German Holidays
ONE of the most harshly steriotyped nations in the world, Germany has a lot more going for it than beer, bratwurst and Bavarian leatherhosen.
Not only for the wealth of German cultural and historical sights, but also because of the wide- ranging regional cuisine and the changing landscapes.
From the 24 hour cities of Berlin and Hamburg to the snow-clad mountain towns of the Alps and the charming cobbled streets of Bonn and Heidelberg, Germany has history, culture and atttractions ensure that holidaymakers return time and time again.
GERMAN CITIES
Germany boasts some of the most exciting cities in the world, with industrial powerhouses, cultural hubs and historic towns in abundance.
Berlin
The reunified and regenerated capital of Germany; famous for its Wall and its division during the Cold War. Today its a 24 hour party city with smart galleries, chic restaurants and designer shopping boutiques. A clubbing mecca , there is no shortage of cool clubs and bars.
Cologne (Köln)
The fourth largest city in Germany, Cologne is rich in 2000 years of history. From its vast gothic cathedral, Romanesque churches, and archaeological sites, it is alsp famous for its carnival and its Christopher-Street-Day parade.
Cologne boasts excellent cuisine and beer – check out the local beer - "Kölsch".
Dresden-
The historic centre of Dresden is famed for its magnificent festivals, cultural entertainment, vibrant night life, and breath-taking scenery. Dubbed by Germans as the 'Florence-on-the-Elb'.
Dusseldorf (Düsseldorf)
The North German capital of fashion, Dusseldorf is a stylish city with an abundance of smart boutiques and restaurants.
The "Altstadt" (Old Town) and the "Medienhafen" are wonderful places to enjoy the city’s vibrant nightlife!
One of Germany’s affulent cities, you will plenty of smart, cosmpolitan hotels,
Frankfurt
Germany's leading financial and transportation hub, Frankfurt houses the European Central Bank (ECB), international trade fair center (Book Fair, Motor Show).
A thriving, multi-cultural city, (30% are immigrants) Frankfurt is home to many world-class museums and theaters.
It is also Germany's only city with enough skyscrapers to create a skyline.
Hamburg
Famous for its harbour and the Reeperbahn with its strip-clubs bustling bars, night clubs and casinos.
The centre of Germany’s media, Hamburg is a sophisitcated city with a smart shopping area and many first class theatres.
Munich (München)
Bavaria's stunning capital city and Southern Germany's leading city, home of the famous Oktoberfest and the gateway to the Alps.
Books and Movies
Modern German culture has spawned an abundance of first rate books and movies.
Heinrich Böll and Günter Grass, Nobel Prize-winning authors of The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum and The Tin Drum, respectively, are arguably Germany's finest writers.
Earlier classics include Goethe's Faust and The Sorrows of Young Werther, which inspied the Romantic movement.
Fritz Lang's German movies, notably Metropolis and M, are a good insight into the period between the wars, a time of immense artistic production.
Germany’s most recent hit movies provide very different takes on life east of the wall: the comedy Goodbye Lenin and 2006's Oscar-winning surveillance drama The Lives of Others, a film free of nostalgia.
Cuisine
While the German staples of sausage, potatoes and bread remain, you can take advantage of the internationally influenced takes on German cuisine, including game and fish.
Food sold from street stalls is generally safe and delicious, check out the currywurst, a bun-less hot dog smothered in curry ketchup, and döner kebab, a flatbread stuffed with lamb or chicken and salad.
Check out the ubiquitous, delicious, and quite reasonably priced beer, as well as the German wines, particularly the white Rieslings and Pinot Gris from the Rhine and Moselle valleys.
Good Buys
Germany may be one of the most expensive countries in the world, but when it comes to buying Cutlery porcelain, crystal, musical instruments, and silver – they are among the best in Europe
Precision engineering is an area in which Germany excels. and the pursuit of excellence and high quality craftsmanship guarantees superior products.
The manufacturing base in Berlin left decades ago, to be replaced by artists and fashion designers, making it a good city to purchase high quality clothes and art. Check out souvenirs, such as a Red Army from the old Checkpoint Charlie on Friedrichstrasse.
WALKING
From romantic forests, verdant hills and snowcapped mountains, Germany is a trekkers paradise.
From strolls along tidal shores to treks across the mountains, everything is possible.
The majestic countryside and friendly people allows the hiker to experience the true Germany. Stroll through trails of outstanding natural beauty and never meet a soul. Many of these routes are lined by charming hotels and inns that provide comfortable accommodations for hikers.
Check out specialist holiday companies that provide comfortable "hiking without luggage" packages. There is also an abundance of camps, leisure activities, adventurous hiking trips and youth educational programs.
CHRISTMAS MARKETS
No holiday in Germany is complete without a trip to a German Christmas Market.
The yuletide tradition in Germany is centures old - Striezelmarkt in Dresden, was first mentioned in a document in the 15th century.
Today, Christmas markets are a popular tourist destination. A visual feast for the senses, these markets are among the best in Europe and are held everywhere from the smallest village to the largest city.
Colourfully decorated stalls selling festive foods such as roasted chestnuts, gingerbread and mulled wine are all part of the Christmas mix. There are also Christmas carols, a visiting Santa Caluse, sleigh rides and a myriad other yuletide events.
Each regional Christmas market has also developed its own specialities over the years.
The market at Aachen is well known its gingerbread (Aachener Printen), Nuremberg's is famed for gold foil angels, Dresden for its festive pastry, Stollen, and those in the East German region of Erzgebirge are renowned for wooden arts and crafts.
Stuttgart hosts Europe's biggest Christmas market, and also one of the most beautiful.
Other well known markets in Germany include the Memorial Church in Berlin (one of around 50 Christmas markets in Berlin alone), Frankfurt, The Christ Child market on the Marienplatz in Munich, Cologne and Heidelberg.
Most German Christmas markets run for the full four weeks leading up to Christmas, but there are also one and two day mini-markets that will appear in various cities and towns during the festivities.
News
Swell in Bavarian tourism industry
Germany's Bavaria area has reported growth of almost 12 per cent in the volume of overnight stays enjoyed by tourists last year, to 823,000 in 2006.
Bavaria is a popular destination for German holidays and within this, the Allgau region, near Lake Constance and the Austrian border, has reported particularly strong growth in tourism.
The area saw a 14.8 per cent growth in overnight stays from the UK and Ireland, to 49,710, with arrivals numbers rising 8.1 per cent to 15,957.
According to Germany's tourist office, the Allgau is one of the country's favourite holiday destinations, combining the Alps with rivers, lakes and picturesque towns.
It was recently voted the most family-friendly place to go hiking in 2007 by the readers of a German hiking magazine.
Other good reasons to go on a German holiday to Allgau include the climactic spa and sporting opportunities at Bad Hindelang, or the distinctive mountain villages of the Hornerdorfer.
Germany recently overtook Italy as one of the leading destinations for Europeans taking culture-related breaks, with cultural visitor numbers growing by over 29 per cent since 2000.
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