Start in Berlin, spend two nights each in Hamburg and Cologne, then finish with three nights in Munich. Keep transfer days lighter and choose a few main visits in each city.
Germany · Published planning example
Open a day to read the plan and its spending notes.
Leave your bags at the accommodation before exploring the government quarter and Brandenburg Gate. Add the Reichstag only if you have a confirmed registration and the relevant area is open. With a late arrival, keep the plan to a meal and a short walk instead. Sleep in Berlin. The airport journey is additional.
€100 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €163.00
Choose an open Museum Island collection or the separate Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama, leaving time to explore rather than rushing through several museums. The main Pergamonmuseum is closed. If Berlin Wall history matters more to you, give the memorial at Bernauer Straße the main part of your day instead. Have lunch nearby and keep Kreuzberg for the evening only if the extra journey suits you. Sleep in Berlin.
€100 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €163.00
Take a suitable direct train to Hamburg, allowing roughly one hour fifty minutes to two hours on the train plus station time. Store your bags, have lunch and walk through Speicherstadt towards HafenCity. Add Miniatur Wunderland only with a booking that leaves a comfortable margin after arrival; otherwise save it for tomorrow. Sleep in Hamburg.
€100 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €163.00
Head towards Landungsbrücken and choose a public ferry trip or a commercial harbour tour with the route and commentary you want. Ferry 62 is a transport service, so allow for stops and queues and buy a ticket valid for the journeys you make. Add the Elbphilharmonie Plaza if it fits, using the price for your date: standard admission changes on 5 October 2026. Sleep in Hamburg. Plan around
€100 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €163.00
Check out and travel towards Köln Hbf, allowing around four hours on a suitable fast train plus station and luggage time. Some departures are slower or arrive at Messe/Deutz, so check the booking. After leaving your bags, take a short walk around the cathedral and find dinner. Save a timed interior visit for tomorrow if arrival is uncertain. Sleep in Cologne. Keep the Hamburg train ticket separate from
€100 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €163.00
Choose a cathedral interior visit, the tower or a museum according to your interests and access needs. Sightseeing inside the cathedral now requires a ticket; tower admission is separate. Leave luggage behind and check the day’s visiting hours. Follow with lunch and a walk along the Rhine or across Hohenzollern Bridge. The Belgian Quarter is another option for the afternoon. Sleep in Cologne.
€100 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €163.00
Take a suitable faster train from Cologne to Munich, allowing roughly four and a quarter to five hours on the train and longer for some departures. Keep food and water handy, and avoid a tight museum booking after arrival. Check into your accommodation before an old-centre walk and dinner if you have time. Sleep in Munich.
€120 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €183.00
Give the Residenz a proper visit if palace interiors interest you, or choose the Deutsches Museum for science and technology. Check the correct ticket and opening arrangements before setting off. Leave the afternoon for a meal and part of the English Garden rather than another distant attraction. In wet weather, stay longer with your chosen collection. Sleep in Munich.
€120 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €183.00
Travel to Nymphenburg if you would like a palace-and-park day, checking which buildings and grounds are open for your date. Choose the ticket for what you plan to visit. After lunch, leave time for the park or return to a neighbourhood you have enjoyed. In a beer garden, ask where your own food is allowed and follow the venue’s drinks rules. Sleep in Munich for night nine.
€120 for one whole private room, €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €183.00
Check out and allow enough time to reach Munich Airport or your onward station. S1 and S8 use the airport terminal station, while the Lufthansa Express Bus has its own stops and ticket conditions. Check disruptions and follow your airline’s recommended arrival time. Add a final lunch or walk only if your departure allows it. No tenth hotel night is required. Adjust
No overnight stay; €45 for meals, €10 for local travel and €8 for extras. Add paid visits, excursions and intercity or airport tickets. These are chosen allowances; use your actual bookings.
