Whether you’re seeking something energetic or just want to bask in tranquility relishing astounding landscapes, Germany is your ideal vacation destination.
Today, Germany is not just one of the richest and most populous nations in Europe; it also is a growing tourist destination attracting approximately 17 million visitors annually. And why wouldn’t they? With its charming villages, striking landscapes, enchanting castles, twinkling lakes, delightful festivals and a pulsating nightlife, adventure abounds making Germany a tourist destination par excellence for the whole family, car lovers and recreation seekers. Join us on a trip through the country’s most exciting cities, enthralling theme parks and cultural delights.
City Breaks
Succumb to the attraction of Germany’s cities and feel the interaction of modernism and tradition, art and culture. Look forward to Berlin, the legendary metropolis, to the historical highlights in the east, to the pearls on the shores of the Rhines and Danube, to the charming heartbreakers in the south and to the elegant seaports in the north.
Berlin
The political capital, Berlin, is a symbol of the 1990 reunification of East and West Germany and is one of Europe’s most progressive cities. Berlin has countless art galleries and is rapidly ascending within the cultural and design spheres. The city’s status as a cultural hub is further cemented by a burgeoning schedule of events like DesignMai and Typo Berlin for design, Bread & Butter for fashion, Transmediale for electronic art and music, the Berlinale festival for film and Popkomm for the music industry.
Berlin has two centers — the civic area with a meticulous alignment of buildings; the other side focuses on entertainment and comprises of hotels, clubs, cinemas. A chief tourist attraction in this metropolis is the Brandenburg Gate, which became a symbol of freedom and unity when it was reopened in 1989 after the Berlin Wall was demolished. Another crowd-puller is The Reichstag which is a historic seat revived in 1999. This is good place to saunter around and glimpse some fabulous views of the city below.
Munich
The Bavarian capital Munich is the third largest city after Berlin and Hamburg and is located on the banks of the Isar River. Thanks to its stunning setting that encompasses lovely boulevards, Alpine lakes and mountains, tourists flock to this distinguished city. This year, Munich is celebrating its 850th anniversary with many events being held all around the city. The Bavarian metropolis has some remarkable tourist attractions including the famous Munich Glockenspiel located in the main town hall building in Marienplatz, the major shopping area — the Viktualien Market and the Nymphenburg Schloss castle. The 15th century Gothic Church of Our Lady is another major landmark. From these two high towers, one can glimpse astounding views of Munich and the nearby Alps.
The city has exceptional art museums and The Pinakothek der Moderne hosts an incredible collection of modern designs that includes everything from furniture to vehicles. Also, kids will adore the puppet museum and the historical toy collection.
Frankfurt
Boasting a spectacular skyline, Frankfurt has been billed as the ‘city of contrasts’ and has the tallest building in Europe. The skyscrapers along the Main River have earned Frankfurt the moniker of ‘Mainhattan’. With scores of nationalities residing in Frankfurt, it has Germany’s most international population. Frankfurt Opera is a major tourist attraction and is widely regarded as one of the best international opera houses. Designed by Sir Norman Foster, the Commerzbank Tower is the tallest building in Germany and a contemporary tourist attraction. Bibliophiles flock to Frankfurt for The Frankfurt Book Fair — the world’s largest gathering of publishers and literary agents. Frankfurt’s famous Johann Wolfgang Goethe University is located in the Bockenheim district and houses copious bistros, stores and cafes suffusing the city with vivacity. Not far from the bustling metropolis is the picturesque university town of Heidelberg, a historic city that holds various street festivals and events throughout the summer. Frankfurt is also the ideal gateway to the scenic Rheingau, a region that offers spectacular views of the hill country and fascinating medieval castles. Enchanted by the beauty of this landscape, nobody less than Johann Wolfgang Goethe used to enjoy taking walks there.
Cologne
Lying on the River Rhine, Cologne was founded by the Romans and is one of Germany’s oldest cities making this a must-visit for aficionados of history. With centuries of Roman, medieval and modern influences, Cologne has innumerable historical treasures to explore and admire. It is also Rhineland’s major cultural center and featuring over 30 museums and scores of galleries. An important cultural place in Cologne is The Ludwig Museum housing a massive collection of pop art paintings, avant-garde works and Picasso’s works. The city also hosts the Cologne Comedy Festival, which is said to be the largest comedy festival in mainland Europe. Another oft-visited tourist destination is the Castle of Dom St. Peter und Marien in Cologne.
