Two days: one Cologne night, one Rhineland day trip Two days is the smallest version of a Cologne-as-a-base trip: one night to land and settle, one full day trip to Brühl’s UNESCO palace. It nests into the 3-day version by adding Bonn, and the longer plans layer on Düsseldorf, Aachen, the Rhine and the Ruhr on top of that. If you’d rather spend both days on the Dom and the Altstadt instead of leaving town, the in-city 2-day itinerary covers that version.

Three days: Cologne, then two real Rhineland trips Three days doubles the day-trip half of a Cologne-as-a-base plan: a landing day, then Brühl’s palace and Bonn’s old capital back to back. It nests directly into the 2-day version by dropping Bonn, or the 4 , 5 , 6 and 7-day plans by adding Düsseldorf, Aachen, the Rhine and the Ruhr on top. For a Cologne-only 3 days, the in-city itinerary covers the Dom, the museums and the brauhaus circuit instead.

Four days: Cologne plus three Rhineland trips Four days rounds out the “close” trips: land in Cologne, then Brühl, Bonn and Düsseldorf back to back, all under 30 minutes out. It nests from the 3-day version by adding Düsseldorf, and into the 5 , 6 and 7-day plans by layering on Aachen, the Rhine and the Ruhr. For a Cologne-only 4 days instead, see the in-city itinerary . Book these before you go:

Five days: Cologne, three close trips and Aachen Five days adds Aachen, Charlemagne’s UNESCO cathedral, on top of the close trio of Brühl, Bonn and Düsseldorf. It nests from the 4-day version by adding this one day, and into the 6 and 7-day plans by layering on the Rhine and the Ruhr. For a Cologne-only 5 days, the in-city itinerary covers the museums and neighbourhoods instead. Book these before you go:

Six days: four close trips, then the Rhine’s long day Six days adds the Romantic Rhine, the hardest and priciest trip on this list, to the four closer stops. It nests from the 5-day version by adding this one long day, and into the 7-day version by adding the Ruhr. For a Cologne-only 6 days, see the in-city itinerary . Book these before you go: Cologne hotel near the Hauptbahnhof for the first five nights.

Seven days: a full week using Cologne as a Rhineland base Seven days covers all six day trips this family of itineraries builds toward: Brühl, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Aachen, the Romantic Rhine and the Ruhr’s Zollverein site, one per day after arrival. It nests from the 6-day version by adding the Ruhr; shorter plans at 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 days drop trips from the end of this same order.

Two days is enough to hit Cologne’s best free wins and its cheapest paid ones: the Dom’s south tower, the Altstadt, the Rhine promenade, and two proper Brauhaus sessions, all for roughly EUR 50-70 a day once you skip the Dom’s new EUR 12 sightseeing ticket and climb the tower instead. Longer in Cologne? See the 3-day , 5-day , and 7-day versions of this plan, or the Rhineland gateway guide if you want to add Bonn or Düsseldorf.

Three days lets you keep the 2-day route’s free wins, the Dom tower, the Altstadt, the Rhine promenade, and add one real museum day without blowing the budget. Expect roughly EUR 55-80 a day, Brauhaus rounds included. Shorter trip? See the 2-day plan . More time? Jump to 5 , 6 , or 7 days , or add Bonn and Düsseldorf with the Rhineland gateway guide . Book these before you go:

Four days lets you do both museum options from Day 3 instead of choosing one, plus a full day in Ehrenfeld, still roughly EUR 55-85 a day with the EUR 8 Dom tower and Brauhaus rounds included. Shorter trip? See 2 or 3 days . More time? Jump to 5 , 6 , or 7 days , or add Bonn and Düsseldorf with the Rhineland gateway guide . Book these before you go:

Five days adds the right-bank side of the river to the 4-day route, Deutz, the seasonal Seilbahn cable car, and Rheinpark, still averaging EUR 50-80 a day with the EUR 8 Dom tower and nightly Brauhaus rounds included. Shorter trip? See 2 , 3 , or 4 days . Want 6 or 7 days instead, or Bonn and Düsseldorf added on? See the Rhineland gateway guide . Book these before you go:

Six days adds a genuinely slow day to the 5-day route, a market morning, free window shopping, and a second pass through your favorite neighborhood, still averaging EUR 45-75 a day. By now you have used the EUR 8 Dom tower ticket and several Brauhaus rounds already. Shorter trip? See 2 through 5 days . Want 7 days , or Bonn and Düsseldorf added on? See the Rhineland gateway guide .

A full week in Cologne is honestly more city than most travelers need in one visit, the dossier’s own verdict is that Cologne itself is realistically a 1-2 day city, so this plan closes with a genuinely relaxed final day rather than inventing more sights. Expect EUR 40-70 a day by the end, with the EUR 8 Dom tower and nightly Brauhaus rounds already banked earlier in the week. Shorter trip?

Cologne is the Rhineland’s cheapest base, not its whole trip Cologne itself is a 1-2 day city; the in-city guide covers the Dom, the Altstadt and the brauhaus circuit properly. Once that’s done, Köln Hauptbahnhof turns into a hub for six cheap Rhineland day trips: Brühl’s UNESCO palace 15 minutes out, Bonn’s old capital and Beethoven’s birthplace at 20, Düsseldorf’s rival Altstadt at 21, Aachen’s UNESCO cathedral by ICE or a slower regional train, the Romantic Rhine’s castle stretch by KD cruise, and the Ruhr’s Zollverein coal mine.

