Traveling through German cities by train

When I was going to Germany, I realized that I wanted to see several cities, but I didn't want to change hotels every day, carry a heavy suitcase up the stairs and turn my vacation into a competition with the navigator. At some point I thought: why not travel through several German cities by train? The idea seemed great right up until the moment I opened the map and started adding cities one by one. At first, only Berlin, Hamburg and Munich were on my list, then suddenly Cologne, Dresden, Nuremberg appeared, and then I looked at a couple more photos and realized that if I continued like this, I would need not a vacation, but a separate stage in my life. As a result, I chose a route that allowed me to see a completely different Germany: modern Berlin, maritime Hamburg, romantic Cologne, historic Nuremberg, fabulous Munich and a slightly different, more peaceful Dresden. The main character of the trip was the train. I specifically didn't take a car because I wanted to experience Germany exactly the way a passenger sees it: with train stations, platforms, large windows, a cup of coffee on the way, and the very moment when the train starts moving and you look out the window and realize that the next city is already becoming part of the journey. The first city on my route was Berlin . And it was a pretty logical choice, because after the road, I wanted to start from a place where there was a sense of scale and energy. Berlin greeted me exactly as I expected: a little chaotic, a little harsh, and at the same time incredibly interesting. I settled down near the center, left my suitcase and almost immediately went for a walk, because I just don't know how to sit in my room after arriving. Brandenburg Gate The Quadriga of the Brandenburg Gate First of all, I went to the Brandenburg Gate, then I went to the Reichstag building, walked along Unter den Linden and reached the Museum Island. On paper, the route looked pretty compact, but in reality, by the evening I found that I had walked as much as I usually walk in a few days. The Old National Gallery I was especially impressed by the sense of history that is literally found here at every turn. Berlin does not try to pretend that it had only a beautiful past, on the contrary, the city fairly honestly shows different periods of its history, and this makes walking through it much deeper. In the evening, I decided to go to a cafe, but first I stood outside for about ten minutes and tried to figure out where the entrance was. It turned out that the entrance was literally two meters away from me, I was just looking completely the wrong way. In general, the first day of the trip immediately reminded me: German organization is great, but it does not guarantee the organization of the tourist at all.

I went from Berlin to Hamburg. The train ride turned out to be so comfortable that I quickly realized why I even came up with the idea of traveling this way. I sat by the window, put coffee next to it, and just stared at the landscape behind the glass for a while. At such moments, you especially understand the difference between traveling by car and by train: you don't have to watch the road, look for parking, or think about where to turn. You can just sit and watch the country change. Hamburg Seaport Hamburg turned out to be very different from Berlin. Here I immediately felt the proximity of the water and a completely different atmosphere of the city. I went to the Elbe, walked along the embankment, looked at the port, and then reached the Speicherstadt district. The Elbe The old brick buildings, canals, bridges, and water made me feel like I was in a movie set. Moreover, such a film where the main character was supposed to look very elegant, but instead she goes with a backpack, takes pictures of everything and tries not to lose her phone and train ticket at the same time. I also liked the Elbe Philharmonic. Even if you don't go inside, the building itself already makes an impression. The Elbe Philharmonic I stood next to her for a long time, looking at the water and thinking how different Germany could be in just a few hours of travel. It's like my vacation started a long time ago, and I still have a few months ahead of me. Next time, I'd like to come back for at least 2 weeks.

Cologne Cathedral Cologne was the next destination on the route. And here it was impossible to pretend that I had come just to walk around the city, because almost immediately after leaving the station, Cologne Cathedral appeared in front of me. This is the case when the photo is familiar to you long before the trip, but in reality the building still turns out to be impressive. I just stood there for a few minutes and looked up, because I was trying to understand how people built such structures several centuries ago without modern technology. I went up to the cathedral's observation deck, and there I had to remember that I wasn't actually an athlete. The stairs seemed endless, but after climbing, I decided that since I had started, I needed to reach the end. There was a view of Cologne and the Rhine from above. The city looked completely different, and the train I arrived on already seemed like some small detail of a large German map. The Hohenzollern Bridge After the cathedral, I walked through the old town, reached the embankment and crossed the Hohenzollern Bridge. There I took a classic tourist photo again, although I promised myself this time not to photograph obvious places. Cathedral Bridge But let's be honest: if you came to Cologne and didn't take a picture of the cathedral, then you're either a very strong person or you just forgot your phone.

