Germany

Germany is a European city that is rich in history and has many options if you are considering traveling. This webpage will introduce you to Germany, describe the different regions and help you make a decision as to where to go on your vacation.

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In One Paragraph
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is one of the world's leading industrialized countries in Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea, to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland, and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Germany is a democratic parliamentary federal republic, made up of 16 states, which in certain spheres act independently of the federation. Germany was unified as a nation state during the Franco-Prussian War in 1871.
The Federal Republic of Germany is a member state of the United Nations, NATO, the G8 and the G4 nations, and is a founding member of the European Union. It is the European Union's most populous and economically most powerful member state.

Crash Course History
This is a travel website, so the history lesson will not be profound. It will cover the last 20 years or so, enough to give you an idea of the latest events.

East Germany was at first occupied by and later (May 1955) allied with the USSR. An authoritarian country with a Soviet-style command economy, East Germany soon became the richest, most advanced country in the Eastern bloc, but many of its citizens looked to the West for political freedoms and economic prosperity. The flight of growing numbers of East Germans to non-communist countries via West Berlin led on 13 August 1961, to East Germany erecting the Berlin Wall and a fortified border to West Germany.

Relations between East Germany and West Germany remained icy until the Western Chancellor Willy Brandt launched a highly controversial rapprochement with the East European communist states (Ostpolitik) in the 1970s, culminating in the Warschauer Kniefall on 7 December 1970. The Berlin Wall that had partitioned Berlin in front of the Brandenburg Gate shortly after the opening of the wall.

During the summer of 1989, rapid changes took place in East Germany, which ultimately led to German reunification. Growing numbers of East Germans emigrated to West Germany via Hungary after Hungary's reformist government opened its borders. Thousands of East Germans also tried to reach the West by staging sit-ins at West German diplomatic facilities in other East European capitals, especially in Warsaw and Prague. The exodus generated demands within East Germany for political change, and mass demonstrations with eventually hundreds of thousands of people in several cities – particularly in Leipzig – continued to grow.

Faced with civil unrest, East German secretary general Erich Honecker was forced to resign in October, and on 9 November, East German authorities unexpectedly allowed East German citizens to enter West Berlin and West Germany. Hundreds of thousands of people took advantage of the opportunity; new crossing points were opened in the Berlin Wall and along the border with West Germany. This led to the acceleration of the process of reforms in East Germany that ended with the German reunification that came into force on 3 October 1990.

Major Statistics

Area: 357,050 sq.km.
Population: 82,525,988
Language: German
Religion: Protestant 33%, Catholic 33%, Agnostic/Atheist 28.5%
Currency: Euro
Government: Federal Republic

Major States
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Destinations
Berlin offers a wonderful combination of history, night life, architecture and culture.

There is no city in Europe that parties harder than Berlin. The nightlife of most cities is tame in comparison to this city. There are lots of great clubs and dance parlors, just ask around for the best places.

The Berliners are often friendly and extremely helpful, although you may also encounter the famous "Berliner Schnauze," a certain brusqueness that can seem rude.

Most of the usual good places to go are in the center of Berlin (Mitte), but the eastern part of the city has all the nightlife. Berlin is also perhaps one of the greenest cities in Europe: over 60% of its surface area is either a park or a river... it even has more bridges than Venice!

Berlin has an amazing number of sights, although it is not as centralized or small as other European cities. Sometimes the best things about it have nothing to do with landmarks: simply strolling along one of hundreds of charming streets complete with cafés is pleasurable enough.

You can take a stroll through Berlin Mitte at almost any time of day or night. Whether shoe shops or designer stores, cafés or bars, restaurants or theatres, you will always find scene meeting-places that are open. And when it comes to nightlife entertainment, Mitte is quite clearly the No. 1 Berlin district at the moment. Oranienburger Straße, now well known from radio and TV, is actually out of fashion again and rather too full of tourist buses. But there are still quite a few places on this street worth a visit. Top of the list are long-established pubs and party locations like Tacheles, Café Silberstein and Obst&Gemuese. WMF (lots of house, drum & bass), is just behind Friedrichstadtpalast. Across the street is Kalkscheune, which offers cabaret, concerts and standard dance evenings as well as special events.

