1 Week in Germany Itinerary: Berlin and Munich

Berlin is a wonderful city with so much to see and do. But I hope you have time to see more of Germany on your trip. With 1 week in Germany, you can easily visit a few cities and get a good view of different parts of the country. This itinerary for 7 days in Germany takes you through Berlin plus the popular city of Munich.

1 Week Germany Itinerary in Berlin and Munich

This travel plan focuses on Berlin for several days and then moves on to Munich. There are so many great places to visit in Germany, but you can’t get to all of them in a week.

I’ve created this Germany itinerary to give you a feel for two very different parts of the country. But I also want to make sure you’re not trying to squeeze in too many places and losing too much time in transport.

Both cities have a lot to offer, and you can easily fill a week in Germany with Berlin, Munich, and a couple of nearby places.

Let’s dive in!

Note: For a more detailed plan for the first 3 days of this trip, please see my itinerary for 3 days in Berlin.

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Have questions about planning your trip to Berlin?

Join the Facebook group here to chat with Ali (she runs this site) and other people who have been to Berlin for tips.

Getting there and away

To make the most of your time, this itinerary for one week in Germany works best if you fly into Berlin and out of Munich, or do it in reverse. Both cities have major airports, so finding flights shouldn’t be a problem.

I recommend using Deutsche Bahn to get between Berlin and Munich.

Read more about how to get from Berlin Brandenburg Airport to city center and read about how to get from Berlin to Munich.

Day 1: Berlin’s Mitte attractions

Spend your day checking out some of Berlin’s most famous landmarks and attractions. These include some of the best things to do in Berlin.

Start at Alexanderplatz and admire the TV Tower. If you go up to the viewing platform, you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views of Berlin.

Here are our recommendations for TV Tower tickets:

• Berlin TV Tower Skip-the-Line Ticket
• Berlin TV Tower Window Seat Restaurant Ticket & Skip-the-Line Ticket
• Berlin TV Tower Breakfast at Revolving Restaurant Ticket & Skip-the-Line Ticket

Wander down Unter den Linden, a gorgeous tree-lined road with many of Berlin’s museums and other attractions. Here you’ll see the Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), Museum Island, the DDR Museum, the Humboldt Forum, Bebelplatz, and more.

A few blocks over, check out Gendarmenmarkt. This is arguably one of Berlin’s prettiest squares where you’ll see the Deutscher Dom and the Französischer Dom (German Cathedral and French Cathedral) and Schinkel’s Konzerthaus (concert hall). Today both cathedrals are museums.

For an important look at Germany’s past, make your way to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews, which honors the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, one of the most important World War II attractions in Berlin. Afterwards, admire Brandenburg Gate, a regal old city gate that has come to represent Germany’s reunification.

Celebrate the first day on your Germany itinerary with a beer at one of Berlin’s beer gardens or craft beer pubs.

>>Read also: 1 Week in Germany Itinerary: Berlin and East Germany

Day 2: Berlin Wall

Start day two at the Reichstag Building, the seat of the German government. It’s an impressive building, but you can also take a free tour of the glass dome section at the top. Booking ahead is required.

From here, make your way over to the Berlin Wall Memorial at Bernauer Strasse. In my opinion, this is one of the best Cold War sites in Berlin.

The visitors center has two excellent short films about the Wall, and the memorial itself is a long stretch of Bernauer Strasse, a street that was split by the wall, separating a community. You can also go up a tower to see over the remaining section of the Wall.

I love taking visiting friends to Bernauer Strasse because I think it’s one of the top sights in Berlin.

Take a stroll through Prenzlauer Berg, one of the city’s most trendy neighborhoods. Check out Mauerpark, a huge park that sits where the Berlin Wall once stood. If you’re here on a Sunday, browse through the flea market.

Next up, go see the East Side Gallery, an attraction that’s certainly on your Berlin bucket list. This is Berlin’s most well known section of the Wall, and it’s considered the longest outdoor art gallery in the world. It can get crowded, so bring your patience.

