Start Your Germany Trip Planning Here

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Ready to start planning an epic trip to Germany (and maybe elsewhere in Europe)? Not sure where to begin? We’ve got you covered!

Below is the 5-step planning process we recommend using to plan your trip (it’s what we use when we create custom itineraries for our clients). We also invite you to join our Germany travel planning Facebook group.

Cologne Cathedral
Cate and Aaron in Sanssouci Park
Trabi World Berlin
Breakfast in Wurzberg

Step 1: Create Your Itinerary Outline

Crafting your itinerary outline is the cornerstone of the trip planning process. Plan to spend a good amount of time on this step! It’s important to get it right so you don’t start booking flights, transportation, and hotels and then wish you’d planned the flow of your trip differently.

When we create custom itineraries for our clients, we ask a lot of questions in order to determine what travelers most want to do and see in Germany, what kinds of experiences they’d like to have, if there’s anything they’d like to avoid, and their travel style, pace, and budget. We encourage you to consider these things, too, before you create your itinerary outline so you can create a trip that is perfect for you.

Once you have your itinerary outline worked out, you’ll be able to more easily research and make decisions about transportation and accommodations, and fill each travel day with exciting adventures.

Planning Tips:

  • Not sure what there is to see and do in Germany? Our 10 Germany Gems cheatsheet will get you started!
  • If you have our Germany Travel Planner watch the video tour of Germany so you can get a feel for the region(s) you’re most drawn to. You can also look at:
    – the city cheatsheets that show you top sights, experiences, food, views, and more for popular destinations around Germany
    – planning guides for Bavaria/German Alps, Romantic Road area, Black Forest, and the Rhine/Moselle
    – our 1000+point digital planning map so you can find the best castles, sights, day trips, hotels, and castle hotels and see our insider info, tips and photos
  • Need help getting your itinerary together? Not sure where you even want to go in Germany (and beyond)? We’re here to help! Cate can help you sort out your itinerary in a one-on-one Zoom meeting — or you can hand over the trip planning to us and we’ll do the whole thing for you with our custom itinerary creation service!
Neuschwanstein Castle
Hohenschwangau

Step 2: Transportation

Now that you’ve got your itinerary outline, the next step is to decide how you want to travel around Germany. Do you prefer driving a rental car? Would you rather relax on a high speed train? Or save money by using the Deutschland-Ticket on regional trains? Does your itinerary lend itself to combining some time with a car and train trips?

When it comes to transportation in Germany there are a lot of options to sort through, especially when it comes to train tickets and passes. So be sure to give this step a good amount of thought. You don’t want to realize later that you spent more than you needed to on train tickets or didn’t opt for the right rental car insurance!

Planning Tips:

  • If you have our Germany Travel Planner, check out the info, tips, and how-to videos in our Transportation section! They’ll help you confidently choose the best type of transport for your trip and feel prepared and confident to get around Germany by car, train, and public transportation.
  • If you’re feeling overwhelmed with transportation options, we can help! Cate can help you figure out the best option for your trip in a one-on-one Zoom meeting. Or, if you prefer, we can do the transportation research and planning for you.
Zugspitze
Hintersee Lake
Cate at Partnach Gorge
View above Königssee Lake

Step 3: Accommodations

Finding the perfect accommodations is key to a comfortable and enjoyable trip. Do you prefer unique accommodations – like a castle hotel or indoor camping – that you’ll remember long after your trip? Or are you simply looking for a comfortable and clean place to sleep so you can splurge elsewhere? Do you have any special requirements like an elevator, A/C, private parking or accessible rooms?

Planning Tips:

  • Use our accommodation guides as a jumping off point to find conveniently located hotels and apartments.
  • If you have our Germany Travel Planner, take a look at the digital planning map so you can see where our recommended accommodations are located in relation to the top sights. You’ll also see our insider info, tips, and photos!
  • Or let us find the perfect accommodations for you.
Heidelberg
Freiburg Skyline

Step 4: Daily Plan (Tours, Activities, Tickets, Restaurants)

In this step your focus is planning out what you want to do each day in Germany. Do you prefer to have a solid plan each day with tickets and tours booked in advance? Or is your style to simply explore and see where the day takes you? Maybe you’d like a loose plan for each day with some bookings but with enough flexibility to be spontaneous?

Planning Tips:

  • If you have our Germany Travel Planner, take a look at our city cheatsheets and digital planning map so you can quickly find the top sights, experiences, tours, views, and food to try, along with our insider info, tips, and photos. To save you time, we also include detailed info and insider tips on how to visit Neuschwanstein castle from Munich, go to the top of Zugspitze, day trip to Dachau, and enjoy a boat cruise down the Rhine river.
  • Or let us help you enjoy the best of Germany every day of your trip.
Cate and Aaron in Hamburg
Bamberg
Lubeck marzipan shop

Step 5: Packing & Preparing

Being prepared is essential for a stress-free experience. What’s the best way to pay for purchases in Germany? What are tipping dos and don’ts? How can you use your phone while traveling? Do you need just a German outlet adapter or a full-fledged voltage converter? What should you pack in order to be comfortable throughout your stay?

Planning Tips: