How long a move to Germany really takes

Driving is not the same as moving

When someone asks how long a move to Germany takes, they usually mean the drive. But the drive is only one part of it, and rarely the longest.

A move has four parts: packing, loading, driving, unloading. For an average two-bedroom flat, packing takes half a day to a day, loading two to four hours, driving one to two days, unloading two to three hours.

So the honest answer is: allow three to five working days door to door, depending on the city and on who does the packing.

How long the drive itself takes, city by city

These are real direct-driving times from our own routes, with no stops beyond the mandatory breaks:

• Munich — 1,100 km, about 11 hours;
• Stuttgart — 1,250 km, about 12 hours;
• Nuremberg — 1,050 km, about 10 hours;
• Frankfurt — 1,300 km, about 13 hours;
• Berlin — 1,550 km, about 14 hours;
• Hamburg — 1,600 km, about 15 hours;
• Cologne and Düsseldorf — about 1,600 km, about 15 hours.

The line is visible: anything over 1,100 km does not fit into one driving day. That is why Munich can be a single-day run and Hamburg never is.

Why we do not drive straight through

People sometimes read this as stalling. It is not — it is a regulation that applies across the EU and is checked by tachograph.

• after 4.5 hours of driving, a 45-minute break is compulsory;
• daily driving time is capped at 9 hours, exceptionally 10;
• between two driving periods there must be 11 hours of rest, exceptionally 9.

In practice: the 1,550 km to Berlin cannot be covered in one day under any circumstances. A carrier who promises it is either lying or planning to break the rules — and a fine at a German roadside check runs well over a thousand euros, with the vehicle and your belongings held.

What moves the date by a day or two

• Arrival after 6 pm. Unloading then goes to the next morning: evening and Sunday work is not permitted in German residential buildings.
• A floor with no lift. A fourth floor without a lift can add about three hours to loading and the same to unloading — half a working day.
• Who packs. If we pack, that is a crew-day at the start. If you pack, it has to be finished before the vehicle arrives, not while it waits.
• A part load. Then the date depends on when the run goes, not on when you are ready.

How to make it as short as it can be

Book at least two weeks ahead, so the vehicle is assigned to your date rather than being whatever is free. Have the packing finished before the crew arrives. Tell us the floor and the lift at both ends when you ask for a price, not on the day. And if the arrival time matters, say so — we can plan the departure so the vehicle reaches you in the morning rather than at seven in the evening.

In short

For southern Germany — Munich, Nuremberg, Stuttgart — allow three working days door to door. For the north and west — Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne — four to five.

Prices and exact distances by city are on the Germany – Serbia page, and a rough figure for your own flat is in the cost calculator.

Frequently asked questions