6 Days in Germany: The First-Timer Itinerary
Six days in Germany covers Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Neuschwanstein, and the Romantic Road’s best stop, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, everything except the Rhine and Cologne, that is the 7-day upgrade. Budget roughly EUR 100-170 a day; the Munich-to-Rothenburg leg has no direct train, plan a change or book a dedicated Romantic Road bus instead. Shorter trip? Try 4 or 5 days . Want the full route? Go to 7 days .
Book these before you go
- Hotel: compare Berlin rates on Booking.com
- Hotel: compare Munich rates on Booking.com
- Neuschwanstein Castle entry: check timed slots on GetYourGuide
- A Romantic Road and Rothenburg day tour: search options on Viator
| Day | City | ICE Time | Rough Daily Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Berlin | Arrival | EUR 90-130 |
| Day 2 | Berlin | - | EUR 90-130 |
| Day 3 | Dresden | ~2h from Berlin | EUR 90-140 |
| Day 4 | Munich | ~4h from Dresden, 1 change | EUR 100-160 |
| Day 5 | Fussen / Neuschwanstein | ~2h from Munich, train+bus | EUR 110-160 |
| Day 6 | Rothenburg ob der Tauber | ~3h from Munich, change or bus | EUR 90-140 |
Is 6 Days Enough For Germany?
It covers five real stops, Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Neuschwanstein, and Rothenburg, but it still skips the Rhine and Cologne entirely, those need a seventh day. Six days is the honest cutoff for a Bavaria-and-east-Germany-focused first timer; if the Rhine matters to you, the 7-day version is the one to book.
Day 1: Berlin, Brandenburg Gate To The Wall
Land at Berlin Brandenburg Airport and ride the FEX Airport Express into Hauptbahnhof, about 23 minutes, EUR 5 for a single ABC-zone ticket since January 2026. Start at the Brandenburg Gate, free, unticketed, exterior only, then walk into Tiergarten for a break from pavement. Book the Reichstag dome now if you have not already, it is free but registration opens roughly three months out at visite.bundestag.de and peak slots vanish within the first week. Close the day at the East Side Gallery, 1.3km of Wall murals that costs nothing and never closes, or the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse if you want the more sobering version of the same story. Dinner: currywurst at a stand, Berlin invented the dish in 1949 and it is still the right first meal.
Day 2: Museum Island, Minus The Pergamon
Museum Island earns a full morning, EUR 24 (EUR 12 reduced) for a day pass across all five houses, or EUR 14/EUR 7 for one museum. Skip trying to see the Pergamon Altar or the Ishtar Gate, the Pergamonmuseum has been closed since October 2023, the north wing is not due back until 4 June 2027 and the south wing not until roughly 2037, only the separate “Panorama” installation stays open (check current hours at visitberlin.de ). In the afternoon, walk to Checkpoint Charlie, the outdoor guardhouse and sign are free, and you can skip the adjacent paid Wall Museum, about EUR 18.50, without missing anything essential, the East Side Gallery told the same story for free yesterday.
Day 3: Berlin To Dresden By ICE
Board an ICE for Dresden, roughly two hours, book a Sparpreis fare as soon as your date is fixed since walk-up Flexpreis tickets run far higher. In Dresden, the Frauenkirche nave is free; the dome ascent is EUR 12 adult, EUR 7 reduced, EUR 24 family. Its dome collapsed in the February 1945 bombing, sat as a deliberate ruin for 45 years under East German rule, and was rebuilt 1994-2005 from roughly 4,000 salvaged original stones. Wander the Zwinger Palace grounds afterward, then find a bed for the night, tomorrow is a longer travel day.
Day 4: Dresden To Munich, The Long Leg
This is the trip’s one genuine slog: Dresden to Munich has no direct ICE, expect one change and roughly four hours total. Bring a book. You will land in Bavaria by late afternoon, just in time for Marienplatz and its Glockenspiel, free, performing daily at 11:00 and 12:00, plus 17:00 March-October (schedule confirmed at muenchen.de ). Dinner at the Hofbrauhaus is the obvious move on arrival night, genuinely iconic even though it is one beer hall among hundreds in this city, order a Mass of Helles and call it a warm-up for the day ahead.
Day 5: Neuschwanstein, The Castle That Is Not Medieval
Train to Fussen, about two hours, then a short local bus to Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein Castle costs EUR 21 adult, EUR 23.50 with the online booking fee factored in, book the timed entry via the official Hohenschwangau ticket center, full details at neuschwanstein.de , up to eight weeks ahead, peak summer slots sell out. It looks like a medieval fortress but is not one, King Ludwig II broke ground in 1869 and died in 1886 with roughly a third of it finished, this is 19th-century Romantic-Revival fantasy, not a surviving medieval castle. Walk up to Marienbrucke for the view postcards actually use, weather and safety permitting, the bridge closes some winters. Back in Munich by evening for a beer garden dinner.
Day 6: The Romantic Road To Rothenburg
There is no direct train for this leg either, connect via Steinach or Wurzburg, or book a seat on a dedicated Romantic Road bus, budget around three hours either way. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the payoff: a roughly 4km town wall that is still fully intact, one of only four completely walled towns left in Germany, and the Turmweg wall walk is free and takes about 2.5 hours end to end, route details at romantischestrasse.de . Wander the Altstadt, it earns its postcard reputation.
Do I Need A Car For The Romantic Road?
It helps but is not required, this itinerary uses the train-and-change route or a dedicated Romantic Road bus instead. If you do rent, know that a German rental needs no motorway vignette anywhere in the country itself, unlike Austria, Switzerland, or Czechia just across the border, one less thing to buy before you cross.
What Makes Rothenburg’s Walls Special?
Rothenburg ob der Tauber keeps a roughly 4km town wall fully intact, one of only four completely walled towns left in Germany, alongside Nordlingen, Dinkelsbuhl, and Berching, all in Bavaria. The Turmweg wall walk is free, open year-round, and takes about 2.5 hours end to end, genuinely worth the full loop, not just a photo stop at one gate.
One more thing: book a room in Rothenburg itself for this leg rather than a day trip from Munich, arriving after the tour buses leave for the evening is the difference between a crowded photo stop and an actual medieval town.