Lutherland & Berlin Itinerary - Summer 2025

I often surprised friends and family when I told them that I had never been to Germany, except for brief overnight layovers near airports. I knew the moment had arrived when I spotted a $400 direct flight to Berlin. Germany is one of the largest and most dynamic countries in Europe, so I was tempted to visit the country’s greatest hits, such as Neuschwanstein or the Rhine River valley. Thankfully, I knew this wouldn't be my only trip to Germany, so I didn't feel pressured to rush from one end of the country to another for our one-week visit. Instead, we kept ourselves within half a day’s drive from Berlin.

You can’t visit Berlin without seeing the world-famous Brandenburg Gate.

As much as I wanted to visit big cities like Dresden and Leipzig, I was keen to explore more of the German countryside. It was long before I discovered Lutherland, a historic region associated with the life of the Christian reformer Martin Luther. As a non-Christian, I was oddly fascinated with the schism between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. I love the idea of organizing a trip around a theme or a historical figure. Brian, on the other hand, had no interest whatsoever in the Reformation; it was up to me to convince him that this would be a worthwhile and enjoyable trip.

Spanning the German states of Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, this region is rich in history and culture. We managed to visit seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in ten days. From Weimar Classicism, the Bauhaus, to the horror of the Buchenwald concentration camp, this trip has been both an intellectual and emotional experience. We obviously could not miss out on visiting Berlin, a city with great dynamism and a tragic 20th century. Even though we only had two full days in the city, we have no doubt we will come back to explore all the museums and historical landmarks in the near future. The cuisine aside, Germany may easily be one of my favorite European destinations.

Day 1: New York - Berlin - Wittenberg

Landing at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport was exciting. Plagued by decades of construction issues and delays, the airport is an infamous blemish on German efficiency and engineering excellence. Given that Berlin is the capital and the biggest German city, the airport feels surprisingly deserted. It was surprising that German flag carrier Lufthansa barely flew out of the capital. When I asked the staff at the rental car desk how he liked the new airport compared to the old Tegal Airport, he chuckled and said the airport is new, modern, but sad. I found that to be a pretty accurate characterization.

Wittenberg’s Market Square, with the Town Hall and the Town and Parish Church of St. Mary's.

Our first stop was Wittenberg, an hour-and-a-half drive south of Berlin. No other town has a closer association with the life of Martin Luther and the Reformation, so much so that the city is officially named Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the Luther City of Wittenberg. This was where Luther taught, preached, and lived for most of his life. It was already five o’clock when we arrived in town. Our lodging, TOP Marta's Hotel, was conveniently located in the middle of the old town, and the relaxed ambiance of this historic city immediately put us in a leisurely mood.

Since it was already late afternoon, most historical sites were already closed for the day. That said, I can’t help but check out the most famous Luther sites. Chief among them is All Saints’ Church, where Luther “allegedly” nailed his infamous Ninety-five Theses. It was surreal to stand at the very spot where a revolution was unleashed. Another famous landmark we visited was the Town and Parish Church of St. Mary's, where Luther preached. It is often considered the mother-church of the Protestant Reformation and is among many places associated with Luther that are designed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As it happened, we were lucky to attend an organ concert inside, a very special experience indeed.

As it was my first time in Germany, I was surprised by how early things started shutting down. The entire town was nearly deserted by sunset; Wittenberg turned out to be a much smaller town than expected, so we were happy to get a table at the popular restaurant, Wittenberger Kartoffelhaus Zum Schwarzen Bär. The mountain of roasted potatoes and grilled sausages was the proper introduction to German cuisine. I knew then we would never be hungry in Germany.

