Germany’s big cities are ideal for a 5-day urban adventure. Berlin is a canvas of history and creativity, where Prussian grandeur and Cold War scars meet street art, techno clubs, and boundary-pushing cuisine. Hamburg, built on maritime trade, offers red-brick warehouses, sleek modern architecture, and a music scene that shaped the Beatles long before Beatlemania.

In Berlin, stroll from the Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island, stand along remnants of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery, and book the glass dome at the Reichstag for a panoramic sunset. Note: the Pergamon Museum’s main building is undergoing a long-term renovation; visit the Neues Museum, Altes Museum, and Alte Nationalgalerie instead.

Hamburg charms with the UNESCO-listed Speicherstadt, the Elbphilharmonie’s soaring concert hall, and a working harbor where you can snack on fresh fischbrötchen. Cards are widely accepted, tipping is 5–10%, and Sunday hours can be limited—plan grocery runs accordingly. Trains between cities are fast, frequent, and easy to book.

Berlin

Berlin is one of Europe’s great capital cities: bold, experimental, and endlessly walkable. Its neighborhoods—Mitte, Kreuzberg, Neukölln, and Prenzlauer Berg—each carry a distinct rhythm, from stately boulevards to canal-side cafés and late-night bars.

• Top sights: Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag dome (advance reservation recommended), Holocaust Memorial, Museum Island (Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Altes Museum), Berlin Cathedral, Gendarmenmarkt, East Side Gallery, Tempelhofer Feld.
• Activities: Street art walks in Kreuzberg, bike along the Landwehr Canal, browse Markthalle Neun’s street-food market, or take a craft-beer flight at BRLO Brwhouse.
• Eat & drink: Curry 36 for currywurst; Mogg for house-smoked pastrami; Lokal for regional, seasonal plates; Katz Orange for slow-roasted meats; Five Elephant for specialty coffee and famed cheesecake; The Barn for single-origin espresso; Father Carpenter for brunch.

• Where to stay: For easy sightseeing, base in Mitte or Prenzlauer Berg; for nightlife, try Kreuzberg or Friedrichshain. Browse stays on Hotels.com Berlin or apartments on VRBO Berlin.
• Getting in: If you’re flying within Europe, compare fares on Omio (flights in Europe). Coming from outside Europe, search global options via Trip.com or Kiwi.com. From BER Airport, the FEX train reaches Berlin Hbf in ~30–35 minutes (~€4).

Hamburg

Hamburg pairs Hanseatic elegance with creative grit. The Elbe River threads past red-brick Speicherstadt into the futuristic HafenCity, capped by the glassy Elbphilharmonie—a modern icon with a free public plaza (time-slots recommended).

• Top sights: Speicherstadt (UNESCO), Elbphilharmonie Plaza, Miniatur Wunderland (book timed tickets), St. Michael’s Church tower, Planten un Blomen park, the Alster Lakes, Old Elbe Tunnel, and St. Pauli’s Beatles-Platz and Reeperbahn.
• Activities: Harbor boat tour, Alster paddle-boat in summer, Blankenese “stair quarter” walk, and gallery-hopping in the Schanzenviertel.
• Eat & drink: Brücke 10 for fischbrötchen (matjes herring or North Sea shrimp); Bullerei (chef Tim Mälzer’s lively brasserie); Hobenköök for hyper-local farm-to-table in a market hall; VLET in der Speicherstadt for modern takes on northern German classics; Nord Coast Coffee Roastery for pour-overs; Public Coffee Roasters along the canals.

• Where to stay: Stay near the Speicherstadt/HafenCity for water views, or in Sternschanze/St. Pauli for nightlife and dining. Compare options on Hotels.com Hamburg and VRBO Hamburg.
• Getting there from Berlin: The ICE train Berlin Hbf → Hamburg Hbf takes ~1h45–2h. Advance fares often run ~€18–45; flexible tickets ~€60–90. Book on Omio (trains in Europe).

Day 1: Arrive in Berlin, Brandenburg Gate to the Spree

Morning: Travel day. If you land early, drop bags and grab an espresso at The Barn (flagship roastery) or a flat white at Father Carpenter tucked in a quiet Hof in Mitte.

Afternoon: Start at the Brandenburg Gate, then walk to the Holocaust Memorial—its undulating stelae invite reflection. Continue to the Reichstag; if you’ve secured a time, ascend the glass dome for city views tracing Berlin’s layers of history.

Evening: Dinner at Lokal (seasonal, regional produce—think pike-perch with dill butter or venison with wild herbs) or Katz Orange (slow-roasted pork neck and creative veg plates in a courtyard). Nightcap at Buck & Breck, an intimate speakeasy with meticulous classic cocktails; or, in warmer months, head to the rooftop garden of Klunkerkranich in Neukölln for sunset over the skyline.

