i've been thinking about going to germany for 2-4 weeks (depending on budget) in late july/early august. what i want to do the most is just to travel around by train and see many different places, but i know from experience that traveling in europe without reservations in high season is HOPELESS. it's IMPOSSIBLE to find cheap accomodation.

so i figured i'd just pick a couple of places and book accomodation upfront. but where do i go? berlin would be an obvious choice, but i'm sceptic about capitols. sometimes you might as well be in any big city anywhere else; you don't get any of that country's feeling. i want to find culture, history, all the really german stuff. (that sounds so cliche. i know. it is.)

where do i go? i really have no idea. all i've seen of germany is up north (lübeck, wismar, celle) and very briefly nürnberg, which was gorgeous.

suggestions?

umm, i have never been to either berlin or munich so i can only judge from what i have heard but both cities are supposed to be very amazing.

i especially recommend berlin, my cousin and my uncle were there just recenly and they made me very jealous with what they had to tell. berlin appearently is a very charming city, it has it's own "flair", it's major called it "poor but sexy" if i recall that correctly.
i have only heard good things about berlin basically, same with munich but i don't know the people who went there very well so i have no details. just that it was great. haha

i hope this helps you a bit with your decision

you definetely have to go to berlin, is an amazing city.
you could also go to cologne and munich.

Berlin is amazing.
I also loved Munich and Hamburg is supposed to be beautiful as well, never been there but I really want to visit.

I love love love the east of germany, but I have only been to some small places there, that werent particularly interesting on its own, but the scenery is amazing, hills and little rivers and beautiful nature and old buildings..!
but yeah as many said you must visit berlin. Hamburg is pretty cool too

Berlin really stole my heart <3
Munich, on the other hand, was a complete disappointment, although the countryside around it is pretty cool if you're into castles and all that sort of things.

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hmmm. so berlin appears to be very much recommended.

i think i might be travelling around a bit more after all. so far i think i might be going all the way down through the middle of germany, staying in the south for a bit, then going up east. on my list of places i think i might go, i have hamburg, heidelberg, münchen, nürnberg, weimar, leipzig or dresden or both, berlin.

what's freiburg like? and the surrounding area, i suppose. worth visiting? and am i missing out on something if i don't go to the western part of the country at all? what about the northeast, up by the coast? is there anything interesting there?

god, i HATE having to plan where i go. it would be so much nicer to just travel around freely.

go to berlin, cologne and munich. and then go to austria and go to vienna. vienna is the most beautiful city in the world.

been to lubeck, rostock, hamburg munich and hamburg was my favourite i think, although munich seemed to be really unlike the other places...

Well, one of the most favorite tourist spots in the West is the Rhein (river).
It's said to be linked with the "German soul" since many German poets referred to it as their favorite spot and also the saga of the Nibelungs takes place there (already BEFORE the nazis totally ruined it).

If you're staying anywhere near Cologne I'd recommand a ferry tour down the Rhein + up again.

Freiburg is a very pretty city!
But you know, almost every city named in this thread so far has a beautiful side to it.

I'd recommand a route like
Munich - Nürnberg - Bamberg (lovely!) - and then up the east to Berlin.


Also: going by train in Germany can be pretty expensive!

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
Here is where you can look up trainroutes incl. price etc.
"Means of transport": by choosing 'without ICE' or 'only local transport' you get the cheaper offers.

thank you for the recommendations. unfortunately i won't be going after all. gah. money issues suck.

on the bright side, i might be moving to germany in january. which i suppose brings out another question. if you were to live in germany for a 6 month period, where would you live? (i'm guessing berlin would be the answer here too.)

well, berlin is a very bright and living city, it would be my choise, cause I like to have lots of fun things to do in my spare time..

are you gonna be working? berlin i think is hard to get jobs in, unemployment etc. But berlin is so amazing, i want to live there SO much at some point.
Ive only been to Berlin and Dresden but they were both great, Dresden is v. pretty. Hamburg is cool too.
But Berlin without a doubt is where I'd live if I could sort a job. Tis amazing.