Germany

When most people think of a vacation in Germany, they picture Neuschwanstein Castle and the Brandenburg Gate. But the country stretches from the tidal flats of the North Sea to the limestone cliffs of the Zugspitze, and in between you'll find vineyards, low mountain ranges, lake districts, and cities that feel so different from one another, you'd think there were national borders between them.

Landscapes from the Wadden Sea to the Zugspitze

In the north, the tides set the rhythm of the day. On Sylt, Amrum, or Norderney, the sea retreats twice a day and exposes the Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Baltic Sea looks entirely different: on Rügen, the chalk cliffs of Stubbenkammer gleam above the water, and on the Darß peninsula, pine forests grow right down to the beach. To the south, more than a thousand lakes line up in the Mecklenburg Lake District, ideal for canoe trips from dock to dock.

The middle of the country belongs to the low mountain ranges. In the Harz, the Brocken Railway takes you by steam train up to the legendary summit; in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, rock towers like the Bastei rise above the Elbe; and the Black Forest lures visitors with dark firs, waterfalls, and farmhouses with deeply sloping hip roofs. The Alps begin in the far south: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the Königssee near Berchtesgaden, and the Allgäu are the classic destinations for hikers and skiers. Add to that the river valleys of the Rhine and Moselle, where castle ruins crown steep Riesling slopes.

Cities and Sights in Germany

Berlin is the first stop for many travelers, and rightly so. The capital tells its history openly: at the East Side Gallery, at Checkpoint Charlie, at the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Straße. It also has Museum Island, one of Europe's most significant museum districts, and a club and bar scene that goes until morning. Munich is more laid-back, with beer gardens under chestnut trees, the English Garden, where surfers ride the Eisbach wave, and Oktoberfest, which draws millions of visitors to the Theresienwiese at the end of September.

Hamburg lives off its harbor. The Elbphilharmonie sits like a glass wave atop an old quayside warehouse, the Speicherstadt is reflected in its canals, and on Sunday mornings the day begins early at the fish market in Altona. In Cologne, the cathedral dominates the skyline, and in February Carnival turns the entire city into a stage. Beyond its skyline, Frankfurt am Main surprises with its Museum Embankment and the apple wine taverns in Sachsenhausen, and Düsseldorf with its Old Town, known as the longest bar in the world.

Other destinations in Germany are worth any detour: Nuremberg with its Imperial Castle and Christkindlesmarkt, Stuttgart with the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums, Hanover with the Herrenhausen Gardens, Bremen with its town hall, Roland statue, and Schnoor quarter. Dresden has regained its Baroque splendor with the rebuilt Frauenkirche, and Leipzig is known as a city of music and of the peaceful revolution of 1989. Smaller towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bamberg, or Quedlinburg show how half-timbered towns have remained almost unchanged for centuries.

Culture and History

Germany was long a patchwork of principalities, and you can still see it today. Almost every region has its own residential palace, its own theater, its own dialect. At the Wartburg near Eisenach, Martin Luther translated the New Testament; Goethe and Schiller lived in Weimar; the Bauhaus was born in Dessau. The history of the 20th century is everywhere, from the Nazi-era memorial sites to the traces of the division along the former border strip, which is now a nature reserve known as the Green Belt.

The year follows many traditions. Carnival is celebrated in the Rhineland and in Swabia, maypoles stand in village squares in spring, and in fall winemakers invite visitors to wine festivals. From late November, the Christmas markets open, from Dresden's Striezelmarkt to the Aachen market around the cathedral, with mulled wine, candied almonds, and wooden toys from the Ore Mountains.

Food and Drink

German cuisine is more regional than its reputation suggests. In Bavaria, white sausages with sweet mustard and pretzels land on the table, ideally before noon; in Swabia, Maultaschen and cheese spaetzle; in Berlin, currywurst and Bulette. In the north, people eat labskaus, herring rolls, and shrimp; in Thuringia, the grilled Rostbratwurst; in Frankfurt, green sauce made with seven herbs. With coffee, depending on the region, you'll get Black Forest cake, Bienenstich, or Dresdner Eierschecke.

Beer is brewed in around 1,500 breweries, from Kölsch served in slender glasses to Düsseldorf Alt to smoked beer from Bamberg. If you prefer wine, the Moselle, Rheingau, Palatinate, and Franconia produce outstanding Rieslings and Silvaners, often available directly from the winemaker at a Straußwirtschaft.

Getting Around Germany

The main international airports are Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC), along with Berlin Brandenburg (BER), Düsseldorf (DUS), and Hamburg (HAM). The rail network is dense: ICE trains connect the major cities, with Berlin and Munich about four hours apart. Punctuality isn't the railway's strong suit, though, so it doesn't hurt to leave a buffer for connections. For local transportation, there's the Deutschlandticket, which lets you use buses, trams, and regional trains nationwide. There is no general speed limit on many stretches of the Autobahn, and no toll is charged for passenger cars. However, many city centers have designated low-emission zones that require a green sticker.

Best Time to Visit Germany

The best time to visit Germany is between May and September. In midsummer, temperatures usually climb to between 72 and 82°F, and well above that on hot days, while the North Sea and Baltic Sea stay rather refreshing at water temperatures of 63 to 68°F. Spring and early fall are ideal for city trips and hiking, and in October the vineyards and forests change color. December has its own charm thanks to the Christmas markets, even if it's often gray and around freezing. Winter sports fans head to the Alps, the Harz, and the Black Forest from January to March.