Germany

Germany runs from the North Sea and Baltic coasts to the Bavarian Alps, crossed by the Rhine and the Elbe. Berlin is a capital of boulevards, galleries and great museums, five on Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Munich pairs Bavarian art with beer-garden culture and serves as the gateway to the Alps. Hamburg is built around lakes and canals and crowned by the Elbphilharmonie, Dresden’s baroque riverfront lines the Elbe, and Cologne Cathedral towers over the Rhine.

In the Bavarian Alps, lakes such as the Tegernsee mirror the peaks, the Wetterstein range rises to the Zugspitze, the country’s highest summit, and the Berchtesgaden mountains frame the Königssee. The Black Forest pairs Baden-Baden’s long spa tradition with Baiersbronn, renowned for its fine dining. Sylt in the North Sea and the white resorts of the Baltic coast come alive in summer; the Rhine and Moselle valleys produce celebrated Riesling. Hearty regional cooking thrives alongside one of Europe’s densest concentrations of top restaurants.

The climate is temperate, with generally warm summers and cold winters bringing snow to the Alps. The coasts are best from late spring to early autumn, while the cities reward a visit year-round, especially in December, when Christmas markets fill the old squares. Germany suits culture lovers, gourmets, spa seekers, mountain and lake holidaymakers, and families.