After the noisy Cologne, I wanted some quiet, so Dresden became the next city. I liked him almost immediately. There was a kind of calm mood here that made it possible not to run from one attraction to another, but just to walk and look at the buildings. Zwinger Palace I went to the Old Town, saw the Zwinger, the Dresden Castle, the Frauenkirche Church and strolled along the Elbe. It was especially beautiful in the late afternoon, when the light became softer and the city gradually calmed down. Frauenkirche Church Dresden turned out to be the city where I finally slowed down a bit. I didn't plan my route by the minute on purpose, I just walked, went into small shops, sat in cafes and looked at passers-by. And it was here that I realized that traveling by train has another advantage: cities can be changed quite easily, but there is still time between them when you can just relax.

The next stop was Nuremberg. I've wanted to visit here for a long time because of the old town and the famous Nuremberg Castle. When I left the train station and walked towards the historical center, it seemed to me that the city was specially created for long walks. Narrow streets, old buildings, small squares and a huge number of details that you want to consider. Nuremberg Castle I went up to Nuremberg Castle, walked around the grounds and looked at the city from above. Then I went back down and went to explore the old center. At some point, I decided that I perfectly remember where my hotel is located, and confidently went in the opposite direction. Twenty minutes later, I finally opened the map and discovered that my internal navigator had clearly taken the day off. But thanks to this mistake, I walked through several streets where I had no intention of going at all. And again, it turned out what often happens in travel: a route error sometimes leads to a better experience. Experience has taught me this, so I no longer worry when things don't go according to plan. To make sure, I take a second phone in case the charging on the first device runs out or the memory card runs out.

Marienplatz New Town Hall The last big city of my trip was Munich. And, to be honest, by this point I was already a little tired of living by the principle of "today is another city," but at the same time I absolutely did not want the journey to end. Munich turned out to be a great finale. I walked along Marienplatz, looked at the New Town Hall, reached the Frauenkirche and just walked around the center without a special plan. After a few days with train schedules, hotels, and attractions, I especially enjoyed not planning anything. I went into a cafe, ordered coffee, and just sat by the window, watching the street. Then I went for a walk again, reached the English Garden and finally felt that there was no need to rush anywhere. English Garden In the evening, I returned to the hotel, packed my suitcase and looked at the ticket for the next train with some sadness. Do you know that feeling when the journey is already ending, and suddenly it seems to you that you have just got into the taste? That's how it was with me. What I liked about traveling through Germany by train After this trip, I realized that Germany is really great for railway travel. I didn't have to think about parking, gasoline, toll roads, or where to park my car in the city center. Instead, I just came to the train station, found my train, put my suitcase down and settled down by the window. Sometimes I read, sometimes I looked at the landscape, sometimes I just drank coffee and did nothing – and this "doing nothing" turned out to be an unexpectedly pleasant part of the trip. View from the Monopter Of course, not everything was perfect. Somewhere I got a little confused with the platform, somewhere I walked for too long and then practically ran back to the station, and one day I got so carried away with shopping that I tried to put all this stuff in a suitcase all the way. But it is precisely from such trifles that a normal journey is formed. If everything goes perfectly, then sometimes there's not even anything to tell. And I also unexpectedly discovered a life hack for myself: when I start to get nervous, I just look at the photos, and the anxiety goes away. My route Brandenburg Gate in Berlin If you put the whole trip in one line, my route looked something like this: Berlin → Hamburg → Cologne → Dresden → Nuremberg → Munich . I specifically chose cities with different personalities. Berlin gave me history and modernity, Hamburg gave me water and a port atmosphere, Cologne gave me the famous cathedral and the Rhine, Dresden gave me tranquility and beautiful architecture, Nuremberg gave me a medieval mood, and Munich was the perfect end to my trip. Nuremberg Speicherstadt in Hamburg And the best part is that I didn't have to choose between "see Germany" and "relax." I rested on the train, and in the cities I became a tourist again. When I returned home, I had a huge number of photos on my phone, some completely unnecessary souvenirs were in my suitcase, and a new route was already forming in my head. Because after such a trip, I realized one thing: Germany by train is not just a convenient way to travel between cities. This is a separate type of travel, where the road also becomes part of the story. And if I were asked now if I would repeat such a route, I would answer without hesitation: yes. But next time, I would put at least a couple of extra days between cities, because my main disadvantage as a traveler is that I constantly try to see more than is physically possible. And then I wonder why I fall on my bed in the evening with my phone in my hand and say to myself, "That's it, we're not going anywhere tomorrow." And that's why I get up again in the morning and go to the train station.