Germany Travel Diaries

10 days spent all up and down Germany. What I did. What I saw. What I ate. 

Traveling
When going to Europe most people know that the flights are long and not direct. Lots of times there is a lay over in London or Paris before arriving at your actual destination. Though lucky for this German tourist, I was able to book flights straight out of Philadelphia International Airport to Munich, Germany.

Munich offers an airport that is most accessible from other countries and is something to defiantly look into if you are going to be traveling to Germany. From there we rented a car to travel from southern Germany all the way to northern Germany. 

Cities to Visit

​Rothenburg Germany is my favorite place in Germany. It is exactly what you picture when you think of a little german town. It is enclosed by a stone wall surrounding the whole town, so no cars are allowed inside unless you live there. It has cobblestone streets and colorful buildings with flower boxes hanging on the windows. 

It is the "Christmas Town" of Germany and is famous for its Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Store. Besides visiting the Christmas store and the museum, there are a few other places to visit in this town. 

1. The town hall bell tower which you can climb to the top 
2. The Gardens with a view overlooking the hill the town is on
3. Multiple Churches (of course) 
4. Lots of little bakeries 

Munich is by far my favorite "city, city" in Germany. Though it tends to be crowded on the streets, the beauty behind the city is totally worth the visit. The most famous street is Maximilianstraße which is filled with high end shops from Tory Burch, Hermes, Jimmy Choo, all the way to Long Champ.

Yes, you could say that this street alone is why I loved the city so much, but it was not. I loved the action of the city and the quite gardens off to the side. The famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel is a popular sight to see, and it sounds at 11am, 12pm (noon), and 5pm. If you are near by this is a fun stop to visit that will take no more than 15 minutes. 

Another trip, a 10 minute drive from the center of Munich is the Nymphenburg Palace. This could be a full day trip if you are willing to take the time, but if you want to do more than just that in one day like I did, spending the morning there is another great option. 

Bomburg is a calmer city than Munich but still has a variety of activities to offer. Split by a river, the city offers kayaking trails that run right down the middle of the city. Once again, the city has cobble stone streets and little shops at each corner that are perfect for gifts to bring home. 

If you are looking to a get a real TASTE of the Bomburg culture than try their Smoked Beer. Most say it taste like beer with bacon flavoring. 

Dresden is for sure a city full of history. With more than half of it being bombed during the war, much of the city has been rebuilt but with the same old time look in mind. Anything with black stone is the original stone of the city. 

The food in Dresden is by far the best. It has a variety of German food, along with other food (just incase you get sick of eating sausage every day). 

If you are really interested in history there is a great war museum on the northern side of Dresden full of history. Even better is taking a hike through the little towns that rest beside Dresden. To access these you can take a quick 30 minute train ride to the bottom of the one town and hike to the next through the trails. Seeing the sand stone rocks is absolutely worth the hike (this even borders the Czech- Republic). 

Places to See

Neuschwanstein Castle is a great German castle to see and is the castle in which Disney based sleeping beauty after. Though please take WARNING to the major crowds that begin to arrive after the first few tours in the morning. Try to get the first tour around 8am to be sure you miss the crowds. 

There is also a bridge behind the castle that runs over a river that is the best spot for taking pictures. Though once again, it gets crazy crowded making it pretty hard to move. Which made me question the maximum capacity, but I made it off- so if you are not afraid of crowds it is worth the view. 

The Alps are UNREAL. It is hard to believe looking at the pictures we took that it is not a fake backdrop that I am standing in front of. To get up into the mountains you have to take a gondola to the top and then walk a short hike for maybe 15 minutes- if you want to go on a longer hike there are many trails that you can do so on.

​Honestly I am not going to even describe this anymore and just let the pictures speak for themselves. 

FOOD TO EAT

Okay, you know I came for the food. Well this time that wasn't the reason for my trip to Germany, but I for sure ate my way through the country. 
Top things to eat...

1. Spätzle (german pasta)
2. Bavarian Soft Pretzel (not as good as philly tho😜)
3. Schnitzel in ANY FORM (basically a giant chicken finger lol)
4. Hello? All the baked goods
5. Chocolate Croissant 

I hope that this post gave you a little hint of my trip to Germany. If you have any questions about where we stayed or specific details feel free to send me an email - I would love to hear from you! 

xoxo Jill Belle