# Road trips in Germany

> 28 road trips and 87 hand-picked places in Germany, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/roadtrips/germany/

28 road trips and 87 hand-picked places in Germany, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

## Road trips through Germany

- [The Romantic Road: Würzburg to Füssen](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/romantic-road/): Walled towns, half-timbered squares and a fairy-tale castle at the end.
- [Castles of the Rhine and Moselle](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/rhine-castles/): Vineyard slopes, the Loreley and a castle hidden in the woods.
- [Black Forest High Road](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/black-forest-b500/): Spa town Baden-Baden, dark mountain lakes, cuckoo clocks and Titisee on the B500.
- [Baltic coast: Hanseatic towns and chalk cliffs](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/baltic-brick/): Red-brick Lübeck, Wismar and Stralsund, then the chalk cliffs of Rügen.
- [German Alpine Road](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/german-alpine-road/): Lake Constance to Königssee along the foot of the Alps, past Neuschwanstein, Oberammergau and Garmisch.
- [Moselle and Saar](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/moselle-saar/): Roman Trier, steep vineyards around Bernkastel, Burg Eltz and the Saar loop.
- [Saxon Switzerland and the Elbe](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/saxon-switzerland/): Meissen porcelain, Baroque Dresden, the Bastei bridge and Königstein Fortress.
- [German Fairy Tale Route](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/fairy-tale-road/): On the trail of the Brothers Grimm, from Hanau to the Town Musicians of Bremen via Hamelin.
- [North Frisia: dikes, lighthouses and mudflats](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-north-frisian-coast/): From Friedrichstadt’s canals across the Eider to the vast beach of St. Peter-Ording, the Westerhever lighthouse and Theodor Storm’s “grey town” of Husum.
- [East Frisia’s Wadden coast: harbours and lighthouses](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-east-frisian-coast/): Fishing harbours with shrimp cutters, striped lighthouses on the dike and seal pups at Norddeich, from Emden to Jever.
- [Harz: half-timbered towns and the Brocken](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-harz-mountains/): UNESCO mining heritage in Goslar, the Brocken view from Torfhaus, a record-breaking dam bridge and the witches’ plateau above the Bode Gorge.
- [Thuringian Forest: Wartburg to Weimar](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-thuringian-forest/): Luther’s castle, the forest ridges along the Rennsteig, colourful grottoes at Saalfeld and the classical town of Goethe and Schiller.
- [Franconian Switzerland: rocks, caves and castles](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-franconian-switzerland/): Dolomite towers, dripstone caves and hilltop castles between Bamberg and Bayreuth, a compact loop with good campsites along the rivers.
- [German Wine Route through the Palatinate](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-palatinate-wine-road/): Some 85 km of vineyards, wine villages and castle ruins from Bockenheim to the French border, with almond trees blooming in early spring.
- [Swabian Alb: castles, springs and the Danube](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-swabian-alb/): Cliff-top castles, a tufa waterfall and the blue Blautopf spring on the limestone plateau between Stuttgart and Ulm.
- [Lake Constance’s German shore](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-lake-constance-north/): Monastery and garden islands, a Rococo basilica, prehistoric stilt houses and the island town of Lindau along the northern shore.
- [Bavarian Forest: from Passau to Regensburg](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-bavarian-forest/): Germany’s oldest national park, glassmaking towns, a dark glacial lake and the Walhalla temple above the Danube.
- [Mecklenburg Lake District by motorhome](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b4-mecklenburg-lakes/): A fairy-tale castle in Schwerin, then lakeside towns around the Müritz, the largest lake lying entirely in Germany, ending at Rheinsberg Palace.
- [Potsdam palaces and the Spreewald](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-potsdam-spreewald/): From Cold War Glienicke Bridge to Frederick the Great’s Sanssouci, then south by canal boat through the Spreewald to Prince Pückler’s pyramids at Cottbus.
- [Upper Bavaria: Tegernsee, Chiemsee and the Eagle’s Nest](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-chiemsee-berchtesgaden/): Alpine lakes and a cog railway, Ludwig II’s island Versailles, the world’s longest castle and a mountain house above Berchtesgaden.
- [Bavarian Oberland: lakes, gorges and Ludwig’s Linderhof](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-werdenfels-lakes/): A monastery brewery, two alpine lakes, the Partnach Gorge and Eibsee below the Zugspitze, then a rococo church and a royal palace.
- [Rügen and Usedom: capes, piers and the Imperial Baths](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-ruegen-usedom/): Across the Rügen Bridge to Cape Arkona and the resort piers, then Caspar David Friedrich’s abbey ruin and the villas of Usedom.
- [The Ruhr: blast furnaces, gas holders and coal mines](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-ruhr-industrial/): The heritage route through Germany’s old industrial heartland: a walkable rollercoaster, a lit-up ironworks, the Zollverein colliery and a 19th-century boat lift.
- [Eifel volcano country: Monschau to Maria Laach](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-eifel-volcanoes/): A half-timbered town on the Rur, crater lakes around Daun, a castle above the Nürburgring and a Romanesque abbey on a volcanic lake.
- [Danube Gorge and Altmühl Valley: Regensburg to Eichstätt](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-altmuehl-danube/): Regensburg’s medieval bridge, Ludwig I’s hall of victory, a boat through the Danube Gorge to Weltenburg Abbey, then the castles of the Altmühl.
- [South Limburg: Maastricht, Valkenburg and the three-country point](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-south-limburg/): Maastricht’s old town and marl caves, a hilltop castle ruin in Valkenburg, the highest point of the Netherlands and Charlemagne’s cathedral in Aachen.
- [Außerfern: highline179, Plansee and the Fern Pass](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-ausserfern-fernpass/): Across the border from Füssen to a suspension bridge over a castle road, a clear mountain lake, the Zugspitze wall at Lermoos and the turquoise lakes of the Fern Pass.
- [The Danube through Upper Austria: Passau to Melk](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b14-upper-austria-danube/): The Schlögen loop, Linz and its hill church, Bruckner’s abbey, the Mauthausen memorial and the wooded Strudengau to Melk.