Day 2: Wittenberg - Wörlitz - Wittenberg

After breakfast at Kaffeehaus Dorn next to the hotel, we were ready to take a proper tour of Wittenberg’s Luther sites. Inside the All Saints’ Church was the grave of Martin Luther and his principal benefactor, Frederick III, the Elector of Saxony. We also get a better glimpse at the famous Cranach Altarpiece in the Town and Parish Church of St. Mary's. Unfortunately, the most important Luther site in town, Lutherhaus, was closed for extensive renovation, so the museum’s most important artifacts were exhibited in a modern annex. It gave us a succinct and intimate view of Luther’s life and legacy. As a consolation prize for the closure, we got to visit the nearby Melanchthonhaus, home to Luther’s closest associate, Philip Melanchthon.

Cranach Altarpiece in the Town and Parish Church of St. Mary's may be the most important artwork of the Protestant Reformation.

After a quick lunch at Independent, we drove half an hour west toward the Wörlitz, a charming village best known for its expansive English-style gardens. Often referred to as the Garden Realm of Dessau-Wörlitz, the garden was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 and is relatively off the beaten track for foreign visitors. The vast landscape is dotted with architectural follies, romantic bridges, and canals. We missed out on the last gondola cruise of the day, but we got to ride the adorable ferry at least. We followed the route recommended by the visitor center. The absolute highlight was the Venus Temple and its networks of subterranean passageways and courtyards.

Gondola ride in the Garden Realm of Dessau-Wörlitz.

Although we could not get inside most of the buildings in the gardens, we were able to witness a parade of gondolas for the evening theater events. I was really hoping to get a glimpse of Wörlitz’s famous artificial volcano, which was only on show a few nights a year for a special event. Since we could not get a confirmation of whether the eruption is planned for the evening, we ended up returning to Wittenberg before sunset for dinner. A simple burger and fries at WittenBurger were a much-needed break from German food. That said, we also discovered the magic of Spaghettieis, a German ice cream dish made to resemble a plate of spaghetti. Why don’t we have that in America?

Day 3: Wittenberg - Dessau - Erfurt

Today, I got to make a pilgrimage to a sacred site dear to all contemporary architects: the industrial town of Dessau, the former home to the famous Bauhaus art school. Our first stop was the Bauhaus Museum Dessau, a sparkling museum inaugurated for the centenary of the founding of Bauhaus in Weimar. The exhibits provide a good survey of the school’s development and its impact on contemporary society. We also took the opportunity to take a stroll around downtown Dessau, which was heavily bombed during the war because of the city’s Junkers factories.

The highlight of the day is undoubtedly the Bauhaus-Building Dessau by the school’s founding director, Walter Gropius. Sporting an impressive curtain wall with ingeniously designed operable windows, the building complex was revolutionary in providing a new architectural prototype. Because the Bauhaus University was reestablished after the war in Weimar, this famous building is now frozen in time as a museum and a world heritage site. Wondering through the empty halls of the building felt haunting and melancholic. What I found particularly interesting was how the Nazi decided to set up their office here, despite their prosecution of the Bauhaus and degenerate arts. Likewise, East Germany was very keen on the building and completed a full restoration in 1976.

Few buildings are as iconic as the Bauhaus Building in Dessau.

After a surprisingly lovely lunch at the café-bistro inside the building, we reluctantly moved on to the other Bauhaus sites: the Master Houses. As the name implies, the four residences were built to accommodate the heads of various school departments and their families. The residences for Walter Gropius and László Moholy-Nagy were “reconstructed” in the “spirit” of the originals and took a lot of liberty in reinterpreation. The two other restored homes certainly offer more insight into the Bauhaus’s architectural philosophy, particularly the use of bold primary colors in modern spaces. We originally planned for a stop at the Konsum Building, another of Gropius’ buildings on the south side of the city. Unfortunately, we just happened to miss their opening hours, so we would have to try revisiting on our way back to Berlin later in the trip.

It was a two-hour ride to our next stop: Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. Besides Berlin, Erfurt was the largest town we visited on this trip and we were immediately taken by the city’s cosmopolitan energy. Our lodging, NASHI Rooms, was only steps away from Krämerbrücke, the oldest continuously inhabited bridge in Europe. Since it was already quite late in the day, we just wandered around the medieval old town, filled with numerous half-timber structures. For dinner, we decided to try out some regional dishes at Wirtshaus am Dom. I was immediately hooked by the Thuringian Rostbratwurst, which locals claimed to be the oldest sausage in Germany.