>>For history buffs, check out this list of the best World War II and Cold War sites in Berlin.

Explore the nearby Friedrichshain neighborhood. This funky section of town is a great place for street art and cheap eats. Boxhagener Platz and the surrounding streets aren’t far from the East Side Gallery.

End your day at Tempelhof Field. This impressive park used to be an airport, and it’s now one of the Berlin’s favorite green spaces.

The runway is still there, and people use it for cycling, roller blading, running, and much more. There are sections designated for grilling, three fenced-in dog runs, a community garden, bird protection zones, and more.

>>Check out these posts if you’re traveling to Berlin in autumn or Berlin in spring.

Day 3: Berlin Tiergarten and Charlottenburg

To start your 3rd day in Berlin, take a stroll through Tiergarten, a large park in the center of the city. Here you’ll see a Soviet War Memorial, the Victory Column (which you can climb for great views of Berlin from above), a variety of other statues and memorials, loads of gorgeous trees and greenery, and a few ponds.

At the far western end of the park, you’ll see the Berlin Zoo. It’s one of the best, so if you’re traveling with kids or you simply love zoos, don’t miss this one.

Nearby check out the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. This church was badly damaged during WWII and now stands as a reminder of the destruction of war.

>>Read: How Many Days in Berlin Do You Need?

For shopaholics, Kurfürstendamm and the famous KaDeWe (Kaufhof Des Westens) are a must. This is where you’ll find Berlin’s high end shopping and all the big brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gucci, and more.

Next up, pay a visit to the Charlottenburg Palace. This gorgeous former summer residence now houses a museum and is one of Berlin’s most popular attractions. The gardens surrounding the palace are also quite the sight to see.

Day 4: Berlin to Munich

This is where you can tweak things a bit to fit your desires. I’ve left out Potsdam from the previous three days, and you could certainly skip it and head straight to Munich in the morning of day 4.

However, Potsdam is fantastic and one of Berlin’s 3 UNESCO sites, so I suggest going for a half day, either morning or afternoon, on either day 2 or day 3. Then whatever you skipped in Berlin on that day can be seen on the morning of day 4, and then catch an early afternoon train to Munich so you’ll get there in time for dinner.

Read my post about what to do in Potsdam for more details about how to spend your time there, plus my post about how to get from Berlin to Potsdam.

How to get from Berlin to Munich

It’s easy to get around Germany with the great train system, and there are even some good bus options if you’re traveling in Munich and Berlin on a budget.

Deutsche Bahn has frequent trains between Berlin and Munich, so you won’t even have to make any changes. From Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the normal ICE (Intercity Express) train takes about 4 and a half hours, while the Sprinter ICE train takes about 4 hours.

If you’re traveling on a tight budget, there are buses on FlixBus from Berlin to Munich. Unfortunately, it takes a lot longer to go by bus.

The fastest direct bus is about 7 hours 20 minutes, assuming there aren’t any traffic problems. Flixbus is comfortable and reliable, but I would only recommend it on this route if you’re really trying to save money and you’re alright with trading time for the savings.

Check out our detailed post about how to get from Berlin to Munich by train or bus.

Day 5: Munich highlights

Half-liter steins of beer, Lederhosen, giant pretzels…these are things people think of when they imagine Germany. But they are most typical of Munich and the surrounding areas of Bavaria.

I’ve listed a lot of different sights and activities here in day 5, but it’s likely more than you can do in one day. Days 6 and 7 are day trips that will likely leave you some time when you return to Munich, so that’s a good time to do some of the things you don’t have time for on day 5.

>>Read: What to Wear & What to Pack for Germany: Ultimate Germany Travel Packing List

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Munich’s old town

Start your time in Munich by exploring the old town. This is where you’ll find many of Germany’s famous landmarks.

Marienplatz is the main square in the old town, and it’s flanked on one side by the impressive neo-gothic Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) building. Its Glockenspiel plays at 11am and noon, so try to see it at one of those times.

