Germany is one of my favorite places to visit so when we had the opportunity to book a somewhat last-minute trip to Hamburg in the spring we jumped on it!

This will be my fourth trip to Germany.

I was in Munich, Augsburg, Cologne and Berlin with my brother in spring 2005 as part of our trip backpacking around Europe.

My other brother and I spent a day in Munich in fall 2007 when we backpacked around Europe as well.

Brian and I spent several weeks in Germany in winter 2010-2011 starting in Berlin for New Year’s Eve and making our way south and around to Frankfurt over the course of several weeks. It was an incredible trip, and we met up with my best friend along the way.

While we loved that southern loop, we’ve always talked about going back to explore the northern loop– the region known as Schleswig-Holstein.

Obviously we could go back to Germany a hundred times and still not experience everything, but I am excited that we get to experience this notable gap and see a new part of the country!

We only have a week, but I think we’ll make the most of it. After scouring the interwebs, I’ve come up with this rough itinerary. Hamburg will remain home base as we journey by train on day-trips around the area:

• Day 1: Hamburg
• Day 2: Lubeck
• Day 3: Bremen
• Day 4: Schwerin
• Day 5: Hamburg/Ahrensburg
• Day 6: Kiel
• Day 7: Luneburg

We are only a few weeks out so I’m still researching things to do, places to eat, etc.

Have you been to this area? Have any suggestions? Please share!