No doubt about it: Germany is one of Europe’s top tourist destinations at the moment. A big part of the tourist boom, of course, is because of Berlin’s growing popularity. This exciting metropolis is rich with culture, has a famously vibrant nightlife and is refreshingly affordable. However, if dirndl, lederhosen, beer gardens and quaint Fachwerk » Read more
Germany: Budget Travel Guide
A trip to Neuschwanstein Castle is on the bucket list of many a European traveler. Nestled away in the Bavarian Alps about a two-hour drive south from Munich, this castle was one of several built by the eccentric Bavarian king Ludwig II, also known as “Mad King” Ludwig. If its white, limestone façade and fairy » Read more
Whether you are going to Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne or any other city, traveling by rail in Germany is usually a pleasure—except where your pocketbook is concerned. It pays to think about saving on your ground transportation costs before you even arrive in Germany. In this article, we’ll show you four simple ways to cut » Read more
When travelers head out from Berlin to the southeast, driving towards the Czech border, there comes the moment when they are often surprised to discover place names that are unequivocally Slavic in character. And they may be even more surprised, if they take time to explore small villages of the region, to hear that the » Read more
Some small towns make a great mark on the imagination. Think Versailles, Potsdam, Guernica or Srebrenica. One major peace treaty or one awful atrocity inscribes the name of a place into European psychogeography. And thus it is with Weimar, a city of only modest proportions in the Ilm Valley in the German State of Thuringia. » Read more
When Germany relaxed its laws preventing competition with train lines last year, numerous long-distance bus companies sprung up to fill in a gap which has perplexed budget travelers in the country for years. Traditional transportation companies are creating new routes, but even the post office and a national supermarket chain are getting into the bus » Read more
Germany has a clear tourism agenda for 2014. And that’s to prove to the wider world that it’s a fully compliant member of UNESCO’s World Heritage Program. The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has just launched a wonderfully informative dedicated website devoted to the country’s 38 entries on the UNESCO List. And it’s a mark » Read more
In previous posts this month, Susanne Kries and Nicky Gardner looked at Leipzig’s Festival of Lights (October 9), the memorial in Leipzig to the 1813 Battle of the Nations (in their 16 October article) and last week at Leipzig’s rich classical music tradition. Here they conclude their Leipzig series with a review of some of » Read more
Philanthropy is not merely an American virtue. The history of the city of Leipzig in eastern Germany shows how an enlightened mercantile class can support a strong musical tradition. Bach in Leipzig Subscription concerts were a feature of the Leipzig cultural scene as early as the 1740s. Even then, the city had great musical assets, » Read more
Nicky Gardner and Susanne Kries, who last week wrote about Leipzig for EuroCheapo, return to the city in eastern Germany with the second of four reports. Leipzig was not the best place to be 200 years ago this week. From October 16-19, 1813, European history was shaped in the meadows just south of the city. » Read more
Make a date for this time next year. But, even this year, October 9 is surely the most memorable evening of the year in Leipzig. The East German city catapulted to international prominence in October 1989 as its citizens agitated for political and social renewal in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Horst Sindermann, one-time member » Read more
We have all been affected by Bauhaus. The distinctive school of art, architecture and design developed in Germany after World War I. This essentially modernist movement thrived in the liberal pieties of the period. But those pieties were ruthlessly quashed by the Nazis, who drove many of the Bauhaus leaders into exile. That cruel expedient » Read more
Last month we sung the praises of small towns on the River Elbe, and it was our enthusiasm for that river which last weekend drew us to Torgau. Bypassed by freeways and main rail routes, Torgau catches the flavors of small-town Germany. It is laid-back, unpretentious and inexpensive. Reforming zeal Torgau is a place that » Read more
With a length from source to sea of over 1,000 kilometers, the Elbe is one of Europe’s great rivers. And in Dresden and Hamburg, the River Elbe boasts two showcase cities that are in the premier league of destinations for travelers to Europe. Smaller is Better Yet to really catch the flavor of Elbe landscapes » Read more
Germany is not blessed with much of the Alps, and most of the country’s small Alpine towns live well from tourism. They are not, it has to be said, our favorite spots. Bad Reichenau and Garmisch-Partenkirchen are more resorts than real mountain communities. Oberstdorf has sold its soul to skiing, and Füssen is overcrowded with » Read more
Susanne Kries and Nicky Gardner take the seasonal pulse in Leipzig: “Berlin with a shade more flair” is how our Leipzig friend describes her home town. This magnificent city, overshadowed in Saxony by Dresden and too close (some say) to Berlin to really pull the crowds, is a place to visit in fall. For hundreds » Read more
The border between Germany and Denmark has fluctuated hither and thither over the years, reflecting the fact that the cultural divide between Danes and Germans is too diffuse to be adequately reflected as a precise line on a map. Nowadays, the border tracks across the Jutland Peninsula, dividing Schleswig in two. This is flattish country » Read more
Just over an hour away from Berlin by train, Leipzig makes for a great day trip. Whether you’re a classical music fan or a history buff, there’s plenty to keep you busy for a day (or, preferably, more). Here are some tips to help you have a good time on a budget in Leipzig: 1. » Read more
Cast your eye over the map of the Baltic Sea and you’ll find a galaxy of islands that tempt the visitor. Of the nine countries that fringe the Baltic, only Lithuania and Latvia do not have populated offshore islands. In total over half a million Europeans live on islands in the Baltic region, with four » Read more