Day 4: Erfurt

With a full day in Erfurt, this was our day to slow down and enjoy this medieval city at a leisurely pace. Our day started with a fanciful brunch at Café Hommage. The highlight of the morning is Petersberg Citadel, one of the largest town fortresses in Europe. Although most buildings inside the fortress were demolished, the fortified walls are in remarkable condition. That said, the building that intrigued us the most is the St Peter's Church, which is allegedly the site of the infamous Erfurt Latrine Disaster in 1186, when dozens of noblemen fell into a cesspit during a mediation session hosted by the king. Another highlight here for us was the Monument to the Unknown Wehrmacht Deserter. It was not often you would see a memorial dedicated to deserters.

The Merchant Bridge is Erfurt’s most iconic medieval site.

Opposite the fortress are two massive churches: the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Severus's Church. The cathedral is particularly significant as the place where Martin Luther was ordained in 1507. Its other claim of fame was Maria Gloriosa, the world’s largest free-swing bell and the largest medieval bell still in existence. Those who made an advanced reservation could get a guided tour to be up close with her. We would have to enjoy her sound afar from our lunch table at Restaurant Schnitzler Erfurt.

While most tourists came to Erfurt to explore the beautiful old town, I took time to explore the Anger, the city’s bustling commercial center, away from the main tourist areas. Lined with grand Neo-classical and Art Nouveau buildings, the grand boulevard was pedestrianized during the East German times. This area is a great place to experience the workaday life in Erfurt. I was really surprised by how few tourists and travel bloggers bothered to visit this side of town. It may have the cutesy charms travelers dreamed of, but this is really the place to feel the pause of this capital.

In our effort to avoid another German meal, we somehow found ourselves at Ristorante Pavarotti right on the Fischmarkt, the heart of the medieval Erfurt. As it turned out, the Italian food here was heavy on German influence. It was undoubtedly the heaviest Italian food we had ever had. Over the course of our meal, there happened to be a demonstration/parade for Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right party running on an anti-immigrant, nationalist platform. Given that half of the wait staff at the restaurants are not ethnic German, many of us felt a little uneasy.

Day 5: Erfurt - Eisenach - Erfurt

After picking up some baked goods at Kurhaus Simone, we paid a visit to the Old Synagogue, the oldest intact synagogue in the world. In the medieval ages, Jews were often scapegoated in Germany for plagues. Erfurt was once a major center of Jewish life, but the community was wiped out in a massacre in 1349. Many of Erfurt’s Jews committed suicide by burning down their home or risked lynching. In 1998, a construction crew discovered a treasure trove buried by an anonymous victim of the Erfurt Massacre. Known as the Erfurt Treasures, the trove of artifacts is the largest of its kind ever discovered in Europe. It gave us a portal into a lost community. Among them, the Jewish wedding ring is truly a work of art.

After our visit to the synagogue, we drove an hour westward to the town of Eisenach, another city with a deep connection with Martin Luther. Our first stop was Bachhaus, the childhood home of the Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The museum includes a wide variety of historic artifacts and a state-of-the-art interactive exhibit. However, Brian’s favorite is the hourly demonstration of period Baroque instruments. This turned out to be his favorite stop in the whole trip.

The main event today was a visit to Wartburg Castle just south of the center of Eisenach. The historical castle, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was most famous as Martin Luther’s hideout after the Diet of Worms in 1521. To our surprise, Luther’s stay in Warburg was far from the prime narrative of the guided tour. The castle has a close association with Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and the Wartburg Festival, an event often considered the cradle of German nationalism. Naturally, the pièce de résistance of the visit was Luther’s room.

