Germany travel guide

What to do, where to stay and why you'll love it

Why you’ll love it

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Most people know that Berlin makes a spectacular standalone city break. Then there’s Munich’s Oktoberfest, the world’s biggest beer festival, plus hundreds of proud independent breweries all over the country. Add in Rhine cruises, Christmas markets, the Black Forest national park and let’s not forget those no-speed-limit autobahns, and you get quite a bucket list of popular highlights.

But there is a great deal more to Europe’s most populous country (excluding Eurasia-straddling Russia) than this. In Germany you’ll find immaculate half-timbered towns and villages, some of Europe’s most memorable castles, along with striking scenery, from the glossy, groomed foothills of the Bavarian Alps in the south to the sandy beaches along the Baltic coast in the north.

Its people are hospitable and honest, and for the most part, English-speaking. Food is reliable, if not exceptional, although a particularly fine deal are its bakeries, which are everywhere and often have inexpensive coffee too. Public transportation is fast and easy to comprehend, and shops, hotels and restaurants are usually tremendously good value. So dive in, what’s not to like?

Main photo: Ramsau, near Berchtesgaden in Bavaria (Getty Images)

What to do

Berlin aside, which has completely its own creative and multi-national vibe, there’s plenty to find in Hamburg, with its unique port installations and inner-city lakes, and Munich, which has the former royal palace, the Residenz, and a storehouse of cultural institutions to explore. Dresden, immaculately reconstructed following devastating bombing in the Second World War, is like Germany’s Prague — all culture and cobbles.

Dresden also has a tremendous riverside location on the Elbe, one of a handful of Europe’s greatest rivers that flow through Germany. The others, the Rhine, the Moselle and the Danube, all host luxurious river cruises and stretches of the first two are lined with some of Germany’s most celebrated vineyards.

The Romantic Road leads up through Bavaria, ticking off lovely half-timbered towns

The German authorities have long made a big deal out of themed tourist routes. The Romantic Road leads up through the spine of Bavaria, ticking off lovely half-timbered towns such Rothenburg* and Nördlingen, where many a movie has been made. Then you’ll find the Fairytale Road, continuing up north through Hessen, the homeland of the Brothers Grimm.

Wherever you go there are bound to be great cycle routes too, whether that be along the Danube towpath, or along the Iron Curtain Trail, the dividing line between east and west during the Cold War.

If you want to go even slower, there are fine walking routes, particularly in the Black Forest* and the Allgäu region of Bavaria, where summer ski lifts will get you right up onto restaurant-rich mountain ridges.

Germany has two sets of coastline: the North Sea, with offshore resort islands such as Sylt, and the Baltic, famous for rows of strandkorb, those unique basketwork beach chairs which keep off the chill wind and rotate to face the sun. Inland is the Mecklenburg lake district where a thousand lakes and watercourses are painted across rolling agricultural land north of Berlin. Here you can hire a cabin cruiser for a week and get deliciously lost.

Discover the best things to do in Berlin

Where to stay

Germany’s importance in Europe and its big contingent of business travellers ensures that there are plenty of world-class hotels in cities through groups like Kempinski and Rocco Forte. But there are also designer chains that provide trimmed-down luxury, such as Ruby and 25hours, as well as widespread good-value groups such as Motel One and B&B Hotels.

Spa and wellness hotels are taken seriously in a country that believes in alternative cures

Outside the cities, hotels tend to be family-owned and distinctive; try the fabulous Bareiss Hotel in the Black Forest village of Baiersbronn. In rural Bavaria, lots of properties are typical chalet-style, with wide wooden balconies ribboned with geraniums. For families, farm stays are very popular, either as B&Bs or in converted outhouses. Spa and wellness hotels are taken very seriously in a country that still believes in alternative cures such as Schroth and Kneipp, particularly in any destination whose place name includes “Bad”.

Don’t miss

Germany’s most popular destination is not the castle of Neuschwanstein nor the Brandenburg Gate, delectable although both are. It is actually Miniatur Wunderland, a model railway in Hamburg with whole miniaturised nations, an airport where the tiny planes taxi and take off, special lighting for different times of day and surreal touches of un-Germanic humour.

One very overlooked destination, partly because of its inaccessible location in the nation’s eastern border, is Görlitz, whose immaculately preserved streets have featured in so many films (such as The Reader, Grand Budapest Hotel and Inglourious Basterds) that it has been rechristened Görliwood.

FAQs

Best time to visit
Touchdown in April onwards if you want activities, waiting until June or July if you want something Alpine or water-based. German school holidays are staggered by region, which prevents the overcrowding you get in some parts of Europe.

How many days do I need for a visit?
For the cities, two or three days are enough. If you are prepared to stick to one region, for example Bavaria or the Black Forest, then a week is good. For combinations of regions, you’re going to need two weeks.

Where should I avoid in Germany?
Some of the cities can be pretty uninspiring, largely thanks to war damage and hasty rebuilding. Don’t linger in Frankfurt or Hanover, for example — although there are lots of interesting places nearby to try instead. German railway stations tend to attract the insalubrious element in town, so it’s best to move smoothly through, looking like you know where you’re going.

Take me there

Inspired to visit Germany but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Tui holidays* and Expedia*.

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Best of Germany