Mr. Strange has family in central Germany, so we decided a few years into our relationship to go for a visit. We decided to bookend this trip with a few days in Amsterdam and then a roadtrip through southern Germany, ending in Munich, before flying back home.

Day 0 – Saturday, September 5 – travel

Day 1 – Sunday, September 6 – stay in Amsterdam

• Arrive in Amsterdam
• Take Bus 197 from airport, stop Museumplein (De Lairessestraat)
• Check into The Neighbour’s Magnolia Hotel
• Things to Do:
  • Explore Amsterdam – to get to Central take Line 2 from Corn. Schuytstraat
  • Dinner at Restaurant de Reiger

Day 2 – Monday, September 7 – stay in Amsterdam

• Things to Do:
  • Anne Frank house – We were not able to reserve a time and did not want to wait in line for hours, so we skipped this.
  • Van Gogh museum – We skipped this as well.
  • Canal tour – Our favorite thing in Amsterdam!
  • Run in Vondelpark
  • Drinks and people watching in Spui
  • Walk through Red Light District

Day 3 – Tuesday, September 8 – stay in Cologne

• Breakfast at Lanskroon – stroopwafels and croissants!
• Bought cookies at Van Stapele
• Leave Amsterdam
• Take train to Cologne (2.5 hours)
• From Central station take tram 5 to Heumarkt or walk along Rhine (15 mins)
• Check into Hotel Lyskirchen
• Things to Do:
  • Cathedral
  • Botanical Gardens – We did not have time to do this.
  • KoelnTriangle – We also skipped this.
  • Museum of Chocolate
  • Hohenzollern Bridge

Day 4 – Wednesday, September 9 – stay with family

• Run along the Rhine – I did a 7 mile run along the Rhine and back before we left Cologne
• Take train to Mannheim (1.5 hours) – Beautiful train ride with lots of castle spotting.

Day 5-8 – Thursday, September 10 – Sunday, September 13 – stay with family

• Spend with family

Day 9 – Monday, September 14 – stay in Baden-Baden

• Take train to Baden-Baden (1 hour)
• Take bus 201 to Leopoldsplatz
• Check into Hotel Rathausglöckel
• Things to Do:
  • Hiking to Hohenbaden castle ruins (allow 4 hours)
  • Friedrichsbad Thermal Spa (allow 3 hours)
  • Walking tour
    • Opera house
    • Casino
    • Caracalla Spa

Day 10 – Tuesday, September 15 – drive through Black Forest and Lake Constance, stay in Fussen

• Rent car in Baden Baden
• Drive:
  • Take B500/L96/B33 from Baden Baden to Triberg (2 hours)
  • Take B33 from Triberg to Konstanz (1.5 hours)
  • Take ferry from Konstanz to Meersburg (1 hour)
  • Take B31 from Meersburg to Lindau (1 hour)
  • Take B12/A7 from Lindau to Fussen (1.25 hours)
• Places of Interest:
  • Triberg – cuckoo clocks, black forest cake!
    •  Lunch at Cafe Schaefer (home of the original black forest cake)
  • Mainau – flower island – We skipped due to time.
  • Meersburg – castles (5 min walk from ferry)
  • Lindau – lighthouse, harbor (park off of island and walk)
• Check into Ruchti’s Hotel und Restaurant

Day 11 – Wednesday, September 16 – Neuschwanstein, stay in Munich

• Drive to castles
• 10:25am: Ticket pick-up time
• 11:25am: Tour Hohenschwangau
• 12:30pm: Eat lunch, take bus to second castle, visit Mary’s Bridge – Mary’s Bridge was closed at the time of our visit
• 2:25pm: Tour Neuschwanstein
• 3:30pm: Drive to Munich (~2 hours)
• Check into GHOTEL Munchen City
• Return car at train station
• Dinner at Augustiner-Keller Biergarten – We loved this place so much, we came back a few days later.

Day 12 – Thursday, September 17 – stay in Munich

• Things to Do:
  • 10:45am: Allianz arena tour
  • New Town Hall
  • St. Peter’s Church – Lookout tower
  • Lunch at Hofbräuhaus am Platzl
  • Dinner at Paulaner Brauhaus

Day 13 – Friday, September 18 – stay in Munich

• Either explore Munich or side trip to Salzberg (train 1.5-2 hours) – We ended up spending more time in Munich, due to trains between Germany and Austria being halted.
• Nymphenburg Palace
• St. Michael’s Church
• Run at English Garden or Olympiapark – Ran several miles in the English Garden on Day 13.
• Marienplatz (shows at 11am, 12pm, and 5pm)
• Dinner with Mr. Strange’s uncle at Augustiner-Keller Biergarten

Day 14 – Saturday, September 19 – travel

• Take S1 or S8 line to airport