Café Orange has very beautiful interior decor. Opulent chandeliers light the high-ceilinged rooms and the floor and doors are painted ox-blood colour (this is the rust-red colour on old Berlin wooden floors). Italian food is one specialty on the menu. The gallery and pub Assel has a student atmosphere. You can sit in the basement and look at pictures or at the pavement tables outside where you can watch people strolling by.

If you have got sore feet at this point in Oranienburger Straße you can rent a bike at Famos. It costs all of 3 DM per hour. You can also find bikes round the next corner, at Fahrradstation in the Hackesche Höfe. The shop also organises guided bike tours. Places to shop in this area include Riccardo Cartillone, and Barfuß oder Lackschuh, which offer Italian and other quality shoes. Keep your eyes peeled for bargains during the sales! You can also find clubwear in this street, for instance at Stoffwechsel, which sells clubby handbags too.

No matter from which direction you go towards the Hackesche Höfe, you immediately notice the rapid concentration of cafés, restaurants, designer stores and other shops. One of the nicest newer shops is Atemlos, an interior design gallery that sells furniture and lights by international artists. It is packed full of colourful, ornamental things. You may not be able to afford these (yet), but there are also accessories like coloured mats adorned with hearts for people with smaller purses. One pub that's a real institution and a relaxing change from the daily bustle of tourism and commerce in this area is Café Cinema in Rosenthaler Straße. You should also take a look at the eight courtyards of the Hackesche Höfe - particularly because of the fine architecture by the art nouveau architect August Endell.

Meanwhile the scene has shifted a bit further on to the triangle between Hackescher Markt, Rosenthaler Platz and Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Oxymoron offers house nights, electro and drum & bass. It's pretty mainstream in Sophienclub - from Brit-pop to funk. A classic route takes you down Neue Schönhauser Straße where you find all kinds of way-out shops and restaurants and some unbelievable waiter service - for instance, in Schwarzenraben (apologize for simply saying what you want). At Frida's Schwester right next door the service and atmosphere are both good. Close by is espresso l'una, just the place for fans of Italian bruscettas and similar delicacies.

Further on, in Alte Schönhauser Straße, you find cosy places like Offers or Café Döblin. Sisal and Cantamaggio are also good for satisfying the appetite you work up walking round this area. Recently quite a few shops selling furnishings and bric-á-brac from the 50s to the 70s have opened up around here. Take a look into Schönhauser, Tenderloin Stoffrausch (which sells clothes too) and Stue (a bit more elegant). And nearby in Mitte you can find the Volksbühne, which is not only a very lively theatre but also an excellent place to enjoy yourself generally - for instance, in the Grüner and Roter Salon

Sometimes called the "Village of One Million" Munich is a southern city located near the Alps. This wonderfully charming 800-year-old city is the capital of Bavaria and the home of the world-famous Oktoberfest. Despite its name, events starts in late September and spills into the first week of October — dancing oompah bands and food dominate. Be prepared not only to drink but also to eat: You’ll have your fill of sausages that is for sure but experiment a bit — whole oxen for instance are cooked on giant spits. While the food is good, fest goers never let it distract from the main focus of the festival: beer. The city is filled with thousands of casual and committed beer drinkers guzzling foamy brew for days on end. If this sounds like heaven by all means go and enjoy it but if it doesn’t avoid Munich at all costs during this time. Book accommodation well in advance for Oktoberfest. But don’t think Oktoberfest is the only time Munich celebrates. The pre-Lenten celebration of Fasching is equally popular. It goes on for days with all sorts of costumed parties and festivities.

Munich is an important cultural center with special opera, theatre, ballet and concert seasons. It also has museums and galleries on every imaginable subject (including one about unusual museums). Some interesting ones are the German Theater Museum, Museum of Mankind and Nature, the Residenz (Egyptian Art and the crown jewels) and the Valentine Museum. The Deutsches Museum is the largest science and industry museum in Europe. The Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek (art museums) house extensive collections of medieval to modern European painting. The Lenbachhaus Gallery also has an exceptional collection of expressionist paintings (Kandinsky Klee Macke Marc).

The Englischer Garten is a nice place to relax and watch the citizens of Munich take their walks or tan in the sun (often topless sometimes wearing even less). In the midst of the gardens are the Kleinhesseloher See, a small lake with a cafe that serves refreshments, and a Chinese Tower and Monopterus (a Greek temple).

