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City hopping

Germany Discovery

The Rhine, the cathedral city, then Germany's sunniest corner. Cologne and Düsseldorf first, then one long drive south to Freiburg at the edge of the Black Forest.

  • Cologne's cathedral from the Rhine promenade
  • MedienHafen's crooked Gehry buildings
  • Freiburg's Bächle and the forest on the doorstep
Duration
7 nights · 8 days
Destinations
3 stops
Travel style
City start, one long drive south, then slow mornings
Indicative budget
£1,470–£1,990
Ferry crossing
Harwich – Hook of Holland
Customise this holiday

Every detail is editable: change the dates, add a stop, swap a hotel or start again from the ferry.

The route

1,551 km · about 20 hours driving in total

Drawing the route…

P · ferry port1–3 · overnight stopDashed line · suggested route, illustrative

Night by night

The suggested shape of the trip, in driving order. Take it as it is, or treat it as a starting point and move a night, swap a hotel or drop a stop.

  1. Outbound · Harwich – Hook of Holland6h 45m crossing · overnight, cabin included
  2. Drive from Hook of Holland · 3h 35m · 278 kmillustrative estimate
  3. 1

    CologneGermany

    2 nights · nights 1–2

    The Dom dominates everything, and rightly so. But Cologne is also a river city: promenade walks, Kölsch in small glasses, and a chocolate museum the children will remember.

    Suggested stay

    Rheinblick Hotel · hotel · from £164 a night

    Suggested attractions

    • Cologne Cathedral · £8
    • Chocolate Museum · £16
  4. Drive from Cologne · 30m · 42 kmillustrative estimate
  5. 2

    DüsseldorfGermany

    2 nights · nights 3–4

    Half old town, half architecture showcase. The Rhine promenade is where the city goes at the end of the day, and the MedienHafen is where it shows off.

    Suggested stay

    MedienHafen Rooms · hotel · from £158 a night

    Suggested attractions

    • MedienHafen · free
    • Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen · £18
  6. Drive from Düsseldorf · 5h 45m · 448 kmillustrative estimate
  7. 3

    FreiburgGermany

    3 nights · nights 5–7

    A university town at the edge of the forest where the streets run with water channels and the wine comes from the hills behind. Good base for the southern Schwarzwald.

    Suggested stay

    Altstadt Rooms · hotel · from £148 a night

    Suggested attractions

    • Freiburg Münster · £5
    • Schlossberg · free
  8. Drive from Freiburg · 10h · 783 kmillustrative estimate
  9. Return · Harwich – Hook of HollandSailing home