, this polo shirt, and this long-sleeved 1/4 zip pullover.

3. Merino Wool Socks
My secret to staying warm while traveling in the winter? Wool knee socks! They keep my legs warmer than when I wear boots and take up a lot less room in my luggage. These wool knee socks are similar to the ones I got about 10 years ago (that I’m still wearing). The only downside of these socks is that they don’t have any cushioning, so sometimes I switch them out for socks like these.

In the summer, I wear no-show merino wool socks like these. They’re easy to wash, comfortable to wear, and they don’t smell – perfect for travel. Aaron has the same socks and they’ve held up well over many trips.

5. Flip Mittens
I got a pair of cute flip mittens in London several years ago and have used them every winter since.  I like that I can easily use my phone without taking my mittens off. These mittens are similar to what I have (but mine are thinner and probably less warm).

6. Gloves
Aaron just got this pair of gloves so he can use his phone without taking his gloves off.

7. Flat-back Earrings
On one of our longer research trips to Germany I decided that I didn’t want to bother with much jewelry. So I got this set of surgical stainless steel stud earrings. They have flat backs so I can sleep comfortably in them, and the back screw onto the posts, so I don’t have to worry about losing them. The set comes with 18 different pairs, so before we left I chose the pairs I liked the best and put a few extras in a small pouch in case I want to switch them out. Click here to check out these cute stud earrings!

For Phones

1. Pop Socket 
Makes holding your phone to take a photo, read on public transit or look at Google maps so much easier. We each have a Pop Socket on our phone cases.

2. Wrist Strap For Our Phones
We use our phones to take photos and videos all day long while traveling. Even though we each have a Pop Socket on our phone case, we were still always a little worried we’d drop our phones, especially in crowded areas where people are bumping into us or if we’re on a boat, bridge, overlook, etc.

So we got wrist straps – I use this wrist strap and Aaron got this one that attaches to this phone case. Highly recommended!

3. Portable Power Bank
This is another must-must-must have!! We use our iPhones all day when we travel (checking maps, reading guides, taking photos and videos, using navigation, reading restaurant reviews, etc) but doing all of that drains our phone battery by about 2pm. So, we bring this power bank with us each day. It’s easy to charge our phones while we’re out and about because the battery is fairy small, lightweight, and easily fits in my purse or bag or Aaron’s backpack.

4. European Outlet Adapter
We’ve used this outlet adapter for years. You can use it in multiple countries and charge multiple devices at once. If you’re not sure what you need to safely use your tech in Germany, read our guide to voltage converters and adapters.

5. Apple Laptop Adapter
A few years ago I got this special Apple Laptop Adapter kit and I love that the socket adapter fits right into my power cord. So much easier to use when I’m traveling for work or want to use my laptop in a cafe.

Other Must-Haves

1. Small Cutting Board & Foldable Knife
This is a recent addition to our packing list. having a small cutting board and foldable knife means we can easily enjoy veggies and fruit in our hotel room. And we’ve found that some apartments don’t come with cutting boards or good knives! So we now like to bring our own. (Just remember…the knife must be in checked luggage when you fly.)

2. Portable Coffee Pour-over
Having good coffee in the morning when we stay in apartments is a must-have for Aaron, so he got this collapsable coffee pour-over filter. It’s small but will make a nice big cup of coffee (he’ll buy ground coffee once we’re back in Germany). If you’re not sure whether you’ll be able to heat water in your hotel room, you can also take a portable water kettle!

3. Organic Fairtrade Single Serve Instant Coffee Packets
Aaron also bought a box of this highly rated instant coffee for travel coffee emergencies lol. The packets are single serve so you can take just a couple or have enough for coffee every day.

4. Travel Insurance
I admit, travel insurance isn’t something I’ve always packed. But after Aaron needed emergency surgery in Germany several years ago, and the two of us were evacuated during a forest fire in Washington State, I’ve realized how important travel insurance is! I highly recommend putting travel insurance on your packing list. We’ve been using Safety Wing and have been happy with it so far.

Next Steps For Planning Your Trip:

• Start planning an unforgettable trip to Germany here!
• Book a personalized travel consult or itinerary review with Cate.
• Join our friendly Facebook group.