My family and I had been talking about a trip to Germany for years. Finally we pulled the plug and bought our tickets. We started our “European Road Trip” by flying into Munich. Personally, I often see a lot of fairly cheap flights compared to other places in Europe. Once we saw this, me and my siblings jumped on the opportunity to finally see Germany. Right from there we were able to rent a car. It went a lot smoother than I had expected, since we didn’t speak a lick of English. I honestly didn’t have any issues with the language barrier. The few times we encountered people who didn’t speak English was mainly in the very small towns. And really the only times that we were there was stopping for gas or food. Usually in those situations you can make do and understand the gist of whats going on. From there we made our way to Dachau Concentration Camp.
Dachau was located approximately 20 minutes away from the airport. Due to this being so close, we chose to go straight from the Franz Josef Strauss Munich Airport to the Dachau Museum and Memorial. We were able to park in the alley way, close to the entrance. Otherwise when we were there, I believe parking was about 3 Euros. Entrance to the park was free. I highly suggest being apart of some sort of tour though. We learned SO MUCH this way, and a lot of stuff that we probably would have missed. Our tour guide also spoke to how the Germans felt during and after the War. So, it was interesting getting a local’s perspective. Please be respectful to the memorials. To be honest, I felt awkward about taking photos of certain things. I’ve seen photos though were people are extremely disrespectful, and even posing on statues, and things like that.
Berchtesgaden is honestly the prettiest area that I saw in Germany. Nestled in the Bavarian mountains, this small town is perfect for someone wanting to see the quiet side to Germany. We happened to go through this area a few times, after spending the night in Salzburg. Berchtesgaden sits right on the Austrian border, in the bottom right corner of the country. One of the most famous things to see in the area is Hitler’s Eagle Nest. Even if you aren’t into history, you need to make the trip for the views ALONE. There is a National Park in Berchtesgaden, and it’s not hard to believe. The area is really that beautiful. Other than the Eagle’s nest, we didn’t get to see much of the area.
Approximately 2 hours South East of Dachau is the Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden. This is a MUST if you are in Germany. I wish I had more photos of the view, but it was extremely foggy that day. Even if you aren’t a big history fan, the views alone make it worth your time. The Eagles Nest is located on the top of a mountain and was one of Hitler’s main residential command posts. While Hitler was extremely afraid of heights, he did not venture up top very often. Eva Braun and his associates often did though! The house itself has now been transformed into a restaurant. The only way to get to the top, is by bus. You can not drive yourself up, due to the dangerous drive. Personally, I am afraid of heights, and this drive was terrifying! We are talking driving within feet of deadly cliffs in a bus! But trust me, the drive is worth it! You must catch the bus at the Dokumentation Obsersalzberg Museum. There you will buy your bus ticket, before heading up. We made the mistake of not knowing that the last bus left, which was a good amount of time before everything closes. Due to this, we were behind schedule on the rest of our trip since we had to go back the next morning. So, don’t make our same mistake! While not in Germany, Salzburg Austria is extremely close to the Eagles Nest. I highly suggest having Salzburg somehow tied into your trip as well. I wish we would have been able to spend more time here.
The next day we were able to visit one of Germany’s most photographed icons. The Neuschwanstein Castle was built by King Ludwig II in 1886 (technically 7 weeks after his death). There is a lot of history with both Neuschwanstein and King Ludwig.Honestly this was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Neuschwanstein is arguably the most famous castle in all of Europe. This is due to the fact that it is a COMPLETE FAIRYTALE. Personally, the castle reminded me of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. Kind Ludwig II was later dubbed the mad King, and his drive to finish the elaborate castles was proof of that. The trick is to arrive early, and get one of the first tours in. Be prepared for a bit of walking! It sits in a quiet town on the edge of the German Alps. So It’s a STEEP walk up. There is multiple ways to get to the castle though. We choose the horse carriage option! Because who wouldn’t want to go to a dream castle by horse and carriage?? The little town outside of Neuschwanstein, is super cute. There is a bunch of little touristy stores, and some interesting restaurants as well. We grabbed lunch here, and as always, its fun trying out the local beer. If we would have had more time, we would have been here longer. It also would have been nice to see the second castle (Which we had no idea about until we got here). You could probably spend the majority of a day here. Make sure you are aware of the times that tours are going on. We ended up almost running out of time, because we didn’t plan very well. Specific tours occur at specific times. This is mainly separated by language. We didn’t realize that they went in as groups! Look into this prior to getting there!