Hamburg
Germany’s second largest city, Hamburg is located on the Elbe and Alster rivers. Hamburg’s colossal cultural scene includes numerous wonderful theatres, enthralling musicals and a vibrant nightlife. The Kunsthalle Art Museum is one of the best in Germany with works from leading impressionist artists. A major tourist attraction is the port of Hamburg with remarkable scenic beauty and ship museums. A highlight is fireworks displayed over the harbor luring many tourists. Kids and adults alike will love a visit to to Schokoladenmuseum (Chocolate Museum) located above the chocolate factory. Besides the obvious, the museum features a colossal variety of chocolate art as well as wrapper artwork.
Other cities include the medieval Dresden, the elegant Düsseldorf, lively Nuremberg, the university town of Heidelberg, the 2000 year-old spa city of Baden Baden with its Roman Bath Friedrichsbad, or Wiesbaden. In the latter one can find more than 20 thermal springs providing health and relaxation. Many other pretty towns are scattered all over the country to be discovered.
Family Vacations
If you’re contemplating a vacation with the family, Germany offers a multitude of options for the old, the young, and the young at heart. Entertainment reigns in all seasons.
Germany’s charming landscapes vary throughout the seasons, with diverse lakes and beautiful mountainous regions blossoming in green or covered in crystal white snow, depending on when you travel. Regardless of their size, the lakes offer endless entertainment opportunities coupled with spectacular vistas and plenty of fresh air.
Lake Chiemsee is imbued with a regal touch and is Bavaria’s largest lake and at 518 meters above sea level, it is Europe’s highest. Lake Chiemsee is linked to King Ludwig II, an historical Bavarian king shrouded in legend for his eccentric life and his role in commissioning the infamous Neuschwanstein Castle. The lake has two islands — Herrenchiemsee Island with plenty of King Ludwig’s beautiful castles and a Riviera-style touch. The other island, Frauenchiemsee, has a Benedictine abbey built in 782. During summer, this lake is a haven for water sports like sailing, canoeing, windsurfing.
Also in Bavaria is Lake Tegernsee by a mountain side, boasting stunning views and is popular with nature enthusiasts and photographers. Tegernsee is a charming town located on the eastern shore of the lake. Owing to the quality of its drinking water and iodine-sulfur springs, the town is a climatic health resort featuring an array of recreational facilities and sports amenities that will keep families entertained endlessly.
Surrounded by steep mountain flanks, including the renowned Watzmann, Lake Königssee is famed for its striking emerald-green waters. Formed by glaciers, there’s a fjord-like setting and the village of Königssee is located here together with the beautiful Berchtesgaden Alpine Natural Park making it an extremely popular destination with tourists and hikers alike. You can just leave the noise and hectic pace on land behind you and glide across the smooth surface in one of the Lake Königssee’s electric boats. The union of water, mountains and sky touches the heart and soul.
The largest lake in Black Forest, Lake Schluchsee, offers an outstanding range of watersports and provides many hours of fun for families with activities like rowing boats and pedalos. The stunning footpaths around the lake make it a grand place to walk around and admire the panoramic views or simply cycle around.
Lake Titisee, the largest natural lake in the Black Forest, boasts many legendary forests. Owing to the lake’s pristine and immaculate waters, the health resort of Titisee-Neustadt is a major tourist destination and legendary for their various forms of hydrotherapy. The Lake Mummelsee, also located in Black Forest, is another popular lake that is often shrouded by mist thus imbuing the lake with a mysterious aura. The countryside around Lake Mummelsee is dazzling and pedalo tours and paddle boats make a mesmerizing ride here.
For winter sports enthusiasts, there are many areas in Germany that offer alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, toboggans, hiking etc. Germany has over 300 winter sports towns with lovely chalets and various amenities.
Only 1.5 hours away from Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Germany’s renowned ski destination. With more than 100 kms of ski pistes and no end of skiing superlatives, the region is Germany’s No. 1 ski resort. There are more than 650 kilometers of cross-country ski trails and an assortment of Ski World Cup Races takes place here, especially on the Kandahar Track. A favored spot for skiing and snowboarding, the 2011 Alpine World Ski Championships are scheduled to be held here. In the summer, the area is popular with hikers thanks to the magnificent views and more than 1,200 kilometers of footpaths. There’s also a cogwheel train trip that takes visitors to the top of the Zugspitze Mountain and a cable car descent with fabulous views. The local gorges — Partnachlkamm, Höllenklamm and Geisterklamm — are especially popular with families.
Adventure
Germany has a profusion of theme parks with roller coasters, water thrills or show programs — the big theme parks leave nothing to be desired. Some of these parks include the Europapark in Rust, in the Southwest of Germany or Legoland and Playmobil, both in the state of Bavaria. A few others include the below:
Europa Park
The biggest amusement park is located in Rust at the edge of the Black Forest and 12 European countries determine its architecture and atmosphere. In the most popular theme park in Germany there are no less than 9 roller coasters and, as you relax, your kids can play on a fun dune, romp around Viking Village, roam around the magical Fairy Tale Alley and Dwarf City or simply have gallons of fun playing on the giant slide.