Estimated day spending: €63.00
This trip gives Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne two nights each, followed by three nights in Munich. It suits a first visit if you enjoy city changes and are happy to pack three times. Arrive in Berlin on day one and leave Munich on day ten. A late arrival or early departure reduces the sightseeing time at that end.
For a slower week, choose Berlin and Hamburg or Berlin and Munich. You will have more time for neighbourhoods and museums, with fewer hotel changes. Avoid adding another country simply because a train connection exists.
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| Days | Base and nights | A practical focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Berlin, nights 1 and 2 | Government quarter, one museum and time for history |
| 3–4 | Hamburg, nights 3 and 4 | Speicherstadt, the waterfront and one booked visit |
| 5–6 | Cologne, nights 5 and 6 | Cathedral choices, Rhine walks and a neighbourhood lunch |
| 7–9 | Munich, nights 7, 8 and 9 | Old centre, a palace or museum, and a park afternoon |
| 10 | Depart Munich | Leave time for the airport or onward station |
Book luggage storage or confirm that your accommodation can hold bags before check-in. On transfer days, a room near useful transport can make more difference than a slightly cheaper room far away.
Berlin to Hamburg takes roughly one hour fifty minutes to two hours on a suitable direct train. Hamburg to Cologne needs around four hours on a suitable fast service, with slower choices also available. Cologne to Munich needs roughly four and a quarter to five hours on suitable faster trains. Add station access and waiting to each journey.
Compare date-specific tickets before booking rooms with strict cancellation terms. The Deutschland-Ticket does not normally cover these ICE journeys. Regional-only travel needs a different, slower itinerary.
In Berlin, register for the Reichstag if you want to go inside, checking the September and October dome closures. The main Pergamonmuseum is closed; choose an open museum or the separate Panorama exhibition. In Hamburg, give Miniatur Wunderland its own time slot if visiting. The Elbphilharmonie Plaza changes to paid standard admission from 5 October 2026.
Cologne Cathedral sightseeing now needs a ticket, with the tower and treasury as separate choices. In Munich, choose a palace or museum by interest. Oktoberfest runs from 19 September to 4 October 2026, so room availability needs particular attention around those dates.
The Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich guides give the current ticket details and official links. Keep the itinerary days flexible enough to follow those opening times and your actual train reservations.
The day figures add up to €1,590.00 for one traveller, before the extra costs listed below. The day notes show the stay, meals, local travel and small extras separately. A private-room allowance buys the whole room; divide that part only when sharing. A final day in these destinations has no overnight allowance. These are chosen spending plans, not measured averages or available room offers.
Add paid visits, day-trip transport, intercity tickets and airport journeys. Replace the stay line with your full booking cost, including taxes and cleaning. Do not add the city budget cards on top of these day amounts; they are an alternative way to plan the same spending.
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How to get from one stop to the next. Journey times are approximate; use the ticket and timetable links to choose a departure for your travel date.
Train · About 1h 50m to 2h
Berlin Hbf to Hamburg Hbf. Check DB for the actual train, fare and conditions. Add station access and waiting time. The recorded fare is an earlier estimate, with this ticket separate from daily spending.
Compare this journeyTrain · About 4h on a suitable fast train
Hamburg Hbf to Köln Hbf. Check DB for the actual train, fare and conditions. Add station access and waiting time. The recorded fare is an earlier estimate, with this ticket separate from daily spending.
Compare this journeyTrain · About 4h 15m to 5h on a suitable fast train
Köln Hbf to München Hbf. Check DB for the actual train, fare and conditions. Add station access and waiting time. The recorded fare is an earlier estimate, with this ticket separate from daily spending.
With a week, choose Berlin and Hamburg or Berlin and Munich. Fewer hotel changes leave more time for museums and neighbourhoods. Check your arrival and departure before deciding which city to leave out.
Compare your room and daily spending choices in the cost calculator. Check each journey fare, including local transfers, and count tickets covered by a pass only once.
Change the days in each city, leave out stops, and update the estimate without changing the published itinerary.
