About the Authors

Ever since packing his bag and leaving North Carolina, Christopher N. Anderson (chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15) has accumulated over thirteen years of traveling and writing experience. From crossing Siberia and sailing the Caribbean, to teaching English in Russia, Brazil, Switzerland, Austria and France, his diverse experiences have provided excellent fodder for his writing, featured in publications such as the Vienna Review, Frommer’s and Yanks Abroad. In addition to his traveling exploits, he has earned a Master’s in International Relations and speaks fluent French and German along with conversational Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. More recently, he covered and reported live from the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Half-Swiss, half-American, Caroline Sieg’s (chapters 2, 4, 5, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19) relationship with Germany began with childhood trips to Munich to visit her Polish-German aunt. Later, she visited Berlin for the first time in 1989—two weeks after the Berlin Wall fell—and obtained her own piece of the wall. Later, she lived in Berlin and explored the often-overlooked northern part of the country. These days, she hangs her hat in London, but visits Germany as often as possible to indulge in Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake), sniff out the best currywurst and explore the latest gallery opening.

Frommer’s Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).

In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for:

special finds—those places only insiders know about

fun facts—details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun

kids—best bets for kids, and advice for the whole family

special moments—those experiences that memories are made of

overrated—places or experiences not worth your time or money

insider tips—great ways to save time and money

great values—where to get the best deals

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

AE American Express

DISC Discover

V Visa

DC Diners Club

MC MasterCard

Hamburg

Hamburg has many dynamic faces. A walk down the neon-lit Reeperbahn at night will revive old memories of “Sin City Europe.” A ride around Alster Lake in the city center will reveal the elegance of its finest parks and buildings. And a stroll along one of Hamburg’s many canals explains why this city has been called the “Venice of the North.” Contrasts are evident wherever you look in Hamburg. Amid the steel-and-glass structures of the modern city is the old baroque Hauptkirche St. Michaelis. A Sunday-morning visit to the Altona fish market will give you a good look at early shoppers mingling with late-night partiers.

Hamburg has had to be flexible to recover from the many disasters of its 1,200-year history. This North Sea port was almost totally destroyed during World War II. But out of the rubble of the old, the industrious Hamburgers rebuilt a larger and more beautiful city, with huge parks, impressive buildings, and important cultural institutions. Today, Hamburg is the greenest city in Europe, with nearly 50% of its surface area marked with water, woodlands, farmland, and some 1,400 parks and gardens. Green is, in fact, the city’s official color.

Hamburg, Germany’s second-most populated city (after Berlin), lies on the Elbe River, 109km (68 miles) from the North Sea, 285km (177 miles) northwest of Berlin, 119km (74 miles) northeast of Bremen, and 150km (93 miles) north of Hannover.

Essentials

Getting There

By Plane The Airport Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel is 8km (5 miles) north of the city center. It’s served by many scheduled airlines and charter companies, with regular flights to major German airports and many European and intercontinental destinations. Lufthansa ( 01803/805805;www.lufthansa.com) offers flights to Hamburg from most major German cities, and many national carriers fly into Hamburg, including Air France from Paris and British Airways from London. United Airlines, Delta, and Lufthansa offer direct flights from the United States. For flight information in Hamburg, call 040/50750 or visit www.ham.airport.de.

An ultramodern terminal and passenger pier at the airport has a roof shaped like an enormous aircraft wing. This terminal contains an array of shops and boutiques—even a branch of Harrods of London—as well as restaurants and other establishments.

During the day the S-Bahn (suburban rail network) line S1 operates every 10 minutes between Hamburg airport and the central railway station, Hauptbahnhof (trip time to the center: 25 min.). The Hamburg Airport (Flughafen) S-Bahn station is directly in front of the air terminals and is reached by elevator, escalator, or stairs. The one-way fare to the center is 3€, or 1.50€ for ages 11 and under.

By Train There are two major rail stations, the centrally located Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, Hachmannplatz 10 ( 040/39183046;www.bahn.de), and Hamburg-Altona ( 040/39182387;www.bahn.de), in the western part of the city. Most trains arrive at the Hauptbahnhof, although trains from the north of Germany, including Westerland and Schleswig, pull into Altona. The two stations are connected by train and S-Bahn. Hamburg has frequent train connections with all major German cities, as well as frequent continental connections. From Berlin, 15 trains arrive daily (trip time: 2 1/2 hr.), 37 from Bremen (trip time: 54 min. to 1 hr., 16 min.), and 33 from Hannover (trip time: 1 1/2 hr.). For information, call 01805/996633 (www.bahn.de).

By Bus Because of Hamburg’s location astride most of the rail lines of north Germany, the majority of passengers arrive by train. But if the bus appeals to you, call Central Omnibus ( 040/247576;www.zob-hamburg.de). From their headquarters across from the railway station, they’ll supply information on fares and schedules for the buses that funnel passengers in from other cities. Information about short-haul buses from surrounding towns and villages is available from Hamburger Verkehrsverbund ( 040/19449;www.hvv.de).

By Car The A1 Autobahn reaches Hamburg from the south and west, the A7 from the north and south, the A23 from the northwest, and the A24 from the east. Road signs and directions to Hamburg are frequently posted.

Visitor Information

For visitors to Hamburg, information is offered at several centers. Tourist-Information, Hauptbahnhof, Kirchenallee exit ( 040/30051300), is open Monday to Saturday 8am to 9pm, Sunday 10am to 6pm (phone inquiries are accepted Mon–Sat 9am–7pm). Port Information, St. Pauli Landungsbrücken ( 040/30051300), is open April to October daily 8am to 6pm, and November to March daily 10am to 6pm. There is another tourist office at the airport, at terminals 1 and 2 (arrivals area), open daily 6am to 11pm. For tourist information in Hamburg contact the visitor information hot line at 040/30051300 or see www.hamburg-tourism.de.

City Layout

Hamburg is a showplace of modern architecture; historic structures stand side by side with towering steel-and-glass buildings. The 12 sq. km (4 1/2 sq. miles) of parks and gardens are a vital part of the city, as are the 57 sq. km (22 sq. miles) of rivers and lakes. The city is not compact and can’t be easily covered on foot. Many sections of interest are far apart; you’ll have to depend on public transportation or taxis.

The Alster is the perfect starting point for a pleasurable exploration of Hamburg. This lake, rimmed by the city’s most significant buildings, sparkles with the white sails of small boats and ripples with the movement of motor launches. The lake is divided by the Lombard and John F. Kennedy bridges into the Binnenalster (Inner Alster) and the larger Aussenalster (Outer Alster). The Binnenalster is flanked on the south and the west by the Jungfernstieg, one of Europe’s best-known streets and Hamburg’s most vital artery and shopping district. For landlubbers, the best view of the Alster is from this “maiden’s path.”

From the Hauptbahnhof, on the eastern fringe of the heart of town in the vicinity of the Binnenalster, two major shopping streets fan out in a southwesterly direction, toward St. Petri Church and the Rathaus. They are Spitalerstrasse (reserved for pedestrians) and Mönckebergstrasse, paralleling it to the south. These streets contain some of the city’s finest stores. Stay on Mönckebergstrasse to reach Rathausmarkt, which is dominated by the Rathaus, a Renaissance-style city hall palace.

The center of Hamburg offers fine opportunities for walking; for example, the eastern shoreline of the Binnenalster opens onto Ballindamm, which contains many elegant stores. At the foot of this lake is the Jungfernstieg, already mentioned, and along its western shoreline is yet another main artery, the Neuer Jungfernstieg. At the intersection of the Jungfernstieg and Neuer Jungfernstieg is one of the more fascinating streets in Hamburg, the Colonnaden, a colonnade of shops and cafes. In this neighborhood stands the Hamburgische Staatsoper, the famous modern opera house.

A “city within a city” is growing up in the former docklands that extend 3km (2 miles) along the Elbe River. Known as HafenCity, this emerging borough is expected to double the population of central Hamburg with a concert hall, bars, slick office buildings, and hundreds of waterfront apartments. The Hafen City tour leaves only on Saturday at 3pm, and from May to September also on Thursday at 6:30pm. Tours leave from Am Sandtorkai 30 ( 040/36901799).

Neighborhoods in Brief

Central Hamburg This is Hamburg’s commercial and shopping district, seat of many of its finest hotels and restaurants. The district centers on Binnenalster and the Rathaus (City Hall). Boat rides on the Alster lakes are a major attraction. Many historic buildings that withstood World War II are here, including St. Petri, the oldest surviving structure.

The Harbor The Port of Hamburg is the world’s fifth-largest harbor, stretching for nearly 40km (25 miles) along the Elbe River. More than 1,500 ships from all over the world call each month. Since 1189, this has been one of the busiest centers for trade on the Continent, making Hamburg one of Germany’s wealthiest cities.

St. Pauli This is Hamburg’s nightlife center, with lots of erotica. The district is split by its famous street, the Reeperbahn, neon-lit and dazzling, offering all sorts of nighttime pleasures—cafes, sex shows, bars, dance clubs, and music halls.

Altona Formerly a city in its own right, this western district is now integrated into greater Hamburg. It was once populated mainly by Jews and Portuguese. Today it’s the scene of Hamburg’s famous Fischmarkt, which takes place at dawn every Sunday.

Pöseldorf Northwest of Aussenalster, this is a tree-filled residential district, with many villas dating from the 1800s. A large number of exemplary Jugendstil buildings can still be seen here. The district is mostly occupied by upwardly mobile professionals, including a lot of media stars.

HafenCity Locals are calling this maritime and media center a “city within a city,” and it’s being created in former docklands that extend 3km (2 miles) from the Elbe River. It is Europe’s largest inner-city urban development project. The location is between the flood-protection line of the city center and the north arm of the Elbe River. The emerging borough is expected to double the population of central Hamburg with hundreds of waterfront apartments, and includes a concert hall, bars, and slick office buildings. A free guided tour takes place every Saturday at 3pm, and advance notice is not required. Show up at the HafenCity InfoCenter, Kesselhaus, Am Sandtorkai 30 ( 040/36901799). U-Bahn stops include the Messberg Station and the Baumwall Station.

Getting Around

A word to the wise: Park your car and use public transportation in this busy city. Practically all public transportation services in the Hamburg area—the U-Bahn (subway), S-Bahn (city rail), A-Bahn (commuter rail), buses, and harbor ferries—are run by Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV), Steinstrasse 12. For information, call 040/19449 (www.hvv.de). Tickets are sold at Automats and railroad ticket counters.

By Public Transportation Hamburg’s U-Bahn, one of the best in Germany, serves the entire central area and connects with the S-Bahn surface trains in the suburbs. This network is the fastest means of getting around, but buses provide a good alternative. The advantage of surface travel, of course, is that you get to see more of the city. For information, call 040/19449.

Fares for both U-Bahn and the bus are as follows: Most single tickets will cost 2.40€, although a very short trip will go for 1.20€. Otherwise you will be able to purchase a 1-day pass for the city center for 5.20€, or 7€ for a more extended area, or even 10€ for the entire MVV network.

Have Card, Will Travel

The Hamburg Card offers unlimited travel on all public transport in Hamburg, as well as 50% discounts to several museums and a 20% discount on city tours. A 1-day card goes for 8.50€ for individuals (for one adult and up to three children 14 years old and under) or 14€ for families. A 3-day card costs 20€ for individuals and 32€ for families. You can get these cards at some hotels, major U-Bahn stations, and the tourist office, or call 040/30051300.

By Taxi Taxis are available at all hours; call 040/211211;www.taxi211211.de. Taxi meters begin at 2.70€ and charge 1.70€ per kilometer after that.

Hamburg

Business Hours Most banks are open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 3:30pm (many until 5:30pm Thurs). Most businesses and stores are open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm (to 4 or 6pm on the first Sat of the month).

Car Rentals We don’t recommend that you rent a car for touring Hamburg, but an automobile is ideal for the environs. Rentals are available at Avis, Gleis 12 in the Hauptbahnhof ( 040/32873800;www.avis.com; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof), or at Hertz, Kirchenallee 34–36 ( 040/2801201;www.hertz.com; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof).

Consulates Consulate General of the U.S., Alsterufer 27–28 ( 040/41171100); British Consulate-General, Harvestehuder Weg 8A ( 040/4480320).

Currency Exchange The most convenient place for recent arrivals to exchange currency is the ReiseBank at the Hauptbahnhof ( 040/323483), which is open daily 7:30am to 10pm. The same bank maintains a branch at the Altona Station ( 040/3903770), open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 8pm, and Saturday 9am to 2pm and 2:45 to 5pm. There’s also a branch in Terminal 2 of Hamburg’s airport ( 040/50753374), open daily 8am to 9pm.

Doctors & Dentists Ask at the British or American consulates, or go to Allgemeines Krankenhaus Sankt Georg, Lohmühlenstrasse 5, 20099 Hamburg ( 040/1818850; U-Bahn: Lohmühlenstrasse), where you’ll find an English-speaking staff.

Drugstores Pharmacies that stock foreign drugs include Roth’s Alte Englische Apotheke, Jungfernstieg 48 ( 040/343906; U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg), open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 6pm.

Emergencies Dial 110 for the police; for an ambulance, an emergency doctor or dentist, or the fire brigade, dial 112; and dial 01805/101112 for the German Automobile Association (ADAC).

Post Office The post office at the Hauptbahnhof, Hachmannplatz 13, is centrally located. You can make long-distance calls here far more cheaply than at your hotel. Telegrams, telexes, and faxes can also be sent. It’s open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8am to 6pm, and Sunday 10am to 4pm. A branch office located at the airport is open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 9pm, Saturday 8am to 6pm, and Sunday 10am to 6pm. For information on either post office, call 01802/3333.

Safety Hamburg, like all big cities of the world, has its share of crime. The major crimes that tourists encounter are pickpocketing and purse/camera snatching. Most robberies occur in the big tourist areas, such as the Reeperbahn and the area around the Hauptbahnhof, which can be dangerous at night, but much less so than in Frankfurt or Munich.

Toilets There are several decent public facilities in the center of Hamburg. See for additional information.

Transit Information For U-Bahn and S-Bahn rail information, call the Hauptbahnhof, Hachmannplatz 10 ( 01805/996633;www.bahn.de).

Boat Tours

You can tour Hamburg by water, on both the Inner and the Outer Alster, experiencing all the charm of the Alsterpark, the villas, and the sailing boats set against the panorama of towers and church spires. ATG-Alster-Touristik, Am Anleger Jungfernstieg ( 040/3574240;www.alstertouristik.de), has daily departures about every 30 minutes from 10am to 6pm, with trips lasting 50 minutes. November to March, tours depart daily at 10:30am, noon, 1:30, and 3pm. The ships leave from the Jungfernstieg quayside (U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg). Audio devices with a description of the tour in English and a brochure in four languages (including English) are available from the captain. Trips cost 11€ for adults and 5.50€ for children 15 and under.

HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst AG, Bei den St. Pauli, Fischmarkt 28 ( 040/3117070;www.hadag.de), also conducts tours through the watery channels of Hamburg, in a comfortable heated pleasure boat. Tours are conducted in both German and English. They depart at hourly intervals every day April to September 10:30am to 4:30pm, and from October to March 11am to 3:30pm. Boats leave from the Landungsbrücken, Pier 3. The fare is 11€ for adults, 5.50€ for children 13 and under, and 20€ for a family ticket.

Exploring Hamburg

What to See & Do in the Altstadt

Before you tour the city, you can get a sweeping view of Hamburg from the tower of the finest baroque church in northern Germany, Hauptkirche St. Michaelis ★, Michaeliskirchplatz, Krayenkamp 4C ( 040/376780;www.st-michaelis.de; U-Bahn: Rödingsmarkt or St. Pauli). Take the elevator or climb the 449 steps to enjoy the sweeping view from the top of the hammered-copper tower. The crypt is one of the largest in Europe and contains the tombs of such famous citizens as composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and the church’s builder, Ernst Georg Sonnin. Hours are daily May to October 9am to 7:30pm, and November to April 10am to 5:30pm. Entrance to the church is free, but to use the stairs or elevator costs 3.50€ for adults, 2.50€ for children. A combination ticket for the tower and crypt costs 5€ for adults, 3€ for children.

The Altstadt actually has little old architecture left, but there are a few sights among the canals that run through this section from the Alster to the Elbe. The largest of the old buildings is the Rathaus, Rathausplatz ( 040/428310; U-Bahn: Rathausmarkt), which is modern in comparison to many of Germany’s town halls. This Renaissance-style structure was built in the late 19th century on a foundation of 3,780 pinewood piles. It has a sumptuous 647-room interior and can be visited on guided tours costing 2€. Tours in English are given hourly Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm, and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 1pm (there are no tours during official functions). The Rathaus’s 49m (161-ft.) clock tower overlooks Rathausmarkt and the Alster Fleet, the city’s largest canal.

A few blocks away is the 12th-century St. Petri Kirche, Speersort 10 ( 040/3257400;www.sankt-petri.de; U-Bahn: Rathausmarkt). The lion-head knocker on the main door is the oldest piece of art in Hamburg, dating from 1342. The church is open Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm, and Sunday 9am to 9pm.

The nearby 14th-century Gothic St. Jacobi Kirche, Jakobikirchhof 22, with an entrance on Steinstrasse ( 040/3037370;www.jacobus.de; U-Bahn: Mönckebergstrasse), was damaged in World War II but has been restored. It contains several medieval altars, pictures, and sculptures, as well as one of the largest baroque organs in the world (Arp-Schnitger, ca. 1693). The church is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. Guided tours in English can be arranged.

The Top Attractions

Carl Hagenbeck’s Tierpark ★★ ZOO Hamburg’s zoo, one of Europe’s best, was founded in 1848 and today is home to about 2,500 animals belonging to 360 species. The unfenced paddocks and beautifully landscaped park are world famous. There are sea lion shows, rides on elephants and camels, a train ride through “fairyland,” and a spacious children’s playground. In 2007 a tropical aquarium opened, which makes Hagenbeck competitive with the more famous aquarium in Berlin. A restaurant serves well-prepared fixed-price menus at 15€ to 28€, 11:30am to closing time.

Hagenbeckallee at Steilingen. 040/5300330.www.hagenbeck.de. Admission 16€ adults, 11€ children 4–16, free for children 3 and under, 49€ family ticket. Parking 2.50€. Mar–Oct daily 9am–5pm (closes later in nice weather); Nov–Feb daily 9am–4:30pm. U-Bahn: Hagenbeck’s Tierpark. In the northwest suburbs.

Kunsthalle ★★ MUSEUM This is northern Germany’s leading art museum, which reopened in the spring of 2006 after extensive renovations and much improved lighting. Be sure to see the outstanding altarpiece painted for the St. Petri Church in 1379 by Master Bertram, Hamburg’s first painter known by name and a leading 14th-century German master. The 24 scenes on the wing panels depict the biblical story of humankind from creation to the flight into Egypt. Note the panel showing the creation of the animals, in which a primitive Christlike figure is surrounded by animals. As a sardonic note, one little fox is chewing the neck of the lamb next to it. The museum also contains works by Master Francke, a Dominican monk. The altar of St. Thomas à Becket (ca. 1424) is the first known work to depict Becket’s murder in Canterbury cathedral.

