For most Europeans, Germany is just a transit country. We rush through the country to get to our destination. However, Germany deserves attention. It is worth stopping by and looking around. In the entire 853-kilometers long and 650-kilometer wide country, there are a plethora of places to explore.
From northern lowlands, through central uplands, to Alpine foothills and the Bavarian Alps, hidden treasures are waiting just for you. Whether you are a nature enthusiast, or a history geek, or just like cultural events, you will find something interesting.
You probably are familiar with famous places like Munich, Berlin, Dresden, Bavaria, and the Alps. You might even have visited them in the past, but there are many other fantastic sights to see too.
They are more or less known places but definitely interesting enough to spend a few days there. Like Sylt and the Wadden Sea in the North. Or Winterberg, the Mosel – Rhine area, Harz region, or Eifel National Park in central Germany. All fantastic places are ready to be discovered!
South Germany is rich in natural and cultural sights. Magnificent landscapes of Bavaria, castles, the Romantic Road, and small villages with their own breweries can’t be miss.
The lake Chiemsee and the surroundings in eastern Bavaria have superb views. All these beautiful places will stay in your memory forever!
Germany is also in the top 10 countries with most places inscribed on the world heritage list.
On the world heritage list in category the most sites, Germany ranks in an impressive 5th place. The current number of properties inscribed on the list is 46, of which 43 properties are cultural and 3 natural.
My favorite cultural property from that list is a spectacular Cathedral in Cologne, followed by Church, Castle, and the Old Town of Quedlinburg. Well, at least what I have seen till now.
The St Mary’s Cathedral and St Michael’s Church at Hildesheim are interesting too.
From the natural properties definitely, the Upper Middle Rhine Valley is worth visiting. Spectacular views are everywhere.
Well, it depends on your taste, on the type of adventure you like. But one thing I am sure of, whatever you prefer you won’t be disappointed, Germany has it.
- For the cuckoo clocks.
- For the Palaces, castles, cathedrals, monuments.
- For the high-performance cars (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche) and speed-limitless Autobahns, less and less though
- For the bread and sausages and Oktoberfest
- For the festivals and carnivals.
- For world-class football
- The Berlin Wall;
- For the colorful Christmas Market.
- For the printing press, aspirin, and audio digital technology
- Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Bach, Beethoven, the Brothers Grimm, and Martin Luther all came from Germany
From my experience, I know that speaking a few words in the native language of the local people opens doors and puts a smile on the face.
It’s worth learning simple words like hello, thank you, nice to meet you, or get lost! Neh, it isn’t nice to talk like this to the locals 😉
Want to learn German? Go to Club Relax and download the app. Of’ Course, you get along with English too.
Ready to take off?
Book a place to stay
Need to know
With 15 international airports and several local airports traveling into and within Germany is a quick and easy experience.
Get access to the complete list of German airports.
Germany boasts accommodation for every type of traveler and taste.
Choosing accommodation seems to be an easy task, but it can be quite a challenge too. Several issues should be taken into consideration.
VISA: check here if you need a visa
Language: German
Currency: EUR; 1 EUR ,100 cents. Check the rate at Travelex and download the app
Money: ATM are widely available. Credit cards are accepted in most hotels, restaurants, and shops.
Time: Only 1 time zone in Germany. Check the time zone
Internet: Hotspots (not working very well) or prepaid. Check the options and price
Holidays: check out public holidays in Germany
How to get around
When to visit
Guides in print
With one of the best public transport networks in Europe getting around Germany is fast and an easy affair. There are 5 different commonly-used modes of transport: S-bahn (city rapid rail), U-bahn (the tube), tram, bus, and regional trains. Also, the 37 local airports make traveling quick and comfortable.
However, the best ways of getting around the country are by car and by train.
Bus: OMIO
Train: DB Deutsche Bahn
Car rental: auto europe
Flight: Lufthansa
All year round, depending on what you want to experience.
