The German capital holds a world cultural record with three opera houses, two concert halls and eight symphony orchestras. This is the heart of Germany, with a stoic beat that echoes through grand public buildings, glorious museums and theatres, urba ... more

The German capital holds a world cultural record with three opera houses, two concert halls and eight symphony orchestras. This is the heart of Germany, with a stoic beat that echoes through grand public buildings, glorious museums and theatres, urbane restaurants, bustling pubs and raucous nightclubs. Today, structures of steel and glass tower over streets and parks and gardens are again lush. With its field of new skyscrapers and hip clubs and fashion boutiques, post millennium Berlin has recast itself as the Continent's capital of cool.  (close)

Hamburg is Germany's second-largest metropolis, one of Europe's biggest ports, and the greenest city in Europe, lush with vegetation, parks, gardens, canals, and lakes. Elegant and cosmopolitan, Hamburg is now a city of palatial office buildings, mag ... more

Hamburg is Germany's second-largest metropolis, one of Europe's biggest ports, and the greenest city in Europe, lush with vegetation, parks, gardens, canals, and lakes. Elegant and cosmopolitan, Hamburg is now a city of palatial office buildings, magnificent promenades, international musicals, extravagant shopping malls and the famous Reeperbahn and St. Pauli. A ride around Alster Lake will reveal the elegance of its finest parks and buildings and a stroll along one of its many canals explains why this city has been called the "Venice of the North".  (close)

Badly destroyed during the war, Düsseldorf was carefully reconstructed and became the richest economic center in Germany. A relaxing walk along the Rhine or a panoramic view from the Rhine Tower will allow you to admire a "compact" city, where the mo ... more

Badly destroyed during the war, Düsseldorf was carefully reconstructed and became the richest economic center in Germany. A relaxing walk along the Rhine or a panoramic view from the Rhine Tower will allow you to admire a "compact" city, where the modern downtown is nearby the Altstadt (Old Town) and the skyscrapers, banks and offices contrasts with the old castles and churches. The open-air pedestrian mall in the Old Town is remarkable by "the longest bar in the world" (260 pubs and taverns).  (close)

Situated in a beautiful area of Swabian Mountains, Stuttgart has an important cultural tradition, reflected in the famous Staatstheater - with the worldwide known Opera and Ballet - and also the Phillharmonic and musical theaters. Badly destroyed dur ... more

Situated in a beautiful area of Swabian Mountains, Stuttgart has an important cultural tradition, reflected in the famous Staatstheater - with the worldwide known Opera and Ballet - and also the Phillharmonic and musical theaters. Badly destroyed during the war, Stuttgart imposes itself more like a modern city, home of the Mercedes Benz factory and museum. You may enjoy the silence of the extensive parks and the Black Forrest woodland, take a City Circuit walk or taste the famous local wines.  (close)

The world feels at home in Cologne, where people meet to enjoy a Kölsch. (Kölsch is a language, a philosophy of life and also the popular local beer.) The largest city in the Rhineland, Cologne is rich in antiquity. There is much to see from every pe ... more

The world feels at home in Cologne, where people meet to enjoy a Kölsch. (Kölsch is a language, a philosophy of life and also the popular local beer.) The largest city in the Rhineland, Cologne is rich in antiquity. There is much to see from every period of the city's two millennia history: from the old Roman towers to the modern opera house. Cologne is also a bustling modern city with a decent shot at becoming the fine-art capital of Germany. The city of Cologne also hosts an annual Carnival.  (close)

Big-city style and rural charm, Alpine character and Mediterranean verve, art treasures and the Oktoberfest, traditional customs and high technology, beer gardens and haute cuisine, operas and in bars; these are all ingredients that makes Bavaria's s ... more

Big-city style and rural charm, Alpine character and Mediterranean verve, art treasures and the Oktoberfest, traditional customs and high technology, beer gardens and haute cuisine, operas and in bars; these are all ingredients that makes Bavaria's state capital so endlessly fascinating, and so popular with visitors from all over the world. Sprawling Munich is one of Germany's major cultural centers, second only to Berlin in terms of museums and theaters. It's also one of Germany's most festive cities, and its location, at the foot of the Alps, is idyllic. Munich's self-imposed image is that of a fun-loving and festival-addicted city - typified by its Oktoberfest.  (close)