Grand Tour – The Best of Germany & Austria

The Route: 1,400 Kilometers Across Two Countries

The Grand Tour connects Germany's and Austria's most impressive destinations into a single, cohesive journey. It begins in Munich – ideally positioned between the Alps, Bavaria, and the rest of the country. From there, the route heads south into the mountains, west along the Romantic Road, then north to Berlin – with an optional extension to Hamburg. This trip is designed for those who don't want to stay in one place, but rather experience the full breadth and depth of two extraordinary countries in one journey.

Neuschwanstein: The World's Most Photographed Castle

King Ludwig II of Bavaria began building his dream castle in 1869 – and never lived to see it completed. Neuschwanstein is no fairy-tale castle from legend; it is a 19th-century private Gesamtkunstwerk – simultaneously opera set and royal residence, built by a king who preferred living inside Wagner's music to governing Bavaria's political reality. Arriving by private vehicle, away from peak hours, allows you to experience this first great landmark of the journey without the crowds.

Eagle's Nest & Berchtesgaden: The Alps and Their Dark History

The Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) at 1,834 metres is one of the most spectacular viewpoints in the Alps. The drive up the Kehlstein road, the final stretch through a tunnel blasted into solid rock, ending in a brass-lined elevator – this alone is a remarkable experience. But its historical context transforms it into one of the journey's most thought-provoking stops: built as a 50th birthday gift from the Nazi Party to Hitler, it stands as a monument to how the regime exploited natural grandeur for its own self-glorification.

Directly nearby lies the Königssee – a deep-blue mountain lake accessible only by electric boat, with the baroque pilgrimage church of St. Bartholomä at its southern shore. It's one of Bavaria's most iconic images, familiar to almost everyone yet seen in person by very few.

Salzburg: UNESCO Old Town, Mozart and the Fortress

Salzburg is one of the best-preserved Baroque cities in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Hohensalzburg Fortress (built in 1077, never conquered), the Getreidegasse with Mozart's birthplace, the Mirabell Gardens immortalised in The Sound of Music, the Kollegienkirche by Fischer von Erlach – the concentration of sights within such a compact area is unmatched in Europe. And Salzburg is a living city, with restaurants and hotels that fully rise to the standards of a private journey.

Chiemsee & Herrenchiemsee: Ludwig's Versailles in a Lake

In 1873, King Ludwig II purchased Herreninsel in the Chiemsee and began construction of his third dream palace – intended to surpass Versailles. In some respects it actually does: the Hall of Mirrors at Herrenchiemsee is longer than its Parisian counterpart, and the state apartments are more completely preserved. The boat crossing from Prien, the palace gardens, the grand halls – this is Bavaria at its most romantic and most extravagant.

The Romantic Road: Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl and Preserved Medieval Towns

Germany's oldest tourist route stretches 350 kilometres from Würzburg to Füssen through a string of medieval towns that largely survived the Second World War intact. Rothenburg ob der Tauber has the most completely preserved town walls in Germany – 2.4 kilometres, fully walkable. Dinkelsbühl is Rothenburg's quieter sister: equally medieval, a fraction of the visitor numbers. Seeing both towns on one journey reveals exactly what the Romantic Road can offer at its finest.

Berlin: Capital, History, Present

Berlin is the essential conclusion of any Germany journey – not because it's the obvious choice, but because no city in Europe carries more history within a smaller area. The Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the Reichstag beneath Norman Foster's glass dome, the Berlin Wall Memorial, the Jewish Museum, the DDR Museum: Berlin is not a city of sights, but a city in which you walk through history physically. Depending on your interests and time, the Berlin portion of this tour can easily be extended to two or more days.