Start Your Trip Planning Here

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Ready to start planning your 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. For Germany travel inspiration, follow us on Instagram or Facebook!

Step 1: Overall itinerary

Crafting your overall itinerary is the cornerstone of your trip planning journey. 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 it out differently.

When we create custom itineraries for our clients, we spend time talking with our clients about what they 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 and pace. We encourage you to consider these things, too, before you create your overall itinerary.

Once you have your overall itinerary worked out and have a solid plan for where you want to go and how much time you want to spend in each place, you’ll be able to make decisions about transportation, find great hotels, and fill each 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 regions 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 digital planning map so you can find the best castles, sights, day trips, hotels and see our insider info, tips and photos
• Need help getting your itinerary together? We’re here to help! Cate can help you sort out your itinerary in a one-on-one Zoom meeting — or you can had over the trip planning to us and we’ll do the whole thing for you with our custom itinerary creation service!

Step 2: Transportation

Now that you’ve got your overall itinerary figured out, 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, 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.

Step 3: Hotels

Finding the perfect accommodations is key to a comfortable and enjoyable trip. Do you prefer unique accommodations – like a castle hotel – that you’ll remember long after your trip? Or are you simply looking for a comfortable and clean place to sleep? 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!

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.

Step 5: Packing & Preparing

Preparing for your trip 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 to be comfortable throughout your stay?

Planning Tips:

• Read our tips for how to use your phone in Germany and how to get an e-SIM.
• Read our guide to German outlet adapters and voltage converters.
• See the top 15 items we always take with us to Germany (and beyond).
• If you have our Germany Travel Planner, use the packing checklist in the planning spreadsheet and take a look at the Packing & Preparing section to ensure you don’t overlook something before you leave for Germany. Don’t forget to read through our Tips & Cautions for important cultural and travel info so you can navigate Germany like a pro and ensure a seamless and stress-free journey.