The collection also includes the distinctive visions of Philipp Otto Runge and Carl David Friedrich; German Impressionists Max Liebermann and Lovis Corinth; and 20th-century artists Munch, Warhol, Beuys, Picasso, Kirchner, Dix, Beckmann, Kandinsky, and Klee. In addition, the museum has an entire wing devoted to contemporary art.

Glockengiesser Wall. 040/428131200.www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de. Admission 10€ adults, 5€ children 4–12, free for children 3 and under, 14€ family ticket. Tues–Sun 10am–6pm (Thurs until 9pm). U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof.

Nearby Attractions

Every ship that passes the landscaped peninsula at Willkomm-Höft (Welcome Point) is welcomed in its own language, as well as in German, from sunrise to sunset (8am–8pm in summer). The ships’ national anthems are played as a salute. The station was founded in the late spring of 1952, at the point where a sailor first catches sight of the soaring cranes and slipways of the Port of Hamburg. As a vessel comes in, you’ll see the Hamburg flag on a 40m (131-ft.) mast lowered in salute. The ship replies by dipping its flag. More than 50 arriving ships, and as many departing ones, pass Willkomm-Höft each day.

The point can be reached by car from Hamburg via the Elbchaussee or Ostdorfer Landstrasse to Wedel in half an hour. You can also go to Wedel by S-Bahn; a bus will take you from the station to the point, or you can enjoy the 15-minute walk. In the summer, you can take a HADAG riverboat, leaving from St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, an hour’s ferry ride.

In Wedel, you can have lunch at Schulauer Fährhaus, Parnastrasse 29 ( 04103/92000;www.schulauer-faehrhaus.de; S-Bahn: Wedel), attractively situated on the wide lower Elbe. The sons of Otto Friedrich Behnke, who founded Willkomm-Höft, run the restaurant. It has large enclosed and open verandas, as well as a spacious tea garden. Guests are welcomed for breakfast, lunch, tea, or dinner. Fish dishes are a specialty, and the restaurant’s bakery turns out a tempting array of goodies. Children, especially, will delight in watching the ships go by as they eat. Main courses run 10€ to 17€. It’s open daily 9:30am to 10pm. No credit cards are accepted.

In the cellars of the Schulauer Fährhaus is the Buddelschiff-Museum ( 04103/920016;www.buddel.de), where more than 200 little vessels are carefully preserved in bottles. The museum is open March to October, daily 10am to 6pm; November to February, hours are Saturday and Sunday only 10am to 6pm. Admission is 3€ for adults and free for children.

Gardens & Parks

Alsterpark lies on the northwest banks of Alster Lake, spread across 72 well-manicured hectares (178 acres). Beautiful shade trees and cultivated gardens greet you at every turn. From many places, you’ll also have a panoramic view of the Hamburg skyline. Enter on Harvestehuderweg.

The Hirschpark (S-Bahn: Blankensee) is Hamburg’s deer park. Its main entrance is at Mühlenberg. The park is landscaped and has a game enclosure. You can visit the Hirschparkhaus for an old-fashioned tea with pastries.

Stadtpark (U-Bahn: Borgweg, in Winterhude), spread across 182 hectares (450 acres) north of the center, has some 30km (19 miles) of footpaths and numerous recreational facilities. These include a planetarium, sunbathing areas (Hamburgers often prefer their sun sans attire), and open-air pools. Music concerts are often staged here during summer. For your safety, avoid this place after dark.

Finally, Wallringpark (U-Bahn: Stephansplatz) is a quartet of beautifully maintained parks and gardens, including the flower garden Planten und Blomen, the Alter Botanischer Garten (Old Botanical Garden), and the Grosse and Kleine (Big and Little) Wallanlagen parks, with many recreational facilities. A miniature railway connects all four. The entire complex is a popular leisure park, with a roller-skating rink, playgrounds, greenhouses filled with tropical plants, restaurants, and an ice-skating rink in winter. A particular highlight is the illuminated-fountain concert, with classical or pop music, at the onset of darkness—June to August 10pm, earlier as the summer wanes. The largest Japanese garden in Europe is in Planten und Blomen. Here, rock gardens, flowering plants, miniature trees, and winding pathways attract garden enthusiasts.

Family-Friendly activities

Although Hamburg is known for its X-rated entertainment, the city is actually ideal for a family vacation. Carl Hagenbeck’s Tierpark ( 040/5300330;www.hagenbeck.de) is one of Europe’s great zoos (see above), and many other parks in Hamburg have amusements for children—for example, the Wallringpark has a roller-skating rink. Boat tours of the Alster and more lengthy tours of the Port of Hamburg will also delight kids. Willkomm-Höft and the Buddelschiff-Museum (see above for details) are also fun for children.

Language is often not a problem for children, so they may enjoy the children’s theater, Theater für Kinder, Max-Brauer-Allee 76 ( 040/382538;www.theater-fuer-kinder.de; U-Bahn: Altona). All tickets cost 11€ to 20€; call for showtimes.

Where to Dine

Hamburg life is married to the sea, and that includes the cuisine: lobster from Helgoland; shrimp from Büsum; turbot, plaice, and sole from the North Sea; and huge quantities of fresh oysters. Of course, there’s also the traditional meat dish, Stubenküchen (hamburger steak), and the favorite sailor’s dish, Labskaus, made with beer, onions, cured meat, potatoes, herring, and pickles. Aalsuppe (eel soup) is the best known of all Hamburg’s typical dishes. To locate the restaurants in this section, see the “Where to Stay & Dine in Hamburg” map.

Near the Hauptbahnhof

Moderate

Fillet of Soul ★ INTERNATIONAL This cozy, postmodern dining room is positioned on the ground floor of the wing of the Deichtorhallen that’s devoted to the photography exhibits. Within a minimalist setting you’ll find a restaurant favored by local residents who seek it out as an entity unto itself, with little or no intention of ever actually visiting the museum that contains it. The place does a somewhat languid business as a morning and midafternoon cafe, but its real heart and soul is devoted to its role as a restaurant. The kitchen changes its menu according to the seasons and the availability of fresh ingredients, but regular menu items are likely to include pink-roasted breast of goose with saffron-flavored rice and Thai basil; pan-fried zanderfish with bacon-studded Sauerkraut and parsley sauce; and, for lighter appetites, spinach salads accented with grilled strips of salmon. Raspberry-flavored tiramisu makes for a tempting dessert.

In the Deichtorhallen Museum, Deichtorstrasse 2. 040/70705800.www.fillet-of-soul.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses lunch 8.50€–12€, dinner 14€–28€. No credit cards. Cafe and bar Tues–Sun 11am–midnight. Restaurant Tues–Sun noon–3pm and 6–10pm. U-Bahn: Steinstrasse.

In Binnenalster & Neustadt

Moderate

Fischküche ★ SEAFOOD Breezy and unpretentious, this restaurant prides itself on specializing exclusively in fish. It’s in a modern building, with a dining room brightly outfitted in bold colors and extravagant chandeliers. Menu items include a changing array of reasonably priced seafood brought in fresh daily. Choices vary with the day’s catch but might include several different preparations of clear or creamy lobster soup, marinated crabmeat salad, flounder with spaghetti and tandoori sauce, codfish with potatoes and mustard sauce, and filet of monkfish with king prawns, vegetables, and balsamic rice. It’s hardly haute cuisine, but locals flock here for the robust specialties and no-nonsense service.

Kajen 12. 040/365631.www.die-fischkueche.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 15€–40€. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon–Fri noon–midnight; Sat 4pm–midnight. U-Bahn: Rödingsmarkt. A 1-min. walk from the Elbe.

Tarantella ★ GERMAN/INTERNATIONAL Fashionistas, models, the media elite, and soccer stars flock to this restaurant in the Casino Esplanade. The open-to-view kitchen hides no secrets as the chefs concoct such sublime plates as Canadian lobsters plucked from a tank or such grandmotherly dishes as crispy suckling pig with creamy Sauerkraut. Begin with such imaginative appetizers as octopus carpaccio with arugula pesto and a sorbet, or sautéed foie gras with kumquats. Among the more delightful main courses are a braised saddle of venison on lentils or a saddle of veal with fried asparagus. Monkfish comes with fried baby calamari and a wild garlic risotto studded with almonds.

Stephansplatz 10. 040/65067790. www.tarantella.cc. Reservations required. 15€–35€. AE, MC, V. Sun–Wed 11:30am–midnight; Thurs–Sat 11:30am–1am. U-Bahn: Stephansplatz.

In Altona

Expensive

Fischereihafen Restaurant ★★ SEAFOOD Fischereihafen, established some 4 decades ago, is the best seafood restaurant in town if you prefer true local fare to the internationally oriented cuisine of other restaurants. Every day, the staff buys only the freshest fish and shellfish at the Hamburg auction hall. The menu changes daily, depending on what seafood is available. The second floor is said to be full of “fish and VIPs.” Other specialties include filet of salmon with potato salad and a rémoulade sauce, Arctic trout with wild garlic, and rare tuna steak with peppercorns and honey-laced soy sauce. Appetizers include filet of sole and lobster or a plate of fresh oysters; the house special is turbot with salmon mousse dotted with truffles. A favorite local main course is a plate of giant shrimp with exotic fruits in a curry-cream sauce. Picture windows open onto a view of the Elbe.

Grosse Elbstrasse 143. 040/381816.www.fischereihafenrestaurant.de. Reservations required. Main courses 18€–46€; fixed-price menu 60€. AE, DC, MC, V. Sun–Thurs 11:30am–10pm; Fri–Sat 11:30am–10:30pm. S-Bahn: Königstrasse. A 10-min. taxi ride from the wharf area of Landungsbrücken.

Landhaus Scherrer ★★★ NORTHERN GERMAN/CONTINENTAL Once a brewery, the Landhaus is now a citadel of gastronomy on the Elbe at Altona. It has gained a reputation for impeccable service and imaginatively prepared cuisine. The chef’s inventive cookery combines northern German and international flavors with stunning results. A special dish for two is crispy whole north German duck with seasoned vegetables and au gratin potatoes. An unusual variation might be roast goose with rhubarb in cassis sauce. Other specialties include roasted slices of calf’s liver with a cherry balsamic jus or ribs of lamb with ratatouille and a rosemary jus. Yet another tasty dish is turbot flavored with horseradish and wasabi.

Elbchaussee 130. 040/8801325.www.landhausscherrer.de. Reservations required. Main courses 28€–39€; fixed-price menu 111€. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon–Sat noon–3pm and 6:30–10:30pm. Bus: 135.

Moderate

Eisenstein INTERNATIONAL/PIZZA The food here is representative of the wide range of cultures that Hamburgers have been exposed to, thanks to the city’s role as a great port. The menu lists specialties from Thailand, Japan (including sushi and sashimi), southern France, and Italy, as well as traditional and very fresh versions of the North German cuisine that Hamburg excels in—particularly fresh Atlantic fish prepared virtually any way you want. The chefs are known for turning out some of the most savory pizzas in town, emerging piping hot from the oven nightly until midnight. Many patrons drop in for a beer and pizza in the late evening. The setting is a solid-looking, much-restored factory and former warehouse with soaring, russet-colored brick walls that envelop diners in a cozy womb against the sometimes gray weather outside. The clientele is artsy, hip, and stylish; the staff is cooperative; and the food is surprisingly flavorful, considering its diversity.

Friedensallee 9. 040/3904606.www.restaurant-eisenstein.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 18€–25€; fixed-price dinners 33€–37€; pizzas 8€–14€. No credit cards. Daily 11am–11pm. U-Bahn: Altona Bahnhof.

Landhaus Dill ★★ CONTINENTAL This restaurant is imbued with a country charm, its windows opening onto views of the River Elbe. Although it’s close to the street, the terrace is an ideal place to enjoy a warm Hamburg night. The young chefs are completely at ease with their recipes, which, for diversity, cross borders from Germany to Austria, with significant inspiration from western France. Nothing beats the green asparagus soup with a truffle dumpling. After that, you can order such mains as saddle of lamb with an herb crust, or roast cod filet in a thyme sauce, perhaps sautéed slices of beef filet in a peppercorn-laced butter sauce.

Elbchaussee 94. 040/3905077.www.landhausdill.com. Reservations required. Main courses 15€–22€; set-price menus 25€–50€. AE, DC, MC, V. Tues–Sun noon–3pm and 5:30–10:30pm. S-Bahn: Altona Bahnhof.

Rive ★ SEAFOOD This riverside restaurant near the ferry terminal on the Elbe River specializes in some of the best and freshest fish dishes in the city. You get not only a panoramic view of the water, with container ships going by, but delectable seafood such as lobster and clams. Its harborside oyster bar is reason enough to make the journey. Other than shellfish, specialties include herring with a choice of three sauces and pan-fried fish with mustard sauce. Outdoor tables are placed on a waterfront terrace that’s heated in spring and fall.

Van-der-Smissen-Strasse 1, Altona. 040/3805919.www.rive.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 18€–38€. MC, V. Daily noon–midnight. U-Bahn: Königstrasse.

In St. Pauli

Expensive

Old Commercial Room ★ NORTHERN GERMAN This restaurant, founded in 1643, is so tied into Hamburg maritime life that many residents consider it the premier sailors’ stopover. It’s the best place in town for Labskaus (sailor’s hash); if you order it, you’re given a numbered certificate proclaiming you a genuine Labskaus eater. You can also order many other traditional north German dishes. Very well prepared are such dishes as stuffed pork filet medallions with sheep’s cheese in a Calvados sauce; or Scottish wild salmon filet—fried or poached—with truffled lead spinach and a creamy pepper sauce. The restaurant’s name, along with that of the street, speaks of the historic mercantile links between Hamburg and England.

Englische Planke 10. 040/366319.www.oldcommercialroom.de. Reservations required. Main courses 18€–42€. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon–midnight. Closed Dec 24. U-Bahn: St. Pauli. At the foot of St. Michaelis.

Moderate

Restaurant Nil INTERNATIONAL Even though the name of this restaurant refers to Egypt’s River Nile, don’t imagine a decor influenced by either the desert or the Arab world. What you get is upscale French bistro, replete with mirrors, oiled mahogany, and polished brass. The name refers to the bounty provided by the Nile, as interpreted by north German tastes, and the cooking is superb. Clients tend to be in publishing and the arts; many are cultural movers and shakers who have adopted this place as a favorite hangout. Dishes include a carpaccio of beef with a black-olive marinade and shiitake mushrooms; saltimbocca of ham and calves’ livers prepared with artichoke hearts; braised leg of turkey stuffed with sautéed leeks and served with noodles in an orange-flavored whiskey sauce; and beef bourguignon with braised shallots, mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.

Neuer Pferdemarkt 5. 040/4397823.www.restaurant-nil.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 18€–22€; fixed-price menu 41€. No credit cards. Wed–Mon 6pm–midnight. U-Bahn: Feldstrasse.

In Bahrenfeld

Very Expensive

Tafelhaus ★★ MEDITERRANEAN A favorite of visiting celebrities, Tafelhaus lies in one of the less attractive industrial neighborhoods. But once you get inside, you’re treated to a fresh and varied medley of Mediterranean dishes, some with a hint of Asia as well. The Saarbrücken-born chef, Christian Rach, is a whiz in the kitchen, concocting such delights as curried-apple soup or an herby risotto with tiger shrimp. One of the most imaginative dishes we’ve sampled here is veal shank with a bed of avocado mousse and mango salsa. For dessert, a real change-of-pace flavor is provided by the curd-cheese torte with a fresh rhubarb sauce. The decor is modern, a single artfully designed room outfitted in tones of soft red and ocher. The restaurant overlooks a garden, where in summer tables are set out.

Neumühlen 17. 040/892760.www.tafelhaus-hamburg.de. Reservations required. Main courses 36€–46€. AE, DC, MC, V. Tues–Fri noon–3pm and 7–9:30pm; Sat 7–9:30pm. Closed 2 weeks in Jan, 3 weeks in July. U-Bahn: Bahrenfeld.

In Overlgönne

Very Expensive

Das Weisse Haus ★ GERMAN/SEAFOOD This is an offbeat dining choice worth seeking out. It lies in a converted old fisherman’s cottage. Even fishermen patronize the place along with Hamburg yachties. Forget about a menu, as there is none. You tell the waiter how hungry you are, and you might mention your food likes and dislikes, or any allergies you have. The chef takes care of your menu, which often begins with that Hamburg classic, aalsuppe (eel soup). You might also start with a honey almond salad with watermelon, a refreshing change of pace. Not all the menu is devoted to seafood; you can, for example, order a tender rack of lamb with a tarragon-laced hollandaise on the side.

Neumühlen 50, Overlgönne. 04/309016.www.das-weisse-haus.de. Reservations required. 2-course menu 28€; 3-course menu 34€; 4-course menu 42€. AE, MC, V. Mon–Sat noon–3pm and-6–9pm. U-Bahn: Altona.

Shopping

Hamburg is a city of merchants. In general, stores are open Monday to Friday 9am to 6 or 6:30pm (some Thurs until 8pm) and on Saturday 9am to 2pm (until 4 or 6pm on langer Samstag, the first Sat of the month). Unfortunately, the best shops are not concentrated in one location. Two of the oldest and most prestigious shopping streets, Grosse Bleichen and Neuer Wall, run parallel to the canals, connected transversely by Jungfernstieg and Ufer Strasse on the Binnenalster. Less expensive shopping streets are Spitalstrasse and Mönckebergstrasse.

Hamburg has nine major shopping malls. The glass-roofed Hanse Viertel Galerie Passage is some 200m (660 ft.) long. There’s a scattering of upscale cafes here and even a stand-up seafood bar where glasses of beer or Sekt (sparkling wine) are served at tiny tables.

Mönckebergstrasse (U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof), a street connecting the main station with the Rathaus, is the city’s traditional shopping district. Here you’ll find big department stores such as Karstadt, Mönckebergstrasse 16 ( 040/30940;www.karstadt.de), part of a chain that carries many of the same brands and items as the other leading department stores, all competitively priced. The store is open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 4pm. A thrifty alternative, Kaufhof, Mönckebergstrasse 3 ( 040/333070;www.galeria-kaufhof.de), carries less expensive items than the surrounding department stores and also offers better deals on merchandise markdowns. Bargain hunters combing the store are apt to be successful. Hours are Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 8pm. More fashionable and upscale than any of the three mentioned above is Alsterhaus, Jungfernstieg 16–20 ( 040/359010;www.alsterhaus.de), which some New Yorkers have compared favorably to Bloomingdale’s (same hours as Karstadt).

If you walk down Bergstrasse to the second part of the city center, you pass along Jungfernstieg, with tourist boats of the Alster Fleet on the right and a teeming shopping street on the other side. About a block farther along, you come to the Hamburger Hof, the elegant entrance to one of the most attractive chains of shopping galleries in Europe. At the end of Jungfernstieg, you can cross Gänsemarkt to Gänsemarkt Passage, another shopping gallery, with stores on three levels.

