Germany is situated in the heart of Europe and is a country with a rich history and culture, fascinating areas of unspoiled nature, buzzing megacities and cosy, historical villages.
It stretches nearly 900km from the northernmost paradise beaches of the North Sea island Sylt to the southernmost mountain community of Oberstdorf and about 600km from the ‘very special and green striped’ leisure park named “Kulturinsel Einsiedel” in the wetlands of the Neisse River at the Polish border to the mighty Aachen Cathedral at the Dutch border.
Berlin is Germany's large green capital and cultural centre. Each year, the city on the Spree River attracts millions of visitors with its unique history, outstanding sights like the Berlin Wall and the famous square Alexanderplatz and vivid multicultural scene including highly esteemed festivals like the “Berlinale” or the "Carnival of Cultures".
Since reunification, Germany covers a territory of about 350,000 square kilometres and is the most populated country in Europe with over 82.6 million inhabitants. From the Wadden Sea to the snow-covered peaks of the Alps, there is an incredibly large variety of landscapes. The Northern Lowland is bounded by the North Sea and the rugged coastline of the Baltic Sea. Both coasts offer beautiful sand beaches, old sea resorts and dramatic, steep coasts. Hamburg, Bremen and Rostock – these are old and proud north German trading towns with bustling ports and magnificent, centuries old patrician homes. UNESCO World Heritage sites in North Germany include the statue of the Bremen Roland, St. Mary's Cathedral in Hildesheim, the town centre of Lübeck as well as the cities of Stralsund and Wismar on the Baltic coast.
The Northern Lowland is characterised by extensive lakelands and heathlands. In August and September, the Lüneburg Heaths (German: Lüneburger Heide) in the state of Lower Saxony turns into a purple sea of blossoms, in which the thatched roofs of timber-framed buildings float like small picturesque islands. The Mecklenburg Lake District (German: Mecklenburgische Seenplatte) is a land of a thousand lakes. Since many of them are connected by rivers and canals, the region is a true mecca for water sports enthusiasts.
Germany’s largest metropolitan area is called the Ruhr area and situated in the west of the country. This densely populated former industrial region of 4500km2 is home to nearly 10 million people. Its major attractions are living examples of the region's new face and include, for example, the fashion and shopping metropolis of Düsseldorf, the Industrial Heritage Trail that links numerous industrial monuments, and event highlights like the "Essener Lichtwochen" or Dortmund "International Culture Day" (in German: “Internationale Kulturtage Dortmund”). Cologne Cathedral with its world-renowned architecture ranks amongst the largest and most important sacred buildings in the world. Cologne Carnival and Mainz "Fastnacht" (Shrove Tuesday) belong to the most popular and colourful Carnival events.
The forested uplands of the "Mittelgebirge" Ridge extend from the Rhenish Massif in western Germany to the Hessian Highlands, Thuringian and Franconian Forest and Ore Mountains in Saxony. From the Black Forest, home of the cuckoo clock, to the bizarre rock formations of Saxon Switzerland - The heart of the country is full of fascinating landscapes and multi-faceted destinations like the Baroque residence of Dresden, the medieval fortress towns of Nuremberg and Rothenburg in Franconia or the vibrant metropolis of Frankfurt with its famous skyline.
The rugged terrain of the mountain range Harz towers the Northern Lowlands. The region is characterised by romantic palaces and castles, spa towns, old monasteries and pretty, medieval cities. Of particular interest are the mythic Kyffhäuser monument, the listed city of Quedlinburg, which has the most historical buildings by area size, and the legendary Brocken, the highest peak of Northern Germany with a height of 1,141 meters.
"Mostly winter, and no summer during the rest of the year", this is how Napoleon once described the cool German climate with its strong rainfalls in the north and cold winters and hot summers in the centre and the southern parts.
Many of the mountainous regions from Black Forest to Thuringian Forest provide excellent winter sport conditions and infrastructures. Resort towns like Willingen and Garmisch-Partenkirchen regularly host international ski jumping contests and bobsleigh races.
Some of the sheltered regions at medium altitudes like the Main or Lower Rhine areas are traditional wine-growing regions for hundreds of years. For example, the German riesling from the Mosel and middle Rhine valleys is an internationally renowned, high-quality wine. Pampered by an especially mild climate and an annual average of 1,800 hours of sunshine, the wine-growing region Pfalz is even nicknamed "German Tuscany".
The ridges of the alpine foothills (German: Alpenvorland) extend between the Danube River and the northern Alps in Bavaria. Amongst the most popular Pre-Alp destinations are the three largest lakes of Germany: Bodensee, Chiemsee and Starnberger See. Neuschwanstein Castle, the fairy-tale palace of the romantic Bavarian King Ludwig II is said to be the epitome of German Romantic, the Munich Oktoberfest is deemed the mother of all Bavarian culture and German beer tradition.
1284 German breweries produce more than 5000 kinds of beer, mostly still under strict application of the German Purity Law, which allows only the three ingredients water, barley and hops.
In contrast, German cuisine varies from region to region. Well-known culinary specialities are, for example, Thüringer Rostbratwurst (fried sausage), Pfälzer Saumagen (stuffed pig's stomach), Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau) or Spätzle (literally: "little sparrow", a type of egg noodle).
The historical city centers of Regensburg, Würzburg and Bamberg house beautiful medieval buildings of high individuality and charm. A visit to the leisure park "Europa Park Rust" will certainly be as unforgettable as an excursion to the fossil collection "Grube Messel" near the city of Darmstadt or a relaxing stay in the traditional spa town Baden-Baden.
Valuable cultural treasures and large areas of unspoiled nature, the variety of regional dishes and great shopping promenades make Germany a multi-faceted attractive holiday destination. The country is particularly famous for old Christmas markets like the Dresden Striezelmarkt or the Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt, but also for illustrious street festivals like the Cologne Christopher Street Day, fun fairs full of atmosphere like Oktoberfest, international concerts and top-class art exhibitions such as the Beethoven or Wagner, Sand World, splash! or pèlerinages festivals, to name just a few. Germany has much to offer, it is a land of opportunity, steeped in history, modern, close to nature, buzzing, cosmopolitan and full of hospitality.