Legoland
Located in Guenzberg (around 1.5 hours’ drive from Munich), Legoland is teeming with over 50 attractions across eight themed areas. Your kids can observe how lego bricks are produced at The Legoland factory or run amok in Miniland that includes reproduction of miniature cities like Berlin, Venice as well as various historical monuments like Neuschwanenstein Castle. For entertainment value, there are performers like clowns, acrobats and jugglers across the entire park. Since its opening in 2002 it has attracted more than 1 million yearly visitors from all over the world.
Phantasialand
If you and family are geared for adventure, make your way to Phantasialand near Düsseldorf, North-Rhine Westphalia, packed with an extraordinary array of attractions and adventures. Everyone can enjoy a breathtaking rafting experience at ‘River Quest’. Additionally, there are remarkable musical and dance performances at ‘OnBroadway’. There’s a lot to be discovered here including the lost city of Atlantis and the mysterious African continent. With the world’s largest roller-coaster ride, Phantasialand, only 20 kilometers away from Cologne, is a must-stop for families for several hours of nonstop entertainment.
Playmobil Land
The Playmobil theme park — tailored to fulfill all the desires of young kids up to ten years — offers lots of themed play areas where children may feel like knights or damsels at the knight’s castle.
This is a wonderful park to while away a few hours and let kids scamper off and play at the research station, the golf course or walk around the enthralling fairy waterfall.
Shopping Galore!
For those seeking a spot of retail therapy, Germany has many shopping destinations from traditional markets to over 400 shopping malls and arcades scattered all over the country. There are the classic ‘Marktstrassen’ (market streets) in various small to large-size towns which are charming pedestrian zones with stores running on either side of the street.
KaDeWe is one of Germany’s leading department stores and very famous for their massive range of quality merchandise across five floors.
As early as 1907, it provided its customers with a staggering range of goods across five huge floors.
A good thing to keep in mind for bargain hunters is the seasonal sales — the Winter-Schlussverkauf (winter closeout sale) and Sommer-Schlussverkauf (summer closeout sale).
Traditionally, these usually start on the last Monday of January and July respectively and run through the second following Saturday.
However, fashionistas, take note — there are many sales scattered all over the year to mark an occasion.
Museums for Car Connoisseurs
For those with a keen interesting in motoring, there are many auto museums in Germany featuring vintage, antique and racing cars.
The BMW Museum is a striking building located near the Bavarian Motor Works headquarters in Munich — featuring four silver cylinders.
Cars, motorcycles, videos and slides illustrate the history of how the automobiles have impacted our lives. Furthermore, using computer graphics, museum visitors can also design their own cars.
In Stuttgart, the Mercedes-Benz Museum claims to be ‘the only museum in the world able to present the 120-year history of the automotive industry from day one.’
Visitors can view projected automotive video clips on the atrium’s concrete walls before taking two routes.
The chronological or ‘Legend’ route involves 120 years of Mercedes-Benz automotive history, while the other featuring ‘Collection’ exhibits, displays passenger vehicles (cars, buses, trucks) by category or function. Both routes intersect at each level.
In Wolfsburg, the Autostadt is an automotive theme park with a state-of-the-art car museum, brand pavilions for marques that range from Volkswagen to Lamborghini, driving courses for adults and children alike.
Included are tours of the world’s largest auto factory, music festivals and other events, restaurants as well as luxury hotel.
Getting Around Germany
The country has many modes of transportation that will enable you to easily move around different parts of Germany. Public transportation is very efficient and journeys are extremely safe and comfortable.
Roads are the most widespread mode of transportation in Germany as it has a vast and well-serviced network of roads for cars. International car rental companies have presence in various cities for tourists to rent cars and travel all over Germany.
Additionally, there are a huge number of luxurious and comfortable buses (including overnight buses) for tourists to travel between German cities.
Taking the train is a quick and convenient mode of transportation. Some of the most comfortable trains are the InterCityExpress (ICE) linking the major centers.
The rail network is excellent and there are a large number of high-speed trains plying inside Germany. In addition, there are several commuter and suburban trains (like the S-Bahn), which connects different cities in Germany.
Travelers can also opt to commute by air and the major German airports are in Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and more. Lufthansa and Air Berlin operate most of the domestic routes.
Within a city, you can travel using taxis, buses or the safe and convenient underground metro system.
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For more information on Germany’s town cities and regions, visit: www.germany-tourism.de