An upmarket and youthfully fashionable shopping area is in Eppendorf (U-Bahn: Eppendorfer Baum), Hamburg’s oldest village, first mentioned in written history in 1140. Many prosperous and avant-garde Hamburgers live in the stately area’s 19th-century homes and apartments. The shopping district, from Klosterstern to Eppendorfer Markt, has exclusive boutiques selling fashions from Paris, Milan, and New York; colorful shops with odds and ends for your home; antiques shops; and places where you can not only make purchases but also watch goldsmiths, hat makers, potters, and weavers at work.

The Hamburg Fischmarkt (fish market), between Hexenberg and Grosse Elbstrasse (U-Bahn: Landungsbrücken), is held every Sunday from 5am in summer or 7am otherwise. Flowers, fruit, vegetables, plants, and pets are also for sale at this traditional market, in existence since 1703. It sometimes seems that the fish are just an afterthought nowadays. The nearby taverns are open to serve Fischmarkt visitors and vendors.

Jil Sander, Neuer Wall 43 ( 040/37518704;www.jilsander.com; S-Bahn: Dammtor), is the best place to go for chic women’s styling. Jil Sander burst upon Europe’s fashion scene from her native city of Hamburg and has taken special efforts to make this three-floor store the flagship of her increasingly successful operation. Part of the success of her designs derives from their wearability—they are appropriate for the office, the boardroom, or cocktail hour. Another popular choice for women’s fashions is Escada Boutique, Neuer Wall 32 ( 040/363296;www.escada.com; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof), owned by the German design company of the same name. This store carries the firm’s complete collection of women’s sports-, evening, business, and knitwear, plus accessories that include hats, bags, gloves, and shoes. A less expensive division of Escada, Laurel Boutique, Neuer Wall 41 ( 040/3743270; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof), appeals to an active, younger clientele with alternative takes on casual day and elegant evening wear.

For high-fashion men’s clothing, go to Thomas-i-Punkt, Gänsemarkt 24 ( 040/342009; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof), where you’ll find suits, jackets, shirts, shoes, and belts carrying the exclusive Omen label. Ties, handkerchiefs, and other accessories are also available. Shoes, well made and fashionably styled, are sold to both men and women at Schuhhaus Prange, Jungfernstieg 38 ( 040/343151; www.schuhhaus-prange.de; U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg).

One of the city’s leading hairdressers, for both men and women, is Marlies Müller, Königsbergerstrasse 6 ( 040/6403829; S-Bahn: Dammtor). Besides hair styling and beauty treatments, a large perfume and cosmetic selection is also offered here.

Brahmfeld & Gutruf, Jungfernstieg 12 ( 040/346103;www.brahmfeld-gutruf.de; U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg), is one of Germany’s oldest jewelers, founded in 1743.

A store with a nautical nature, Binikowski, Lokstedter Weg 68 ( 040/462852; U-Bahn: Eppendorfer Baum), established in 1955, is the place to find a Buddelschiff (ship in a bottle), as well as ship models and clocks. Captain’s Cabin, Bei Dim St. Pauli Landungsbrücken 3 ( 040/316373; S-Bahn: Landungsbrücken), stocks ship models, telescopes, barometers, figureheads, lamps, nautical clothing for the whole family, prints, posters, and more.

Entertainment & Nightlife

Nightlife

The Performing Arts

Hamburgische Staatsoper (Hamburg State Opera) ★★★ This modern opera house was built after the bombings of World War II. Its acoustics and technical facilities are among the most advanced in the world. The venue is the home of the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet, the latter directed by Californian John Neumeier. Grosstheaterstrasse 25. 040/356868.www.hamburgische-staatsoper.de. Tickets 10€–146€. U-Bahn: Stephansplatz. S-Bahn: Dammtor.

Musikhalle ★★ This survivor of Germany’s romantic age lies about 1km (1⁄2 mile) from the Staatsoper, with which it shares some facilities and staff members. The building was painstakingly restored after World War II. It hosts concerts by the Hamburg Symphony, the Hamburg Philharmonic, the NDR Symphony, and the renowned Monteverdi-Chor, known for its interpretations of baroque and Renaissance music. Touring orchestras also perform here. For tickets, call either the number listed below or the number listed for the Staatsoper (see above). Johannes-Brahms-Platz 1. 040/357666.www.laeiszhalle.de. Tickets up to 45€. U-Bahn: Stephansplatz. S-Bahn: Dammtor.

Theater Hamburg is blessed with more than 40 theaters, but for most of these, a good knowledge of German is necessary. An exception, the English Theatre of Hamburg, Lerchenfeld 14 ( 040/2277089;www.englishtheatre.de; U-Bahn: Mundsburg), is the only English-speaking theater in the northern part of Germany. Tickets are 13€ to 32€. Performances are Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30pm; a matinee is presented on Tuesday and Friday at 11am.

Ticket-Buying Tips

Tickets to sporting events, including soccer matches, are best acquired through the Hamburger Sportbund (Hamburg Sports Association), Schäferkampsallee 1, 20357 Hamburg ( 040/419080;www.hamburger-sportbund.de). Another option, for cultural (not necessarily sporting) events, is to contact Hamburg’s Tourismus Centrale (Tourist Information Office), in the “Wandelhalle” of the city’s main railway station ( 040/30051300).

If you understand German, try the Deutsches Schauspielhaus ★, Kirchenallee 39 ( 040/248713;www.schauspielhaus.de; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof). It’s one of the outstanding theaters in the German-speaking world, performing both classics and modern plays.

Other theaters are the cutting-edge Thaliatheater, Alstertor ( 040/328140;www.thalia-theater.de; U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg), and the Kammerspiele, Hartungstrasse 9–11 ( 040/44123660;www.hamburger-kammerspiele.de; U-Bahn: Hallerstrasse). Both stage a wide range of plays as well as musical shows. A new production usually opens every month. Tickets at these theaters range from 10€ to 45€. Small ensemble performances such as Evening with Marlene Dietrich are the specialty of the Schmidt Theater, Spielbudenplatz 24 ( 040/3177880;www.tivoli.de; S-Bahn: Reeperbahn). Its companion, Schmidts Tivoli, Spielbudenplatz 27–28 (same phone), hosts musicals and other popular performances. Tickets are 9€ to 55€. All of these are closed on Monday.

Two of Hamburg’s busiest theaters are the Neue Flora Theater, Stresemannstrasse 159A ( 01805/4444; U-Bahn: Altona), and the Operettenhaus, Spielbudenplatz 1 (same phone; S-Bahn: Reeperbahn), which have enjoyed an unprecedented success with German-language versions of U.S. and British musicals. The cost of seeing shows is 32€ to 126€, depending on your seat and the night you attend.

The Bar Scene

Bar Hamburg ★ This is one of the chicest bars in north Germany, attracting the likes of Mick Jagger and Bryan Adams when they’re in town, plus Hamburg’s most beautiful models (of either sex), artists, media types, and interior designers. It lies between the elegant Kempinski Hotel Atlantic and the red-light district near the train station. From 7pm nightly to “indecently late,” patrons sip drinks and dig into tasty snacks. Some of the best DJs in Hamburg keep you entertained with jazz, house, and lounge music. Rautenbergstrasse 6–8. 040/28054880.www.barhamburg.com. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof.

Neo This bustling bar attracts a roiling mass of single—or at least permissively semiattached—people, many of them rather good-looking, who congregate within a venue that combines aspects of a cafe with a cocktail bar and restaurant. The decor is minimalist and modern, centered on a very large rectangular bar area in its center. Large windows flood the place with light during the day, and furniture is painted in neon tones of pink, green, and blue. The specialty here, other than mating games, is cocktails, prepared by a staff of mixologists, at least one of whom always seems to be shaking up a container of martinis. Other choices include caipirinhas; a Prince of Wales (made with Sekt, Cointreau, and fresh oranges); and a Swimming Pool (with vodka, Blue Curaçao, and several kinds of rum). If you get hungry, know in advance that the menu consists mostly of small dishes that are meant to be combined with other small dishes into something resembling a two-fisted meal. Perfect for the mannequins and photo models who favor this place might be a diet-conscious California Body Shaper, made with turkey breast, pineapple slices, and cheese. It’s open Monday to Thursday 9am to 1am, Friday and Saturday 9am to 2am, and Sunday 9am to midnight. Martinistrasse 11, in Eppendorf. 040/46779936.www.neogastro.de. Small platters 6.90€–14€; cocktails 7€–9€. S-Bahn: Kellinghusenstrasse.

Shamrock The oldest Irish pub in Hamburg, the Shamrock has been in business for nearly 2 decades. It’s a popular hangout for students and a transient English-speaking crowd that comes to soak up the Guinness, Kilkenny, Harp, and hard cider on tap. Every Tuesday night, the pub hosts quiz night. It’s open Sunday to Thursday 1pm to 2am and Friday and Saturday 5pm to 4am. Feldstrasse 40. 040/43277275.www.shamrockirishbar.com. U-Bahn: Altona.

The Club & Music Scene

Jazz

Cotton Club ★★ The legendary Cotton Club is the oldest (some 36 years) and best established of the Hamburg jazz clubs. Jazz and Dixieland bands come here from throughout Europe and the United States. Hours are Monday to Saturday 8pm to 1am. Alter Steinweg 10. 040/343878.www.cotton-club.de. Cover 6.50€–15€. S-Bahn: Stadthausbrücke.

The reeperbahn: A Walk on the Wild Side

Commercialized sex flourishes in many towns, but hardworking, entrepreneurial Hamburg has succeeded better than almost anywhere else at transforming it into a tourist attraction. The place where it all hangs out is the St. Pauli district (U-Bahn: St. Pauli; S-Bahn: Reeperbahn), just east of the center. St. Pauli’s midsection—the “genital zone,” as it’s sometimes called—is the Reeperbahn, a 1km (1⁄2-mile) thoroughfare whose name literally translates as “rope street,” referring to the massive amounts of hempen rope produced here during the 18th and 19th centuries for ships in Germany’s biggest harbor.

In the 19th century, most forms of entertainment, including theaters, were banned from the city’s more respectable medieval core. As one resident of the district remarked, “Bourgeois Protestants don’t know how to have fun.” Consequently, this neighborhood near the great port developed entertainment options of its own, and sailors from around the world were safely channeled into a neighborhood where their recreational activities were out of sight (and out of mind) of the city’s sober business establishment. Hamburg’s first theater opened on the Reeperbahn in 1842. By the 1860s, the question, “Whatcha doing, sailor?” became the unofficial motto of an army of prostitutes who set up shop (with the legal sanction of municipal authorities) in the district.

The city’s official line is that the Reeperbahn is Hamburg’s second-greatest attraction and asset (the first is the port itself). The authorities see their policies as a rare instance of civic and moral enlightenment unparalleled in any other city, except for Amsterdam’s more sanitized sex scene. They make frequent references to their requirement that every officially sanctioned working girl submit to a medical examination every 2 weeks—and pay income tax on her profits. Hamburg’s most-talked-about police station, Davidwache, at the corner of the Davidstrasse and the Reeperbahn, provides highly visible and omnipresent police protection.

What are the rules of the game, and what should you do to survive such an “in-your-face” neighborhood? Throw your sense of scheduling to the wind and take a nap on the day of your visit. Mornings in St. Pauli are burned-out, unenthusiastic times, when virtually everyone is recovering from the bacchanals of the night before. Midafternoons perk up a bit. But regardless of the fogs that roll in from the Baltic and the damp chill that’s an inseparable part of the Hamburg experience, by 8pm the district’s bars and theaters (legitimate and otherwise) are roaring away. Between midnight and 5am, you’ll find thousands of women and men in drag, strutting their stuff along the turf. German enterprise has honored these women (and their reputation for a good time) by naming one of Hamburg’s native beers in their honor—the famous “St. Pauli Girl.”

There’s a distinct pecking order among the working girls, based on the neighborhood, or street, where they’re headquartered. The most exclusive and expensive area is Herbertstrasse, where plate-glass windows allow the women to display their charms to window-shoppers. By city ordinance, this street is open only to men 19 and over (women are officially banned, but this does not seem to be enforced). Less expensive rents can be found on the streets near Herbertstrasse: Gunterstrasse, Erichstrasse, Friedrichstrasse, Davidstrasse, and Gerhardstrasse. Lots of the women here are from the Eastern Bloc, and lately there’s been a distressing trend for runaway teenagers to join their ranks. Cross-dressing and transgender workers ply their trade here, too.

If it’s erotic theater you’re looking for, you’ll have to move a few blocks away to Grosse Freiheit, a street whose name appropriately translates as “Great Freedom.” Any act of sexual expression, with every conceivable permutation, except those that involve animals (bestiality is one of the few things expressly forbidden), is shown in these theaters. Be it joyful, be it disgusting, it’s all here, often performed by artists whose barely concealed boredom sometimes permeates the setting in a way that elsewhere would be embarrassing, but here seems merely surreal.

You aren’t likely to be solicited at a performance—municipal regulations forbid prostitution, or overt solicitation, inside erotic theaters. But there’s nothing to prevent a member of the audience from suddenly deciding to be a performer—it’s been known to happen, if rarely. And there’s nothing that prevents performers from setting up an off-premises rendezvous. In any event, caveat emptor.

Off-the-record theaters include Safari, Grosse Freiheit 24 ( 040/313233;www.safari-hamburg.de; S-Bahn: Reeperbahn), where you’re likely to find the press agent for the city of Hamburg entertaining foreign travel writers. Expect to pay a fixed price of around 25€ for one beer.

Monument to the Fab Four

John Lennon once said, “I was born in Liverpool, but I grew up in Hamburg.” As all Beatles fans know, the group really got its start in Hamburg in the early 1960s. Radio Station Ondie 95 has dedicated a monument to the Beatles, which stands at the corner of the St. Pauli district in the Reeperbahn where the Beatles sang “Love Me Do” in 1962. In the middle of what is now known as “Beatles Square” on the Reeperbahn, the monument consists of a black circle, symbolizing a record, and life-size statues of the Beatles in glass. The radio station raised $625,000 among Beatles fans to pay for the monument.

Rock

Club Grosse Freiheit 36 ★★ This club, now world famous, is where the Beatles performed in their earliest days. Today, it’s a free-for-all venue whose acts change almost nightly and whose guests in the recent past have included Prince and Willie Nelson. Even the civic and municipal authorities of Hamburg view it as one of their preeminent cultural treasures. For recorded information about upcoming acts, call 040/31777811. Grosse Freiheit 36. 040/3177780.www.grossefreiheit36.de. Cover 4€–20€. S-Bahn: Reeperbahn.

Fabrik This cultural center is similar in style to the Markthalle (see below). Originally it was an old ammunition depot (ca. 1830), until it burned down; later, it was reconstructed in the same style. Open 8pm to midnight (later Sat–Sun), Fabrik is a nightclub beloved by those who survived the 1970s more or less intact. It offers a mixed program likely to feature African bands, jazz, and blues. Barnerstrasse 36 (5 min. from Bahnhof Altona). 040/391070.www.fabrik.de. Cover 10€–35€. U-Bahn: Altona.

Logo Because of its position near Hamburg’s university, this club attracts lots of college students, although many Big Chill survivors in their 40s and 50s gravitate toward this spot as well. It’s a small, informal place that often features rock bands. Sometimes well-known singers appear in concert. It’s open daily 8pm (live music begins at 9pm) to 2 or 3am. Audiences often sit on the floor. Grindelallee 5. 040/362622.www.logohamburg.de. Cover 3€–20€. S-Bahn: Dammtor.

Markthalle ★ This is one of the most visible live-music venues in Hamburg, with a special emphasis on up-and-coming British groups and sometimes heavy metal and high-volume electronics. The building functioned early in the 20th century as a covered marketplace. Inside is an amphitheater with a stage and a large area for standing or sitting on notoriously uncomfortable benches. Performances usually begin at 9pm, with the ticket office opening about an hour before. Klosterwall 11. 040/339491.www.markthalle-hamburg.de. Cover 11€–28€. S-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof; U-Bahn: Steinstrasse.

Drag Shows

Pulverfass The best-known drag show in town, Pulverfass is usually featured on the “Hamburg by Night” tours, which are escorted bus tours that take travelers to a few nightclubs. This place is not for the timid. Female impersonators from all over Europe appear, and you might find the shows downright vulgar, especially if you know German. There are shows nightly (for which you need reservations) at 8:30 and 11:30pm, and also at 2:30am Friday and Saturday. Within the same building, with a view of the stage, there’s a restaurant, Teatro-Café, which is open daily 5pm to 3am and serves French- and German-inspired fixed-price menus for 39€ to 59€ each. Reeperbahn 147. 040/249791.www.pulverfasscabaret.de. Cover 15€–24€. U-Bahn: Steindamm.

Dance Clubs

Golden Cut ★ Set at the junction of three historic neighborhoods (St. Georg, the Innenstadt, and the Altstadt), this is a well-known and likable restaurant that expands after 10:30pm on weekends into a high-powered dance club. The restaurant and its club are separated by what management calls “a chill-out lounge.” After you’ve chilled out for a while, you might want to move deeper into an environment of black-lacquered tables, wood paneling, cream-colored walls, a ceiling that’s swathed in fabric as a means of keeping the noise from reverberating, and a color scheme of pale green and copper. Menu items in the restaurant are international and well prepared, deriving from Japan (sushi and Kobe beef), Thailand (curries and dishes laced with lemon grass), and continental Europe (filet steak layered Rossini-style, with foie gras; medallions of monkfish in butter-flavored parsley sauce). Main courses in the restaurant cost from 18€ to 28€. The club is open Friday to Sunday, plus the first Thursday of every month from 10pm to 5am; the restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday noon to 5pm and 6pm to 1am. Ages for clients of the club average around 23 to 25 for women and around 32 to 35 for men. Holzdamm 61. 040/85103532.www.goldencut.org. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof.

Molotow This is the place to dance to funk—George Clinton and Bootsy Collins have been elevated to god status here. Say you’ve seen Parliament-Funkadelic, and you may make lifelong friends. Opening hours may vary, but usually it opens Wednesday and Sunday at 8pm, Thursday to Saturday at 11pm; closing time depends on the energy of the dancers. Spielbudenplatz 5. 040/310845.www.molotowclub.com. Cover 5€–16€. S-Bahn: Reeperbahn.

Gay Clubs

Hamburg, like Berlin, is one of the major gay havens of Europe, with a particularly dense concentration of gay boutiques and cafes along the Lange Reihe in St. Pauli. A little journal, Dorn Rosa, distributed at most gay and lesbian bars, lists (in German) the clubs, restaurants, bars, and events that cater to a gay, lesbian, and bisexual clientele.

Café Gnosa More than any other eatery in Hamburg, this comes the closest to fulfilling the need for an official “gay restaurant.” Set near the railway station, it’s open daily 10am to 1am. Platters of food range from 6€ to 25€ and feature all-day breakfasts, steaks, fish, salads, and all kinds of coffee and drinks. Café Gnosa’s bar is one of the most frequented gay bars in the area of the Hauptbahnhof and is quite cruisy. Lange Reihe 93. 040/243034.www.gnosa.de. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof.

