My husband and I are planning a car trip from Salzburg to northern German in mid-September. We're planning to drive to Dresden, Berlin, on to Hamburg and then make our way southeast again through, perhaps, Köln. We'll have a little over a week.

We had a quick visit to Berlin in January, so this will be our second trip there. (We toured the Reichstag and the Pergamon, and did a lot of walking to get a sense of the city.)

I'd be very grateful to receive tips and suggestions for the trip. We're interested in art, history, architecture and natural beauty. We're up for walking tours through specific parts of cities. And my long-suffering husband has put up with being dragged through as many of the major art museums as we can manage on our trips.

I appreciate any help you can give!

The famous bust of Nefertiti is in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin along with other great artifacts. As a kid I loved archaeology, and the history of Egypt, and of course countries like Germany, England, and France, where a lot of my ancestors came from. Getting to visit those countries made working through most of my senior year worth it.

http://www.egyptian-museum-berlin.com/c53.php

when Egypt tried monotheism...

Amarna Period
http://www.egyptian-museum-berlin.com/c52.php

just my own personal opinion, as someone who's loves Germany and German culture
Hamburg is ok for nightlife, but I find it soulless and uninteresting
I love Schwerin. It is in the old 'East Germany' and has a beautiful castle which is in a constant state of restoration.... even so, you can tour round it.
Lubeck and Travemunde are beautiful..... travemunde is an 'Ostsee' resort and puts me in mind of a typical British victorian resort.
Bremen is also on route if you are coming from Lubeck (or hamburg) back towards Koln. a lovely town/city famous for the Grimm fairy tale 'the musicians of Bremen'

Dresden is gorgeous! My husband and I went there in November 2008 for our anniversary. We also went to Prague and Bolaslaweic, Poland. Be sure to visit the Frauenkirche and take a walk along the Elbe. Also, we had a very nice though spendy stay at the Hotel Kempinski, which is literally right next to the Frauenkirche.

You won't get any help from any return missionaries that went to Germany. We were too busy knocking on doors to get any sightseeing done. Our only day off, P-day, was only until 5 pm. Then it was back to the grindstone.