Germany
Germany is a Western European country with a terrain of vast forests, rivers and mountain ranges, and 2 millennia of history. Berlin, its capital, is home to thriving art and nightlife scenes, iconic Brandenburg Gate and many sites relating to WWII. Munich is known for its Oktoberfest and cavernous beer halls, including 16th-century Hofbräuhaus. Frankfurt, with its skyscrapers, houses the European Central Bank.
Capital: Berlin
Dialing code: +49
Population: 80.62 million (2013) World Bank
1.Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate
Modeled on the Acropolis in Athens and built for King Frederick William II in 1791, the monumental sandstone Brandenburg Gate in Berlin’s Mitte district was the city’s first Neoclassical structure. Measuring an impressive 26-meters in height – including the spectacular four-horse chariot perched atop – its six huge columns on each side of the structure form five impressive passages: four were used by regular traffic, while the center was reserved for the royal carriages. Huge Doric columns also decorate the two buildings at each side of the Gate, once used by toll-collectors and guards. Undoubtedly Berlin’s most iconic structure, it was also once part of the infamous Berlin Wall and for a few decades was symbolic of the division of Berlin into East and West.
2.Rothenburg ob der Tauber
The old Franconian imperial city of Rothenburg, one of the most attractive places on Germany’s famous Romantic Road tourist route, lies on the steep banks of the picturesque River Tauber. With its walls and towers untouched since the Thirty Years War of 1618, this completely preserved picture-perfect medieval town offers endless charm. Individual buildings of note include the imposing 13th-century Town Hall (Rathaus); the wonderful Ratstrinkstube, or Council Tavern, built in 1466 with its interesting clock; St.-Georgs-Brunnen fountain, built in 1608 near the end of Herrngasse; St. James’s Church with its fine high altar dating from 1466; and the Imperial City Museum. Simply walking the old streets past these beautiful buildings is a timeless experience, especially if it involves the Plönlein, one of the town’s most picturesque spots.
3. Konigssee (King’s Lake)
This lovely Bavarian lake is one of the great beauty spots of the region known as Berchtesgadener Land. Also known as the King’s Lake, this area near Salzburg is a walker’s paradise. One of the most popular routes is the attractive footpath along the east side of the Königssee to the Malerwinkel, or Painters’ Corner, with its superb views of the lake and the mountains. Another equally attractive sightseeing option is a boat trip to the 17th-century Pilgrimage Chapel of St. Bartholomew at the south end of the lake, and to walk from there to the Obersee. Berchtesgaden, at the end of the Deutsche Alpenstrasse, is perhaps the best-known tourist town and one of the most popular mountain resorts in the Bavarian Alps.
4.The Island of Rugen
Rügen is the largest and most beautiful of the German Baltic islands, separated from the mainland by the Strelasund and linked to the mainland town of Stralsund by a causeway. The island’s beauty stems from its diversity of landscape, including everything from flat farmland and forest-covered hills to expansive sandy beaches, lagoons, and lovely peninsulas. Highlights of a visit include the Jasmund Peninsula, reaching heights of 161 meters, and the beautiful Stubnitz beech forests, which come to a dramatic end on the Königsstuhl where a sheer chalk cliff plunges down to the sea from a height of 117 meters. Another must see is the little old resort town of Putbus, seat of the Princes of Putbus and with numerous Neoclassical buildings and parks.
Hotel
1.Hotel Laimer Hof
Address:Laimerstrasse 40, 80639, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
2.Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Hackescher Markt
Address:An Der Spandauer Bruecke 11, 10178 Berlin, Germany
Phone:+00 49 30 2096980
3.Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Hackescher Markt
Address:Sparkassenstrasse 10, 80331, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Phone:00 49 89 12089218
