Two Weeks in Germany Itinerary: A Complete Guide to the Bavarian Alps- This Germany schedule will take you through 12 days of traveling through Germany. We focused our 2 weeks in Germany route in the Bavarian Alps regions and area, even dipping through some of Austria as well. We wanted to focus on small mountain towns, Alp views, blue lakes, lots of hiking and biergartens.

This route is best for the travelers that likes to visit smaller towns, instead of spending most of their time in big cities. It is also for the tourist that likes to hike, both short and long. Our route had us staying in many AirBnBs but these areas also have small boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts nearby.

Most of the time you will be in Germany towns and cities. But a few routes and days we did dip into Austria. The borders are so close and easy to travel in and out of. Sometimes you wont even noticed you have crossed a border on the back roads. Read below to find out tips on driving across borders.

Overview

During this itinerary you will get to visit small towns, mountain tops, hiking spots and great views.

Hallstatt
Berchtesgaden
Eagles Nest
Blue Lakes
Breweries
Cities
Mountain tops and more
Tips for Transportation

This route you will need a car but possible with using train systems and public transit. It may just be a little more difficult to get to some hikes. Having a car will give you a lot more flexibility and you can move on your own time. And we really felt like during our time there the rental cars were very reasonable prices, maybe even cheaper than trains and buses for the two of us.

A Short Outline By Day

1: Arrive to Munich Airpost
2: Berchtesgaden (Eagle’s Nest, Lake Konigssee)
3: Berchtesgaden (Hallstatt)
4: Berchtesgaden (Via Ferrata, Drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen)
5: Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Zugspitze and Lake Eibsee)
6: Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Neuschwanstein Castle and Monk Brewery)
7: Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Alpspitze and Gorge)
8: Drive to Rathen
9: Saxony Switzerland and Drive to Berlin
10: Berlin
11: Berlin
12: Berlin
13: Leave from Berlin Airport

What You Need To Know Before You Go

Austria Driving Pass

For this route you will be visiting some areas in Austria, and being so close to the country border you will be driving in and out of both Germany and Austria. To drive in Austria you will need an electronic toll pass, they call it The Austrian Vignette. You can read about them here.

Best Time To Go

We went at the end of June. It really was the perfect time for us. Not scorching hot, we had some cool evenings, but just warm enough to be able to take a dip in some of Germany’s breathtaking lakes.

Many popular cities, such as Hallstatt might be a little busier. But since this route hits mostly small towns we really didn’t hit too many really large tourist crowds.

Berchtesgaden Area (Days 1-4)

Day 1: Travel

Arriving into Germany we flew into Munich, so most of this day was getting our rental car and driving to Berchtesgaden. The trip was about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

We made a stop at a gas station close to the border to purchase our car pass before we made our way to the town and to check into our AirBnB (use this link for $55 for your first stay).

With our long flight and connections from Iceland we spent the day resting, reorganizing, planning and picking up some groceries. Stopping at Gasthof zum Neuhaus for a filling meal and local brews afterwards.

There are lots of short hikes nearby that could easily be enjoyed on this travel day ready to hit the ground running.

Stay at:

We stayed in an AirBnB in Berchtesgaden for our time in this area. The Cozy Apartment had parking and private rooms.

Other great options:

Day 2: Eagles Nest and Lake Konigssee

Eagle Nest

Today was an early start to beat the crowds at the famous Hitler’s Eagles Nest. This spot is famous for the breathtaking views over the Bavarian Alps. We took a look at the weather to pick which day might be the best to visit here. No point in going unless you can get a good view on a clear day. Today was the day for us, so we went. Read all about what you can do and see on my post about Visiting Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.

Lake Konigssee

After grabbing some lunch after visiting Eagle’s Nest, we put our swimsuits on and set out to hang out at the most beautiful lake, Lake Konigssee. Pack some snacks and beverages and head out. We went on a search for the waterfall overlook first. Read about the small swimming pool on my post to be sure to know how to find this hidden gem.

If not wanting to go to the waterfall, I would suggest at least going to the Rabenwand Overlook, which you would hit on your way to the swimming pool.

After taking a dip we headed back down to walk more along the lake shores. Going clockwise around the lake we headed out on the Malerwinkel trail until we found a quiet area to enjoy our drinks and take another swim.

If hiking and swimming are not your thing that also offer boat rides, row boats and more to be able to enjoy this wonderful lake.

Check out other hikes around the lake and this area on my post about Hikes Near And Around Lake Konigssee in Berchtesgaden, Germany.

Day 3: Hallstatt

Hallstatt

Today was dedicated to visiting the small famous mountain town Hallstatt. Hallstatt is in Austria, but not too far of a drive, just about 1 hour and 20 miniatures. Again going early helps, so you can insure a parking spot. This very small town is a huge tourist destination, so it can get crowded quickly. We walked to a few famous viewpoints before taking the Hallstatt funicular up to the World Heritage View, which is stunning.

Here we enjoyed the views, some beers, and hiked down to town (about an hour walk).

We planned to spend all day here but ended up leaving after lunch. It was getting crowded and being small there were not many things we were really itching to do.

If wanting to spend more time here check out the Salt Mines.

Hike to a Biergarten

After arriving back in Berchtesgaden we headed out to hike to the Kneifelspitze Biergarten. Where you will start at the Maria Gern church and end at a complete 360 degree view over the alps, where you have the option to eat and drink at the Kneifelspitze Biergarten.

This hike is moderate, and has some uphill climbs, but some of it will also be through some meadows. This can be a 2-5km hike depending on which route you take. We wanted to also see the Marxenhöhe overlook so we took the look one there and the short route back. Making our hike about 7km.

One thing we didn’t realize is the hours, we thought we would eat dinner here, but missed the 6pm closing time. But glad we got to take in the views from here.