The town itself is easy to get around thanks to an excellent Getting Around. Visit the Nymphenburg Castle, a large baroque 17th-century palace that doubles as the Bavarian China Factory, the botanical gardens and the Olympic Center north of Munich, built for the 1972 Olympics. Be sure to see Kaufingerstrasse (great shopping street stretching from Stachus to the Marienplatz) and the Schwabing District with its arty atmosphere smart boutiques antique shops lively nightlife and a stellar selection of restaurants bars and discos. Continue shopping at Viktualienmarkt an open-air marketplace where everything from gingerbread cookies to fresh fish is available. Other attractions are the Hellabrunn Zoo, the beer gardens and the Rathaus a 19th-century Gothic city hall with a glockenspiel (performances daily at 11 am noon and during May-October 5 pm).

One of Munich’s most recognizable structures is the twin-onion-domed Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). The old exterior provides quite a contrast to the stark white interior rebuilt after war damage gutted the church. BMW aficionados may want to make a pilgrimage to the BMW museum for some history of the company (after all the B in BMW stands for Bavaria and the corporate headquarters are in Munich). Do spend a day driving around the countryside. Munich also has the airport closest to the German Alps (skiing and quaint Bavarian towns). The town of Dachau is the site of the first Nazi concentration camp. Another day trip relating to that era can be taken to Berchtesgaden. Plan at least two or three days in Munich.

Hannover (engl. Hanover), formerly sharing the king with the British Empire and today the City of Trade Fairs - including CeBIT, the biggest IT-Fair of all - was host to the first World Exposition that took place in Germany and the first of the new Millenium. During the time of the EXPO 2000 the capital of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) welcomed 20 million visitors from all over the world.

But apart from the EXPO, which was certainly a point of main interest, Hannover has a lot to offer to the visitor. A modern city, it's also rich in tradition, its beautiful gardens, municipal and royal parks worth visiting, and a university capital with important cultural centres, excellent shopping facilities, remarkable events of both national and international importance. The Schuetzenfest every summer rivals Munich's Oktoberfest. Since 1947 Hannover has been the city of trade fairs.

At first glance, Hannover seems easy to grasp. However, there are quite a few quarters worth a closer look, i.e. the surviving buildings from the time of the monarchy, the idyllic green areas where you can relax and enjoy nature, and the culturally diverse quarters which are delightful to explore. The nightlife of Hannover is also rich and diverse.

Dusseldorf, better Düsseldorf, is one of the nicest towns in Germany. It is a handsome and elegant, modern city on the banks of the Rhine River. Düsseldorf is a city where everything is close together: just near the wellknown shoppingstreet Königsallee is the Altstadt, the old quarter of the city. With its 260 cosy pubs and home-brew taverns it is well known as “the longest bar in the world”.

A little further on, you can find renewed proof that the citizens of Düsseldorf love to promenade: the traditional Kö has recently acquired a new companion promenade, which is even two kilometers long. Now that the new Rhine embankment tunnel has diverted the through traffic, the Altstadt has taken back its traditional place by the Rhine. While the traffic races along underground, strollers on the Rhine embankment promenade can admire the outlook over the Rhine and the art nouveau facades of Oberkassel. The view swings to the Rhine tower, which rises above the North Rhine-Westphalia government building. From a bird’s-eye perspective you can see the city, the countryside, the river. You can enjoy a romantic view of the city by exploring it from one of the many white pleasure steamers´of the "Weisse Flotte" (the "white fleet").

A trip northwards will take you to Kaiserswerth, following Barbarossa’s tracks to the medieval ruins of his castle, picturesque houses, idyllic places, in the typical Lower Rhine countryside.

The city parks provide a pleasant haven when your feet get weary. End your wanderings in Old Town (adjacent to downtown), which has been turned into a large open-air pedestrian mall with restaurants clubs and stores. Dusseldorf is also home to the largest Japanese population in Europe and boasts a number of excellent Japanese restaurants and shops and a striking Buddhist temple. There are several old castles and churches in the area. They can be visited as daytrips. Another very interesting daytrip can be made to Museum Insel Insel Hombroich.

Cologne, or Köln as the Germans call it is a great city. Lively, with many pubs, restaurants, and nightlife, but also old, with lots of history, monuments, and sights. Carnival celebrations in Cologne are famous, and that's a great time to visit the city.

From Cologne you can take boat trips on the Rhine all the way to Strasbourg in France. The most scenic part of the route lies between St. Goar and Rudesheim (lots of castles vineyards hills etc. There’s a pleasant train ride from Frankfurt to Cologne passing Lorelei the Rhine Valley and other pretty places.

