In One Week

The very title of this tour is a misnomer. There is no way you can see Germany in 1 week. But you can have a memorable vacation in Berlin and Munich and see some highlights of Germany in 1 week, if you budget your time carefully.

Days 1 & 2: Arrive in Berlin

Take a flight that arrives in Berlin as early as possible on Day 1. After unpacking at your hotel, set out to visit the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of Berlin, and then walk down Unter den Linden (the main drag of Berlin), stopping for a German pastry and a coffee at one of the cafes that line the edges of this boulevard.

Spend the rest of the morning at the Gemäldegalerie museum, viewing some of the great masterpieces of early German artists as well as an array of international painters (especially rich in the Italian department). If the weather's fair, take a boat tour of the Spree (the main river of Berlin) and have lunch in a typical tavern. In the afternoon, climb the dome of the Reichstag, the German Parliament building.

In what's left of your afternoon, visit what used to be called East Berlin, taking in the beautiful neoclassical square, Gendarmenmarkt, and exploring the rebuilt Nikolaiviertel (Nicolai Quarter). After a rest back at your hotel, take in some of Berlin's fabled night life.

On Day 2, begin your morning with a tour of Schloss Charlottenburg, one of the great baroque palaces of Germany. Allow at least 1 1/2 hours for a tour. Nearby you can visit Die Sammlung Berggruen, with its Picasso collection, if time remains. End your morning with a stroll through Charlottenburg's beautiful formal gardens, a walk into 18th-century gardening.

After lunch in a typical Berlin restaurant, head for the Altes Museum. Even if you don't have time to explore this Museum of Antiquities in depth, view the most famous lady in Berlin, the celebrated colored bust of Queen Nefertiti, dating from 1360 B.C. Highlights of the Egyptian Museum collection will rest on the ground floor here until 2009.

While on Museumsinsel, seeing the Altes Museum, head for the Pergamon Museum, with its Greek and Roman antiquities. The Pergamon Altar is the highlight of this collection, as is the colossal blue Ishtar Gate which once stood in Babylon in 575 B.C.

Spend the rest of the day going for a refreshing stroll through Berlin's Tiergarten, the most famous park in Berlin. That evening, take in a cultural presentation at one of Berlin's famous opera houses, perhaps a performance of one of its symphony orchestras. Not into classical music? Then head for the cabaret, old chum.

Day 3: A Side Trip to Potsdam

On Day 3, while still based at a hotel in Berlin, take the S-Bahn to the baroque town of Potsdam, on the Havel River. While at Germany's answer to Versailles, you can wander for hours, exploring the palaces and gardens of Sans Souci, which was the former palace of Frederick the Great. After lunch, you can also tour Schloss Cecilienhof, the former country house of Kaiser Wilhelm II and site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference that included Truman, Stalin, and Churchill.

Return to Berlin by fast train in the afternoon for a final look at Germany's unified capital. Before the day completely fades, pay a visit to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, in western Berlin, and stroll down the Kurfürstendamm (known as Ku'Damm), the most famous boulevard in western Berlin.

For something truly typical and evocative, have a mug of beer and regional food in a Kneipe (the Berlin equivalent of a London pub). Our favorite is Gaststätte Hoeck.

Day 4: Nürnberg

In 6 hours, you can take a train from Berlin to Nürnberg, deep in the heart of Franconia. This ancient city, heavily bombed in World War II, makes an ideal stopover on the way to Munich. After checking into a hotel and enjoying a lunch of Nürnberg-style bratwurst (finger-sized sausages), head in the afternoon for the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, the city's premier attraction. The National Museum is strong on the works of native son Albrecht Dürer, whose paintings are reason enough for a visit.

If time remains, visit the Kaiserburg on a hilltop at the northern edge of the Altstadt (Old City). Until 1571 it was the official residence of German kings and emperors. You might also get a look at St.-Lorenz-Kirche, across the Pegnitz River, dating from 1270. It's the most appealing of Nürnberg's churches.

Days 5 & 6: Munich

Take an early morning train to Munich (trip time: 2 hr.), so you can more or less get in a full day of sightseeing. For orientation purposes, walk over to the main square of Munich, Marienplatz, where at three times during the day you can witness a miniature "tournament" on its Glockenspiel, the city's clock tower. Climb or take an elevator to the top of the Rathaus tower here. This is the old city hall building, and from its peak, you'll have a panoramic sweep of the Munich skyline.

While you're in the area, stop at Frauenkirche, Munich's largest church, rebuilt in the Gothic style. For lunch that day, dine at Viktualienmarkt, Munich's most famous open-air market and one of the greatest such food markets in Europe.

After lunch, spend 2 hours at Alte Pinakothek, one of the world's greatest art museums, especially strong in European artists from the 14th to the 18th centuries.

To cap your afternoon, stroll through the beautiful Englischer Garten, and don't be surprised to meet some local residents in the nude. For your night fun, follow the oom-pah-pah sounds to the Hofbräuhaus, the world's most famous beer hall.

On Day 6, visit the Deutsches Museum in the morning. This German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology is the largest technological museum in the world. It even shelters the first automobile (a Benz from 1886). Allow at least 2 hours for a visit. After lunch, plan on spending the afternoon at Schloss Nymphenburg, the summer palace of the Wittelsbach dynasty. Allow at least 2 1/2 hours, with time reserved for a stroll through the famous Nymphenburg gardens or park. One of the highlights here is an array of ornate sleighs and coaches once used by mad King Ludwig of Bavaria.

After a return to town, consider attending a cultural performance at the Cuvilliés Theater, the most beautiful rococo theater in the world.

Day 7: Ludwig's Castles

It's easier and more luxurious to rent a car in Munich and drive to Germany's two most famous castles at Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. You can also travel by train to Füssen, 119km (74 miles) southwest of Munich, where you can then take the bus to Neuschwanstein, a distance of 7km (4 miles) east of Füssen. However, you'll spend so much time in travel that you'll have time to visit only one castle that day.

If you're that rushed, make it Neuschwanstein, as it's the true fairy-tale castle of King Ludwig. Hohenschwangau is not as glamorous or as spectacular. Tours of Neuschwanstein take an hour. But because of the rush of visitors to the area, there are often long delays in summer. After your castle tour, return to Munich and travel back to Berlin by train.