Tom’s Saloon & Tom’s Dancehall This is the best-established and most popular gay men’s bar in Hamburg, known to virtually every gay male in town. Begin your night in the street-level dance club, work your way up to a watering hole one floor above, and end your evening in the cellar, where leather is optional but encouraged. Women, if they come here at all (which is rare), usually remain in the street-level club. At least one part of this place is open every night 10pm until dawn; every Wednesday to Sunday, additional sections open for greater space. The cover is 5€. Pulverteich 17. 040/25328943.www.toms-hamburg.de. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof.

A Casino

Spielbank Hamburg This casino offers roulette, blackjack, and poker, played according to international rules. You can also enjoy a drink at the bar, taking in the panoramic view over the roofs and lakes of Hamburg. The minimum stake for roulette is 2€, for blackjack 5€. Men should wear jackets and ties. Everyone needs a passport to get in (you must be 18 or over to enter and gamble). The casino is open daily 3pm to 3am. Stephansplatz 10. 040/4501760. www.spielbank-hamburg.de. U-Bahn: Stephansplatz.

Sports & Outdoor Pursuits

Boating

A paddle on the Aussenalster (Outer Alster Lake) can be one of the most relaxing and charming warm-weather activities in Hamburg. H. Pieper ( 040/247578;www.segelschule-pieper.de) rents rowboats, paddle boats, and one-occupant sailing dinghies; prices begin at 15€ to 22€ per hour. This outfitter is open only April to late September, daily 10am to 8pm.

Golf

Hamburg has many golf clubs, including Hamburger Golf-Club Falkenstein, In de Bargen 59 ( 040/812177;www.hamburgergolf-club.de). Greens fees range from 45€ to 75€ for 18 holes.

Jogging & Walking

Our favorite route, for either long walks or jogging, is the pedestrian walkway that circumnavigates the Alster lakes. The total perimeter of the larger of the two lakes measures about 6km (4 miles); that of the more congested Binnenalster is about 1.5km (1 mile). The public parks flanking the northwestern edge of the inner city are also suitable.

Spectator Sports

For information about soccer matches and other spectator events, contact the Hamburger Sportbund (Hamburg Sports Association), Schäferkampsallee 1, 20357 Hamburg ( 040/419080;www.hamburger-sportbund.de).

Swimming

The rivers and lakes in Hamburg are being cleaned up and are quite pretty but still rather cold for dipping into—luckily there are many swimming pools. Two of the most popular are the Alster-Schwimmhalle, Ifflandstrasse 21 ( 040/223012;www.baederland.de; U-Bahn: Lohmühlenstrasse), and the Holthusenbad, Goernestrasse 21 ( 040/474754;www.baederland.de; U-Bahn: Eppendorfer Baum). The latter has the advantage of artificial waves, thermal baths, and steam baths. Both pools charge 9.50€ per day.

Tennis

Not surprisingly, the country that gave the world Steffi Graf and Boris Becker has no lack of tennis facilities. For names and addresses of tennis facilities, as well as information about upcoming tournaments, contact the Deutscher Tennis Bund, Hallerstrasse 89 ( 040/411780;www.dtb-tennis.de).

Hamburg is also the home of the Hamburg Tennis Masters Series, one of the nine Masters Series events that rank just below the Grand Slams. Previously known as the German Open, it is also a major warm-up for the famous French Open, the only Grand Slam event to be played on clay. The Hamburg tournament is also played on clay, usually in May.

Where to Stay

Where to Stay & Dine in Hamburg

Hamburg is an expensive city with an abundance of first-class hotels but a limited number of budget accommodations, especially in the center of the city. During a busy convention period, you may have trouble finding a room. A department within Hamburg’s Tourismus Centrale (Tourist Information Office), in the Hauptbahnhof, at Kirchenallee in the Wandelhalle ( 040/30051300;www.hamburg-tourism.de), can book accommodations. Rooms from more than 200 hotels in all price categories are available. There’s a fee of 5€ per reservation. You can use this agency on a last-minute basis, but no more than 7 days in advance of the time you’ll need the room. Hotel-booking desks can also be found at the airport in Arrival Hall A.

Near the Hauptbahnhof

Very Expensive

Kempinski Hotel Atlantic ★★★ This sumptuous hotel, the Kempinski chain’s flagship, is one of the two great hotels of the north. It’s in a central location filled with trees and imposing villas and was one of the few buildings in the neighborhood to escape the bombs of World War II. Prince, Madonna, and the late Michael Jackson cast their votes for this hotel, but we still think Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (see below) is number one. Many of the high-ceilinged, spacious bedrooms open onto lakeside views. All have lots of extras, including windows that open (as opposed to being permanently sealed), deluxe toilet articles, bathroom scales, and maid and butler service round-the-clock.

An der Alster 72–79, 20099 Hamburg. www.kempinski.atlantic.de. 800/426-3135 in the U.S., or 040/28880. Fax 040/247129. 252 units. 179€–400€ double; from 423€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 32€. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. Near the Aussenalster. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; babysitting; bikes; concierge; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; spa. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (12€ per hr.).

Le Royal Méridien Hamburg ★★★ Opening in the heart of Hamburg on Lake Aussenalster, the city’s latest government-rated five-star hotel features what it calls “Art + Tech” bedrooms spread over nine floors. These rooms, designed by London-based Yvonne Golds, feature such attractions as the signature Le Méridien giant bed, 42-inch flatscreen plasma TVs, high-speed Internet access, and separate power showers with assorted massage nozzles, among other endearments such as handcrafted etched-glass headboards. Using a neutral backdrop, color is used dramatically in either painted wall panels or soft furnishings. Furniture is designed using a minimal palette of materials such as pale maple or stained steel and glass (clear, frosted, or etched). The majority of the bedrooms and six two-story suites offer sweeping views of the lake, and the top-floor restaurant and bar enjoys one of Hamburg’s best panoramic views from a hotel. At all times, 600 original pieces of art, the work of 50 Hamburg artists, are on exhibit.

An der Alster 52–56, 20099 Hamburg www.starwoodhotels.com. 040/21000. Fax 040/21001111. 284 units. 179€–299€ double; from 339€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 26€. S-Bahn or U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. Amenities: Restaurant; 2 bars; airport transfers (135€); bikes; concierge; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; spa. In room: A/C, TV, CD player, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (20€ per day).

Park Hyatt Hamburg ★★ Hyatt took the Levantehaus, a traditional 1912 warehouse, and transformed it into one of Hamburg’s best government-rated five-star hotels. In the heart of Hamburg, close to the rail station, the Hyatt occupies the top seven floors of the building, which means rooms with views. Rooms are somewhat minimalist but nonetheless tastefully and comfortably appointed. Even the standard units are large, each with a contemporary bathroom with lots of gadgets. The suites at the Hyatt feature such additional facilities as whirlpools and saunas. A special feature is Club Olympus with its mammoth pool, gym and aerobic studio, and massages and beauty treatments.

At Apples Restaurant, Mediterranean dishes are creatively prepared in an open kitchen in front of guests.

Bugenhagenstrasse 8–10, Neustadt 20095 Hamburg. www.hamburg.park.hyatt.com. 040/33321234. Fax 040/33321235. 252 units. 225€–410€ double; from 410€ suite. Children 11 and under stay free in parent’s room. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 28€. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; airport transfers (25€); babysitting; children’s programs; concierge; health club and spa; indoor heated pool; room service. In room: A/C, TV/DVD, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (18€ per 12 hr.).

Expensive

Aussen Alster ★ Small and exclusive, and on a quiet residential street, Aussen Alster attracts actors, advertising directors, executives, writers, and artists. Its stylish, ultramodern interior was designed by one of Germany’s most famous interior designers, Burkardt Stoelck, who along with his partner, Hamburg film producer Klaus Feddermann, manages the place with panache. Rooms are small to medium size, white walled, angular, and consciously simple. Everything is designed for style and comfort, from the luxurious beds to the immaculate bathrooms.

Schmilinskystrasse 11, 20099 Hamburg. www.aussen-alster.de. 040/241557. Fax 040/2803231. 27 units. 130€–175€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 14€. Closed Dec 22–29. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. A 5-min. walk from the rail station and a 3-min. walk from the Alster. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; bikes; concierge; room service; sauna. In room: TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).

Maritim Hotel Reichshof ★ When this long-venerated hotel was built in 1910, it was the largest hotel in Europe. In World War II, it lost most of its upper floors, but the landmark Art Nouveau lobby remained intact. The Reichshof is a favorite with business travelers, so more than half its rooms are classified as singles. The comfortable rooms are medium to spacious and have double-glazing; those on the top floor feature views of the city. Bathrooms are small but have up-to-date plumbing.

Kirchenallee 34–36, 20099 Hamburg. www.maritim.de. 040/248330. Fax 040/24833888. 305 units. 100€–196€ double; 210€–310€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 17€. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. Across from the Hauptbahnhof. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; babysitting; indoor heated pool; room service; sauna. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (15€ per day).

Sofitel Hamburg Alter Wall ★★ Between the harbor and the Hamburg city hall, this deluxe hotel opens onto the Alster Canal, with views from its front windows. For both the business traveler and the vacationer, it is a good choice for supreme comfort, with such features as king-size beds and large marble bathrooms, along with plush luxuries such as bathrobes. The Mediterranean cuisine in its Ticino restaurant lures hundreds of nonguests. Rooms come in various configurations depending on your needs and your purse. In the 19th century, Postsparkassenamt, the Hamburg mail service customer’s bank, opened in this building behind a stunning Hanseatic-styled facade, which is still preserved today.

Alter Wall 40, Alstadt, 20457 Hamburg. www.sofitel.com. 040/369500. Fax 040/36950100. 257 units. 155€–313€ double; from 264€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 24€. U-Bahn: Rödingsmarkt. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; spa. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (15€ per day).

Moderate

Steens Hotel Despite its classy location, a short walk from the much more expensive Atlantic Hotel, this century-old house charges reasonable rates. Rooms are carefully maintained but short on style. Each has a private shower; all but two have a private toilet. Breakfast is the only meal served. This simple but clean and safe hotel is a great option for families on a budget.

Holzdamm 43, 20099 Hamburg. www.steens-hotel.com. 040/244642. Fax 040/2803593. 11 units, 2 without bathroom. 85€ double without bathroom; 190€ double with bathroom. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, MC, V. Parking 10€. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. Near the Alster. Amenities: Bikes; exercise room; Internet (free, in lobby); sauna. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

Wedina This converted 18th-century town house is a quiet retreat. Most rooms open onto a small, informal Tuscan-style garden. All are tastefully styled and range from small to medium, each with a firm bed and a tidy bathroom. The hotel is owned and run by an English-speaking family. Note: This hotel has no elevator. If you lodge on the third floor, be prepared to carry luggage up 55 steps.

Gurlittstrasse 23, 20099 Hamburg. www.wedina.de. 040/2808900. Fax 040/2803894. 59 units. 118€–170€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Bus: 6. Near the lake, a 5-min. walk from the Hauptbahnhof. Amenities: Bar. In room: TV, hair dryer.

Inexpensive

Hotel Village Originally built a century ago, this hotel was a brothel for many years. Rising five turquoise-colored stories above a busy neighborhood near the central railway station, the hotel retains some of its now artfully seamy overtones, including public areas outfitted with touches of toreador scarlet and black, an elegantly paneled breakfast room, and a number of bedrooms with naughty-looking ceiling mirrors and/or racy baldachins. Each room has a different color scheme: for example, gold-toned brocade wallpaper or bright magenta.

Steindamm 4, Altstadt 20099 Hamburg. www.hotel-village.de. 040/806490. Fax 040/48064949. 20 units, 16 with bathroom and 4 with shared bathroom. 65€ double without bathroom; 85€–100€ double with bathroom. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, MC, V. Parking nearby 10€. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. In room: TV.

In St. Pauli

Moderate

Lindner Hotel Am Michel ★★ Built in a typical Hanseatic style, with a redbrick facade, this government-rated four-star hotel is centrally located, offering elegantly furnished rooms and suites. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the streamlined, midsize bedrooms are soundproof with lots of little extras, including multimedia entertainment. Guests receive a free pass to the health club on the seventh floor.

Neanderstrasse 20, 20459 Hamburg. www.lindner.de. 040/403070670. Fax 040/40307067777. 259 units. 149€–169€ double; from 199€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 20€. U-Bahn: St. Pauli. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; exercise room; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

Inexpensive

Fritzhotel ★ Close to the nightlife center of Hamburg, this small hotel is part of an old apartment block. Rather minimalist in decor, it is a house of personality, taste, and comfort. The better rooms open onto private balconies, and each is individually decorated in a modern style, containing a tiled bathroom with shower kept sparkling clean. Those seeking more tranquillity should ask for one of the rooms overlooking the tree-studded courtyard. The district in which the hotel lies has been gentrified and contains the studios of many artists who live and work nearby. The little hotel does not serve breakfast, but there are many cafes in the neighborhood.

Schanzenstrasse 101–103, 20357 Hamburg. www.fritzhotel.com. 040/82222830. Fax 040/822228322. 17 units. 90€ double; from 125€ suite. AE, MC, V. Free parking. U-Bahn: Sternschanze. In room: TV, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

In St. Georg

Moderate

The George ★ As the name suggests, this sleek modern hotel pays homage to British style within its elegant precincts, including an English garden and a library evoking a gentleman’s club in Mayfair. The good-size bedrooms are luxuriously furnished, and the suites and penthouses are worthy of visiting royalty or presidents of nations. Views of the Alster can be seen from all seven floors, and the expansive glass front opens onto a panorama of the St. Georg district. The restaurant and bar (both named Da Caio) are desirable places for great cocktails or savory Mediterranean cuisine. The hotel’s special feature is its rooftop, which offers one of the most dramatic views over Hamburg’s cityscape.

Barcastrasse 3, 22087 Hamburg. www.thegeorge-hotel.de. 040/2800300. Fax 040/28003030. 125 units. 155€–216€ double; 205€–256€ junior suite; 316€–376€ suite. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 16€. U-Bahn: Uhlandstrasse. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; bikes; concierge; health club and spa; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar.

Superbude Visitors looking for the budget deal of Hamburg can book into this small hotel and hostel, lying in the St. Georg district, not far from the Alster River and the city center. Simplicity itself prevails at this government-rated two-star hotel, but so do cleanliness and comfort. The living is basic, and so is the price. The two- or four-bed units are set up with individual color schemes. With four people sharing a four-bed room, the cost is only 16€ per person, a remarkable bargain for Hamburg.

Spaldingstrasse 152, 20097 Hamburg. www.superbude.de. 040/3808780. Fax 040/380878100. 64 units. 59€–133€ double. AE, MC, V. Parking 5€. U-Bahn: Berliner Tor. Amenities: Bikes. In room: No phone, Wi-Fi (free).

In Binnenalster & Neustadt

Very Expensive

Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten ★★★ This warm, mellow hotel is the finest in Germany and one of the best in the world. It was founded in 1897 by Friedrich Haerlin, but today it’s run by a Japanese company. Its position is ideal, right on the Binnenalster. Built in the baronial style, it evokes the grand Edwardian hotels. Antiques are used profusely throughout. Despite the large size, personal service is a hallmark. Although no two rooms are alike, they are all beautiful, with period furnishings, Oriental rugs, and all the modern luxuries, including bedside controls, double-glazing on the windows, and luxurious bathrooms. This is a hotel for connoisseurs.

Neuer Jungfernstieg 9–14, 20354 Hamburg. www.fairmont.com/hamburg. 888/425-8227 in the U.S. and Canada, or 040/34940. Fax 040/34942600. 157 units. 300€–385€ double; from 385€ junior suite; from 580€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 25€. U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof. On the Binnenalster. Amenities: 3 restaurants; 2 bars; babysitting; concierge; health club and spa; room service. In room: TV/DVD, hair dryer, minibar, MP3 docking station, Wi-Fi (free).

Expensive

Hamburg Marriott Hotel ★ This traditionally styled hotel is one of the finest in Hamburg. It was built on the site of the old Gänsemarkt, where geese were sold in the Middle Ages. The hotel is also near the Hanse Viertel shopping complex. The fashionable surrounding area is filled with boutiques, wine bars, shops, and restaurants. Rooms range from small to large. The lower price listed in the range below is for standard rooms, the higher for studios. Lavish suites are also available.

ABC Strasse 52, 20354 Hamburg. www.marriott-hotels.com. 800/228-9290 in the U.S., or 040/35050. Fax 040/35051777. 277 units. 149€–319€ double; from 319€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 26€. U-Bahn: Gänsemarkt. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; concierge; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; spa; Wi-Fi (free, in lobby). In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar.

Hamburg Renaissance Hotel ★★ Occupying a 19th-century building, this nine-story hotel offers 20th-century comforts. From the sunken, antiques-furnished lobby to the carpeted bar area, you’ll be welcomed by the staff and serenaded by a resident pianist. Rooms range from well-appointed doubles to sumptuously upholstered suites. Most are quite spacious, with paired queen-size, king-size, or twin beds, plus large bathrooms with robes, makeup mirrors, and phones. The hotel was constructed behind the facade of a historic building, and the entire complex was designed with connections to the Hanse Viertel Galerie Passage, Europe’s longest shopping arcade.

Grosse Bleichen, Hanse-Viertel, 20354 Hamburg. www.renaissancehotels.com. 800/228-9290 in the U.S. and Canada, or 040/349180. Fax 040/34918969. 205 units. 149€–279€ double; from 259€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 25€. U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; concierge; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; sauna. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (13€ per day).

Hotel SIDE ★★ Angular, offbeat, and postmodern, this hotel, which opened in 2001, is a favorite destination of journalists and fashionistas. It rises 11 stone- and glass-sheathed floors above the street, with an additional four stories underground. Rooms are built around a central atrium, in a dramatic cream, white, and brown color scheme that was created by Matteo Thun, the well-known Milan designer. (He even designed the hotel ashtrays.) The top two stories are reserved for suites, all encased in an architectural “box” that seems to float over the structure below. On the eighth floor guests can enjoy a terrace that opens onto panoramic views of Hamburg. Bedrooms are efficiently organized with secret closets and storage space, and each contains deep upholsteries of a tasteful modern design, along with luxurious bathrooms. Each suite has a kitchenette and two washbasins.

Drehbahn 49, 20354 Hamburg. www.side-hamburg.de. 040/309990. Fax 040/30999399. 178 units. 150€–300€ double; 325€–680€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 20€. U-Bahn: Gänsemarkt or Stephansplatz. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; bikes; concierge; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; spa. In room: A/C, TV, fax, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (21€ per day).

Moderate

Hafen Hamburg ★ This Hamburg landmark, constructed in the Wilhelmian style, offers panoramic views of the river and the harbor traffic. It attracts the commercial traveler who’s not on an expense account. The functionally furnished rooms are unusually spacious. If they’re within your budget, book the more expensive harbor-view rooms. Each comes with a well-equipped private bathroom.