Martin Luther’s Room in Wartburg Castle, where he translated the Bible into German.

We headed back to central Eisenach after a quick snack at the castle cafe. The grand town square is fronted by the historic town hall and the city’s palace. The most important landmark, however, would be Saint George’s Church, where Bach was baptized and Martin Luther sang in the choir when he lived in Eisenach in his adolescence. Two blocks away from the church is Lutherhaus Eisenach, where he spent three years as a child, and a house he strongly identified with. It is also one of the oldest half-timbered houses in Thuringia. Like most German cities, most of the shops and places of interest were closed by six o’clock. We ended up just enjoying an early light at Restaurant Split on the city square before returning to Erfurt.

Day 6: Erfurt - Buchenwald - Weimar

Today’s itinerary was quite a somber one. After a quick breakfast at Cafehaus Spiegler, we bid farewell to Erfurt and headed to Weimar, the city of German culture. But before getting to Weimar, we needed to visit one of the darkest sites in Germany: Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The largest of its kind on German soil, it functioned primarily as a work camp. In addition to political dissidents and ethnic minorities, Buchenwald also held a large number of Soviet POWs. It may not be as infamous as Auschwitz-Birkenau or Sobibor, but the historical accounts here were just as horrific. It has been almost fifteen years since I visited Auschwitz, and I can attest to how much better I can appreciate the nuance and historical complexity of such a horrific place.

The main gate of Buchenwald Concentration Camp.

The biggest irony about Buchenwald was just how close it is to Weimar, the center of German high culture. After the camp’s liberation, the Allied forces forced many Weimar residents to witness the horror that took place in their backyard. A worthwhile stop near the concentration camp is the Buchenwald Memorial, a massive memorial complex built by East Germany. Buchenwald became a rallying ground to commemorate the triumph of communism over fascism. The memorial is anchored by three mass graves of the victims and crowned by a massive memorial tower that could be seen from miles away.

By the time we reached Weimar and checked into Hotel Schillerhof, it was already late afternoon. After a quick burger lunch at Franz & Willi - Burgerhaus, we had just enough time to buy a Weimar Card and visit the House of the Weimar Republic. To most foreigners, Weimar is almost synonymous with the short-lived republic that preceded the rise of the Nazis. This little museum is located right across from the theater where the Weimar Constitution was drafted. The museum may be small, but it was a meaningful visit nevertheless.

Day 7: Weimar

With our all-inclusive Weimar Card in hand, we were on a mission to visit as many cultural sites as we could today. Given the city's compactness, we hoped to hit as many sites included in the pass as possible. Our first two stops were Schiller Residence and Goethe House. I honestly knew nothing about Weimar Classicism and the significance of Schiller and Goethe to German culture and national identity. Although I have heard of Faust and William Tell, it took me an hour or two to get up to speed on German literature and the Enlightenment. It was fun seeing how enthusiastic all German visitors were; we felt a little guilty blowing through the house in under ninety minutes each.

Weimar’s Herderkirche is known for it close association with Johann Gottfried Herder, a key figure in Weimar Classcism.

After a Vietnamese lunch at Restaurant Sen, our tour of Weimar Classicism continued with a visit to Goethe’s Garden House on Park an der Ilm. This “small cottage” was Goethe’s first home when he arrived in Weimar’s court at the age of twenty-six. What intrigued us the most was the Stone of Good Luck (Stein des guten Glücks), the first non-figurative monument in Germany. Scholars still debate the meaning behind Goethe’s avant-garde design, and it has become one of the most popular souvenirs in town.

After a quick ten-minute walk uphill, we arrived at Haus am Horn, the most significant Bauhaus site in the world. Designed and constructed for the 1923 Bauhaus Exhibition, the building aimed to showcase the practical applications of their teaching and convinced the city to continue and increase the school funding. Ironically, the locals were puzzled, and the town cut the financial support by half. To be fair, the building resembles a municipal pump station, and it was honestly not at all impressive on the exterior. Our Bauhaus journey continued at the campus of Bauhaus University Weimar, the Bauhaus’s original school building. The highlight would definitely be the Bauhaus murals in one of the stairwells.