In the north,
the winters are mild with rare snowfall and lots of rain, and summers are moderately warm, often with a nice breeze in the regions close to the sea. Late spring, summer, and early fall is the best time to visit.
In the south,
summers are warm, and winters snowy and cold. Such winters make a perfect condition for skiing, especially in the mountains. Fall is beautiful and colorful. Till the end of November, days are warm and sunny, while at night, the temperature drops significantly. In the peak summer season (July, August), cities and well-known tourist regions are crowded with visitors.
In the center,
summers are hot and dry, but winters are mild in the west and long and cold in the east. Occasionally heavy snowfalls in the mountains make a perfect condition for winter sports. Spring and fall are good times to go hiking and for city tours.
I recommend two publishers:
- Lonely Planet for those who are looking for quick access to a bunch of useful tips and information.
- Bradt Travel for those who would like to explore and get to know the place well before embarking on a journey.
- Also, I strongly recommend local tourist offices for up-to-date information.
Regions
3 geographic regions where you will never be bored!
Regardless of in which region you start your journey from, there will always be something interesting to discover nearby.
Knowing that searching for interesting places to visit is not always a likable activity, for the sake of convenience, I am listing some inspiration.
North Germany:
- The Baltic Sea and the North Sea
- Hamburg
- Around Hamburg: Ahrensburg, Lüneburg, Lübeck, Travemünde, Heiligenhafen
- Holstein Switzerland – Holsteinische Schweiz: Kiel, Schleswig, Flensburg
- North Frisia – Nordfriesland, see map
Central Germany
- Niedersachsen und Westfalen – Lower Saxony and Westphalia
- Harz, see map
- Weswetal – Weser Valley, see map
- Teutoburger wald – Teutoburg Forest, see map
- Münsterland, see map
- Ruhrgebiet – Ruhr area, see map
- Rheinland – Rhineland, see map
- Eifel, see map
- Rheintal – The Rhine Valley, see map
- Moseltal – Moselle valley, see map
- Hessen – Hesse
- Waldeck, see map
- Hessisches Bergland – Hessian mountains, see map
- Vogelsberg, see map
- Lahntal – Lahn valley, see map
South Germany
- Taunus, see map
- Odenwald, see map
- Baden-Württemberg
- Schwarzwald – Black Forest, see map
- Bodensee – Lake Constance, see map
- Schwäbische Alb – Swabian Alb, see map
- Along the Neckar River, see map
- Schwäbischer Wald – Swabian forest, see map
- North and East Bavaria
- Fränkische alb – Franconian alb, see map
- Bayerischer wald – Bavarian forest, see map
- Down the Main River, see map
- Romantische Strasse – Romantic street, see map
- South Bavaria
- Deutsche Alpenstrasse – German Alpine Road, see map
Festival & Highlights
You can easily call Germany the land of festivals!
With more than 10.000 different fests every year ranging from traditional to hip and posh to the less elegant ones, Germans know what it means to have fun.
Attending the Karneval in Cologne, or Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) in Berlin, or testing flavors of beer at the Oktoberfest in Munich without a doubt, you get to feel the spirit of this country.
The beautiful smiles, colorful costumes, medieval foods, live music, and the people make these festivals unforgettable life memories.
Plan your trip in such a way that you can participate in one of the most popular festivals in the country!
There are also many small local festivities worth attention to. So, have this in mind while planning your trip.
Germany’s Most Popular Festivals
- Oktoberfest in Munich.
- Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg.
- Karneval in Cologne.
- Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart.
- Wurstmarkt in Bad Dürkheim.
- Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin.
- Weihnachtsmarkt in Berlin.
- Rhein in Flammen in Koblenz.
- Beethovenfest, Bonn.
- DFB Pokal, Berlin.
- Munich Opera Festival.
- Cannstatter Volksfest, Stuttgart.
What’s next?
Easy to decide, either go back to countries and find something else or start exploring Rhineland.