## Places worth the detour in Germany

- [Schloss Neuschwanstein](https://camping-spirit.com/places/neuschwanstein/): King Ludwig II’s fairy-tale castle above the Alpine foothills. Buy timed tickets online.
- [Burg Eltz](https://camping-spirit.com/places/burg-eltz/): A castle owned by the same family for more than 850 years, hidden in a forest valley near the Moselle.
- [Miniatur Wunderland](https://camping-spirit.com/places/wunderland/): The world’s largest model railway, with miniature cities, a working airport and a tiny Venice.
- [Königsstuhl chalk cliffs](https://camping-spirit.com/places/koenigsstuhl/): White chalk cliffs above the Baltic in the beech forests of Jasmund National Park on Rügen.
- [St. Peter-Ording beach stilt houses](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-spo-stilt-houses/): Cafés and lifeguard huts on tall stilts stand on a beach up to 2 km wide, reached by long wooden boardwalks. Cars may park on parts of the sand for a fee; keep an eye on the tide.
- [Westerheversand Lighthouse](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-westerhever-lighthouse/): A red-and-white lighthouse flanked by two keeper’s cottages, standing alone in the salt marshes. Park behind the dike and walk about half an hour across the meadows.
- [Rammelsberg Mine](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-rammelsberg-mine/): A silver and copper mine worked for more than a thousand years, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided tours go underground on foot or by mine train; bring a jacket.
- [Rappbode Dam](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-rappbode-dam/): Germany’s highest dam wall, with one of the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridges strung beside it. The road crosses the dam crest and there are car parks at both ends.
- [Wartburg Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-wartburg/): The castle where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German, on a wooded ridge above Eisenach. Park below and walk or take the shuttle up the last steep stretch.
- [Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-feengrotten/): A former alum slate mine whose dripstones glow ochre, green and blue, listed by Guinness as the world’s most colourful show caves. It stays cool inside all year.
- [Margravial Opera House](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-margravial-opera-house/): A Baroque court theatre of carved and painted wood, one of the best preserved in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visits include a short sound-and-light presentation.
- [Hambach Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-hambach-castle/): The cradle of German democracy: in 1832 thousands gathered here under the black-red-gold flag. The castle looks out over the Rhine plain, with a car park a short walk below.
- [Lichtenstein Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-lichtenstein-castle/): A fairy-tale castle perched on a cliff edge of the Swabian Alb, built in the 1840s after a romantic novel. Even without a tour, the view from the grounds is worth the stop.
- [Hohenzollern Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-hohenzollern-castle/): The ancestral seat of the Prussian kings crowns a lone cone in front of the Swabian Alb. Leave the car at the lower car park and take the shuttle bus or walk up.
- [Blautopf](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-blautopf/): A karst spring of startling blue, the outflow of a vast cave system beneath the Swabian Alb. Park in town and walk a few minutes; the colour is strongest in sunshine.
- [Mainau Island](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-mainau/): A garden island with palm trees, a butterfly house and a Baroque palace, reached by footbridge. Spring tulips and summer dahlias are the highlights; parking is on the mainland.
- [Bavarian Forest Tree Top Walk](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-baumwipfelpfad/): A timber walkway through the canopy ending in an egg-shaped tower above the national park. The gentle ramps suit wheelchairs and pushchairs, and the Lusen animal enclosure is next door.
- [Walhalla](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-walhalla/): A marble temple in Greek style high above the Danube, housing busts of famous Germans. It is a short walk from the upper car park; the steps down to the river are long.
- [Schwerin Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b4-schwerin-castle/): A turreted palace on an island in Lake Schwerin, home to the state parliament and a museum. The castle garden is free to stroll.
- [Sanssouci Palace](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-sanssouci/): Frederick the Great’s rococo summer palace above terraced vineyards, the centrepiece of a huge UNESCO-listed park. Entry to the palace is by timed ticket, so book ahead in summer; the park itself is free.
- [Lehde Spreewald village](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-lehde/): A lagoon village of the Spreewald where houses stand on islands between canals and the post was long delivered by punt. Walk here from Lübbenau in about 30 minutes or take a flat-bottomed boat tour.
- [Herrenchiemsee Palace](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-herrenchiemsee/): King Ludwig II’s copy of Versailles on an island in the Chiemsee, with a hall of mirrors even longer than the original. Boats leave from Prien-Stock; allow half a day for the crossing, walk and guided tour.