Haus am Horn is perhaps one of the least impressive-looking UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With the end of the day fast approaching, we had just enough time to visit the city’s cemetery and the Ducal Vault. Built as the mausoleum for the ruling family of the Duchy of Saxony-Weimar and Eisenach, the building is now better known as the burial place for Goethe and Schiller. The attached Russian-Orthodox church in the back was a pleasant surprise. Before heading back to the town center, I insisted on a visit to the Monument to the March Dead, an early work of Walter Gropius and an icon of expressionist architecture.

The Goethe-Nationalmuseum is a place of pilgrimage of sort for many Germans.

Overall, I was satisfied with how many grounds we covered in a day. After a wonderful German dinner at Benediktiner Wirtshaus im Johanns Hof, I spent a few hours wandering the beautiful streets. Luckily, I was treated to a street orchestra and an impromptu dance party. A gelato stop at Eiscafé Venezia was an excellent last stop for an eventful day. At €2 a scoop, the gelato here was probably the best deal in Weimar.

Day 8: Weimar - Dessau - Berlin

After a quick breakfast at Lieblingsbäcker, we had one more item to check off the bucket list in Weimar. Bauhaus Museum Weimar was inaugurated in the same year as its counterpart in Dessau. It is supposed to focus on the artifacts and impacts of the Bauhaus’s years in Weimar. The exhibits here seemed a lot less academic, with a focus on Bauhaus’s contributions to the applied arts, such as architectural hardware and homeware. Many of the original artifacts from Haus Am Horn and Villa Tugendhat are also here.

Bauhaus Museum Weimar is certainly not interesting on the outside.

With a few more hours to spare, we decided to head across the street for one more museum: the Museum of Forced Labor Under National Socialism. Housed in the Nazi’s architectural showpiece at Weimar, the museum documented the painful history of mass relocation and abuses during the Nazi era. The fact that the government chose Weimar to host this museum may be an effort to atone for the city’s wartime sins. Set up as a documentary center, the exhibit incorporates numerous contemporary documents to provide first-person narratives on both sides of the atrocity. It was undoubtedly depressing, but it was important nevertheless.

To put us in a more cheerful mood after the museum visit, I indulged myself with some Taiwanese food at Ilha Formosa. I was delighted to see a Taiwanese eatery in Weimar, and even more surprised by how authentic the menu is. Seeing traditional dishes written in German felt somewhat surreal. That was a great end to our visit to Weimar. By coincidence, the road back to Berlin went through Dessau. I could not help but take a slight detour to take a few more pictures of the Bauhaus Master Houses and pay a visit to Kornhaus, a riverfront Bauhaus restaurant.

After returning the rental car at Brandenburg Airport, it was a forty-minute train ride to the city center. My first impression of Berlin was mixed. The characters vary from one neighborhood to another. We were staying at Hotel NH Collection Berlin Mitte am Checkpoint Charlie, which was a convenient location, albeit not the most atmospheric part of town. As the hotel’s name suggests, it was only a few minutes’ walk to Checkpoint Charlie, one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks. While touristy, we did enjoy the cosmopolitan dining scene in the area. A Turkish feast at Hatay Ocakbasi - Restaurant was a much-appreciated break from German food.

Day 9: Berlin

After buying our flight tickets to Berlin, the first reservation I made was the guided tour of the Bundestag inside the Reichstag Building. It has always been on my architectural bucket list since I was in architecture school, but I came to appreciate the history this building witnessed over the past hundred years. No building is as intimately linked to the history of modern Germany as the Reichstag. Being able to visit the plenary chamber of the Bundestag, or any national parliament, is definitely a rare privilege. Thanks to the impressive glass dome by British architect German Foster, it was not at all surprising that this is the most visited parliament in the world.