The city of Cologne offers more than history: Whether street music on the Hohe Strasse or galas in the modern opera house, whether pavement painting on the cathedral concourse or old masters in the Wallraf Richartz Museum, whether the annual music festival along the inner ring road or carnival in the entire city - in Cologne all this becomes synthesized into a vivacious work of art - in a cosmopolitan metropolis boasting almost a million inhabitants which, despite its size, has never lost its neighbourly character.

Cologne is one of Germany's leading gastronomic lights. From venerable breweries offering unique Kölsch beer and typical Cologne delicacies to first-class restaurants - boasting well in excess of 3000 public houses, restaurants and breweries Cologne is one of Germany's leading gastronomic lights. Per head of population, no other city in the Federal Republic boasts so many public houses, and also many top-class restaurants.

The world feels at home in Cologne, where people meet for a Kölsch, a chat or simply a laugh. Life in Cologne is uncomplicated and vivacious - the tolerance and cosmopolitanism of its inhabitants proverbial.

Frankfurt am Main, also known as Mainhattan and Bankfurt, is a rich city in central Germany with 650.000 inhabitants. For many travellers coming from overseas it will be the first point of call in Europe, because of its airport, the leading freight airport in Europe and largest in terms of passengers on the european continent. Frankfurt is a city with two faces: on the one hand it is the cut-throat financial capital of Germany and on the other it is a civilized place which spends more per year on the arts than any other city in Europe. And although other German towns have done a better job in preserving their beautiful traditional city centres, a stay in Frankfurt will permit you to discover a very lively and international city with many things to do, both during daytime and at night.

In fact, Frankfurt is a thriving cultural centre for the whole of Hesse, with a good selection of theatres and galleries, and an even better range of museums, amongst them some architectural highlights. Over half of the city, including almost all of the centre, was destroyed during world war II and the rebuilders opted for innovation rather than restoration. The result is a skyline that smacks more of Chicago than of Germany. Each year, Frankfurt hosts a multitude of overseas and domestic visitors. It is a dynamic European metropolis and a melting pot of cultures, languages and lifestyles. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the most famous German writer, was born in this liberal-minded city almost 250 years ago. More than 150 years ago the city was the centre of the German parliamentary movement of 1848/49 and the meeting place of the "Frankfurt National Assembly” which was of historical importance for the democratic development of Germany. In 1948 it was Frankfurt, where the first steps were taken to found the Federal Republic of Germany.

The city is spread out on the banks of the Main river, the biggest part of town lies on the north bank. The city centre is located east of the central train station, this is where most banks and other institutions are as well. The south bank is known as Sachsenhausen and is very nice to explore. Most of the museums are located on the Museumsufer, the south bank of the main, near the city centre. Römerplatz is the place where the old medieval heart used to beat and a good spot from which to explore the historical buildings of that area, such as the Römer and the St. Bartholomäus church.

If you have more time to spend, Frankfurt is a perfect starting point for daytrips up the Rhine river towards Rudesheim or Heidelberg and only a 30 minutes train trip away from Wiesbaden, Mainz or Marburg.

Hamburg lies about 101 km from the open sea on the River Elbe. With 1,7 million inhabitants, it is the second largest city in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the biggest harbour city in Germany (and after Rotterdam the second biggest in Europe) and – not a contradiction - it is the greenest city in Germany. 13 % of the city are park and greenland, 23 % protected countryside and 6% nature reserves. However, two thirds of the city are occupied by parks, lakes or tree-lined canals, giving this huge harbour city a refreshal rural feel.

Hamburg’s skyline is dominated by the pale green of its copper spires and domes, but a few houses and the churches are just about all that’s left from before the last century. The Great Fire of 1842 was a main cause of this loss, followed by demolition to make way for the warehouse area, and bombing during World War II. Though commerce is Hamburg’s strength it has its share of cultural attractions as befits a town that was once the home of Johannes Brahms. Be sure to visit the cathedrals of St. Jacobi, where you can see a distinguished 15th-century altar, and St. Michael, a baroque church with a 440-ft/134-m spire offering a great view of the city. Don’t miss as well the unique Rathaus, a city hall supported by dozens of pillars — it’s really a grand building. Hamburg is also a fun city — make time to enjoy some of the beer halls and explore the St. Pauli district and the various parks such as Alster Lake downtown. Stroll through Hamburg’s famous fish market, which sells much more than fish.