Seewartenstrasse 9, 20459 Hamburg. www.hotel-hafen-hamburg.de. 040/311130. Fax 040/3111370601. 355 units. 100€–200€ double. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 14€. U-Bahn: Landungsbrücken. Amenities: Restaurant; 3 bars; sauna; Wi-Fi (free, in lobby). In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar.

In the Reeperbahn

Very Expensive

East ★★ This sophisticated hotel originated in the early 20th century as a brick-fronted, industrial-looking iron foundry. A team of designers transformed it, achieving a radical, postmodern feel with a high-tech design motif. Whiffs of the Industrial Age are artfully celebrated. The tasteful bedrooms fall into five categories, ranging from “Small” to “XX-Large.” In all, this is the first swanky retreat ever to open in the funky red-light district.

Everything is minimalist, with “rainfall” shower heads, luxe toiletries, stained-glass windows, and undulating columns. In summer, local guests recline on the rattan chaise longues in the open-air courtyard or take to the rooftop terrace.

Simon-von-Utrecht Strasse 31, 20359 Hamburg. www.east-hotel.de. 040/309930. Fax 040/303200. 78 units. 155€–290€ double; 380€–850€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 14€. U-Bahn: St. Pauli. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; concierge; exercise room; room service; spa. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (in most; free).

In Harvestehude

Expensive

Garden Hotels Hamburg ★ This hotel dates from 1791, and over the years it has entertained many luminaries, including King Christian VIII of Denmark in 1824. The location, however, isn’t for everyone. It stands in the Hamburg-Harvestehude district on the western sector of the Outer Alster Lake, about a mile from the historic heart of town and some 10km (6 miles) from the airport. This feature makes it attractive to families with kids, since boating on the lake is available. Families also appreciate the helpfulness of the friendly staff and the hotel pool. Modern art and well-chosen antiques add to the sophisticated comfort of the rooms. Most are generously sized, and bathrooms are luxurious.

Magdalenenstrasse 60, 20148 Hamburg. www.garden-hotels.de. 040/414040. Fax 040/4140420. 60 units. 125€–195€ double; 230€–280€ suite. AE, MC, V. Parking 15€. U-Bahn: Hallerstrasse. 1.5km (1 mile) from the center. Amenities: Bar; babysitting; room service. In room: TV, CD player, hair dryer, kitchenette (in some), minibar, Wi-Fi (in some; free).

Hotel Abtei ★★ This discovery is 2km (1 1/4 miles) north of the center of Harvestehude, a highly desirable if somewhat out-of-the-way address for a little hotel. Small-scale and charming, this bijou-style hotel was a posh private home in the 1890s and then fell into disrepair in the early 1970s, when it became a shelter for the indigent. Today, it’s a plush, smart hotel with decor and ambience that recall an English country house. Rooms are cushy, conservative, and rich looking, in tones of green, red, and yellow. Antiques, including pieces of mahogany and cherrywood, are scattered about, and a trio of suites have their own private conservatories.

Abteistrasse 14, Harvestehude, 20149 Hamburg. www.abtei-hotel.de. 040/442905. Fax 040/449820. 11 units. 170€–250€ double; 250€–300€ suite. AE, MC, V. U-Bahn: Klosterstern. Amenities: Babysitting; room service; Wi-Fi (free, in lobby). In room: TV, minibar.

Moderate

Hotel Garni Mittelweg ★ A real discovery, this stylishly decorated family hotel lies in the upscale Pöseldorf, within an easy stroll of the Aussenalster. The place is imbued with a country charm. Once the town house of a wealthy merchant and his family in the 19th century, the hotel has now been tastefully converted to receive guests, with modern amenities added. Bedrooms are attractively furnished and comfortable.

Mittelweg 59, Hamburg 20149. www.hotel-mittelweg.de. 040/4141010. Fax 040/41410120. 39 units. 125€–168€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, MC, V. Parking 10€. S-Bahn: Dammtor. Amenities: Room service. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (6.50€ per hr.).

In Nienstedten

Very Expensive

Louis C. Jacob ★★★ Lying outside the city center along the Elbe, this tranquil deluxe hotel compares to the Vier Jahreszeiten and Kempinski Hotel Atlantic (see above). In summer, you can sit out under linden trees 2 centuries old and enjoy views of the river traffic. Built in 1791 as a guesthouse, it has been brought up to modernity after a major overhaul. The owners believe in spectacular luxury and coddling their guests. The hotel owns one of the biggest private art collections in the north of Germany. The medium-size to spacious rooms are elegantly appointed and decorated, with walk-in closets and state-of-the-art bathrooms, each with deluxe toiletries.

Elbchaussee 401, 22609 Hamburg. www.hotel-jacob.de. 040/82255405. Fax 040/82255444. 85 units. 210€–435€ double; from 345€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 20€. 13km (8 miles) west via Elbchaussee. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; babysitting; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

In Uhlenhorst

Moderate

Hotel Miramar ★ One of the most hospitable couples in Hamburg welcomes visitors to their hotel outside the central area (but still convenient to public transportation). The establishment is a bit modest, but most comfortable and well maintained—plus infinitely affordable. The hotel lies in a safe neighborhood only a block from the nearest subway station. Across the street is one of Hamburg’s colorful canals. The hotel is in a restored Jugendstil house constructed in 1904. Most of the well-furnished bedrooms are on the ground floor, and those in the rear open onto a forested area. The breakfast buffet is one of the most elaborate we’ve encountered in Hamburg.

Armgartstrasse 20, 22087 Hamburg-Uhlenhorst. www.hotelmiramar.de. 040/2209395. Fax 040/2273418. 12 units. 105€–130€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking on street. U-Bahn: Uhlandstrasse. Amenities: Babysitting. In room: TV, no phone (in some).

Nippon Hotel ★★ You’ll have to take off your shoes before going into your room at this remarkable modern hotel where you cross Tatami floor mats to sleep on a futon mattress. If you’re used to Western-style luxury, the minimalist decor might be a bit disconcerting at first. But one guest found the ambience “relaxing for both body and soul.” The style is defined by a series of straight lines and clear forms, along with light-wood furnishings and traditional rice-paper shoji partitions. Naturally, there’s an on-site Japanese restaurant and sushi bar.

Hofweg 75, Uhlenhorst, 22085 Hamburg. www.nippon-hotel-hh.de. 040/22711490. 42 units. 122€–158€ double; 191€ junior suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 10€. U-Bahn: Mundsburg. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; bikes; concierge; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (8€–12€ per hr.).

In Bahrenfeld

Expensive

Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg ★★ In one of the most stunning rescues of a decaying industrial building in Hamburg, an old public gasworks has been recycled and given new life as a modern boutique hotel. Developers preserved as much of the industrial structure—they call it “culture”—as was possible when they converted it into a comfortable hotel with a mixture of contemporary and traditional design and all the amenities you’d expect from a high-end hotel. Bedrooms range from luxurious suites to classic loft spaces with exposed brick walls and mahogany furnishings. All the rooms, both public and private, are imbued with a light, intimate feeling. Bedrooms, midsize to spacious, are inviting and beautifully maintained, and each has a balcony.

Forum Altes Gastwerk, Daimlerstrasse 67, 22761 Hamburg. www.gastwerk-hotel.de. 040/890620. Fax 040/8906220. 141 units. 136€–182€ double; 192€–373€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. U-Bahn: Bahrenfeld. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; bikes; exercise room; spa. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

25Hotel ★ In the western business district, this designer hotel lies 1km (1⁄2 mile) from the Altona Station and the River Elbe. Young designers individually created the bedrooms, which come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. There is a certain chic charm here if you like minimalism. The manager claims that the hotel was created to “meet the demands of creative metropolitan nomads.” The lobby and restaurant, the latter serving excellent food, flow into each other.

Paul-Dessau-Strasse 2, 22761 Hamburg. www.25hours-hotel.com. 040/855070. Fax 040/8555507. 89 units. 125€–155€ double. AE, DC, V. Free parking. S-Bahn: Bahrenfeld. Amenities: Restaurant; 2 bars; babysitting; bikes. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer.

Schleswig-Holstein

In this region, you can walk along the dunes and hear the roaring sea break fiercely on the rocks, or you can lie on a tranquil beach while tiny waves lap at your feet. Sound inconsistent? Not in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’s northernmost province, which borders both the turbulent, chilly North Sea and the smooth, gentle Baltic. Between these two bodies of water are rolling groves and meadows, lakes and ponds, and little fishing villages with thatched cottages. Fashionable seaside resorts dot both shorelines and nearby islands. Even in the coldest weather you can swim in heated seawater at the resorts of Westerland and Helgoland. In Kiel, you can wander around the harbor or explore Schleswig with its Viking memories.

Hamburg is the ideal gateway to the region, and it is easily traversed without a car. Where the trains end, local buses take you the rest of the way, linking small towns and villages. Should you decide to rent a car, bear in mind that roads are overcrowded in July and August, when many Germans head to the unspoiled beaches.

Lübeck ★★★

Schleswig-Holstein

92km (57 miles) SE of Kiel, 66km (41 miles) NE of Hamburg

Lübeck is a city of high-gabled houses, massive gates, strong towers, and towering steeples. It was made a free imperial city in 1226, and was the capital of the Hanseatic League, which controlled trade along the Baltic as far as Russia.

The Hanseatic merchants decorated their churches with art treasures and gilded their spires to show off their wealth. Many of these survivors of history stand side by side with postwar housing developments, and the neon lights of the business district shine on the streets and narrow passageways of bygone days.

Lübeck has had several famous sons. As a young man, Willy Brandt, who later became West German chancellor and won the Nobel Peace Prize, opposed the Nazis so vehemently that he had to flee on a boat to Norway. Thomas Mann’s 1902 novel Buddenbrooks, set here, catapulted the 27-year-old author to international fame. In 1929, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Essentials

Getting There

By Train The Lübeck Hauptbahnhof lies on major rail lines linking Denmark and Hamburg, and on the Hamburg-Lüneburg-Lübeck-Kiel-Flensburg and Lübeck-Rostock-Stralsund lines, with frequent connections. From Hamburg, 32 trains arrive daily (trip time: 48 min.), 23 from Berlin (trip time: 3–4 hr.). For information, call 01805/996633 (www.bahn.de).

By Bus Long-distance bus service to and from such cities as Berlin and Kiel is provided by Autokraft GmbH ( 0431/6660;www.autokraft.de).

By Ferry Ferryboat service from the region around Lübeck to Denmark lies astride the main railway lines between Hamburg and Copenhagen, and is therefore among the busiest in Europe. Service is offered by ScandLines ( 0381/5435850;www.scandlines.de), with boats arriving every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The port on the German side is in Puttgarden; the one on the Danish side is in Rødby, a 2-hour train ride from Copenhagen. The trip takes about 45 minutes. Railway cars, trucks, and conventional automobiles are all taken onboard. Round-trip transport for a car with up to four passengers averages 120€, with slight variations depending on the season.

TT Line operates between the German port of Travemünde and the Swedish port of Trelleborg. Call 04502/80181 for bookings and departure times (www.ttline.com).

By Car Access to Lübeck is via the A1 Autobahn north and south.

Getting Around

The Altstadt and the attractions outlined below can be reached by taking bus no. 1, 5, 11, or 21. Fare is 2.20€.

Visitor Information

For tourist information, contact the Lübeck-Informations-Zentrum, Holstentorplatz 1–5 ( 0451/8899700;www.luebeck-tourismus.de), January to May and October to December Monday to Friday 9:30am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm; June to September Monday to Friday 9:30am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm, and Sunday 10am to 2pm.

Special Events Lübeck is the center of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival ( 0451/389570;www.shmf.de), with performances during July and August every year. At the Christmas market, vendors from northwestern Germany sell their wares—many of them handmade items from toys to pottery—during the 3 weeks before Christmas on the Rathausplatz.

Exploring Lübeck

Lübeck’s Altstadt ★★★ is surrounded by the Trave River and connecting canals, giving it an island-like appearance. It suffered heavily during World War II, when about one-fifth of the city was leveled. Damaged buildings have been restored or reconstructed, and Lübeck still offers a wealth of historic attractions.

Just across the west bridge from the Altstadt, the Holstentor (Holsten Gate) ★★ is the first monument to greet visitors emerging from the train station. Once the main town entrance, it was built in the 15th century as much to awe visitors with the power and prestige of Lübeck as to defend it against intruders. To the outside world, the towers look simple and defiant, rather like part of a great palace. But on the city side, they contain a wealth of decoration, with windows, arcades, and rich terra-cotta friezes. Within the gate is the Museum Holstentor ( 0451/1224129;www.die-luebecker-museen.de), housing a model of Lübeck as it appeared in the mid–15th century. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Admission is 5€ for adults and 2€ for children 17 and under.

Der Salzspeicher (Salt Lofts), viewed from the riverside, near the Holstentor, are among Lübeck’s most attractive sights. In the 16th century, these buildings stored the salt from Lüneburg before it was shipped to Scandinavia. Each of the six buildings is different, reflecting trends in Renaissance gabled architecture.

The Rathaus ★, Rathausplatz ( 0451/1221005), traces its origins from 1230. It has been rebuilt several times, but remains of the original structure are in the vaulting and Romanesque pillars in the cellar and the Gothic south wall. The towering walls have been made with open-air medallions to relieve the pressure on the Gothic-arcaded ground floor and foundations. Tours in English and other languages are Monday to Friday at 11am, noon, and 3pm, costing 3€ for adults and 1.50€ for children.

Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church; no phone), across Marktplatz from the Rathaus, is the most exceptional church in Lübeck, possibly in northern Germany. Built on the highest point in the Altstadt, it has flying buttresses and towering windows that leave the rest of the city’s rooftops at its feet. Some of its greatest art treasures were bombed and destroyed in 1942, but after the fire was put out, earlier painted decorations on the walls and clerestory were discovered. The bells fell in a World War II air raid and became embedded in the floor of the church, where they remain to this day. Organ concerts take place during the summer months, carrying on the tradition established by St. Mary’s best-known organist and composer, Dietrich Buxtehude (1668–1707).

Buddenbrookhaus, Mengstrasse 4 ( 0451/1224192;www.buddenbrookhaus.de), near Marienkirche, is the house where author Thomas Mann’s grandparents lived. It’s a big, solid stone structure with a gabled roof and a recessed doorway. Above a leaded-glass fan over the heavy double doors is the date 1758. This is the house Mann (1875–1955) described as the home of the family in Buddenbrooks. The museum also highlights Thomas’s brother, Heinrich Mann (1871–1950), author of Professor Unrat, the inspiration for the movie The Blue Angel. The house is open daily 10am to 5pm; admission is 5€ for adults, 2.60€ for students, free for children 13 and under, and 9€ for a family ticket.

In addition to Thomas Mann, Lübeck was the home of Germany’s most prominent living writer, Günter Grass (born in 1927). He is still known all over the world for his most famous novel, The Tin Drum, published in 1959. Grass won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999. The museum at the Günter Grass-Haus, Glockengiesserstrasse 21 ( 0451/1224190;www.buddenbrookhaus.de), explores the author’s “double gifts” in literature, sculpture, graphics, and music—or, in the words of the curator, “we are a crossroads forum where literature and the visual arts meet.” Exhibits include manuscripts of Grass—with bold corrections—and even the machines on which he wrote, going from an old-fashioned Olivetti typewriter to computer. In the courtyard garden, you’ll get a rare look at some of his sculptures. Admission is 5€. It is open April to December daily 10am to 6pm, January to March daily 11am to 5pm.

It’s said that within an area of 5 sq. km (2 sq. miles) around the Marktplatz stand 1,000 medieval houses. Nearby is Petersgrube, the finest street in Lübeck, lined with restored houses. A walk through the old streets of Lübeck reveals a continuing use of brick (the city insisted on this after fires in the 13th c.). The effect is one of unity among all the houses, churches, shops, and guildhalls.

Haus der Schiffergesellschaft (Seamen’s Guild House) ★, on Breitestrasse, is one of the last of the elaborate guild houses of Hanseatic Lübeck, built in 1535 in Renaissance style, with stepped gables and high-Gothic blind windows. It’s worth seeing just for the medieval furnishings and the beamed ceilings in the main hall, now a restaurant.

Museen Behnhaus/Drägerhaus, Königstrasse 9–11, north of Glockengiesser Strasse ( 0451/1224148;www.die-luebecker-museen.de), was formed from two patrician houses. Like many such houses in the town, they are tall and narrow, constructed that way to avoid heavy taxes based on frontage. The museum displays mostly German Impressionists and paintings from around 1900. There is an outstanding collection of German Romantic and “Nazarene” paintings and drawings, especially by Johann Friedrich Overbeck and his school. The Behnhaus has a permanent exhibition of contemporary paintings, including Schumacher, Schultze, Rainer, Antes, and Kirkeby, along with such 20th-century artists as Kirchner, Beckmann, Lehmbruck, and Barlach. Both houses are open April to September Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm; October to March hours are Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Admission is 5€ for adults, 2€ for students and children 6 to 18, and free for children 5 and under.

You can take an excursion boat around Lübeck Harbor, departing from Trave Landing, right in front of the Jensen hotel. Boat tours of the harbor are available March to October daily every half-hour, 10am to 6pm.

Where to Eat

Haus der Schiffergesellschaft ★ NORTHERN GERMAN/INTERNATIONAL Entering this restaurant, with ship models and other nautical memorabilia, is like going inside a museum of Hanseatic architecture. The restaurant was once patronized exclusively by sailors. Today, good food (and lots of it) is served on scrubbed-oak plank tables with high-backed wooden booths carved with the coats of arms of Baltic merchants. Often, you must share a table. One of the most expensive items is an elaborate sole meunière with salad. Many regional dishes are featured, such as baked black pudding with slices of apple and lamb’s lettuce. Try the roast rack of lamb with rosemary sauce, green beans, and homemade noodles. You may want to have a drink in the cocktail bar of the historic Gotteskeller.

Breitestrasse 2. 0451/76776.www.schiffergesellschaft.com. Reservations required. Main courses 12€–20€. MC, V. Daily 10am–midnight. Bar Tues–Sat 5pm–4am. Bus: 1 or 2.

Historischer Weinkeller ★★ INTERNATIONAL This first-class restaurant and 12th-century wine cellar, in the basement of Holy Ghost Hospital, is the third-best dining spot in town, topped only by the Wullenwever, which has better (and more expensive) food, and Das Schabbelhaus, which has a more refined atmosphere (see both below). You may begin with North Sea shrimp served with a quail egg and caviar or assorted fish in aspic. For a main dish, try venison cutlet in garlic butter with fried potatoes, Atlantic sole with buttery potatoes, or Barbary duck with a sauce flavored with cranberries and balsamic vinegar. A few meat dishes are also featured.

Heiligen-Geist-Hospital, Koberg 8. 0451/76234.www.historischer-weinkeller-hl.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 10€–20€. AE, MC, V. Daily 11:30am–midnight. Bus: 1 or 3.

