For me, the easiest way to break Germany down into more manageable trips is to divide it into thirds going East and West. While this may not necessarily align with standard Germany geography, it does offer an effective way to navigate the major regions and cities with minimal overlap, while maintaining a schedule of roughly 7 to 10-days per region. Southern Germany runs east to west from Saarbrücken to Nuremberg, and includes Regensburg, Munich, Augsburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, and Mannheim. Central Germany runs east to west from Trier to Bamberg with the northern limits being Dresden, Leipzig, Kassel, and Cologne, with Frankfurt and Würzburg situated perfectly in the center. Northern Germany runs east to west starting in Münster to Berlin, with Hanover in the middle and Bremen and Hamburg finishing up the northern boundary. Each region can be easily navigated by car or rail, typically with only a couple of hours between each major population center. Another way to approach Germany is is famous Christmas Markets, which overlap with many of the aforementioned major cities, while also offering unique seasonal experiences in some of the countries smaller, less visited locations.