Routes · Europe

New York to Germany: Berlin, Dresden and Munich

New York → Berlin → Dresden → Munich

Germany cities Best season (general guide): May–Sep, late Nov–Dec (markets)

Germany's fast trains make it easy to link its very different cities, and this route goes from the capital through baroque Dresden to Munich, the capital of Bavaria. From New York there are direct flights to Berlin and home from Munich. The itinerary spends three nights in Berlin, two nights in Dresden and three nights in Munich.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Berlin: day one, Brandenburg Gate; day two, Museum Island; day three, Wall Memorial. Then spend days four and five in Dresden: day four, train to Dresden, then Frauenkirche; day five, Zwinger. Then spend days six to eight in Munich: day six, train to Munich, then Marienplatz; day seven, English Garden; day eight, Alps or Neuschwanstein day.

Berlin's history is everywhere: the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag's glass dome, the Berlin Wall Memorial and the museums of Museum Island, along with a creative food and nightlife scene. Dresden, a couple of hours south by train, was rebuilt after its destruction in 1945. The Frauenkirche, the Zwinger and the art collections are clustered along the Elbe. Munich completes the route with Marienplatz, the Residenz palace, the English Garden and a Bavarian beer garden. Day trips go to the Alps, the castle of Neuschwanstein or the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.

May and September are especially pleasant, with mild weather and fewer crowds than in July and August. Late November to Christmas brings famous Christmas markets, including the Striezelmarkt in Dresden, one of Germany's oldest. Oktoberfest makes late September in Munich very busy and expensive.

Book Reichstag dome visits in advance (they're free). Train tickets are cheaper when booked early for a specific train.

If you want to add a stop, Leipzig, between Berlin and Munich on the high-speed line, is the city of Bach and of the peaceful protests of 1989, and Nuremberg has a medieval old town and a well-known Christmas market. Both make an easy overnight. In Munich, a Bavarian breakfast of white sausages, pretzels and sweet mustard is a local tradition before noon.

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