Nearby is Viktualienmarkt, a big market square where you’ll find all sorts of food and other products. This is also a great place for a beer since it’s home to one of the city’s favorite beer gardens.

Unlike most beer gardens in German, this one is run by the city. Normally beer gardens are privately owned by a brewery or restaurant. What this means is the beer on tap rotates between the city’s biggest breweries.

Take a tour in Munich

A great way to experience Munich’s old town and learn a lot about the city and its history in a short amount of time is by taking a tour. Here are a few we recommend:

Munich Third Reich Walking Tour: Learn about Hitler and Nazi history as it ties to Munich, including WWII sites and more.

Munich Old Town Walking Tour: This walking tour is a great introduction to Munich, taking you through the Old Town between Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz. It includes major sites like St Peter’s Church, Munich Residenz, Viktualienmarkt, the Hofbräuhaus beer hall, and more.

Munich Food Tour: Eat your way through Munich while learning about the traditional food and beer of the region. Food tours are a great way to learn about the connections between food, culture, and history.

Views of Munich

For excellent views of Munich from above, you have several options.

Neues Rathaus: Take the elevator to the observation tower for views from one of the city’s most famous buildings.

Frauenkirche: This is Munich’s largest church, and its double towers are, by law, the tallest building in the city. You can reach the top with a mix of stairs and elevator.

St Peter’s Church: This is Munich’s oldest church, and it’s an excellent place for views of Munich that include both the Rathaus building and Frauenkirche. It’s all stairs, and they’re narrow, but it’s worth the climb.

Palaces in Munich

Munich Residenz is a gorgeous palace is right in the middle of Munich. It was once home to Bavarian royalty, and there are over 130 rooms. The intricate decorations of the rooms will surly impress you.

Nymphenburg Palace is another beautiful palace in Munich that was once the summer residence of Bavarian royalty. The ornate rooms will wow you, and the gardens are just as gorgeous.

Day 6: Dachau Concentration Camp

A visit to Dachau Concentration Camp is a more serious day trip, but it’s an important one for remembering history. This is the site of the first Nazi concentration camp, which was placed in the small town of Dachau just outside Munich. From here many Jews were sent to their deaths in Poland.

You can visit on your own, but it’s worth booking a tour like this one. The guide will tell you the history of the concentration camp, and you won’t have to worry about figuring out the logistics.

After you return to Munich, you probably still have a few hours left in your day. Try to choose something a little more upbeat, like visiting the palaces.

Day 7: Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is arguably one of the most famous castles in Germany, if not even the entire world! This is the famous “German Cinderella Castle” straight from the fairy tales.

Located in the Bavarian Alps, it makes for an easy Munich to Neuschwanstein day trip. You can get to Neuschwanstein by car (less than 2 hours) or public transportation (less than 3 hours) or even take one of the many day trip tours that are available, like this one.

Neuschwanstein was built for “Mad King Ludwig,” one of the Bavarian King’s most beautiful creations. However, it was never fully finished before he died, which is why the tour inside actually only shows about 14 rooms!

While at Neuschwanstein, be sure to also visit Hohenschwangau Castle next door. This castle was also King Ludwig’s, and it’s a much more “lived in” castle. It’s well worth taking the tour.

While visiting Neuschwanstein, you can take a carriage ride up to the castle, take picture-perfect photos from the Marienbrücke, or even hike the gorge below. Or if you are a dare devil, head to the nearby Tegelberg Cable Car and go paragliding over the Schloss!

The only way to see the inside of Neuschwanstein Castle is on a tour. Since the castle sees over 1 million people a year, it’s highly recommended to reserve tickets in advance so that you guarantee a spot on a tour.

Thanks to LeAnna from Wander in Germany for our Neuschwanstein write up!

Again, once you’re back in Munich, finish up any activities you still haven’t gotten to. It’s the end of your one week in Germany, and this might be the perfect time to relax at the Viktualienmarkt with a tasty German beer.

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I want you to have the best trip to Berlin, and hopefully this 1 week in Germany itinerary in Berlin and Munich is helpful. But there are lots more tips on the site!