Germany Highlights: Berlin, Bavaria & the Rhine

Berlin's history, Bavaria's fairytale castle and the castles of the Rhine, linked by fast ICE trains.

Your route

1. 1 Berlin 2 nights
2. 2 Munich 2 nights
3. 3 Frankfurt 2 nights

1. Day 1 Berlin

   Arrive, private transfer to hotel, evening walk to the Brandenburg Gate.

   Welcome to Germany. Indian travellers need a Schengen visa. After arriving at Berlin Brandenburg airport, our driver meets you for a private transfer to your hotel. Check in and rest. In the evening, walk to the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of German reunification, lit up beautifully at night. Continue along Unter den Linden and stop at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe nearby. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant or one of Berlin's many Indian restaurants. Overnight in Berlin.

2. Day 2 Berlin

   Guided city tour: Reichstag, Berlin Wall East Side Gallery, Checkpoint Charlie and Museum Island, then a Spree river cruise.

   Join a guided city tour of Berlin. See the Reichstag, home of the German parliament, whose glass dome can be visited free with advance registration. Walk along the East Side Gallery, the longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, covered in murals. Stop at Checkpoint Charlie, the famous Cold War crossing, and visit Museum Island, a UNESCO site with five world-class museums. In the afternoon, take a cruise on the Spree river, passing the government quarter and the Berliner Dom. Overnight in Berlin.

3. Day 3 Munich

   ICE fast train to Munich, about 4 hours. Evening at Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt.

   Board the ICE high-speed train from Berlin to Munich, about four hours, through the German countryside. On arrival, check in to your hotel. In the evening, walk to Marienplatz, Munich's central square, with the New Town Hall and its Glockenspiel, which plays at 11 am, and at noon in the warmer months. Explore Viktualienmarkt, the open-air food market, and try a Bavarian pretzel. Enjoy dinner at a traditional beer hall such as the Hofbrauhaus. Carry a light jacket, as Bavarian evenings can be cool. Overnight in Munich.

4. Day 4 Neuschwanstein

   Full-day tour to Neuschwanstein Castle and the Alpine village of Hohenschwangau.

   A full-day tour from Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle, about two hours south in the Bavarian Alps. Built by King Ludwig II in the nineteenth century, this fairy-tale castle inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. Castle entry is by timed ticket, which we book in advance, and there is an uphill walk or shuttle to the entrance. See the Marienbrucke bridge for the classic view, when open. Explore the village of Hohenschwangau and its lake. Return to Munich in the evening. Overnight in Munich.

5. Day 5 Frankfurt

   ICE train to Frankfurt, then the old town and castle of Heidelberg.

   Take the ICE train from Munich to Frankfurt, about three and a half hours. Drop your bags at the hotel, then drive about one hour to Heidelberg, a romantic university town on the Neckar river. Visit Heidelberg Castle, a red sandstone ruin on the hillside, and see the giant wine barrel inside. Walk across the Old Bridge and through the old town with its cafes. Return to Frankfurt in the evening and walk along the Romerberg square. Overnight in Frankfurt.

6. Day 6 Rhine & Cologne

   Rhine Valley cruise past hilltop castles and the Lorelei rock (April to October); in winter, Cologne Cathedral and Christmas markets.

   From April to October, take a Rhine Valley cruise through the UNESCO-listed Middle Rhine, between Bingen and St Goar, past hilltop castles, vineyards and the Lorelei rock. In winter, the cruise is replaced by a trip to Cologne, about one hour by train, to see Cologne Cathedral, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world, and from late November the famous Christmas markets with mulled wine and gingerbread. Return to Frankfurt in the evening. Riesling from the Rhine is famous, and tastings are available in the towns. Overnight in Frankfurt.

7. Day 7 Frankfurt

   Private transfer to Frankfurt airport for departure.

   After breakfast, check out of your hotel. Depending on your flight time, take a last walk along the Main river or do some shopping on the Zeil, Frankfurt's main shopping street. Our driver then picks you up for a private transfer to Frankfurt airport, one of the largest in Europe. Please reach three hours before your flight and claim VAT refunds at the customs desk before check-in. Pack chocolates and mustard from Germany carefully for the flight. Your Germany journey through Berlin, Bavaria and the Rhine ends here.

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