Roberto Rossi in Das Schabbelhaus ★★ MEDITERRANEAN A classic example of Hanseatic architecture on a medieval street, the Schabbelhaus is encased in two patrician buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries. In the restaurant, ceiling-high studio windows overlook the small gardens. The more tradition-minded were shocked when one of the most historically evocative German restaurants was transformed into an upscale venue for artfully prepared Italian food. Today you can sample such delights as spinach salad with strips of goose meat and a sweet-and-sour walnut sauce, followed by veal steak under an apple and celery crust. Another delectable dish is the asparagus salad with Parma ham with a tartare of red beets. You might also sample such dishes as roast turbot with herbs and fresh vegetables or grilled shrimp with garlic and spicy peppers.

Mengstrasse 48–52. 0451/72011.www.schabbelhaus.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 18€–35€. AE, MC, V. Mon–Sat noon–2:30pm and 6–11pm. Bus: 5, 7, 11, 12, 14, or 16.

Wullenwever ★★★ FRENCH/CONTINENTAL Roy Petermann, in his elegant 16th-century house, has established himself as one of the finest chefs in northern Germany. Scion of a distinguished culinary family, he has brought a refined and imaginative cuisine to Lübeck. Chandeliers and oil paintings enhance the ambience and, in summer, tables overflow onto a flower-filled courtyard. Using only the best and freshest produce, his dishes have subtle depths of flavor and texture. Game is featured in the autumn, and seafood is always available. Specialties include sautéed sole with capers and lemon butter, or grilled swordfish with eggplant and sweet peppers.

Beckergrube 71. 0451/704333.www.wullenwever.de. Reservations required, as far in advance as possible. Main courses 26€–38€; fixed-price menus 55€–130€. AE, MC, V. Tues–Sat 7–11pm. Closed 2 weeks in Mar and Oct. Bus: 12.

Zimmermann’s Lübecker Hanse ★ FRENCH/REGIONAL This is one of Lübeck’s most praised restaurants. It has an authentically weathered exterior and dark paneling inside. French food, regional meals, and lots of seafood are offered. You may want to try the plats du jour; they are invariably fresh and well prepared. Fresh fish from the Baltic is another good choice. In season, wild game is featured.

Kolk 3–7. 0451/78054.www.luebecker-hanse.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 14€–19€. AE, DC, MC, V. Tues–Sat noon–3pm and 6pm–midnight. Closed Jan 1–14. Bus: 1, 3, or 11.

Shopping

Lübeck is a center for antiques stores. One of the best is Antiquitäten Bannow Günther, Fleischhauerstrasse 87 ( 0451/77338), carrying antique silver, crystal, porcelain, books, pewter, and English, Danish, and German furniture; any article can be shipped to your home. And if you’re looking for souvenirs that celebrate Lübeck’s rich maritime traditions, head for the town’s best handicrafts shop, Kunsthaus Lübeck, Königstrasse 20 ( 0451/75700;www.kunsthaus-luebeck.de), where tin, pewter, glass sculpting, pottery, and antique books will help you remember your visit. Breitestrasse, a pedestrian walkway throughout most of the day, is the main shopping street in town. Much of Lübeck’s Altstadt is banned to cars, which makes for a pleasant afternoon of wandering.

J. G. Niederegger, Breitestrasse 89 ( 0451/53010;www.niederegger.de), sells that “sweetest of all sweetmeats,” famous Lübeck marzipan. It’s been across from the main entrance to the Rathaus since 1806. On the ground floor, you can buy treats to take away, or you can go upstairs to a pleasant cafe, where you can order dessert and the best brewed coffee in Lübeck. Ask for their pastry specialty, a nut torte resting under a huge slab of fresh marzipan. You’ll pay around 30€ per kilo (about 15€ per pound) for marzipan. The shop is open 9am to 6pm daily. MasterCard and Visa are accepted.

Entertainment & Nightlife

A newsletter, Piste, free at most hotels, offers news of local happenings.

Lübeck is known for its organ concerts; about two a week are presented in various churches during summer. The tourist office (see “Visitor Information,” above) has complete details, or check with Musik und Kongresshallen Lübeck, Willy-Brandt-Allee 10 ( 0451/79040;www.muk.de), about the many concert and theater opportunities in town. The most important theater venue is Theater Combinale, Huxstrasse 115 ( 0451/78817;www.combinale.de; bus: 11). Its plays range from experimental to classic. Most performances are on Friday and Saturday from August to June. Tickets are 10€ to 21€ for adults and 7.50€ to 15€ for students and children 16 and under.

Finnegan, Mengstrasse 42 ( 0451/71110; bus: 12), won an award in 1996 and 1999 from Guinness as the best Irish pub in northern Germany. Naturally, Guinness is on tap, as well as Kilkenny, and five or six whiskeys. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, bands play rock and Irish music from 8pm to midnight. The pub is open Tuesday to Saturday 7pm to 4am.

Where to Stay

Hotel Excelsior This is a good, functional hotel and not a lot more. It’s in a symmetrical baroque building with splendid proportions and a modernized interior. It’s especially convenient if you’re traveling to Lübeck by rail. Rooms are small to medium and are well furnished.

Hansestrasse 3, 23558 Lübeck. www.hotel-excelsior-luebeck.de. 0451/88090. Fax 0451/880999. 61 units. 85€–130€ double; 130€–210€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free outdoor parking; 6€ underground. Bus: 11 or 12. Near Lindenplatz, opposite the central bus station and next to the train station. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar (in most).

Kaiserhof ★ The Kaiserhof, frankly, could probably demand a higher price for its rooms, as it ranks up near the top with the Radisson (see below). Built as it is from two former patrician town houses outside the city center on a tree-lined boulevard, this hotel has a fashionable yet homelike environment. Rooms come in various shapes and sizes and are individually furnished. Some overflow guests stay in a more sterile but still quite comfortable annex.

Kronsforder Allee 11–13, 23560 Lübeck. www.kaiserhof-luebeck.de. 0451/703301. Fax 0451/795083. 60 units. 135€ double; 215€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free outdoor parking. Bus: 2, 7, 10, 16, or 32. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; indoor heated pool; room service; sauna; Wi-Fi (free, in lobby). In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar.

Radisson Blu Senator Hotel Lübeck ★★ This well-designed and -run hotel is the best in town. Although the bulk of its clients are businesspeople, it has equal appeal to other visitors. The soundproof and medium-size rooms are well kept and attractively furnished. The sleekly maintained bathrooms come with a basket of toiletries.

Willy-Brandt-Allee 6, 23554 Lübeck. www.lubeck.radissonsas.com. 800/333-3333 in the U.S., or 0451/1420. Fax 0451/1422222. 224 units. 125€–200€ double; from 400€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 13€. Bus: 12. On the banks of the river, connected to the Altstadt by pedestrian bridge. Amenities: 2 restaurants; 2 bars; babysitting; children’s center; concierge; indoor heated pool; room service; sauna. In room: A/C, TV, DVD player, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (in some; free).

Ringhotel Jensen The Jensen is one of Lübeck’s best moderately priced hotels, a good value if your expectations aren’t too high. The small to medium rooms are modestly furnished in traditional German style. Some have fine views of the Hanseatic architecture across the canal. The buffet breakfast is served in a delightful room with picture windows overlooking the canal.

An der Obertrave 4–5, 23552 Lübeck. www.ringhotel-jensen.de. 0451/702490. Fax 0451/73386. 42 units. 98€–115€ double; 179€ suite. Children 9 and under stay free in parent‘s room. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 7€ nearby. Bus: 1, 3, or 11. Near the Holstentor. Amenities: Restaurant; room service. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (15€ per day).

Scandic Hotel ★ This first-class hotel is close to the ferry docks and as a result attracts many Scandinavians as well as businesspeople. The medium-size rooms are well maintained. Half are nonsmoking, and some accommodate people with allergies. All units have neatly kept bathrooms.

Travemünder Allee 3, 23568 Lübeck. www.scandic-hotels.com. 0451/37060. Fax 0451/3706666. 158 units. 138€–193€ double; 244€–350€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Free outdoor parking; 12€ in garage. Bus: 12. Near the Burgtor entrance of the Altstadt. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; bikes; children’s center; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; sauna. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar (in some), Wi-Fi (free).

Zur alten Stadtmauer ★ In the heart of Old Town, this historic hotel is a safe, snug, and inexpensive nest for the night. Its front rooms open onto a view of St. Marien Kirche. Personalized service and a homelike atmosphere make this an intriguing choice. Rooms are spread across two floors, each modestly but nicely decorated, and all but a few singles come with private bathrooms. The large buffet breakfast will fortify you for the day.

An der Mauer 57, 23552 Lübeck. www.hotelstadtmauer.de. 0451/73702. Fax 0451/73239. 24 units. 55€–100€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 5€. Amenities: Babysitting. In room: TV, Wi-Fi (free).

Kiel ★

88km (55 miles) SE of the Danish border at Flensburg, 97km (60 miles) N of Hamburg, 92km (57 miles) NW of Lübeck

A natural harbor at the end of a 15km (10-mile) extension of the Baltic Sea made Kiel a center for commerce with northern European countries. The opening of the Kiel Canal in 1895 connected the Baltic with the North Sea and western trade.

It celebrated its 750th anniversary in 1992, but streets and buildings do little to suggest that Kiel was ever anything other than a modern city. Almost all its buildings were destroyed during World War II, and the town was rebuilt with broad streets, spacious squares, and green parks. Nearby resorts make this a vacation spot as well.

Essentials

Getting There

By Train The Kiel Hauptbahnhof is on two major rail lines, the Neumünster-Hamburg and the Flensburg-Kiel-Lübeck-Lüneburg lines, with frequent connections. From Hamburg, there are 40 trains daily (trip time: 1 hr., 10 min.). For information, call 01805/996633 (www.bahn.de).

By Bus Long-distance bus service to and from Berlin and Flensburg, as well as local and regional service, is provided by Autokraft GmbH, in Kiel ( 0431/6660;www.autokraft.de). Buses pull into the Bahnhofplatz. The tourist office (see below) will provide you with schedules.

By Ferry Service between Kiel and Oslo, Norway, is provided by Color Line GmbH, in Kiel ( 0431/73000;www.colorline.com). Stena Line, in Kiel ( 0431/9090;www.stenaline.de), offers service between Kiel and Gothenburg (Göteborg), Sweden.

By Car To reach Kiel from Hamburg, head north along the A7 Autobahn; from Lübeck, take Rte. 76 west.

Getting Around

Most attractions in Kiel center around the harbor, reached by bus no. 41 or 42. Fare is 2.20€.

Visitor Information

Contact Tourist Information Kiel, Andreas-Gayk-Strasse 31 ( 0180/5656700;www.kiel-tourist.de). It’s open year-round Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, and from May to September, also Saturday 10am to 2pm.

Special Events Kieler Woche (Kiel Week), held each June, celebrates the port’s close ties to the sea. This week of special events, held for more than 100 years, includes a spectacular regatta in which more than 1,500 yachts race on the water of the Kieler Förde. In 1936 and 1972, the Olympic yacht races were held on the waters at Schilksee. For information, call the Kieler Wochenbüro at 0431/901905, or check out www.kieler-woche.de.

Exploring the Harbor & Beyond

For the best overall look at the city and harbor, go to the Rathaus’s 107m (350-ft.), century-old tower, much of which was restored after the devastating bombs of World War II. May to September, guided tours (in English and German) are offered Wednesday at 2pm for 9€ per person. For a closer view over the harbor, take a stroll along the Hindenburgufer (Hindenburg Embankment) ★, which stretches for 3km (2 miles) along the west side of the fiord, opposite the shipyards. Perches along this embankment are especially favored by spectators during regattas. Call Tourist Information Kiel (above) for additional details.

If you’d like to go to the beach, take a short steamer trip to one of the nearby Baltic towns, such as Laboe, about 15km (10 miles) to the north. Besides the beach, the town’s main attraction is the restored World War II submarine U-Boot 995, Strandstrasse 92, Kiel-Laboe ( 04343/42700;www.deutscher-marinebund.de; bus: 100 from the Kiel Hauptbahnhof). April to October, you can tour it every day 9:30am to 7pm (Nov–Mar to 5pm). Admission is 3.50€ adults, 2.30€ students and children ages 6 to 17.

The open-air Schleswig-Holsteinisches Freilichtmuseum ★★, Alte Hamburger Landstrasse ( 0431/659660;www.freilichtmuseum-sh.de; bus: 501 or 502), is in Molfsee, 6km (4 miles) south of Kiel. Farms and rustic country homes, dating from the 16th to the 19th century, have been assembled here. Craftspeople operate shops while working animals perform their tasks. A half-timbered inn serves tasty lunches. The site is open April to October daily 9am to 5pm, November to March Sundays and holidays 11am to 4pm. Admission is 7€ for adults, 5€ students and children, free for children 5 and under, and 14€ for a family ticket.

Where to Eat

Kieler Yacht Club CONTINENTAL The food here is solid and reliable, though not dazzling. The main attraction, naturally, is seafood. Try the filet of haddock with mustard sauce and potatoes. Other chef’s specialties are saddle of venison with savoy cabbage, roasted lamb in wine sauce with herbs, and an assortment of meal-size salads. The bar, a local hangout, attracts the yachting set.

Hindenburgufer 70. 0431/8813442. Reservations recommended. Main courses 13€–32€. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 5:30–10:30pm. Bus: 41 or 51.

Quam ★ INTERNATIONAL Charming and cosmopolitan, with an eclectic cuisine that draws on the culinary traditions of Europe and Asia, this restaurant fills three rooms of a stone-fronted building in the historic core of Kiel, a few steps from the waterfront. You’ll pass through a pleasant, flower-studded garden to reach the interior, where a maximum of only 65 diners at a time dine within a warm and cozy ocher- and russet-colored decor. Menu items are flavorful and imaginative—a world’s tour of flavor. The best examples include carpaccio of rump steak with pesto-flavored beans; sashimi of salmon with soy-flavored dressing; marinated and grilled young hen with seasonal vegetables; duckling with braised shallots and wine sauce; oven-baked dorado studded with herbs, served with mushroom-flavored butter sauce; and a pungent version of slow-cooked tandoori chicken.

Düppelstrasse 60. 0431/85195. Reservations recommended. Main courses 18€–25€. AE, MC, V. Mon–Sat 6–11pm. Bus: 62.

Restaurant im Schloss ★ CONTINENTAL The most elegant formal restaurant in Kiel offers superb cuisine, service, and wine. The Schloss, a stone building (ca. 1965) overlooking the harbor, looks like a museum set in a park. If you reserve, you can get a window table that opens onto the water. The cuisine has a creative and lighthearted style, using the freshest of produce and exquisite versions of lamb. Many fish dishes are from the north German seas. Temptations include salmon fritters stuffed with spinach and served with a saffron sauce, or sautéed shrimps in a mango sauce served with wild rice.

Wall 74. 0431/91155.www.restaurant-im-schloss.de. Reservations required. Main courses 18€–28€. AE, DC, MC, V. Tues–Fri 11am–3pm; Tues–Sun 6–9:30pm. Bus: 1.

Restaurant Jakob ★ CONTINENTAL Set in the lobby of one of Kiel’s most comfortable hotels, this restaurant boasts a plush, modern decor and views over the harbor. The chef’s menu specialties are quite seductive and imbued with subtle flavors. Try such temptations as filet of beef flavored with fresh rosemary, sherry, and shallots and thyme potatoes, or else medallions of pork in a cognac sauce. Other good-tasting dishes include a seafood medley of pikeperch, “seadevil,” salmon, and king prawns. A carpaccio of beef is offered in a balsamic vinaigrette with fresh parmesan cheese.

In the Steigenberger Conti-Hansa, Schlossgarten 7. 0431/5115407. Reservations recommended. Main courses 18€–29€. AE, DC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11:30am–2:30pm and 6–10:30pm. Bus: 1 or 12.

Entertainment & Nightlife

Take a stroll after dark through the salt air and fog of this seafaring city, admiring the Hanseatic architecture and the ever-present sense of gloomy nostalgia. Along the way, you can stop at any of the small bars of the Altstadt. One of the most visible old-fashioned nightlife options in Kiel is Kieler Bräuerei, Alter Markt 9 ( 0431/906290;www.kieler-brauerei.de), which brews and serves, on-site, a medium-dark beer that locals compare to the better-known Düsseldorfer. Most clients come just for the beer, which starts at about 4€ for approximately a pint, but if you’re hungry, head for the self-service cafeteria, also on-site, for heaping platters of Sauerkraut, sausage, salads, and prepared meats (try the pig on a spit, rotating behind glass for your viewing pleasure), sold by the kilo. Expect to pay around 5€ to 15€ for a platter.

Hemingway, Alter Markt 19 ( 0431/96812), named in honor of Papa, is the hippest bar in town, drawing a chic young crowd nightly.

Where to Stay

Hotel Kieler Yacht Club ★ This yacht club offers unusually fine guest facilities. It’s in an old classical building, standing back from the harbor, with an adjoining contemporary motel annex. Rooms are comfortable but unexciting. For style, we prefer those in the main building. All units have neatly arranged bathrooms.

Hindenburgufer 70, 24105 Kiel. www.hotel-kyc.de. 0431/88130. Fax 0431/8813444. 57 units. 165€–300€ double; 195€–330€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free outdoor parking; 10€ in garage. Bus: 41. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; room service. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

Hotel Wiking The Wiking, in the center of town, has well-furnished rooms for reasonable prices. The dark facade is ornamented with balconies painted a vividly contrasting white. Rooms are a bit small but are well maintained, each equipped with a comfortable bed plus a compact bathroom.

Schützenwall 1–3, 24114 Kiel. www.hotel-wiking.com. 0431/661090. Fax 0431/6610966. 42 units. 89€–95€ double. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 8€. Bus: 51 or 91. Amenities: Bar; sauna. In room: TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).

Steigenberger Conti-Hansa ★★ Conti-Hansa, located between the edge of the harbor and a well-groomed city park, is Kiel’s premier hotel. It’s well maintained, modern, and solidly comfortable. The medium-size rooms are outfitted in streamlined contemporary furniture; most look out over the harbor or the park.

Schlossgarten 7, 24103 Kiel. www.kiel.steigenberger.de. 800/223-5652 in the U.S. and Canada, or 0431/51150. Fax 0431/5115444. 165 units. 95€–179€ double; 189€–403€ suite. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 18€. Bus: 22, 32, 33, or 62. Amenities: 2 restaurants; bar; exercise room; room service; sauna. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (15€ per day).

Schleswig ★

48km (30 miles) NW of Kiel, 34km (21 miles) S of Flensburg

This one-time Viking stronghold on the Schlei (an arm of the Baltic) is Schleswig-Holstein’s oldest town, with 1,200 years of history. Everything is steeped in legend, even the sea gulls. According to tradition, the birds nesting on Seagull Island in the middle of the Schlei are fellow conspirators of Duke Abel, who in 1250 murdered his brother, King Eric. The crime was discovered when the king’s body washed ashore. The duke went mad, eventually died, and was impaled and buried in the Tiergarten. His followers became sea gulls, doomed to nest forever on Seagull Island.

Essentials

Getting There

By Train The Schleswig Bahnhof is on the Flensburg-Neumünster-Hamburg and Westerland-Hamburg rail lines, with frequent connections. Trains from Hamburg arrive daily (trip time: 2 hr., 20 min.). For information, call 01805/996633 (www.bahn.de).