Cologne is still one of the cheaper big cities in Germany to visit, but 2026 changed the math on its most famous freebie. Since 1 July 2026 the Kölner Dom charges EUR 12 (reduced EUR 6) just to sightsee inside during opening hours, ending centuries of free tourist entry. The real budget wins now sit outside the cathedral doors: the Rhine promenade, the Hohenzollern Bridge, the Rheinauhafen Crane Houses, and a Stange of Kölsch for around EUR 2.

Two days in Munich, run on a real budget Two days covers Munich’s Old Town core and the Englischer Garten side of the city, run on real prices instead of guesswork. Short on time? Our 3 day and 4 day versions add a palace and a museum day onto this same route without reinventing it. Book these before you go: A guided Residenz tour on Viator skips the ticket-desk queue on Day 1.

Two Days, One Ticket Decision: Munich on a Budget Land at Munich Airport and the first thing to accept is that you’re 29 km from the center, not a quick hop into town. That sets the tone for how this itinerary works: money and time both go on transit, so decide the ticket before you decide the sights. Two days keeps you in Munich itself, no Bavaria day trip yet, that only pays off from day three onward once you factor in travel time both ways to places like Neuschwanstein or Dachau.

Three days in Munich: the core plus room to breathe Add a third day to the standard Munich weekend and you get a palace and a slower afternoon without leaving the city. This extends our 2 day route rather than replacing it; if you’ve got a fourth day free, the 4 day version adds a science museum on top of this same spine. Book these before you go: A guided Residenz tour on Viator skips the ticket-desk queue on Day 1.

Three Days in Munich: Beer Money and a Free Day Trip Munich rewards travelers who think in ticket math before sightseeing math. Land at MUC, 29 km out, and decide upfront: a single S-Bahn fare into town is €13.60 (S1/S8, ~40-45 min, every 10 min), or pay €16.10 for the Airport-City-Day-Ticket if you’ll ride transit again that day anyway. Group of five or fewer? The Partner Day Ticket at €31.50 undercuts individual fares easily.

Four days in Munich, city-only, real prices attached Four days keeps you entirely inside Munich, no day trip needed, and adds a science museum plus a Baroque church most visitors walk past. This builds on our 3 day itinerary rather than starting over, and if you’ve got a fifth day, the 5 day version adds a genuine money-saving trick on top. Book these before you go: A guided Residenz tour on Viator skips the ticket-desk queue on Day 1.

Four Days in Munich: When the Paid Day Trip Is Worth It Four days changes the math: you get a full free day trip (Dachau) and a full paid one (Neuschwanstein), and it’s worth knowing which to prioritize if a scheduling problem forces you to cut one. Keep Dachau, it costs essentially the transit ticket you’re already paying for. Protect Neuschwanstein if you can only book one big excursion, since the timed ticket has to be locked in weeks ahead regardless.

Five days in Munich, city-only, with the numbers attached Five days adds a proper art day to the standard Munich rotation, and there’s a genuine money trick built into it if you time it right. This extends our 4 day itinerary rather than reinventing it; add a sixth day and the 6 day version throws in Olympiapark on top. Book these before you go: A guided Residenz tour on Viator skips the ticket-desk queue on Day 1.

Five Days in Munich: Crossing Into Austria for the Price of a Regional Ticket Five days is enough to justify the Bayern-Ticket, Bavaria’s regional day pass, and to actually leave the country for an afternoon without touching a pricier long-distance fare. Solo, it’s €34 for unlimited regional trains across Bavaria for a day; splitting it across a group drops the per-person cost fast, €44 for two, up to €74 for five.

Six days in Munich, city-only, priced out day by day Six days is enough to slow down and still add a full Olympiapark and football day on top of the standard rotation, no day trip required. This extends our 5 day itinerary rather than starting over; save Neuschwanstein or Dachau for a dedicated trip, they deserve their own headspace anyway. Book these before you go: A guided Residenz tour on Viator skips the ticket-desk queue on Day 1.

Six Days in Munich: The Mountain Day Makes the Trip Six days is where a Bavaria trip stops being a city break and starts including an actual mountain. Save this length for the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest peak, reachable by train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in about 1h15-1.5 hours, then a cogwheel train and cable cars the rest of the way up. A full round-trip combination ticket runs €78 in 2026 (valid from May 23, 2026), or go cheaper on a single-route option starting around €46-62 if you’re not doing the full loop.

A full week in Munich, city-only, priced day by day A week in Munich covers the core sights at a walk instead of a jog, and still leaves a slow last day for the neighborhoods most visitors skip. This extends our 6 day itinerary with one more day; if you want Neuschwanstein, Dachau or the Alps, that’s a separate trip and deserves its own day, not a rushed add-on here.

Seven Days in Munich: Where the Deutschland-Ticket Actually Pays Off Seven days is long enough to ask the real budget question: is the €63/month Deutschland-Ticket worth buying instead of day tickets? For a week that includes four or five day trips on regional trains, yes, easily, it covers every RE/RB regional service nationwide (not ICE, that’s the catch) for less than two Bayern-Tickets bought separately. Skip it if your week is lighter on day trips; single tickets and the odd Zone M day pass (€9.

Munich on a budget: what actually costs money A single MVV day ticket runs 9.70 EUR, more than a Maß of beer at most beer gardens. That tells you where Munich actually spends your money: the sights are free or cheap, transit is the real line item, and Oktoberfest is the one trap that inflates everything else. This guide covers nine genuinely free or cheap things to do, the seasonal costs worth planning around, and where the euros actually go on a short trip.