Germany

Travel and Tourist Information

Cities and Sights

Berlin
Germany's capital is livelier than at any time since the 1920s. Plan your trip with 23 pages of annotated links and photos, including 8 pages of information on Berlin hotels and other places to stay.

Erfurt
The capital of Thuringia lies in the heart of Germany, where it's an important stop on the "Luther Trail." Its historic center is packed with medieval and Renaissance houses and churches. Also see my 105 captioned Erfurt pictures and:

• Augustinian Monastery
  Martin Luther slept here, and so can you. Guestrooms and tours are both available at the Augustinian Monastery where the reformer took his vows. (You may have seen the chapel in Luther, the 2003 movie.)
   
• German Christmas Markets: Erfurt

Freiburg im Breisgau
The southernmost city in Germany is also a gateway to the Black Forest. Its cathedral square, which lies in the heart of town, hosts one of the country's liveliest daily markets.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Germany's top alpine resort has world-class skiing and snowboarding, hiking trails, and other activities to keep you busy in winter or summer. It's a handy base for day trips to Oberammergau, Mittenwald, and villages in neighboring Austria. Also see our 65-image Garmisch-Partenkirchen / Zugspitze Photo Gallery and the following articles:

• Zugspitze
  No trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen is complete without a cogwheel-railway and cablecar ascent of Germany's highest mountain. Come for skiing, snowboarding, and spectacular year-round views of four countries.

• Partnach Gorge - Partnachklamm
  Hike safely on a stone ledge above a roaring river, or--in winter--take a guided torchlight tour past magical ice and snow formations.

• Post-Hotel Partenkirchen
  Garmisch-Partenkirchen's most historic hotel dates back to 1542. Its traditional guest rooms have beamed ceilings, paneled walls, and as much Old Bavarian atmosphere as the Poststüberl and Alte Posthalterei downstairs.

German Christmas Markets
Our illustrated article has links to resources plus firsthand reports on Christmas markets in historic cities such as Erfurt, Freiburg im Breisgau, Heidelberg, Lübeck, and Regensburg.

Heidelberg
One of Germany's most romantic castles overlooks Heidelberg's Altstadt on the Neckar River. Our illustrated city guide is accompanied by articles on:

• Heidelberg Castle
• Heidelberg Funicular
• Heidelberg Student Prison
• Heidelberg Christmas Markets

Ludwig II Musical
After a visit to the castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, wrap up your day with dinner and a spectacular show about Bavaria's "Mad King." (Archived Article)

Lübeck
Our illustrated city guide to "the Queen of the Hanseatic League" includes Web links and 39 pages of captioned photos. Also see my article on Travemünde, the ferry port and beach resort for Lübeck.

Lübeck's Ice World Festival (2005-2006)
For the third year in a row, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Lübeck has welcomed winter visitors with ice and snow creations by a team of 45 international sculptors.

Munich
This major "site within a site" consists of:

• Munich Travel Guide
  An illustrated 12-page guide with links to other resources, including Munich hotels and hostels.

• Oktoberfest, Munich
  Our 6-page article on the world's largest beer bash has practical information, an account of a personal visit to the Wiesn, photos, and links to official and unofficial Oktoberfest Web sites. (Also see our articles about the Hofbräuhaus München and the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum.)

• Munich International Airport
  Europe's 8th largest airport is in the heart of the most popular German tourist region. It's also a gateway to Austria's leading ski areas.

• How to Ride the U-Bahn and S-Bahn
  Learn about the types of tickets, and how to use the trains.

• München Airport Center
  Eat, drink, shop, find travel bargains, get medical treatment, or drink a beer in Europe's largest covered open-air space without leaving the airport.

• Bavarian State Opera
  The Bayerische Staatsoper has a 350-year history, Germany's largest opera house, and a year-round program of operas, concerts, ballets, and music festivals.

• Allianz Arena
  Tour the ultramodern, color-changing home of Munich's two major football teams, FC München and TSV 1860.

• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial
  Our illustrated article has step-by-step directions on how to reach the camp by S-Bahn.

