The situations in Iran and North Korea were expected to dominate the US president's talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, an increasingly close ally, as well as the July 15-17 Group of Eight (G8) gathering in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Mr Bush arrived to a red-carpet welcome before helicoptering to the posh resort of Heiligendamm.
His first stop will be an area of north-eastern Germany that is home to Mrs Merkel.
While Mr Bush is scheduled to receive a ceremonial barrel of herring when he tours the city of Straslund, Merkel will offer something a bit more familiar to the former Texas governor: barbecue of wild boar and venison.
The diplomatic menu for Bush's visit calls for shows of unity and mutual fondness as both sides seek to break from chilly relations under former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who fiercely opposed the war in Iraq.
Middle East developments
Commenting on the abduction of three Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and an armed response from Israel, Mr Bush’s spokesman Tony Snow said: "Certainly Israel has the right to defend itself and it has assured us that it is trying to proceed in a way as to avoid civilian casualties.”
Referring to Hezbollah’s action, he said: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms this unprovoked act of terrorism, which was timed to exacerbate already high tensions in the region and sow further violence. We also hold Syria and Iran, which have provided long-standing support for Hezbollah, responsible.”
North Korea resolution
On another front, the White House gave a cool reception to a new resolution by Russia and China on North Korea, reiterating US support for a Japanese measure that calls for sanctions in response to last week's missile barrage.
Asked for Washington's position on the new resolution, national security spokesman Frederick Jones replied: "We have previously expressed support for the Japanese resolution. We remain supportive of the Japanese resolution."
Meanwhile, Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the United States agreed in Paris to refer Iran back to the UN Security Council for refusing to freeze sensitive nuclear activities that the West fears are a prelude to Tehran getting nuclear weapons.
"The United States and its allies are working in concert," said Mr Snow, telling reporters that a key goal is handling Iran and North Korea "in a way that reflects multi-lateral consensus and cooperation."
But "let's face it, there are disagreements on all of these things," he said, an apparent reference to Russian and Chinese opposition to sanctions on North Korea.
Russia visit
The US president will visit Russia on Friday and hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the G8 summit, where Mr Bush hopes for relief from pounding diplomatic headaches over North Korea and Iran.
With Russia central to US diplomatic efforts to resolve both the Iran and North Korea crises, Mr Bush was to raise concerns that Moscow is backsliding away from democracy "frankly, but privately," said US national security adviser Stephen Hadley.
Mr Bush was also expected to see Chinese President Hu Jintao who, like Mr Putin, has resisted US-backed calls to punish North Korea after Pyongyang test-fired a barrage of missiles last week.
China has pushed North Korea to rejoin six-nation talks on its nuclear programs, and successfully sought a delay in a vote on a UN resolution calling for sanctions on Pyongyang to give 11th-hour diplomacy a chance.