Subscribe for exclusive free stuff!

Plan Your Trip to Germany: Tips, Tools & Guides

Planning a trip to Germany? This page pulls together the practical stuff; packing tips, key phrases, and travel mistakes to avoid.

Alongside this are themed guides for road trips, castles, museums, and more. Whether you’re into winter markets or summer hikes, it’s the same advice we give friends: skip the guesswork, focus on what actually matters to you, and build your trip from there.

Germany Travel Toolkit

Illustration of a suitcase with the German flag surrounded by iconic landmarks like the Brandenburg Gate, cathedrals, half-timbered houses, and a beer stein, symbolizing guided tours across Germany.

Themed Tours & Ideas

Not every trip needs a rigid itinerary. Sometimes it’s better to start with a theme (castles, road trips, art museums, or alpine hikes) and build from there. This page collects our favorite route ideas, bucket lists, and themed guides to help you plan a Germany trip that actually fits your travel style. Whether you’re into fairytale towns or offbeat adventures, there’s a starting point here that makes sense.
Flat lay of travel essentials including a phone, headphones, spork, map, compass, and power bank on a wooden surface

Travel Toolkit

You can’t plan for everything, but you can give yourself a fighting chance. This page pulls together the practical tips most people only learn the hard way: what to pack, what not to say, how to ride the train without annoying anyone. Whether you’re in Germany for a week or a month, solo or with kids, this toolkit helps you travel smarter and skip the rookie mistakes.

What This Toolkit Helps With

  • Packing for different regions and seasons
  • Feeling more prepared in cities and rural areas
  • Navigating etiquette, payment systems, and dining culture
  • Keeping your trip lightweight but efficient
  • Learning enough German to feel confident, not awkward

Seasonal & Monthly Planning

Germany changes dramatically with the seasons. From snowy Christmas markets in winter to sunlit beer gardens and forest hikes in summer. These guides help you plan your trip with the right timing, highlighting festivals, weather, regional tips, and what to expect each month.

Whether you're visiting in the off-season or aiming for peak festival energy, this section makes it easy to match your trip to the season.

As an aside, most events are annual. So if you're planning a year in advance, seeing what was on last year will often give you a good idea for future plans. But as always, check official websites for up-to-date information or event cancellations.

The iconic Rakotzbrücke (Devil’s Bridge) in Germany forms a perfect circle with its reflection, surrounded by autumn foliage.

November (2024)

November is officially shoulder season. A wonderful period of time between the seasonal crush of tourists where life moves at a slower pace. Albeit, slightly more damp-ish.
Snow-dusted trees line the riverbank in front of Magdeburg Cathedral on a clear winter day in Germany.

January (2025)

While it may be the coldest month of the year, it’s also a great time to explore the country in its quieter, more affordable, and snow-dusted glory. Grab your thick winter coat, thermal underwear, and a waterproof jacket because I'm diving into everything you need to know about visiting Germany in January.
A picturesque row of traditional half-timbered houses along a canal, surrounded by lush greenery and vibrant pink summer flowers in full bloom under a bright blue sky.

August (2025)

August is loud, lively, and usually sunny... at least until a rogue thunderstorm hits. It’s high season for travel, with packed beer gardens, festival-filled weekends, and postcard-perfect river views.
Young child looking out an airport terminal window at airplanes on the tarmac, symbolizing the start of a travel adventure.Start planning smarter, not harder.

Don't Overthink It

Wherever you're headed, whether it’s castles, Christmas markets, or a quiet countryside escape, use what’s here to shape a trip that actually fits you.

Germany’s easy to enjoy, but even better when you’ve got the right info in your pocket. Don’t overthink it. Start with what interests you, and build from there.

When I first planned a trip to Germany, I thought I had it all sorted—train tickets, hotel, list of castles. But the moment I landed, I realized I’d completely missed one thing: how different each region feels. I’d read up on cities, but not on timing. Or tips. Or how museum closures and public holidays sneak up on you like clockwork.

That’s when the shift happened. Now, instead of overloading on “must-see” lists, I start with what actually interests me and work backwards from there. Specifically: architecture, interesting history, and good bakeries.  That’s what this planning guide is for. Helping you filter out the noise and map out a trip that works for you.

Interior view of Cologne Cathedral with soaring vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows, captured from a low angle with a Eran in the foreground.Sometimes, staring up in the Cologne Cathedral requires a neck brace.

One of the highlights for me? Cologne Cathedral. Standing in front of it in person after years of seeing it in guidebooks was something else entirely. The scale, the detail, the atmosphere... it stays with you (not just for having a sore neck afterwards). And it’s just one of many UNESCO sites across Germany that are worth carving time out for.

Read more >

Cheers!

Eran Fulson signature
Profile photo of EranAbout me >

 

Menu
Back to top

Across media platforms, the Just Like Oma family of websites are celebrated for making German cooking, travel, and heritage fun & simple to understand, and easily accessible for everyone!

Eran Fulson

Thanks for checking out this website and all the travel ideas. I hope you’ve found something wunderbar to explore!

Let’s continue the conversation… join me on your favorite social channel as we discover how seeing Germany -- in person or from home -- can be simple and unforgettable!

Instagram YouTube Pinterest

Cheers,

Eran Fulson signature

Contact

Privacy Policy

Sitemap

Disclaimer

Affiliate Program

Terms & Conditions

Tour My Germany - Just Like Oma

Copyright © | Tour My Germany (Just like Oma) | All Rights Reserved

Powered by: Make Your Knowledge Sell!


AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Tour My Germany participates in various affiliate advertising to provide a means to earn advertising fees by linking to retail websites. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We will not promote products WE do not own or would not buy ourselves. Our goal is to provide you with product information and our own personal opinions or ideas.  At times, We will showcase services, programs, and products. We aim to highlight ones that you might find interesting, and if you buy items from those companies, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale.

We are independently owned, and the opinions expressed here are our own.
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PERFORM DUE DILIGENCE BEFORE BUYING GOODS OR SERVICES ONLINE.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Throughout our site, you'll find photos from our travels across Germany, captured by Eran, Lydia, and Gerhild—each of us passionate about photography, whether as a hobby or a profession. We also feature reader-contributed images and curated stock IMAGES BY Deposit Photos and others, offering diverse perspectives to help you explore and appreciate the beauty of Germany.