Enchanting scenery
The top three most popular destinations for travellers – Berlin, Munich and Hamburg – are sprawling urban centres. And with their alternative mindsets, world-class museums and iconic buildings, it’s easy to see why. But Germany has another side from its cities. To explore the biggest country in Central Europe, your best bet is to get on the road. The stunning Clock Route takes you through the Black Forest. At the Austrian border, follow the spectacular German Alpine Road through Europe’s most famous mountain range. Or cross Germany on the picturesque Avenues Road that is a beautifully scenic route lined with trees.
Clamber up the slopes of the Zugspitze, which at 2,962 metres above sea level makes it the highest mountain in Germany. Fill your lungs with fresh air on the sea, in the far north, along the Baltic Coast, where the chalk cliffs that inspired German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich will take your breath away. Amble around the iconic Rhine Valley with its landscape studded with vineyards, chocolate box villages and hilltop castles. From the romantic shores of Lake Constance to the magical scenery around the Moselle Valley, German has lots of natural wonders to tempt visitors away from its towns and cities.
A sense of history… and celebration!
Germany’s rich history is told through the achievements of the people who have shaped the country. Triers founded by the Romans, Goslar, its magnificent medieval buildings like something straight out of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, and Weimar where every corner seems to be a souvenir of the geniuses that once lived there, from Bach and Nietzsche to Liszt and Goethe.
As the world saw in 1989 when the country celebrated its reunification, Germans have a festive spirit. In November, Dresden comes alive to the sound of jazz over its 10-day music festival. Hamburg meanwhile is the place to go in May when it hosts one of the world’s biggest port anniversary festival, or head to Munich in October for Oktoberfest, it’s world-famous beer festival. To experience carnival done German style, destination Cologne where 11 is the lucky number, festivities kicking off at 11.11 am on 11 November! And to see the prettiest Christmas market in the land, Nuremburg is where it’s at. Don’t miss out on opportunities to practise your German while ordering a local beer or succulent sausage, or Wurst. Jagdwurst in the north of Germany, Currywurst in Berlin, Frankfurter Wurst in Frankfurt… the country boast 1,500 varieties, so you’ll have to come back time and time again to try them all!