Day 2: Museum Island, Kreuzberg Street Food, and the East Side Gallery

Morning: Breakfast at Five Elephant (try the cheesecake—it’s a Berlin legend). Dive into Museum Island: pair the Neues Museum (Nefertiti bust; Bronze Age treasures) with the Alte Nationalgalerie (19th-century art in a temple-like setting). The Berlin Cathedral’s dome offers a photogenic detour.

Afternoon: Ride to Kreuzberg. For lunch, choose Markthalle Neun’s street-food stalls (rotating vendors, artisan pasta, and Berlin sourdough) or Mogg for towering pastrami on rye in a historic former Jewish girls’ school. Walk the riverside to the East Side Gallery—1.3 km of open-air murals on the Berlin Wall, including the iconic “Fraternal Kiss.”

Evening: Traditional German at Zur letzten Instanz (said to date to 1621; order the pork knuckle with sauerkraut) or go modern at Dudu (sushi and Asian-fusion with Berlin flair). Nightlife pick: Watergate (house and techno with Spree views) or BRLO Brwhouse for a craft-beer flight beneath repurposed shipping containers. Note: club door policies can be strict—arrive late, dress simply, and be patient.

Day 3: Berlin → Hamburg by ICE, Speicherstadt and Elbphilharmonie

Morning: Catch an early ICE from Berlin Hbf to Hamburg Hbf (~1h45–2h; ~€18–45 if booked ahead). Reserve seats and check schedules via Omio (trains in Europe). Grab a station pastry and coffee en route.

Afternoon: Check in, then wander the brick canyons of the Speicherstadt, a UNESCO-listed warehouse district crisscrossed by canals. Coffee at Nord Coast Coffee Roastery (excellent pour-overs and waffles). If you’re keen, visit Miniatur Wunderland—the world’s largest model railway, with astonishing detail from the Alps to Las Vegas.

Evening: Time your visit to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza for golden-hour views over the harbor (free timed entry; allow queuing). Dinner at VLET in der Speicherstadt (Hanseatic classics reimagined—labskaus, marrow, and North Sea fish) or Hobenköök (market-fresh regional dishes that change daily). Post-dinner drinks at the moody Clockers bar in St. Pauli.

Day 4: Hamburg’s Waterways, St. Pauli, and Reeperbahn Nightlife

Morning: Start with Franzbrötchen (cinnamon-laminated pastry, a Hamburg specialty) and a cappuccino at Public Coffee Roasters by the canal. Take a harbor boat tour to see container ships, docks, and HafenCity’s new skyline; in summer, opt for an Alster lake cruise for a gentler vibe.

Afternoon: Lunch on fischbrötchen at Brücke 10—try matjes herring with onions and pickles or North Sea shrimp with dill. Walk through the Old Elbe Tunnel (1911 engineering gem) for skyline photos, then explore St. Pauli’s Beatles history around Beatles-Platz and Große Freiheit.

Evening: Dinner at Bullerei in the Schanzenviertel (dry-aged steaks, seasonal veg, lively room) or Kinfelts Kitchen & Wine near the Elbphilharmonie (precise plates with an excellent by-the-glass list). Bar-hop the Reeperbahn area for live music at Molotow, or choose a calmer craft-beer stop at Ratsherrn Brauerei in the nearby Schanzenhöfe.

Day 5: Blankenese Stairs and Departure

Morning: Take the S-Bahn to Blankenese for a stair-quarter stroll among hillside villas and Elbe beaches; it’s a peaceful, photogenic farewell to Hamburg. Coffee and a light breakfast at a local bakery, then return toward the center.

Afternoon: Depart from Hamburg Hbf or HAM Airport. For intra-Europe flights, compare options on Omio. For long-haul routes, check Trip.com and Kiwi.com. If returning by rail, Hamburg → Berlin is again ~1h45–2h on the ICE via Omio.

Evening: If you have extra time before your flight, enjoy one last early dinner: Hobenköök’s daily menu or Störtebeker inside the Elbphilharmonie (pair North German cuisine with a tasting of their house brews).

Local logistics notes: Berlin AB 24-hour transit tickets are roughly €10; Hamburg day passes are in a similar range. Tap cards and mobile pay are increasingly common, but a little cash helps for small bakeries and market stalls. Many shops close early on Sunday; museums typically close one day midweek—check hours ahead.

In five days, you’ll sample Berlin’s art and history and Hamburg’s waterfront heartbeat, with fast ICE trains linking the two. Expect world-class museums, creative kitchens, and neighborhoods that reward wandering—and you’ll leave plotting a longer return.