Plan roughly 70 to 90 € a day on a budget, 130 to 180 € a day for mid-range comfort, and 280 €+ a day for a higher-end trip, excluding flights. Munich and Frankfurt are the most expensive cities; Berlin, Leipzig and the east run 20 to 30 percent cheaper. Carry cash, book trains early, and the numbers drop fast.
Germany has a reputation for being expensive, and that is only half true. Beer is cheap, public transport is good value, and a bakery lunch costs a few euros. The bills that surprise people are last-minute train tickets and a hotel in Munich during a trade fair.
Here is what a trip to Germany really costs in 2026, broken down by category, with the prices that actually move your budget.
Daily budget by travel style
Three honest brackets, covering a bed, food, local transport and a sight or two. City trains and flights sit on top.
| Style | Per day | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | 70–90 € | Hostel dorm or cheap room, supermarket and street food, public transport, free sights |
| Mid-range | 130–180 € | 3-star hotel or private room, restaurant meals, paid museums, the odd taxi |
| Higher-end | 280 €+ | 4-star and up, full dining, tours, first-class trains |
For a week, that is roughly 500 to 650 € on a budget, 900 to 1,250 € mid-range, and 2,000 € or more at the top, before flights and intercity rail.
Where your money goes: beds
Accommodation is the single biggest line in a German budget, and it swings wildly by city and date. A hostel dorm runs about 25 to 40 € a night, a basic private room or budget hotel 70 to 110 €, and a comfortable 3-star around 110 to 160 € in most cities.
The catch is timing. During trade fairs (Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hanover) and Oktoberfest in Munich, prices can double or triple, and rooms vanish. Check the city’s fair calendar before locking in dates, because a random Tuesday can cost more than a summer weekend if a big Messe is in town.
Location is the other lever. Booking near the centre or a major station costs more, but in a city with an 8 € day transport pass, staying two or three stops out on an S-Bahn line often saves more than the extra fares cost. Apartment rentals work out cheaper for groups and let you cook a few meals, which trims the food line noticeably over several days.
Eating and drinking costs
Food is where Germany stays friendly. A bakery roll or pretzel costs 1 to 3 €, a filling currywurst or döner 5 to 8 €, and a sit-down main in a normal restaurant 12 to 20 €. A half-litre of beer is 4 to 5 € in a pub, less in a supermarket where it can be under a euro.
The smartest move is the Mittagstisch, the weekday lunch menu many restaurants run from around noon. You get the same kitchen as the evening for noticeably less, often 9 to 13 € for a proper plate. Tap water is rarely served free, so order it (still or sparkling) or carry a bottle.
Your single best value meal is often the humble bakery. A coffee and a filled roll for a few coins beats any café breakfast, and supermarket chains like Aldi, Lidl and Rewe make picnic lunches cheap, with a whole spread for the price of one restaurant main. Just remember the Sunday closure and shop ahead. For an evening treat that does not break the budget, a beer garden lets you bring your own food and buy only the drinks, a genuinely local way to eat out for less.
Getting around: trains and tickets
Intercity travel is where budgets break or hold. A walk-up ICE ticket from Berlin to Munich can cost 80 € or more, but the same seat booked weeks ahead as a Sparpreis fare can start around 20 €. Book early and the savings are enormous.
For slower, flexible travel, the Deutschland-Ticket costs 63 € a month in 2026 and covers all regional trains, trams, buses and city metros nationwide. It excludes the fast ICE and IC trains, but if you are pottering around one region for a week, it pays for itself quickly. Long-distance buses are the cheapest option of all, with Berlin to Munich often 15 to 25 € for an 8 to 9 hour ride.
Sights, museums and free wins
Major museums charge roughly 10 to 20 €. Berlin’s Museum Island offers a day pass across its houses, useful if you plan to see several. Many of the most memorable sights cost nothing, though.
The Reichstag dome in Berlin is free with advance booking, the East Side Gallery is an open-air wall you simply walk along, and the Dachau and Berlin Wall memorials charge no entry. Budget around 15 to 30 € a day for sights if you mix paid museums with free landmarks.
City by city: cheap to pricey
The same trip costs very different amounts depending on where you base yourself.
| City | Relative cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Munich, Frankfurt | Highest | Hotels and dining well above average |
| Hamburg, Cologne | Above average | Pricey rooms, fair food costs |
| Berlin | Mid | Big-city sights at lower prices |
| Leipzig, Dresden, the east | Lowest | 20–30% cheaper for similar comfort |
If your budget is tight, build your trip around Berlin and the eastern cities and treat Munich as a shorter, planned stop rather than a long base.
Cash, cards and tipping
Germany still loves cash. Cards work in hotels, supermarkets and chains, but plenty of bakeries, small restaurants, market stalls and bars are cash only, and they will tell you at the till, not the door. Keep 50 to 100 € in notes and a pocket of coins.
Tipping is modest and direct. Round up or add about 5 to 10 percent, and tell the server the total you want to pay when they take the card or cash, rather than leaving coins on the table. Watch for the Pfand, a deposit of around 0.25 € on most bottles and cans that you get back when you return them to a machine in any supermarket.
Hidden costs travellers forget
The headline numbers miss the small charges that quietly add up over a trip. Budgeting a little for them keeps your daily total honest.
- City tax: many cities add a tourist tax (Kulturförderabgabe or Bettensteuer) of roughly 5 percent of the room rate or a few euros per night, sometimes payable on arrival.
- Public toilets: expect to pay 0.50 to 1 € for toilets in stations and many public spots, so keep small coins.
- Luggage lockers: storing bags at a station runs a few euros a day, handy on a travel day but worth planning.
- Water and coffee: restaurants charge for water, and a sit-down coffee costs far more than a bakery one.
- ATM and card fees: use bank-branded machines and a fee-free travel card to avoid poor rates on standalone ATMs.
None of these are large on their own, but across a week of two travellers they can easily add 50 to 100 € that never appeared in your plan. The single biggest avoidable cost, though, sits in your pocket: a roaming overage or an overpriced airport SIM can quietly cost more than several nice dinners.
How to cut the bill
The biggest savings come from a few habits, not from skipping things you came to see.
- Book intercity trains weeks ahead for Sparpreis fares, or take a long-distance bus.
- Use the Deutschland-Ticket if you stay mostly within one or two regions.
- Eat the midday Mittagstisch instead of the evening menu.
- Shop at bakeries and supermarkets for breakfast and picnic lunches.
- Build your stay around Berlin and eastern cities, not Munich.
- Return your bottles to claim the Pfand deposit.
- A walk-up ICE fare can cost four times a ticket booked early. Plan rail dates ahead.
- Check the local trade-fair calendar before booking a hotel, prices spike during a Messe.
- Carry cash: many small places never take cards.
- Free sights are everywhere: Reichstag dome, memorials, the East Side Gallery.
- The Deutschland-Ticket at 63 € a month beats buying single regional tickets.
One cost not to forget: data
Every saving above depends on your phone: comparing train fares in real time, finding the cheaper supermarket, navigating to a cash-only spot. Roaming overages or an expensive airport SIM quietly eat into the budget you worked to protect.
Set up an eSIM for Germany before you leave and the price is fixed in advance, with no surprise bill on return. You land connected on the 4G/5G network and keep your usual number active for bank texts and calls.
With Orange, the service from a group with over 300 million customers, you travel with peace of mind: 200+ destinations covered, 24/7 human support, and 100% refunded if you do not use your eSIM.
Want a connection at a price you know before you go?
