Wagner and Beethoven, Nietzsche and Marx, sauerkraut and Apfelstrudel, wedding-cake baroque castles and towering gothic cathedrals…German culture is in the heavyweight category.

From the Holy Roman Empire to the European Union, mighty Germany has always sat at the heart of Europe. Its castles, from fairy-tale Neuschwanstein to over-the-top Sans-Souci, as well as the proud Baltic merchant cities of the Hanseatic League, testify to its historical power.

Yet it is recent history that looms large in Germany. After all, the Berlin Wall came down a mere 20 years ago. Landmarks such as Checkpoint Charlie and the Wall Museum in Berlin are must-sees for anyone trying to understand the Berliner psyche. There also are museums retracing the origins of Nazism such as the Munich City Museum. The emotionally strong can even visit former concentration camps, including Dachau just outside Munich.

The “land of poets and thinkers,” Germany is also the home of the Protestant Reformation and the Romantic Movement. Culture buffs can spend days visiting the art museums as well as the birthplaces of famous intellectuals like Kant or Marx, while classical music and opera fans can enjoy the dozens of yearly festivals in honor of Wagner, Bach and Brahms, to name but a few. 

On a more festive note, the German culture of the 21^st Century is also that of the largest electronic music scene in the world, of discos opening in the former industrial zones of über-cool Berlin, and of a daring new cinema, with cult films like Run, Lola, Run or the nostalgic Goodbye Lenin. Partygoers of course should not miss the opportunity to attend a beer festival, many of which are held during the year, besides the world-famous Oktoberfest of Munich, or the wild February carnivals of Cologne, Düsseldorf or Mainz. In early December, every single city in the country sets up a Christmas market, where shopping for gifts among the quaint stalls goes hand in hand with the consumption of Glühwein (mulled wine).

Last but not least, the Germans are a nation of ecological nature-lovers and it shows. Trails through parks and countryside are impeccably maintained, as are bicycle paths. All large cities include vast park areas within their bounds, making for pleasant walks or even boat rides if there is a lake nearby. In the winter, the German Alps offer decent skiing.

Highlights of Germany:

Berlin, the ever-cool capital hosts a rich culture, with dozens of museums and monuments, as well as a lively underground artistic scene.

 The Rhine Valley and Black Forest area offers quiet cruises and wine-tasting tours down the Rhine, as well as spas built around the many thermal springs in the forest.

The Baltic coast is home to flat, vast, sandy beaches, cliffs with nature reserves, as well as to the former guild of trading cities known as the Hanseatic League: Lübeck, Rostock, Hamburg, Bremen…