The port city of Hamburg with more than 40 mi/64 km of canals and 2 500 bridges has an independent entrepreneurial spirit — it’s the closest thing to a city-state in Germany. It’s still exciting to watch enormous freighters move up the Elbe for loading and unloading.

A day trip can be taken to the cities Lubeck, Bremen or Schwerin or, if you have some more days to spend, to the famous spas located either on the North or the Baltic Sea.

Beautifully set in the Swabian Mountains and at the edge of the Black Forest Stuttgart is the home of Mercedes Benz. Hardly suprising that one of the best visited museums is the Mercedes Benz Museum.

The Baden-Württemberg metropolis has a wide range of sights to offer - be it the four castles, the famous Weissenhof estate or the television tower. The most notable feature of Stuttgart, however, is its friendly atmosphere and hospitality. The city's charms do not unfold immediately to the visitor. They remain concealed, waiting to be discovered.

One of these charms is its wide range of shops: exclusive stores, boutiques, modern malls and, of course, the well-known department stores entice the visitor with a wide and attractive range of products. Then there are the cafés - some extravagant, others more chic or sparsely decorated. Street cafés in the summer, some offering a beautiful view of the city, and a whole host of international restaurants and bars add to Stuttgart's gastronomical appeal.

For those who prefer peace and tranquillity, the extensive parks offer the ideal opportunity for walks and relaxation. The city's vineyards will spoil you in a different way. Their wines are not just popular here. The region's long wine-growing tradition is carefully documented in a museum.

Stuttgart can be easily seen on foot and urban trekkers may want to take in the City Circuit walk which begins at the Central Train Station (allow about two hours) and the two-hour Historic Stuttgart walk which starts at the Altes Schloss at Schillerplatz. Yellow signs direct the walker to many modern and historical areas. The Mineralbad Leuze Berg and other spas offer a wide variety of therapeutic pools and health facilities. 100 mi/160 km south of Frankfurt .

"Florence of the North" is how Dresden has been called. A southern city in the North, a Baroque metropolis. The city experienced its golden age in the first half of the 18th century under the rule of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. The Zwinger, the cathedral, the Baroque Königstraße, Pillnitz Palace and not least the countless art treasures of the museums and priceless wealth of the "Green Vault" treasure chamber all testify to this era.

In the 19th century painters, sculptors, authors and musicians - representatives of the early romantics - met here. Dresden was an innovative economic location and one of the richest cities in Germany. Today one can discover the largest villa quarter in the country. The district around Martin-Luther-Platz emerged at the turn of the century with an alternative city culture, with its own theatre, modern music and pubs. The picturesque and architecturally interesting Hellerau Garden City provides a worthwhile detour.

The special atmosphere in the City - characterised by the apparent contradictions of the dreamy, almost conventional lifestyle of a royal residence and a creative, cosmopolitan cultural centre - has attracted and inspired countless poets and friends of literature over the centuries. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries Dresden became one of the centres of German literature, especially for the Romantic movement. The salons held by Christian Gottfried Körner, and later the house of Ludwig Tieck, were popular meeting places for great poets such as Goethe, Schiller, Herder, Kleist and Novalis and important philosophers such as Humboldt and the Schlegel brothers.

A further highlight for literature in Dresden came a hundred years later. From 1919 the newspaper "Menschen" was a focal point for such well-known expressionists as Ivan Goll, Friedrich Wolf, Paul Adler and Oskar Kokoschka. Erich Kästner spend his childhood and youth years in Dresden and published his first poems here. Martin Anderson-Nexö, Gerhart Hauptmann and Friedrich Gerstecker produced some of their most important works in Dresden. It was in Radebeul near Dresden that Karl May created the shining characters of his youth novels.

The fine arts as well have enjoyed a long tradition in Dresden. Even back in the Middle Ages, important artists of the time were active in Dresden with commissions from the Saxon court. The Dresden Art Academy, today's College of Fine Arts, whose roots stretch back to the 17th century, acquired considerable importance. One of its most illustrious teachers, from 1764, was Bernardo Belotto, better known as Canaletto, the painter of the world-famous townscapes of Dresden. At the beginning of the 19th century, painters such as Anton Graff and Adrian Zingg made the Dresden Academy one of the most important art schools in Europe. Ernst Rietschel, Gottfried Semper and Ludwig Richter consolidated the reputation of the academy, which experienced a further zenith around the turn of the century with artists such as Gotthardt Kuehl and Robert Sterl.