By Bus Long-distance bus service to and from Hamburg, Flensburg, and Kiel is provided by Autokraft GmbH in Kiel ( 0431/6660;www.autokraft.de).

By Car Access by car is via the A7 Autobahn north or south.

Getting Around

Buses fan out from Königstrasse and Plessenstrasse, in the town center. Fare is 2.20€. Buses operate every day 6am to 9pm.

Visitor Information

For information, contact Tourist-Information, Plessenstrasse 7 ( 04621/850056;www.schleswig.de). Hours are May to September Monday to Friday 9:30am to 5:30pm, and Saturday 9:30am to 12:30pm; October to April, hours are Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, and Friday 10am to 1pm.

Exploring Schleswig

Dom St. Petri (St. Peter’s Cathedral) ★ CHURCH The jewel of Schleswig is St. Peter’s Cathedral, a brick Romanesque-Gothic Hallenkirche (hall church) begun in the 12th century. Its towering spire makes the rest of the Altstadt seem like so many dollhouses by comparison. Inside is the outstanding 16th-century Bordesholm Altarpiece, a powerful work carved in oak by Hans Bruggeman for the convent at Bordesholm. Its elaborately carved Gothic panels contain nearly 400 figures. The cathedral and cloisters also possess art treasures, including the Blue Madonna by J. Ovens and 13th-century frescoes.

Süderdomstrasse 1. 04621/963054.www.schleswiger-dom.de. Free admission. May–Sept Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 1:30–5pm; Oct–Apr Mon–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun 1:30–4pm. Bus: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

Schloss Gottorf MUSEUM A dam and a bridge connect this castle, located on a small island, with the town. As you walk around the harbor, the panorama of the Altstadt and the widening bay opens up behind you. The castle is the largest in Schleswig-Holstein. The foundations date from the original 13th-century ducal palace; the present structure was built mainly in the 16th and 17th centuries and has been reconditioned since 1948 to house two museums.

The Archäologisches Landesmuseum (Provincial Museum of Archaeology) ★ ( 04621/8130) has a most remarkable exhibit (in a separate building): the Nydam Boat ★★★, a 4th-century ship found in the Nydam marshes in 1863. In the same room are artifacts and weapons discovered with the ship and Viking corpses preserved in the moor, all adding up to one of the major archaeological finds in northern Germany.

The Schleswig-Holstein Staatsmuseum (Schleswig-Holstein State Museum) ★ ( 04621/8130), also housed in the castle, contains an exceptional collection of fine and applied art from medieval times to the 20th century, including painting, sculpture, furniture, textiles, and weapons. Outstanding are the late-Gothic King’s Hall, the 17th-century ducal living rooms with rich stucco ceilings, and the Renaissance chapel with a private pew for the ducal family, decorated with intricate and elaborate carvings and inlays. Two buildings east of the castle house collections of contemporary art, including outstanding works of German expressionism and modern sculpture, plus the ethnological collection of implements and tools used by farmers, artisans, and fishermen.

On a small island in the Burgsee, a bay at the west end of the Schlei. 04621/8130.www.schloss-gottorf.de. Admission (including both museums) 8€ adults, 5€ children, free for children 5 and under, 17€ family ticket. Apr–Oct daily 10am–6pm; Nov–Mar Tues–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat–Sun 10am–5pm. Bus: 1, 2, 3, or 4.

Wikinger Museum Haithabu MUSEUM Haithabu was one of the most prominent settlements of northern Europe during the Viking era. This Viking museum, opened in 1985, contains the finds of archaeological excavations of the Viking-age town of Haithabu. Exhibits cover all aspects of daily life. There’s even a Viking long ship. In summer, you can reach this site via a scenic 20-minute boat ride. Departures are from Stadthafen, the town quay in Schleswig, south of the cathedral. After you dock, it’s a 10-minute walk to the museum. In winter, you’ll have to walk 3km (2 miles) from the rail station.

Durchwahl, 2.5km (1 1/2 miles) from Schleswig. 04621/8130.www.schloss-gottorf.de. Admission 6€ adults, 3.50€ children, free for children 5 and under, 13€ family ticket. Mar 10–Oct daily 10am–6pm; Nov–Mar 9 Tues–Sun 10am–5pm.

Where to Eat

Stadt Flensburg GERMAN Set in an architecturally distinguished town house dating from the late 17th century, this is a small-scale and cozy restaurant that’s a short walk from the Schloss Gottorf. Designed with a simple decor that seats only 60 diners at a time, it’s outfitted in tones of brown and beige, with wood paneling, a sense of sudsy beeriness, and an aura of old-fashioned protocol. Menu items include lots of fresh fish, including a well-flavored version of zander (pikeperch) with herbs, butter sauce, salad, and roasted potatoes; a succulent version of roasted lamb; steaks; and roast duck and, when it’s available, goose, served with red cabbage and potatoes in a style that many locals remember from their childhoods. It’s the kind of cuisine that’s marvelously accompanied by beer, available on tap in both light and dark versions.

Lollfuss 102. 04621/23984. Reservations recommended. Main courses 15€–22€. AE, DC, MC, V. Thurs–Tues noon–3pm and 6–11pm. Bus: 1 or 2.

Entertainment & Nightlife

If you’re looking for action, head for Lollfuss, running parallel to the Schlei between Schloss Gottorf and a north-side residential area. Many places here are cafes during the day and bars at night. The best and most popular pub of the lot is Patio, Lollfuss 3 ( 04621/29999;www.patio-online.de; bus: 1 or 2), an intimate two-story structure that usually stays open until midnight or 1am (considered very late in this small town). It also has Schleswig’s most popular outdoor terrace. If you get hungry, you’ll find pastas, salads, pizzas, and steaks for 4.50€ to 16€.

Where to Stay

Hotel Waldschlösschen ★ This elegant country hotel, finer than any of the in-town properties, is equipped with every convenience to make your stay comfortable. Rooms range from small to medium, each with a compact bathroom. Outside, there’s a rock garden, a gabled house, an elongated annex, and lots of trees.

Kolonnenweg 152, 24837 Schleswig-Pulverholz. www.hotel-schleswig.com. 04621/3830. Fax 04621/383105. 115 units. 129€–149€ double; 228€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Bus: 1, 2, 3, or 4. 1.5km (1 mile) southwest of town. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; Jacuzzi; indoor heated pool; room service; sauna. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

Ringhotel Strandhalle Schleswig Established a century ago, with frequent renovations, the Strandhalle may not be as good as the Waldschlösschen, but it has many winning features, especially for those who’d like to stay within Schleswig and absorb the atmosphere of this ancient town. Actually, this hotel is more of a holiday resort—right on the water, with its own rowboats available. The owners maintain an informal atmosphere. Rooms are small but neatly kept, each with a somewhat cramped bathroom. Nonetheless, the hotel is good value for the area. Ask for a room opening on the water, with a view of the yacht harbor.

Strandweg 2, 24837 Schleswig. www.hotel-strandhalle.de. 04621/9090. Fax 04621/909100. 25 units. 110€–145€ double. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 9€. Bus: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. Amenities: Restaurant; bikes; indoor heated pool. In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (10€ per day).

The Island of Sylt ★★

20km (12 miles) W of the Danish border, 193km (120 miles) NW of Hamburg

The long, narrow island of Sylt (pronounced Zoolt) and its capital, Westerland, form the northernmost point of Germany. Sylt lies in the North Sea off the coasts of Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, the largest island of the Frisian archipelago, which stretches from Denmark to the Netherlands. The “Watt” is the name given to the coast facing the mainland.

People come to breathe the iodine-rich air and enjoy the rain-soaked North Sea climate that Germans call Reizklima. Sylt is the most exclusive resort in Germany, and its hotel prices reflect that status. Sylt also has a sizable gay and lesbian population and is often called “The Fire Island of Europe.” In the 1960s, Sylt became famous for “the rich and the naked,” when the entire island was reportedly an ongoing bacchanalian frenzy. It’s quieted down since then. Temperatures in midsummer are usually in the low 70s (low to mid-20s Celsius), but rain can come at any minute, and winds on the beach are a constant, giving rise to the Sylt “mink,” or yellow oilskin, which chic visitors wear to protect themselves from the elements.

The spa here has facilities for the treatment of everything from heart disease to skin irritations. The basic therapy is sunshine, pure air, and seawater, but in recent years, mud baths have also become a method of treatment. Some of the more remote sections of the dunes have been turned into nudist beaches for purists in the art of sunshine therapy. In addition to bathing, there are facilities in and around Westerland for horseback riding, surfing, golf, and tennis, as well as theater and concerts.

Essentials

Getting There

By Plane The nearest international airport is at Hamburg. From there you can fly to the regional Sylt Airport ( 04651/920612;www.flughafen-sylt.de). There’s also regularly scheduled air service from Berlin and Düsseldorf.

By Train The only link between the mainland and the island of Sylt is the railroad causeway running from the mainland town of Niebüll. If you wish to bring your car to the island, you’ll have to load it on the train at Niebüll for the slow ride (see “By Car,” below). No advance booking is necessary—you just arrive and take your chances. Passengers are carried free.

Westerland Bahnhof lies on the Westerland-Hamburg and the Westerland-Lübeck lines, with frequent connections. Seventeen trains arrive from Hamburg daily (trip time: 2 hr., 40 min. to 3 hr., 20 min., depending on the train). For information, call 01805/996633 (www.bahn.de).

By Car-Ferry An alternative way of reaching Sylt is to take a car-ferry between the Danish port of Havneby, on the island of Rømo (easily accessible via highway from Germany), and the German port of List, at the northern tip of Sylt. There are at least a dozen daily crossings between those points in summer, with a much-reduced schedule in winter. Reservations for your car are possible. Round-trip passage for a car with a driver and up to three passengers costs 85€. For information, call the Rømo-Sylt Line ( 0180/3103030;www.syltfaehre.de).

By Bus The few buses that pull into Sylt are forced to ride the flatcars on the rail line across the Hindenburg Causeway for the final stretch of their journey. Many passengers prefer to get off in Niebüll and transfer onto one of the passenger trains that make the frequent crossings to Westerland from other parts of Germany and Europe. Rail fare between Niebüll and Westerland costs 28€ per person, round-trip. The ride takes between 30 and 45 minutes each way.

By Car Construction of a conventional bridge from Schleswig-Holstein to Sylt has never really been feasible. Therefore, cars headed to Sylt are loaded onto flatcars at the mainland railway junction of Niebüll and hauled out across the Hindenburg Damm (Hindenburg Causeway) to the railway station of Westerland. Drivers must stay in their cars, with the doors closed, eventually arriving at Westerland 30 to 40 minutes later. For information on these and all other (conventional) trains between the German mainland and Sylt, call the Deutsche Bahn information service in Westerland at 01805/996633 (www.bahn.de). Trains depart at 30-minute intervals daily 5am to midnight. No reservations are accepted for hauling your car across. Round-trip transport for most cars costs 85€. Access to Niebüll is possible via the A7 Autobahn north or south.

Visitor Information

For information, contact the Sylt Tourismus Zentrale, Keitumer Landstrasse 10B ( 04651/6026;www.sylt-tourismus.de). It’s open May to October daily 9am to 5pm, and November to April Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm.

A disappearing Playground

Scientists warn that the western coast of Sylt is one of the most fragile ecosystems in Germany and may one day be reclaimed by the sea. The entire island is little more than a strip, only 550m (1,800 ft.) wide at its narrowest point, that’s composed mostly of sand and very little rock. As such, it presents little resistance to the onslaught of erosion and deterioration. The sand dunes, warmed by the Gulf Stream, are forever shifting, and the winds sweeping in from the North Sea can move them by as much as 3.5m (11 ft.) in only a year. Although the winter months in general, and storms at any time of the year, are highly destructive, it’s during strong south winds that most erosion takes place, and on some mornings after violent storms, huge amounts of sand migrate from the beachfront out into the North Sea.

In the 1970s, a series of Tetrapoden (four-legged concrete structures that look like giant jacks) were built on the sands of Westerland and Hornum beaches, in an unsuccessful attempt to hold back erosion. (They were later judged useless, and their construction was discontinued.)

Today, everyone’s favorite solution is one of the simplest: Whenever funds are allocated by the municipal budget, you’ll see one or more barges moored offshore, pumping sand from deepwater sites back onto beaches of Sylt. Severe penalties exist for anyone removing salt grasses and scrub from the beachfronts, as do strict regulations against building new houses on fragile land.

If there is an air of desperation about the Germans who love and frolic in this North Sea playground, it is because they know it won’t be here forever.

Where to Eat

Alte Friesenstube ★ NORTHERN GERMAN/FRISIAN This restaurant is refreshingly down to earth amid the pretentiousness of Sylt. Its thatched building was constructed in 1648. The menus are written on the wall in a German dialect, but someone will assist you in deciphering the offerings, which include regional pork, fish, and beef dishes. Carefully crafted dishes include grilled tuna steak with capers and lemon butter, or else baked lamb flavored with rosemary jus. Especially popular is duck with orange sauce and Panfische (a local saltwater fish) with roasted potatoes and mustard sauce. No one puts on airs, and the kitchen sticks to the robust fare the islanders have been eating for decades.

Gaadt 4, Westerland. 04651/1228.www.altefriesenstube.de. Reservations required. Main courses 18€–29€. No credit cards. Tues–Sun 6–10:30pm. Closed Jan.

Hardy auf Sylt ALSATIAN/GERMAN This round, thatched restaurant offers a nostalgic interior featuring furniture dating from about 1890. Finely worked columns, old oil portraits, beautiful glass lamps, and skillfully wrought candlesticks combine to create a relaxed, intimate feeling. The menu is adjusted seasonally. Perhaps at the time of your visit you’ll be tempted by the grilled salmon filet with Béarnaise sauce or the roast duck breast in a shallot sauce. There’s a fine selection of French and German wines.

Norderstrasse 65, Westerland. 04651/22775.www.hardyaufsylt.de. Reservations required. Main courses 16€–24€. No credit cards. Tues–Sun 6–11:30pm. Closed Jan 10–Feb 15 and Nov 8–Dec 20.

Jörg Müller ★★★ CONTINENTAL/FRENCH This is Sylt’s most elegant restaurant. Its brick building is almost a landmark in itself, thanks to its thatched roof, steep gables, and Frisian architecture. Menu items change with the seasons and feature a blend of contemporary Continental cuisine with imaginative variations of French recipes, which may include lobster salad with herb-flavored vinaigrette sauce, sliced and braised goose liver with segments of glazed apples, or roast salt-marsh lamb flavored with herbs and served with ratatouille-flavored cream sauce. You can also enjoy local oysters with compote of red shallots and champagne sauce or halibut baked in fennel.

Süderstrasse 8, Westerland. 04651/27789. Reservations required. Main courses 32€–56€; fixed-price menus 96€–128€. AE, DC, MC, V. Tues–Sun 6–10pm. Closed Nov 25–Dec 18. A 5-min. walk from the center of Westerland.

Restaurant Stadt Hamburg ★★ GERMAN/INTERNATIONAL Top-rate cuisine is offered here in an attractive, luxurious setting of dark colors and hardwood paneling. The menu is so wide ranging it may be hard to make up your mind. A great way to begin is with the smooth cream-of-lobster soup. Many seafood specialties are featured, such as pan-fried fresh North Sea sole and turbot medallions in saffron sauce with zucchini. Another good dish is the rack of lamb (raised on the salty grasslands of the island). For dessert, try homemade rote Grütze—berries and cherries topped with vanilla ice cream.

Strandstrasse 2, Westerland. 04651/8580. Reservations recommended. Main courses 19€–32€. AE, MC, V. Daily 6–10pm. Bus: Centrale Omnibus Bahnhof.

Web Christel NORTHERN GERMAN Favored by local residents for its reasonable prices and cozy ambience, this restaurant occupies a century-old Frisian house in the center of Westerland, opposite its more glamorous (and more expensive) rival, Jörg Müller (see above). Menu items include a wide selection of fish, such as classic versions of turbot in an herb-butter-mustard sauce, and sole prepared in the meunière style or grilled and served with hollandaise sauce. Roast duck with two different sauces is also available. A signature dish is fettuccini with lobster and fresh vegetables. The staff is warm and polite.

Süderstrasse 11, Westerland. 04651/22900.www.webchristel.de. Reservations recommended. Main courses 18€–34€; fixed-price menus 29€–41€. No credit cards. Thurs–Tues 5–11pm.

Shopping

Few other vacation destinations in Germany are as frenetic about clothing as Sylt. Garments are removed and put on again with abandon on this island with fickle weather and an extremely clothes-conscious population. You’ll find impressive inventories of expensively casual clothing on Sylt—items that are artfully simple, easy to don, easy to doff, and easy to look at. The island’s best shopping streets are the Friedrichstrasse, in Westerland, and the Strönwai, in Kampen, both lined with boutiques associated with the great names of European fashion.

Entertainment & Nightlife

Disco Pony, Strönwai, in Kampen ( 04651/42182;www.pony-kampen.com), where both indoor and outdoor bar areas encompass views of the sea and the scrub-covered coastline that flanks it, mostly attracts a clientele under 40. There’s no cover charge.

Also in Kampen is Disco Pony’s major competitor, Club Rotes Kliff, Alte Dorfstrasse ( 04651/43400;www.club-rotes-kliff.de), distinguished by its hip but not necessarily young crowd. There’s no cover charge.

Where to Stay

Hotel Clausen This four-story building has long been a local favorite. Today, its congenial English-speaking owners occupy the upper (fourth) floor. On the building’s lower stories is a series of small but tidily maintained rooms, each fitted with a quality mattress on a good bed. Breakfast is the only meal served, but many restaurants are nearby.

Friedrichstrasse 20, 25980 Westerland/Sylt. www.hotel-clausen-sylt.de. 04651/92290. Fax 04651/28007. 20 units. 95€–150€ double; 130€–165€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. MC, V. Parking 6€. In Westerland’s pedestrian zone, a 3-min. walk from the beach. Amenities: Room service; Wi-Fi (free, in lobby). In room: TV, hair dryer.

Hotel Miramar ★ This hotel, on a bluff above the beach, has the second-best accommodations in Westerland, just below Stadt Hamburg (see below). Surrounded by an arched veranda, its public areas are graced with large arched windows with views of the sea. An octagonal light, left over from the building’s 1903 construction, illuminates the salon from above. The high-ceilinged rooms are quite comfortable and each comes with a luxurious bed and bathroom.

Friedrichstrasse 43, 25980 Westerland/Sylt. www.hotel-miramar.de. 04651/8550. Fax 04651/855222. 67 units. 190€–395€ double; 280€–780€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Parking 12€. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; babysitting; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; sauna; outdoor tennis court (lit). In room: TV, hair dryer, minibar, Wi-Fi (free).

Hotel Wünschmann This hotel is in the heart of the tourist belt of Westerland, yet only minutes from the sand dunes. Rooms are in a complex of modern buildings (with more than two dozen boutiques), but the hotel’s interior exudes old-world tranquillity. The midsize bedrooms are individually decorated so you won’t feel you’re staying in a peas-in-a-pod motel. Each is cheerful and inviting, with comfortable furnishings and medium-size bathrooms.

