Planning trip to Germany - which city?

[Lottapianos]

DP and I are planning a few days in Germany at end of March. It's just the two of us and we're flying from London. We love food, beer, walking, bit of shopping, bit of museum and gallery stuff. Will probably be there for 4 nights so could consider a day trip to somewhere else a short train journey away

Which German city would you recommend? Thanks

Berlin, Munich and Cologne are all wonderful. Cologne might have the edge because of the chocolate factory.

Munchën

Or even münchen 😂

Heidelberg.
My favourite place.

Munich with a day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.

Totally agree. We also thought it was a dive.

Plus, for some reason absolutely hundreds of wasps everywhere. You couldn’t stand still for even a few seconds without one buzzing around your face or landing on you. Even inside restaurants there were wasps flying in and out. DC hated it and asked to go back to the hotel!

Yes. Very like Liverpool! I liked it a lot.

Berlin has some of the best museums I’ve ever been to. Every road you walk down is a piece of history. Surrounded by beautiful lakes and forests.

If all you see is Checkpoint Charlie and Alexanderplatz, then you might think it’s a dive, but it’s so much more than that.

Wow, tons of info! Thanks everyone. Munich with a day trip to Nuremberg sounds great 👍

Cologne and Bonn would be great for a 4 night trip. It's the same airport and they are about 45 mins away from each other. You only need to really spend a day in Bonn s make Cologne your base

Munich! You have the Alps on your doorstep and Salzburg is an easy day trip. Beautiful city.

I think Cologne/Düsseldorf or Munich/somewhere in Bavaria. I love Berlin but for a one-off mini break I’d choose somewhere more picturesque.

I was very fortunate to grow up in Heidelberg. Beautiful. It is twinned with Cambridge and has a similar vibe.

We love going to Cologne and Düsseldorf, plenty to do there and I really like Frankfurt too.

Oh I need to go to Germany soon now that I am thinking about it!

Munich or Berlin.

@willowstar me too! Right by the river. Still go back at least yearly.

Frankfurt is a really good place to be based. You can also do a day trip to Heidelberg from there very easily.
Plenty of opportunities for walking, beer and the local speciality: Apfelwein. A whole host of museums, too. The Altstadt has undergone some extensive refurbishment and now offers nice cafes and some interesting, smaller, independent shops.
The airport is very convenient as well, just a short trip by train to the main station.

Frankfurt is good (am Main)
Cologne, Hamburg, Düsseldorf all Have airports.

I find Berlin a bit tedious, Munich too

Oh when? Avoid Cologne & Düsseldorf next weekend

Heidelberg, beautiful - but if you fly with Ryan air, be aware that Frankfurt Hahn isn't in Frankfurt!

'Oh when? Avoid Cologne & Düsseldorf next weekend'

That really would be a bit too last minute! Going end of March

Munich! (I am possibly biased because I live here.) - if the weather is good there should be some beer gardens open, there are lots of galleries and museums, and I highly recommend a day trip to Tegernsee - beautiful landscape, and a really nice brewery with amazing food right on by the lakefront. 🏔️ 🍻 😃 Let me know if you need any local tips.

Nuremberg is also great, as a trip or a destination in itself. If you decide to stay in Nuremberg then a trip to Bamberg is wonderful. Smoked beer joy at Schlenkerla. 😋

I find Frankfurt boring as hell. I spent 2 years with regular work trips there and couldn't find anything I liked doing in my free time.

Berlin - it depends a lot where you stay but that's like any major city I find.

Thanks so much @ChaToilLeam , I might well be coming back to you!

i lived there for over a year and didn't get time to do all the things i wanted. There are about 30 museums for starters, including the fantastic historical museum at the Römer - it has a giant snow globe. Next to that the Schirn art gallery, then nip over to Sachsenhausen for Apfelwein and dinner.

That's a whole day right there. Then there's a river trip, up the tower, for fantastic views, more Apfelwein (there's a tram where you just sit there listening to music drinking Äppler) the modern art museum. So much to do.

Gosh, it's difficult to choose just one as there are so many great places to visit in Germany!

Have a little browse here and see whether one of the cities appeals to you in particular.

I think, if you are new to Germany and planning a brief visit, that you might like Munich.

https://www.germany.travel/en/cities-culture/a-48-hour-trip-is-full-of-possibilities.html