GERMANY

The travel destination

Prepare for a roller coaster of feasts, treats and temptations as you take in Germany's soul-stirring scenery, spirit-lifting culture, big-city beauties, romantic palaces and half-timbered towns.

Few countries have had as much impact on the world as Germany, which has given us the printing press, the automobile, aspirin and MP3 technology. This is the birthplace of Martin Luther, Albert Einstein and Karl Marx, of Goethe, Beethoven, the Brothers Grimm and other heavyweights who, each in their own way, have left their mark on human history.

As you travel the country, you'll have plenty of brushes with genius, but Germany's storybook landscapes will likely leave an even bigger imprint on your memories.

Top Places in Germany

The Brandenburg Gate is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, and one of the best-known landmarks of Germany.
The Brandenburg Gate is situated at the end of Unter den Linden, a grand boulevard that cuts through the center of Berlin. The gate was originally part of a wall surrounding Berlin and was the main entrance to the city. It is the only gate that remains of this former city wall.
Throughout its existence, the Brandenburg Gate was often a site for major historical events and is today considered not only as a symbol of the tumultuous history of Europe and Germany, but also of European unity and peace.
Berlin Wall Memorial commemorates the division of Berlin by the Berlin Wall and the deaths that occurred there. The monument was created in 1998 by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Federal State of Berlin.
Situated at the historic site on Bernauer Strasse, it extends along 1.4 kilometers of the former border strip. The memorial contains the last piece of Berlin Wall with the preserved grounds behind it and is thus able to convey an impression of how the border fortifications developed until the end of the 1980s.
The memorial includes a 60-metre long section of the wall as it was when the Wall fell. Seen from the west, a wall built from L-elements was lined by a sandy section, a lighted "Kolonnenweg", a signal fence, and an inner wall. Finally a tower was built within the complex. The area is not accessible to visitors; both ends of the original wall are closed by stainless steel.
Another close place to visit is Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie marking the best-known crossing point between East and West Berlin and with displays and artifacts tracing the history of human rights.
The Fernsehturm is a television tower in central Berlin, Germany. Close to Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte. In the early 1950s, the German Democratic Republic planned to build a new facility in Berlin intended primarily for the broadcast of GDR television programmes. Initially, a location in the Müggelberge hills was considered. Once outbuildings had been built there, the Ministry of the Interior realised that the broadcasting station would lie in the approach path of the planned Schönefeld Airport.
In the 1960s, the GDR government arranged to have the TV Tower built at its current location, with the aim of demonstrating the strength and efficiency of the socialist system in mind.
Today the Tower defines the silhouette of Germany’s capital city – a symbol of the reunified Germany, just like the Brandenburg Gate.
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne.
The Cathedral is still the second highest building in Cologne after the telecommunications tower. Its footprint is no less impressive, with the full length of the Cathedral measuring 145 m and the cross nave 86 m.
The cornerstone of this Gothic cathedral was laid on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August 1248.
Today the cathedral is Cologne’s second-tallest structure, surpassed only by the telecommunications tower. The cathedral covers almost 8,000 square metres of floor space and can hold more than 20,000 people.
UNESCO declared Cologne Cathedral a World Heritage Site in 1996.
Museum Island is the name of the northern half of an island in the Spree river in the central Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, the site of the old city of Cölln.
Museum Island is a unique ensemble of five museums on Spree Island in the district of Mitte in Berlin. The entire complex is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
This complex of five internationally significant museums, all part of the Berlin State Museums, that occupy the island's northern part:
- The Altes Museum (Old Museum)
- The Neues Museum (New Museum)
- The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery)
- The Bode Museum
- The Pergamon Museum
Neuschwanstein Castle is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by means of extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds.
Today Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe. Every year 1.4 million people visit "the castle of the fairy-tale king". In the summer around 6,000 visitors a day stream through rooms that were intended for a single inhabitant.
Neuschwanstein literally means “New Swan Castle” referencing of “the Swan Knight” one of the Wagner’s characters.
The Zugspitze, at 2,962 m above sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany.
The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in the country and home to three glaciers and Germany’s highest ski resort. The 20 kilometres of pistes enjoy a deep covering of natural snow for skiing and boarding for six months of the year.
The Zugspitze is also an attractive destination for non-skiers: Right at the top, an impressive 360° panorama opens up to reveal extensive views over 400 mountain peaks in four countries. The Zugspitze-Exhibition enhances visitors’ awareness of the historical developments of Germany’s most famous mountain. Two toboggan runs, Germany’s highest church, an igloo village and excellent mountain restaurants are reason enough for smiling faces. Only while sunbathing on the inviting deckchairs may you find that your eyelids droop for a well-earned snooze.
Whether winter sports enthusiasts, nature lovers, romantics or sun worshippers: The mountain railways of Bayerische Zugspitzbahn make it possible for everyone to discover the snow covered Zugspitze from their own personal perspective.

10 Reasons Why To Visit Germany

01
Berlin offers unforgettable contrasts between historical buildings and modern architecture, between the traditional and the modern.
02
Munchen is famous for its beautiful architecture, fine culture, and the annual Oktoberfest beer celebration.
03
Hamburg has a well-deserved reputation as Germany's Gateway to the World. It is the country's biggest port and the second-busiest in Europe.
04
Berlin Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events.
05
Neuschwanstein is royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, that is the most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria.
06
Tropical Islands Resort is the Europe's largest tropical Holiday World. The former aircraft is offering to tourists a tropical escape.
07
Oktoberfest traditionally starts in the third weekend in September. If you love beer then you can not miss this annual event.
08
Currywurst is a fast food dish of German origin consisting of steamed, then fried pork sausage and seasoned with curry ketchup.
09
The Bavarian Alps are very famous area mainly during the winter where you will find some great skiing and snowboarding conditions here.
10
The Germans is a very fiendly nation as many of the people speak English, which help to make this a fairly easy country to explore.