- [Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus)](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-kehlsteinhaus/): A house on the 1,834 m Kehlstein built for Hitler in 1938, reached through a rock tunnel and brass lift. The road is closed to cars: take the bus from the Obersalzberg Documentation Centre, mid-May to October.
- [Partnach Gorge](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-partnachklamm/): A narrow limestone gorge with a path cut through tunnels and galleries above roaring water. Park at the Olympic ski stadium and walk 25 minutes to the fee entrance; open all year, with icicles in winter.
- [Eibsee](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-eibsee/): A green lake with small islands at the foot of the Zugspitze wall. A 7 km path circles the shore; the large paid car park also serves the Zugspitze cable car and fills early on sunny days.
- [Linderhof Palace](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-linderhof/): The smallest of Ludwig II’s palaces and the only one he saw finished, set in formal gardens in the quiet Graswang valley. Palace tours are timed; the artificial Venus Grotto in the park reopened in 2025 after restoration.
- [Wieskirche](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-wieskirche/): A UNESCO-listed rococo pilgrimage church standing alone in meadows, with a bright white-and-gold interior by the Zimmermann brothers. Entry is free; there is a paid car park beside the church.
- [Cape Arkona lighthouses](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-kap-arkona/): Rügen’s northern tip, with two lighthouses, a naval tower and chalk cliffs above the Baltic. Cars must stay in the paid car park at Putgarten; walk 1.5 km or take the little road train.
- [Ahlbeck Pier](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-ahlbeck-pier/): Germany’s oldest surviving pier, from 1898, with a green-roofed pavilion on stilts in front of the white villas of the Imperial Baths. A promenade links it with Heringsdorf and Bansin; parking is scarce in summer.
- [Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-landschaftspark/): A closed ironworks turned into a free public park, with a blast furnace you can climb, climbing walls in old bunkers and a coloured light show after dark. Parking is at the main entrance on Emscherstraße.
- [Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-zollverein/): A UNESCO-listed colliery in Bauhaus style, with the Ruhr Museum inside the old coal washery, reached by a long orange escalator. The grounds are free; parking is off Gelsenkirchener Straße.
- [Weinfelder Maar](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-weinfelder-maar/): A round volcanic crater lake with a lone chapel and graveyard on its rim, the most photographed of the Daun maars. Park near the chapel; marked paths link it with the neighbouring Schalkenmehrener and Gemündener maars.
- [Maria Laach Abbey](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-maria-laach/): A Romanesque Benedictine abbey church from the 12th century on the shore of the Laacher See, a volcanic crater lake. Paid car park by the abbey; a path circles the lake past bubbling gas vents.
- [Weltenburg Abbey](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-weltenburg-abbey/): A baroque abbey by the Asam brothers on a bend of the Danube, at the entrance to the Weltenburg Narrows gorge. Arrive by boat from Kelheim (April–October) or park above the monastery and walk down 15 minutes.
- [Aachen Cathedral](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b14-aachen-cathedral/): Charlemagne’s octagonal palace chapel from around 800, with his marble throne and later Gothic choir, one of the first UNESCO sites in Germany. Entry is free outside services; the treasury charges a fee.
- [Rothenburg ob der Tauber](https://camping-spirit.com/places/rothenburg/): A walled medieval town on the Romantic Road. Walk the covered ramparts.
- [Königssee](https://camping-spirit.com/places/koenigssee/): A fjord-like lake below the Watzmann. Electric boats cross to the chapel of St. Bartholomä.
- [Zugspitze](https://camping-spirit.com/places/zugspitze/): Germany’s highest peak at 2,962 m, reached by cable car or cog railway.
- [Loreley](https://camping-spirit.com/places/loreley/): A slate rock above the narrowest bend of the Rhine, with a viewpoint over the castle-lined valley.
- [Basteibrücke](https://camping-spirit.com/places/bastei/): A sandstone bridge among rock towers in Saxon Switzerland, high above the Elbe.

## FAQs

**What are the best road trips in Germany?**
Popular routes include The Romantic Road: Würzburg to Füssen, Castles of the Rhine and Moselle, Black Forest High Road and Baltic coast: Hanseatic towns and chalk cliffs. CampingSpirit has 28 trip guides that pass through Germany, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

**Which places in Germany are worth a detour?**
Our editors recommend Schloss Neuschwanstein, Burg Eltz, Miniatur Wunderland, Königsstuhl chalk cliffs, St. Peter-Ording beach stilt houses and Westerheversand Lighthouse.

**Do you need a vignette or pay tolls in Germany?**
No motorway tolls for cars. No general motorway speed limit (130 km/h advised) and no tolls for cars. Rules and prices change. Check official sources before you travel.

**What is the motorway speed limit in Germany?**
— km/h on motorways for cars, unless signs show otherwise.

**Are there low-emission zones in Germany?**
Environmental zones (green sticker).