Beyond the academic school of art, the group of artists known as "Die Brücke" (The Bridge) made Dresden one of the centres of expressionism at the beginning of the 20th century. With Oskar Kokoschka, Otto Dix, Hans Grundig and Wilhelm Rudolph, the City has since continued to attract important artists. Dresden, however, has not only always been a place in which artists have found ideal conditions to work. It has at the same time often been the subject of their works. Countless paintings and prints have spread the fame of the City, documenting both glorious times and the more tragic periods in Dresden's History.

In the first third of the 20th century Dresden was a centre for modern dance. In the years before the First World War, the School for Music and Rhythm of dance teacher Emile Jaques-Dalcroze stood as a symbol for cultural life in the Dresden garden town Hellerau. In 1920, Mary Wigman, the foremost representative of free dance in Germany, came to Dresden and founded not only a dance group and school at Bautzner Strasse 107 (today still used by the State Opera Company), but also the City's reputation as a City of dance. By the end of the 1920s, the "Wigman Central Institute" in Dresden and its branch schools in other towns taught around 2000 pupils. Gret Palucca, a pupil of Mary Wigman from 1920 to 1923, continued the traditions of free dance in Dresden. Her performances in the twenties and thirties brought her worldwide acclaim. In 1925 she started up her own dance school (Palucca School). The school still exists today and is one of the prime krauten training centres for stage dance, choreography and dance teaching.

Destroyed in the firestorms of the 13th February 1945, one of the many civilian-targeted bombing campaigns waged by British and American forces, resulting in at least 30,000 civilian casualties. Dresden was reconstructed as a large socialist city during the GDR years. Dresden today has a new appearance. The second reconstruction of Dresden is in full swing. By 2006 at the latest, in time for the city's 800 year jubilee, Dresden should have been restored to what it was - a large city with a pulsating centre and probably the most beautiful city in Germany. The Frauenkirche church, the largest Protestant domed building in history, is to be rebuilt with money contributed from all over the world. The whole area around the Frauenkirche, which is currently empty, will be restored as a piece of old Dresden. Next to historic Baroque buildings, new buildings with old dimensions will be built. In the heart of Dresden, the Royal Palace is being reconstructed. Directly opposite the palace is the Taschenbergpalais, which was rebuilt after being reduced to just its outer walls in the war.The economic life of Dresden is also flourishing again: tourism, an innovative computer industry and consumer goods are important sectors. Dresden is also a popular location for conferences and conventions.

Cuisine
German Cuisine varies greatly from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes among them and with their neighbours to the south, Switzerland and Austria. In the West, French influences are more pronounced, while the eastern parts of the country have much in common with Eastern European cuisine and there are marked Scandinavian influences in the northern coastal regions.

Pork, beef and poultry are the main varieties of meat consumed in Germany, with pork being the most popular by a substantial margin. Among poultry, chicken is most common, although duck, goose, and turkey are also well established. Game meats, especially boar, rabbit, and venison are also widely available around the year. Lamb and goat are also available, but for the most part are not very popular. Horse meat is regarded as a speciality in some regions but consumption is generally frowned upon.

Meat is usually pot-roasted; pan-fried dishes also exist, but these are usually imports from France. Throughout Germany, meat is very often eaten in sausage form. There are more than 1500 different types of sausage in Germany.

An all-time favorite in Germany is Schnitzel, which is commonly made from pork. The original variety comes from Vienna and is made from veal.

Trout is the most common freshwater fish on German menus, although pike, carp, and perch are also frequently served. Seafood was traditionally restricted to the northern coastal areas — except for the once-ubiquitous pickled herring. Nowadays many seafish like fresh herring (also as rollmops), sardine, tuna, mackerel, and salmon have become well established throughout the country. Prior to the industrial revolution and the ensuing pollution of the rivers, however, salmon was so common in the rivers Rhine, Elbe, and Oder that servants complained about being served salmon too often. Freshwater fish are often served grilled.

Other seafood is not often served, but mussels and North Sea shrimp — which unfortunately are very expensive nowadays compared to imported shrimp — can be found sometimes.

