If your dates align (late September through first weekend of October), reserve your table in one of the 14 main tents at Oktoberfest — the Hofbräu, Schottenhamel, or Augustiner tents are the most authentic. A Masskrug of Märzen holds exactly one litre. Arrive by 9am to get a table or book months in advance. The brass bands, the Dirndl and Lederhosen, and 6 million visitors over 16 days make this the most extraordinary communal event on earth. For non-Oktoberfest timing, drive south to the Austrian border town of Reutte and walk the Highline 179 — the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge, 406 metres of swaying steel and timber 114 metres above the valley floor, stretched between a Roman fort and a medieval castle. The views of the Tyrolean Alps are staggering. Cross it, then hike up to the Ehrenberg ruins for a picnic with a view that hasn't changed in 700 years.

Drive two hours south from Munich into the Allgäu Alps and check into your hotel at the foot of the mountains, with Neuschwanstein Castle directly in view from the breakfast terrace. Set your alarm for 5:30am and hike up to Marienbrücke before the first tour buses arrive — the view of the castle emerging from morning mist over the gorge is the most photographed scene in Germany, and with reason. This is the castle that Walt Disney saw in 1935 and used as the direct inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Cinderella Castle. King Ludwig II commissioned it in 1869 using a stage designer rather than an architect; he lived in it for 172 days before being deposed. Take the official guided tour through the throne room's Byzantine mosaic floor and the Tristan and Isolde-themed bedroom. In the afternoon, visit Hohenschwangau Castle next door — Ludwig's childhood home — and swim in the Alpsee lake at the foot of both castles.

Drive north into Baden-Württemberg and drop into the Schwarzwald — the Black Forest — a landscape so thick with dark pine that sunlight barely reaches the ground in the valleys. Base yourself in or near Triberg, home of Germany's highest waterfalls and the epicentre of cuckoo clock country. Rent a bike and ride the Schwarzwald-Panoramastrasse along the high ridge — views stretching to the Vosges mountains in France on clear days. Then find a proper Konditorei and order a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte: chocolate sponge layered with Schlagsahne (whipped cream), Morello cherries soaked in Kirschwasser, and chocolate shavings — made in the exact region it was invented in the 1930s. It tastes completely different here. In the evening, walk the half-timbered lanes of Freiburg, the sunny university city on the forest's southern edge — street food, bookshops, and a medieval minster with the best view in the region from its tower.

Drive north through the Rhine Gorge — the stretch between Bingen and Koblenz where a castle appears on every bend of the river, the vine-covered slopes plunge to the water, and the Lorelei rock rises 130 metres above a sweeping curve. Stop in Rüdesheim for a Riesling tasting — the Rheingau is Germany's greatest white wine region and most bottles never leave the country. Continue to Heidelberg for a night — the ruined Schloss above the old town is one of Germany's most atmospheric sights, especially at dusk. End the trip in Nuremberg for the Christmas Market if your timing allows (late November–December): the Christkindlesmarkt fills the medieval Hauptmarkt square with 180 stalls, mulled wine in ceramic mugs, Lebkuchen gingerbread, and hand-carved wooden ornaments lit by candles in one of the most beautiful Christmas settings in the world.