I honestly wish I would have had more time in Nuremberg. The town is more so what I picture when it comes to a “bigger” German town. It still has a well-preserved history to it, including the sites pertaining to the third reich. Seeing the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg was extremely interesting. It was kind of sad to hear that the majority of the castle was rebuilt though. Like a lot of cities in Germany, a significant amount of historical building were destroyed or damaged during WW2. The building still showed you how life was back then, and the beauty of what the castle would have been like. Parking is hard to find. It consists of small little parking spaces along the outside of the castle. It was fun to see college kids running around the lawns of the castle, hanging out and playing drinking games. I just kept thinking how amazing of an experience it would be to go to college in this area. While here, we went over to the spot where the Nuremberg Rallies took place. While this isn’t a “tourist” spot, you can still visit. We had to walk under a gate or two, but we made it up. It was crazy to think that thousands of people would travel from all over the country to attend these rallies. There is a museum nearby, but that was also something we did not have time to see. If you like WW2 sites, Nuremberg is the site of the Nuremberg trials (shocking). Might be something to check out as well! Nuremberg was the town were two of the females I was with actually bought their dirndls. If your’e looking for cute clothes to wear to Oktoberfest festivals, make sure you check them out. It super nice to be able to try things on, especially since their sizing is different than in the US.
Personally I did not really like Berlin, but I will note that I also was not there long enough to have a fair opinion. Berlin is the capital of Germany, and extremely developed. To me, It just seemed like any bigger city that I have been to. I will say that there still was a lot of history and culture present. And that part I did like. While here we stopped at Brandenburg Gate. I liked this area of the city. You had all these older building and monuments combined with new restaurants, shops, and bars. Like any tourist, you need to see the Berlin wall. Or what little remains of it at least. The wall is a cold reminder of the post WW2 culture. Other than The Wall Museum, most people try and see the part of the wall now covered in graffiti. Most people try and find the coolest design, to spruce up their Insta Account. I will say that I enjoyed see the WW2 related work while there. I believe that the art work is always changing (don’t quote me), so make sure that you check them all out.
Oktoberfest in Munich. Do I need to say much more?? Hopefully not sounding like a bunch of drunks, but we planned our trip around the Oktoberfest festival! I was blown away by just how large the festival it is. You see a lot of pictures of the beer tents, but not much about the entire fair grounds. There is rides and food galore! Some of the tents hold up to 10,000 people inside of them. Each tent focuses on a different brewery and often attracts a different crowd. The Hofbraeuhaus is known for having a younger party type crowd. You do need to be seated to be able to order any food or beer. Also make sure you have plenty of cash, because they do not take cards. Often the onsite ATMs will run out of cash as well. We made sure to run into a gas station right outside the fairgrounds. Seats are hard to obtain, and the tents fill up fast. DO NOT TRY AND STEAL THE STEINS! There is a hefty fine attached to stealing the mugs and you’re searched upon leaving. You’re able to purchase a clean new stein. Do not stand on the tables, if you stand on the table its tradition you chug your entire pint of a beer, otherwise the entire tent will boo and make fun of you. Please dress up. Honestly the people that don’t dress up, stick out more than the people in dirndls and lederhosens.
While being another similar town in size, Munich seemed different than Berlin. I felt more that “German” atmosphere that I was looking for. The majority of Munich is “walkable”, especially with the use of the trains. Personally, I thought that the trains were fairly confusing. That might also be that we went on the trains, often after a few beers. But who knows. Thankfully I don’t live in a place where trains are needed. I was honestly surprised by just how many people were in Marienplatz when we went. I just thought it would be a chill area to hang out, and watch the clock do its thing. But this was packed! Make sure you are aware of what time it’s going off, because we had to RUN in order to catch it. When I mean run, I mean sprinting through Munich’s main square. This is probably one of the most photogenic spots in Munich. We ended up getting dinner in the area. The place is filled with little shops and cute restaurants. If we wouldn’t have been hungover from the night before (Okterberfest = 1 Americans = 0), I think we would have spent more time in this area.
One odd thing that us American’s were not aware of. Peeing costs money in Germany. Well I should probably say that using public restrooms will cost you. The first time we stopped to use the bathroom at a gas station we were just dumb founded. The locals probably watched us staring at the turn style placed right in the entry to the bathroom. It usually only costs just some spare change. And the money supposedly goes to the work and supplies that it takes to keep the restrooms running (which is fair). By the end of the trip we became professionals and remembering to keep change on hand, for when we needed it.