Vegetables are often eaten in stews or vegetable soups, but can also be served as a side dish. Carrots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans, and many types of cabbage are very common. Fried onions are a common addition to many meat dishes throughout the country, although they are almost unknown in Bavarian cuisine. Potatoes are usually not counted among vegetables by Germans. Asparagus, especially white asparagus, is particularly enjoyed in Germany as a side dish or as a main meal. Sometimes restaurants will even devote an entire menu to nothing but asparagus. However, consumption of fresh asparagus is traditonally limited to the time before St. John's Day (June 24th).

Suggested itineraries

Day 1: Fly into Frankfurt, head to the Rhine, sleep in Bacharach
Day 2: Rhine Valley, sleep in Bacharach
Day 3: To Baden-Baden via the Mosel Valley, sleep in Baden-Baden
Day 4: Relax and soak in Baden-Baden
Day 5: Drive through the Black Forest, sleep in Staufen
Day 6: To the Tirol, sleep in Reutte
Day 7: Bavaria and castles, sleep in Reutte
Day 8: To Hallstatt via Innsbruck and Hall, sleep in Hallstatt
Day 9: Hallstatt and Salzkammergut Lake District, sleep in Hallstatt
Day 10: To Vienna via Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna
Day 11: Vienna
Day 12: To Salzburg via Melk and Mauthausen, sleep in Salzburg
Day 13: Salzburg
Day 14: To Munich, sleep in Munich
Day 15: Munich
Day 16: To Rothenburg via the Romantic Road, sleep in Rothenburg
Day 17: Rothenburg
Day 18: To Dresden via Nürnberg, sleep in Dresden
Day 19: Dresden
Day 20: To Berlin, sleep in Berlin
Day 21: Berlin
Day 22: Fly home

Priority of Sightseeing Stops in Germany and Austria

3 days: Munich, Salzburg
5 days, add: Rhine Valley, Rothenburg
7 days, add: Bavaria and Tirol
10 days, add: Vienna, Hallstatt, Danube Valley
14 days, add: Berlin, Mosel Valley, Trier
16 days, add: Baden-Baden, Black Forest

More time: Choose among Würzburg, Frankfurt, Köln, Nürnberg, Dresden, and Innsbruck/Hall.

This itinerary is designed to be done by car, but could be done by train with some modifications: Take the train from Baden-Baden to Rothenburg, spend the night, take the Romantic Road bus to Munich, visit Bavaria and the castles (possibly as a day trip from Munich), see all of the Austrian sights (Salzburg, Hallstatt, Mauthausen, Melk) on the way to Vienna, and take a night train from Vienna to Berlin (skipping Dresden and Nürnberg).

Activities
Hiking - Walkers are well catered for with marked trails all over the country. Some of the most popular hiking areas are in the Black Forest, the Harz Mountains and the Bavarian Alps.

Cycling - The cities in the west have excellent cycle paths which are a great way of getting around town. Long distance routes also exist and make use of these tracks and quiet roads. Bikes can generally be carried on trains and cycle hire is widely available.

Skating - City skates have become a summer evening feature in many German towns. They can draw crowds of several thousands and are often graced with a police escort and first aid backup. You do have to be competent and able to stop quickly to survive. Stuttgart's skate is on Thursdays, Frankfurt's on Tuesday, Dresden's on Friday. One of the biggest is in Munich on a Monday with up to 25,000 skaters.

Beaches and water sports - Surfing, sailing and windsurfing are popular on the Baltic coast. The big lakes such as Constance and Chiemsee also have lots of water sport opportunities.

Skiing - The largest resorts are in the south of the country and include Oberhof, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Reit im Winkl. Ice hockey and skating are also popular. Bavarians are keen curlers.

Wine tasting - The whole of your holiday could be planned around going from one vineyard to the next. The main wine growing areas are the valleys of the Rhine, Moselle and Neckar. There are signposted routes, Weinstrasse, through these regions.

When To Go
The most popular tourist months are May to October, although winter travel to Germany is becoming increasingly popular, especially to the ski areas in the Bavarian Alps. Germany's climate varies widely. In the north, winters tend to be cold and rainy; summers are most agreeable. In the south and in the Alps, it can be very cold in the winter, especially in January, and very warm in summer, but with cool, rainy days even in July and August. Spring and fall are often stretched out -- in fact, we've enjoyed many a Bavarian-style "Indian summer" until late in October.




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