Here is two different routes (we took one there and they other on the way back):

Route #1: 5.1 kilometers to the restaurant.

Route #2: 1.7 kilometes to the restaurant.

You can also drive to the restaurant, but the roads are narrows and rocky.

Day 4: Via Ferrata and Drive

Via Ferrata

Today we woke up early to get a start on the Berchtesgaden Via Ferrata. If not afraid of heights check this out. If not wanting to via ferrata then you can hike to the restaurant biergarten (Grünsteinhütte) by foot on the trail.

After a sweaty hike, and a meal with some cold beers we made our way back down to our car via hiking to drive to our next town, Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Stay at:

We stayed at this adorable AirBnB (use this link for $55 off). We loved this apartment, it is actually owned by the swanky hotel down the street. Great customer service, sports equipment rental options and many more perks.

Other great options:

Garmisch Area (Days 5-7)

Day 5: Zugspitze and Lake Eibsee

Zugspitze

The Zugspitze viewing platforms will get you to the highest point in Germany! Again just like the Eagle’s Nest plan this for the most clear day during your stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Read more about which cable cars to take, and what you can do at the top in my posting about Visiting the Zugspitze Mountain Top.

Lake Eibsee

From here we visited another charming blue lake, Lake Eibsee. I would suggest the very easy walk around the lake, it is mostly paved and well maintained. And is only 6.5 km long, plan for 1.5 to 2 hours for walking around the whole thing. If you don’t have the time, at least walk to the Eibsee-Brücke ( Eibsee-Bridge), from the parking lot to the bridge is only 10 minutes.

*See day before to see where we stayed for this area.

Day 6: Neuschwanstein and Monk Brewery

Neuschwanstein

If researching Bavaria Germany I am sure you have heard of the famous Disney like Neuschwanstein Castle. It’s popular for a reason, breathtaking and nestled in the German mountains. Many make it an all day event and tour the inside, but knowing its not our thing we just went for observing it from the outside. We parked in town and hiked up early to view it from the St. Marys Bridge (Marienbrücke). From here you can also keep walking to some small trails to more overlooks. In which we did. After hiking we got a closer look walking around the castle before heading back to our car to grab lunch at the brewery.

Andechs Monk Brewery

We loved our stop at Andechs Monk Brewery. It was a little out of the way but by not too far. The drive wasn’t too difficult as well. Here German Monks have been brewing beer since 1455. Here you can tour their facilities, drink their beer, food and enjoy live music. Definitely share a pork knuckle!

Day 7: Alpspitze and Gorge

Partnach Gorge/Biergarten

Today we set out to explore the Partnach Gorge. This gorge has pathways where you can walk along the slotted canyon, right by the blue waters. Unfortunately when we arrived it was closed due to a landslide damage, but is now open! But looks really neat from where we could see. Instead we took a path to visit a few biergartens.

You can hike easily to a few in this area:

Kaiserschmarrn-Alm

Berggasthof Hintergraseck

Almwirtschaft Hanneslabauer

Alpspitze

Alpspitze is another popular mountain top in this area that you can reach by cable car, there are a lot in this area as it is a major ski town in the winters. So with our plans for the gorge visit out the door we decided to visit Alpspitze. We bought a pass which let us ride up and hike down. It was very foggy at the top so not much of the view, but we did enjoy the walk down the mountain on the Am Kreuzeckbahnhof trail.

It took awhile to finish but we walked by mountain peaks, flower fields and even some goats and cows!

Rathen Area (Days 8-9)

Day 8: Travel and Saxony Switzerland

Drive to Rathen

Today we got up early to drive to the tiny town of Rathen. This was a perfect place to unwind after a week of hiking. This small town doesn’t allow many cars, so we parked our car, grabbed our luggage and rode the Fähre Oberrathen – Niederrathen ferry over the river to our hotel.

In Rathen most people come to enjoy the quiet town and Saxony Switzerland park. So for this day we walked to the The Bastion Bridge (Bastei Bridge) and took a few short paths to viewpoints around the park before heading back for dinner and drinks along the river at our hotel.

Stay at:

We stayed at Hotel Elbiente, I would highly recommend it! They even have a spa for guests to use, steam rooms, hot tubs, pools and more! We loved our food there as well!

Other great options:

Day 9: Stops Along the Drive to Berlin

Drive to Berlin

Today was a full day to drive to Berlin to end our time in Germany. We split up the drive with a few spots.

Rakotzbrücken

First was the Rakotzbrücken Bridge, but as all travel does we hit another road bump being that it was closed to construction renovations. But if open it does look rather cool!

Bad Muskau

And another good stop would be in Bad Muskau. This cute town has some cool architecture.

Return car to Berlin

We returned our rental car to the Berlin train station and picked up out Berlin Welcome Card to provide us for transportation in the city, by bus, train, subway and more.

Berlin (Days 10-12)

Day 10-12: Food, Drinks, Sights

Berlin easily became one of our favorite big cities. We would definitely return there if we can one day. Full of great food, drinks, arts, architecture, and fun vibes. Here we did a Berlin on Bike Tour, which we were surprised how much we enjoyed. Ate plenty of food and drinks, read about all the places we went to here. We were lucky enough to even get to watch a Germany World Cup game at the Fanmeile Berlin.

One of our favorites was visiting the Markthalle Neun on a Thursday evening to sample street food from around the city all in one indoor market.

During our last day we had an evening flight to our next section of our Europe adventure in Norway.

Stay at:

One of my favorite stays was at the Circus Hotel in Berlin. Great location, and if not wanting to stay in the hotel, they also have hostel rooms. They have breakfast, a brewery, cocktail bar, bakery, restaurant and a rooftop bar! I highly suggest it!

Other great options: