Where to stop on drive between Cologne and Prague

[cathyandclare]

We're driving from Cologne to Prague in April as part of a bigger trip in a camper van. We have about a week, so looking to stop at 3 places en route. We'd love recommendations for interesting places to stop in Germany or Czechia .

We can stay in the van but have also budgeted for the odd night in a hotel each week. They can be rural/town or city or hopefully a mix. We're open to anything sightseeing/history/eating/walking/skiing but we've spent lots of time in Berlin-love it but maybe time to go somewhere else.

Thanks for any help!

Heidelberg and Nuremberg would be my top picks. And Karlovy Vary.

Thanks @MissAmbrosia that does look good, we can't decide whether to take the north route through Dresden or the south route through Nuremberg. With three great stops and a fairly direct route that looks an excellent option.

Nuremberg is much lovelier than everyone expects.

I’ve been looking at Karlovy Vary and it looks fabulous, we will definitely add that into our itinerary. Thanks for the tip.

Dresden's main museum is worth a visit, very extensive collection.

Karlovy Vary and Heidelberg are both beautiful. Lots to see in both places. Mariánské Lázně is near to Karlovy Vary and is also a beautiful spa town, I preferred it as it was a bit less busy.