During a Bavarian Lunch at Bavaria Berlin, I discovered on Google Maps that the former Führerbunker, where Hitler hid out and committed suicide, is literally on the same block. It was definitely the most macabre and controversial “attraction” in the city. Perhaps intentional, a block away is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Germany’s national Holocaust memorial. Designed by Polish American architect Daniel Libeskind, the memorial is the most haunting experience of any memorial we have ever visited. Watching people appear and disappear within the maze-like monument is a striking visual metaphor of the Holocaust.

A short subway ride away is the Humboldt Forum, a reconstruction of the former Imperial Palace of Berlin, which remains highly controversial for numerous reasons. The enormous complex is located on Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its extensive collections of museums. Since we did not have time to explore the museums, we opted for a visit to the Berlin Cathedral. It may not be the biggest church, but its soaring height and impressive organs are a sight to behold. The highlight would be the rooftop terrace, which offers panoramic views of Berlin.

Per personal recommendation from one of Brian’s German colleagues, we booked an hour-long cruise excursion on the River Spree. Although overpriced in my opinion, the cruise does provide a decent overview of Berlin’s major landmarks and history. I wish we had enjoyed the 3.5-hour evening cruise. For our last dinner in Germany, we were lucky to get a table at AMON Restaurant - Cucina italiana. We were not ashamed to admit that this Italian dinner was our favorite meal in Germany.

Since this was my last evening in Germany, I made a point to do a personal walking tour through central Berlin. The one place I wanted to revisit most was to experience the Jewish memorial and the Reichstag dome at night; the atmosphere was completely different from the daytime. I was also surprised by just how big a draw Brandenburg Gate is, even in the wee hours.

Day 10: Berlin - New York

I woke up super early to revisit many spots we visited the day before. Like most cities, Berlin was all but abandoned in the early morning hours. I practically had the entire Museum Island to myself. The most profound part of any visit to the German capital is the scars and bullet holes left from the Battle of Berlin. The rebuilding of post-war Berlin was a remarkable feat, and it was important to commemorate the horror of wars and National Socialism. A ten-minute walk away is the New Synagogue, the center of Jewish life before the war, and it houses a cultural museum. Sadly, the synagogue is still heavily guarded by police and barricades eighty years after the war.

After hotel check-out, we paid a visit to the Jewish Museum Berlin. Also designed by Daniel Liebskin, this is Europe’s largest Jewish museum and one of the most visited in Germany. Composed of three separate buildings, the museum is an architectural masterpiece with numerous evocative spaces eliciting deep emotions, echoing the experiences of German Jews. With slanted walls, jagged windows, and sloping floors, the architecture is intentionally disorienting and distressing. It was so effective that the interior actually made Brian dizzy and unwell. We ended up cutting our visit short as a result.

For lunch, we took a short bus ride to Nikolaiviertel, the oldest part of Berlin. Centered around the soaring Saint Nicholas Church, the neighborhood retains its medieval layouts and historic buildings, including the city’s oldest restaurant. What made this area unique is the fact that many buildings here were reconstructed in the East German “style”, with token decorations to acknowledge the neighborhood’s medieval past. While abashedly touristy, Nikolaiviertel turned out to be my favorite part of Berlin. Our lunch at Fischer & Lustig ended up being the best German meal we had on this trip.

With only a few hours left, we took a walk to nearby Alexanderplatz. Long popular with foreign visitors, this area was the transportation and commercial heart of East Berlin. With plenty of shopping malls, restaurants, and the famous Fernsehturm Berlin, Alexanderplatz is high energy and feels very “American” compared to the rest of the city. The juxtaposition between the new and the old is fascinating. Our last stop before the airport was Rausch Schokoladenhaus, a renowned temple to chocolate and supposedly the largest chocolate shop in Europe. It was not only a fine place to do some last-minute souvenir shopping, but also to gawk at enormous chocolate models of many of Berlin’s most famous landmarks.

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