Germany's Best Three-Week Trip by Car
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Rick's Favorite Itinerary
Day 1: Fly into Frankfurt, pick up car, head to the Rhine, sleep in Bacharach
Day 2: Rhine Valley, sleep in Bacharach
Day 3: To Mosel Valley, sleep in Beilstein or Trier
Day 4: Mosel Valley and/or Trier, sleep in Beilstein or Trier
Day 5: To Baden-Baden, sleep in Baden-Baden
Day 6: Relax and soak in Baden-Baden
Day 7: Drive through the Black Forest, sleep in Staufen or Freiburg
Day 8: To Bavaria and Western Tirol, sleep in Füssen or Reutte
Day 9: Bavaria/Tirol and castles, sleep in Füssen or Reutte
Day 10: More Bavaria/Tirol, then to Munich, sleep in Munich
Day 11: Munich
Day 12: More Munich, or side-trip to Salzburg, sleep in Munich
Day 13: To Dachau, then follow Romantic Road to Rothenburg, sleep in Rothenburg
Day 14: Rothenburg
Day 15: To Würzburg, drop car, then train to Nürnberg, sleep in Nürnberg or Würzburg
Day 16: Nürnberg
Day 17: Train to Dresden, sleep in Dresden
Day 18: Train to Berlin, sleep in Berlin
Day 19: Berlin
Day 20: Berlin
Day 21: Fly home
Sightseeing Priorities
3 days: Munich, Bavarian castles
5 days, add: Rhine Valley, Rothenburg
7 days, add: More of Bavaria and Tirol, side-trip to Salzburg
10 days, add: Berlin
14 days, add: Baden-Baden, Black Forest, Dresden
17 days, add: Nürnberg, Mosel Valley, Trier
21 days, add: Würzburg, and slow down
More time: Choose among Frankfurt, Köln, and Görlitz
Note: This itinerary is designed to be done by car, but could be done by train with some modifications: Skip the southern Black Forest and take the train from Baden-Baden to Munich, which works well as a home base for visiting Bavaria and Salzburg. Then take the train or bus to Rothenburg; from there, Würzburg, Nürnberg, and Dresden are all on the way to Berlin. Or, for the best of both worlds, consider using trains to connect major cities, and then renting a car strategically to explore worthwhile countryside regions (such as Bavaria/Tirol).
For up-to-date specifics, see the latest edition of the Rick Steves' Germany guidebook. We also offer free-spirited Germany tours.