Castles & Palaces
Sanssouci Palace
Frederick the Great's Rococo summer palace in Potsdam, set amid terraced vineyards and expansive royal gardens.
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Road trip route · Germany
Berlin to Munich drive time, distance, costs & the best stops
- Drive time
- 5 hr 54 min
- Distance
- 585 km
- Fuel (est.)
- €74
- Tolls (est.)
- None
The Berlin to Munich drive
The drive from Berlin to Munich covers 364 miles (585 km) and takes about 5 hr 54 min without stops. That's a long day, but doable in one go with a couple of proper breaks. If you'd rather split it, Bayreuth is about halfway.
Most of it is one road: the A9 carries 90% of the distance. On the way you go past Zehlendorf, Dessau and Schkeuditz, and you'll be near Bayreuth roughly 3 h 34 min in.
There's real climbing in this one: the road gets up to roughly 638 m near Bayreuth, with something like 1,263 m of ascent over the whole drive.
Expect fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) to cost around €74 one-way with no significant motorway tolls on the way. Prices shift monthly, so treat these as ballpark figures.
At 364 miles this is longer than 87% of the 144 routes covered here, so it is worth treating as a trip in itself rather than a transfer. Split across 2 days it works out at about 3 hours behind the wheel each day, which leaves most of the daylight for the places in between.
The road, kilometre by kilometre
Towns within a few kilometres of the fastest route, with the time it takes to reach them without stopping.
- StartBerlin
- 17 kmZehlendorf10 min in
- 121 kmDessau1 h 13 min in
- 169 kmSchkeuditz1 h 42 min ingood place to stop
- 353 kmBayreuth3 h 34 min in
- 415 kmLauf an der Pegnitz4 h 11 min ingood place to stop
- 508 kmIngolstadt5 h 7 min in
- 538 kmPfaffenhofen an der Ilm5 h 26 min in
- 569 kmGarching5 h 44 min in
- 585 kmMunich
How high it goes
Roads you'll be on
- A9529 km · 90%
Best stops between Berlin and Munich
Within ~30 km of the driving route, worth the detour.
Museums
Audi Museum Mobile
Audi's corporate museum presenting the marque's history through iconic vehicles including Auto Union Silver Arrows.
What you need for this drive
Rules for each country on the route, in the order you meet them.
Germany
- Tolls
- No motorway tolls
- Must carry
- warning triangle, hi-vis vest, first-aid kit
- Winter tyres
- Required in winter conditions
Low-emission zones: Umweltzone (about 36 active, incl. Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne).
Checked against national road authorities and the ECB reference rates. Rules change — confirm before you travel.
Famous drives in Germany
Legendary routes you could bolt onto this trip, with real distances and stop counts.
Black Forest High Road (B500)
Cuckoo clocks, dark-wood villages, cake, and a high road that floats above the canopy
158 km · 3.2h driving · 4 stops · 2 days
Romantic Road
Half-timbered villages, walled medieval towns, and Bavarian beer all the way to Neuschwanstein
333 km · 4.6h driving · 6 stops · 5 days
Berlin to Munich FAQs
How long is the drive from Berlin to Munich?
Driving from Berlin to Munich takes about 5 hr 54 min nonstop, covering 364 miles (585 km). Add time for breaks: most drivers stop every 2 hours.
How much does it cost to drive from Berlin to Munich?
Fuel for a typical petrol car (~40 mpg) costs roughly €74 one-way. There are no significant motorway tolls on this route. Estimates are indicative: prices change monthly.
Can I drive from Berlin to Munich in one day?
Yes, though it's a long day: about 5 hr 54 min of driving. Plenty of people do it in one go with two or three proper breaks; if you'd rather split it, Bayreuth is about halfway.
Which roads do you take from Berlin to Munich?
The fastest route uses the A9 (about 529 km). It passes Zehlendorf, Dessau, Schkeuditz, Bayreuth.
Where should I stop on the way from Berlin to Munich?
If you stop every couple of hours, Schkeuditz comes up about 2 h in, and Lauf an der Pegnitz comes up about 4 h in. All are just off the main road.
What other drives can I plan on Plan Your Road Trips?
We publish drive times, distances and fuel estimates for 144 routes across Europe and beyond, including 13 other drives in the same country. Browse them all on the routes index.
More drives from Berlin & Munich
Berlin → AmsterdamBerlin → HamburgBerlin → PragueMunich → FrankfurtMunich → InnsbruckMunich → PragueMunich → SalzburgMunich → VeniceMunich → ViennaMunich → Zurich
Planning a bigger trip? Try the free Germany road trip planner, browse every destination we cover, take it with you on the road, or read the driving in Germany guide.