• Munich Segway Scooter Tours
  For low-speed thrills with a minimal risk of spills, ride a Segway Personal Transporter through Munich's Olympiapark.

• Kempinski Hotel Airport Munich
  The only hotel at Munich International Airport is a short walk from the terminals and the München Airport Center shopping mall.

Münster
The bicycling capital of Germany is a lively, prosperous university city with an attractive blend of medieval and modern architecture. It's in North Rhine-Westphalia, near the Dutch border.

Regensburg
Germany's best-preserved medieval city has more than 1,400 historic buildings and monuments, including several Roman ruins. It's also a lively university town with boats and beer gardens along the Danube. Also see:

• Document Neupfarrplatz
• Walhalla
• German Christmas Markets: Regensburg
• Hotel Münchner Hof
• Regensburg photos

Rothenburg ob der Tauber
The star attraction of Upper Bavaria's Romantic Road looks much like it did in the Middle Ages. Walk its walls, visit its museums, and use it as a base for exploring the Franconian countryside. Also see:

• Rothenburg Doll and Toy Museum
• Rothenburg Christmas Market
• Hotel Eisenhut and Hotel Mittermaier
• Rothenburg photos

Wolfsburg's Phaeno Science Museum
The newest science museum in Germany is also one of the world's most exciting, thanks to avant-garde architecture and 250 hands-on experiments for adults and children.

Local tours

ConferenceBike Tours (Munich and Dresden)
Q: What do you get when seven people face each other and pedal? A: A goofy (and fun) way to combine sightseeing with exercise.

Car Tourism

BMW Factory Tour, Regensburg
Watch BMW cars being made at a state-of-the-art factory on the outskirts of Regensburg, a prosperous and beautifully-preserved medieval city on the Danube.

Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart
Explore 120 years of automotive history in an architecturally innovative, state-of-the-art museum designed for visitors of all ages (and not just for car buffs). Nearby are the:

• Mercedes-Benz Classic Center
  Tour the company's vintage-car workshop, buy a restored car, or go home with a €64,000 replica of the Benz Patent Car No. 1 from 1886.

• Gottlieb Daimler Memorial
  This restored workshop is in the greenhouse where Daimler and his business partner, Wilhelm Maybach, invented the four-stroke automobile engine, the motorcycle, and the motorboat.

• Stuttgart Tram Museum
  The Stuttgarter Strassenbahnmuseum has more than 60 vintage trams and other vehicles in a restored 1929 streetcar depot. The museum also runs excursions on two "old-timer" lines in the city center.

Nürburgring
At Germany's most celebrated motor-racing circuit, you can ride with a professional race driver and visit a modern racing museum--or even view a rock concert from the stands overlooking the Grand Prix track.

'Trabi Safari' Tours
Take an escorted self-drive tour of Dresden or Berlin in a restored Communist cult car with Duraplast body panels and a column-mounted shift lever.

Volkswagen's Transparent Factory, Dresden
Die Gläserne Manufaktur is an architecturally stunning glass building where small teams of workers build VW Phaetons. You can put on a white lab coat and join them on the assembly line.

Volkswagen's Autostadt, Wolfsburg
Explore the car museum, tour the world's largest auto factory, ascend a 20-story car tower by robotic lift, and take driving lessons (including an all-terrain course) at VW's automotive theme park.

Railroads

Railroading in Saxony
This collection of illustrated articles includes:

• Saxon Railroad Museum Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf
• Dresden Park Railway
• Fichtelbergbahn Steam Railroad
• Fichtelberg Schwebebahn - Aerial Cable Car
• Saxon Narrow-Gauge Museum Rittersgrün
• Ore Mountains Model Railway Park
• Wolkensteiner Zughotel - Train Hotel and Restaurant

River cruises

MS Casanova
Peter Deilmann's 96-passenger, five-star boutique vessel offers a uniquely European style of river cruising on the Rhine, Danube, Moselle, and Rhine-Main Canal. Our review includes an illustrated 9-page article and 41 cruise photos with captions.

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