Andreas-Dirks-Strasse 4, 25980 Westerland/Sylt. www.hotel-wuenschmann.de. 04651/5025. Fax 04651/5028. 35 units. 116€–286€ double; 242€–321€ suite. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, V. Parking 12€. Closed mid-Nov to mid-Dec. Amenities: Bikes; room service; sauna; Wi-Fi (free, in lobby). In room: TV, hair dryer.

Stadt Hamburg ★★★ This is the best hotel on the island, though it looks more like a well-appointed country home than a hotel. Built in the 1880s as a grand Belle Epoque summer hotel, it was enlarged in 1991 with the construction of an elegant annex, in which the hotel’s suites and its more expensive rooms are housed today. Less expensive rooms, and the restaurant, still lie within the hotel’s original core. The gleaming white entrance is reached through a white picket fence, and its rear windows overlook a well-kept lawn. Each spacious room is individually furnished, with homey touches. Mattresses and linens are the island’s finest, and the bathrooms are state-of-the-art.

Strandstrasse 2, 25980 Westerland/Sylt. www.hotelstadthamburg.com. 04651/8580. Fax 04651/858220. 72 units. 220€–340€ double; 340€–585€ suite. AE, MC, V. Parking 13€. Next to the casino. Amenities: 2 restaurants; babysitting; exercise room; indoor heated pool; room service; spa. In room: TV, fax, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).

The Best of Germany

In this chapter, you’ll find our carefully compiled lists of the best that Germany has to offer, from castles and cathedrals to spas, restaurants, and sightseeing—and nearly everything else you’ll want to see and do.

The best Experiences

• Exploring the New Berlin: Anyone who lived through the fear of the Cold War can’t help but shudder at the memory of the Berlin Wall. Since reunification, civic planners, with almost manic enthusiasm, have demolished large sections of what once stood as a scar across the face of a defeated nation. The architectural changes and urban developments that constantly update the cityscape around Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse and Potsdamer Platz can be confusing. But regardless of which renewal program is churning up rubble at the time of your visit, a pilgrimage through what used to be the most bitterly contested urban turf in Europe can’t help but provoke powerful emotions.

• Spending a Midsummer’s Night in a Biergarten: When the temperature rises, head for the unpretentious cheer of the nearest Biergarten (everybody in Germany seems to have a favorite, so we’re not even going to try to name the “best”). These watering holes, which often feature trellises, climbing vines, Chinese lanterns, and arbors, offer low-cost fun on soft summer nights. You can order platters of hearty food with your beer or bring your own picnic.

• Cruising the Elbe, the Danube, and the Rhine: This trio of rivers, along with their tributaries, dominated German commerce for hundreds of years. Today, an armada of tugboats, barges, and cruise ships still plies the muddy waters beside riverbanks lined with the historic majesty (and sometimes the industrial might) of central Europe. Cruises begin and end at large cities of historic interest and last anywhere from 6 hours to 7 days.

• Boating on the Königssee: A “King’s Lake” must surely be the best, and the natural beauty surrounding this body of cold, dark water doesn’t disappoint. The quiet boat ride using electric motors will allow you to hear the echoes off the forest-covered mountainsides, as you discover baroque chapels and isolated hamlets along the shore. It might just make a Romantic poet out of you.

• Hiking in the Bavarian Alps: If you’re heeding the call to climb every mountain, then the Bavarian Alps are the place to be in summer. Germany’s excellent network of trails, guides, and huts will allow you to discover the wealth of wildlife and stunning scenery. Two of the countless highlights include the 1,240m (4,070-ft.) Eckbauer south of Partenkirchen, and the southeastern “ear lobe” of Berchtesgaden National Park.

• Ascending the Zugspitze: If the gentle inclines of the Harz Mountains or the Thuringian forests aren’t dramatic enough for you, ride the cable car from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to the top of Germany’s tallest mountain, 2,960m (9,700 ft.) above sea level. The view from the top is suitably panoramic, and you’ll find an appealing aura of German-ness that comes from the many climbers and trekkers who fan out across the hiking trails.

• Experiencing a German Spa: In Germany, the question isn’t whether to visit a spa, but rather which spa to visit. Each resort has its virtues and historical associations, and can supply a list of the health benefits associated with its awful-tasting waters. Regardless of your choice, you’ll emerge from your treatment with a more relaxed attitude and a greater appreciation of German efficiency and sensuality. The most famous spas are in Baden-Baden.

• Motoring along the Neckar: The Neckar River meanders through about 80km (50 miles) of some of Germany’s most famous vineyards. But the real appeal of the winding road along the water is the medieval castles scattered along the way. Highlights en route include Heidelberg, Neckarsteinach, Hirschhorn, Eberbach, Zwingenberg, and Burg Hornberg. Don’t forget to stop en route for samplings of the local wines.

• Spending Harvest Time in the German Vineyards: Springtime in Germany brings the promise of bounty to the legendary vineyards of the Rhine and Mosel valleys, but the autumn harvest is truly the time to visit. Between late August and mid-October, the banks of the rivers turn gold and russet, and armies of workers gather buckets of grapes from rows of carefully pruned vines. Most of the medieval villages and historic castles scattered between Koblenz and Trier are associated with estates where you can sample the wines.

• Touring the Fairy-Tale Road (Märchenstrasse): This is one of the newer marketing ideas of the German tourist authorities, but considering its appeal, you’ll wonder why they didn’t think of it earlier. From the town of Hanau (a 30-min. drive northeast of Frankfurt), the route zigzags northward along the Weser River for about 600km (370 miles), through some of Germany’s most evocative folkloric architecture, ending in Bremen. Scores of well-marked detours pepper the way. Required reading for the trip is a collection of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and the Nibelungen legends. Don’t overlook the psychological implications of Goldilocks, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Pied Piper of Hameln.

• Lounging on the Island of Sylt: Don’t expect a lush or verdant island—the climate is temperamental, the setting is savage, the winds blow cold from the north even in summer, and the grasses that manage to survive in the sandy dunes are as weathered and sturdy as the soldiers in a Prussian regiment. Why is it wonderful? Here, the no-nonsense residents of north Germany can preen, flutter, and show off to each other, far from the strictures of their workplaces and the hardworking grind of their everyday lives.

The best Museums

Financial prosperity, artistic flair, and academic curiosity have helped the Germans develop some of the finest museums anywhere.

• Neues Museum, Berlin: Left in ruins for decades after World War II, this museum today houses one of the greatest Egyptian museums in the world, filled with plunder from ancient Egypt. It is home to the celebrated bust of Queen Nefertiti, and its Papyrus Collection is also one of the finest in the world.

• Bode-Museum, Berlin: One of the greatest museums of Germany, the Bode reopened in 2008 to great acclaim. It houses a vast array of museums including a collection of late ancient and Byzantine art. The Picture Gallery is one of the grandest in Germany, and it is particularly strong in masterpieces from the Dutch and German schools of the 15th and 16th centuries.

• Gemäldegalerie, Berlin: This is one of Europe’s leading art museums, with a celebrated collection of works from the 13th to the 18th century. The cavalcade of major European masters ranges from Botticelli and Bruegel to Vermeer and Velázquez. Divided during the Cold War, the collection has been reunited in one home since 1998. The lighting and displays are better than ever.

• Pergamonmuseum, Berlin: Built in 1930 on an island in the Spree, this museum contains entirely reconstructed temples from ancient Assyria, Greece, Rome, and Sumer. Don’t miss the sprawling exhibitions devoted to the ancient art of the Islamic world and the Far East.

• Zwinger, Dresden: A vast rectangular esplanade flanked with pavilions, heroic statues, formal gardens, and galleries, this museum was designed for August the Strong (elector of Saxony and king of Poland), by his favorite architect, Pöppelmann (1662–1736). The destruction of the Zwinger (in the final days of World War II), one of Dresden’s most beautiful buildings, was a great loss, though its postwar reconstruction was a triumph for the East German government. Among the treasures amassed inside are paintings, 18th-century Dresden porcelain, and an ornamental collection of antique weapons.

• Deutsches Museum, Munich: Since 1925, this Louvre of science and technology has led the way in documenting humanity’s innovation. Thoroughly fascinating and amusingly hands-on, its historical exhibits will surely keep you entertained for hours.

• Alte Pinakothek, Munich: This outstanding collection of paintings spanning the 15th to 18th centuries rivals its counterparts in Cologne and Berlin. Its Rubens are gems, and Dürer fans may have to be subdued by the guards. The 19th-century hall provides just the right dosage of art for a few hours.

• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Dachau, near Munich: Heinrich Himmler first organized Dachau as a concentration camp for enemies of the Reich in 1933. An escaped inmate, Joseph Rovan, described it as “implacable, perverted, an organization that was totally murderous, a marvelous machine for the debasement and dehumanizing of man.” Today, it’s one of the most poignant museums in the world.

• Lenbachhaus, Munich: Housed in the former villa of portrait painter Franz von Lenbach, this museum has a stunning and internationally renowned collection of modern art. In addition to works from the Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) group, including Kandinsky, a rich collection of Gothic artwork is an added treat.

• Gutenberg Museum, Mainz: This museum is one of the most comprehensive tributes to printing and publishing anywhere in the world. The bulky presses, on which Johannes Gutenberg used movable type (42 lines per page), and two of the earliest Bibles ever printed are the primary displays here. There’s also a historical rundown on the science and technologies that have dominated the printing industry ever since.

• Museum Ludwig, Cologne: This is the home of one of the world’s largest collections of the works of Pablo Picasso, equaled only by the Picasso museums of Barcelona and Paris. The museum’s collection was beefed up when Irene Ludwig, widow of the late German art patron Peter Ludwig, donated 774 works of Picasso to the museum.

• Wallraf-Richartz Museum/Foundation Corboud, Cologne: The oldest museum in Cologne presents one of Germany’s grandest collections of art, covering the 14th to the 19th century. The collection of Gothic works alone is one of the finest in Europe, and the galleries are a virtual encyclopedia of art, from Flemish old masters to the French Impressionists.

• Kunsthalle, Hamburg: The leading art museum in northern Germany, the Kunsthalle is one of the most important in Europe, with some 3,000 paintings in its treasure-trove, along with some 400 sculptures. Some of its rare treasures date from the 14th century, including works by Bertram, the leading German master of the time. One section of the gallery also displays modern works, including pieces by such artists as Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, and Picasso.

The best Castles & Palaces

During the Middle Ages, Germany was divided into many intensely competitive feudal states and principalities. This unstable atmosphere encouraged the construction of fortified castles. As hostilities died down, architects began to design for comfort, style, and prestige, adding large windows, gilded stucco and plaster, frescoes, and formal gardens. As a result, Germany is full of all kinds and styles of Burg and Schloss (various names for castles and palaces).

• Sanssouci Palace, Potsdam: Friedrich the Great’s retreat, where he came to read, listen to music, and generally renew his allegiance to the principles of the Enlightenment, is Germany’s most successful blend of landscape and architecture. The more than 120 hectares (300 acres) of intricately landscaped gardens have enough pavilions, fountains, orangeries, and heroic statues to keep a visitor intrigued for days. The palace itself is an architectural highlight, approached by a terraced staircase of sublime beauty.

• Schloss Wartburg, Eisenach: Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, this was the headquarters of the Landgraves of Thuringia, a center of patronage for the Minnesinger (troubadours) of Germany, and a place of refuge for Martin Luther, who completed his translation of the Bible within its massive walls. Wagner used it as inspiration for the setting of Tannhäuser, and Johann Sebastian Bach and Goethe both visited. Today, from its position on a rocky hilltop, it’s a regional museum.

• Residenz, Würzburg: Built between 1720 and 1744 as the official residence of the powerful bishops of Würzburg, this is one of the most massive baroque palaces in Germany. It combines a Hofkirche (chapel) with gardens, a gallery of paintings, frescoes by Tiepolo, and enough decoration to satisfy the most demanding taste for ornamentation. Also within its showrooms are a worthy collection of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts and valuable paintings from the 14th to the 19th century.

• Neuschwanstein, near Füssen: Love it or hate it, this fairy-tale castle is actually a phenomenon worth seeing. Enter the romantic world of “Mad” King Ludwig II and his theater set designer, a world that further inspired the folks at Disneyland, or marvel at the tourist circus surrounding the 19th-century fantasy. Either way, the outstanding mountain scenery alone is worth the trip.

• Hohenschwangau Castle, near Füssen: Watching its bombastic younger brother from the opposite hill, this lesser-known residence built on 12th-century ruins merits just as much a visit. Finished in 1836, the eventual king Maximilian II lived here with his family, which included the young Ludwig II.

• Schloss Nymphenburg, Munich: This summer palace constructed between 1664 and 1674 features fine interiors on a modest scale that will leave you with enough energy to enjoy the splendid gardens and pavilions. An ideal place to experience the former glory of the long-lost Bavarian kingdom.

• Schloss Linderhof, near Oberammergau: This palace was built in the 1870s as a teenage indulgence by Ludwig II. Its architects created a whimsically eclectic fantasy, inspired by Italian baroque architecture. In the surrounding park, Moorish pavilions and Mediterranean cascades appear against Alpine vistas in combinations that are as startling as they are charming.

• Altes Schloss, Meersburg: Legend has it that this palace’s cornerstone was laid in 628 by Dagobert, king of the Franks. The palace remained a Catholic stronghold even during the Protestant Reformation, housing bishops who appreciated its 3m-thick (10-ft.) walls as a bulwark against the rising tempest around them. In the early 1800s, when its owners threatened to tear the palace down, a German Romantic, Baron Joseph von Lassberg, bought it and transformed it into a refuge for writers, poets, and painters. Although it remains mostly a private residence, you can visit many parts of the palace.

• Heidelberg Castle, Heidelberg: This castle originated as a Gothic-Renaissance masterpiece in the 1500s and was massively expanded as rival rulers competed for control of the Rhineland. After the French sacked and burned the town and the castle in 1689, it never regained its original glory. Today, the ruins brood in dignified severity from a position on a rocky hilltop high above the student revelry and taverns of the folkloric city below.

• Burg Eltz, Moselkern, near Cochem: Its multiple turrets and towers, which rise amid a thick forest near the Mosel River, evoke the chivalry and poetry of the Middle Ages. This is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Germany.

The best Cathedrals

• Kaiserdom (Imperial Cathedral), Speyer: Partly because of their age, Romanesque churches are the most impressive symbols of early medieval Germany. This massive church, from 1030, has four bell towers; a cornerstone laid by one of Germany’s earliest kings, Konrad II; and an undeniable sense of the (anonymous) architect’s aesthetic links with the traditions of ancient Rome.

• Dom St. Peter, Worms: This church is a grand example of High Romanesque style, its oldest section dating from 1132. The Diet of Worms, held here in 1521, condemned the beliefs of the young Martin Luther and banished him to the far boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire.

• Kölner Dom, Cologne: Based on French Gothic models in Paris and Amiens, this cathedral was envisioned as one of the largest religious buildings in Christendom. It required 600 years to finish—work stopped for about 300 years (1560–1842), until the neo-Gothic fervor of the Romantic age fueled its completion. In 1880, it was inaugurated with appropriate pomp and circumstance in the presence of the German kaiser. Today, its vast russet-colored bulk towers are instantly recognizable from miles away.

• Dom (Cathedral), Aachen: Its size and the stonework dating from 1414 are deeply impressive, but even more so is the cathedral’s association with the earliest of German emperors, Charlemagne. He was crowned in an older building on this site in A.D. 800. The cathedral’s treasury contains gem-encrusted Christian artifacts from the 10th century, with heft and barbaric glitter that evoke pre-Christian Germania.

The most charming Small Villages

• Quedlinburg: Spared in part from the ravages of World War II, this town in the Harz mountains still evokes the Middle Ages with its 1,600 half-timbered buildings, more than any other town in the country. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Quedlinburg is a gem of yesterday and was an imperial residence for 2 centuries. Wander the cobblestone streets of the Altstadt (Old Town) for a journey back in time.

• Meissen: Some 25km (16 miles) north of Dresden, this is a romantic little town built along the banks of the River Elbe. It’s celebrated for its porcelain, which carries a trademark of two crossed blue swords and is valued by collectors the world over. Even without its porcelain factory, the town merits a visit for its quiet charm, its old buildings, and its 15th-century castle.

• Rothenburg: If you have time for only one stop along the Romantic Road, make it Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which may be your only chance in life to see a still-intact medieval walled city. Rothenburg exists in a time capsule, though 40% of the town was destroyed during World War II. Luckily, locals quickly rebuilt their Altstadt in its former style to reclaim their glorious architectural past.

• Dinkelsbühl: If you have time for a second stop along the Romantic Road, try Dinkelsbühl. Though not as grand as the more celebrated Rothenburg, it has far fewer tourists and therefore retains more old-time charm.

• Mittenwald: This town has long been celebrated as the most beautiful in the Bavarian Alps, with magnificently decorated houses, painted facades and ornately carved gables. In the mid–17th century, it was known as “the Village of a Thousand Violins” because of the stringed instruments made here.

• Lindau: Dating from the 9th century, this former free imperial town of the Holy Roman Empire is like a fantasy of what a charming Bavarian lakeside village should look like, if only in the movies. But this garden “city,” under landmark protection, is for real. Lindau is enveloped by aquamarine waters, and one part of it is known as the Gartenstadt because of its luxuriant flowers and shrubs.

• Rüdesheim: The Rhine Valley’s most popular wine town is set along the edge of the mighty river. Rüdesheim is known for its half-timbered buildings and its Drosselgasse (Thrush Lane), a narrow cobblestone lane stretching for 180m (600 ft.) and lined with wine taverns and cozy restaurants.

• Cochem: If you’re seeking an idyllic medieval riverside town during your “grape tour” of the Mosel River valley, make it Cochem, famous for its towering castle, dating from 1027. On the left bank of the Mosel, Cochem lies in a picture-postcard setting of vineyards. Little inns serving a regional cuisine along with plenty of Mosel wine make Cochem a highly desirable overnight stop and a nice alternative to the more commercial centers found along the nearby Rhine.

The best Driving Tours

The appeal of the open road is a prominent part of German culture. Some of the best drives include the following:

• The Romantic Road: This well-traveled 350km (220 mile) route, which stretches between Würzburg and Füssen at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, is dotted with lovely medieval towns.

• The Fairy-Tale Road: The colorful characters of the Brothers Grimm live again along this 595km (370-mile) stretch, beginning in the little town of Hanau and stretching all the way north to Bremen. This is one of the great motor trips of Germany for those who thrilled to those nursery-room favorites.

• Alpine Road: Scenic majesty and architectural charm combine for an unforgettable experience on this 480km (300-mile) road through the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. See “Exploring the Region by Car.”

• Upper Black Forest: Fairy tales always seem more believable when you’re in the Black Forest, and the twisting secondary roads that connect Freiburg with Lake Titisee pass through lots of charming scenery and architecture. See the box “An Excursion to the Upper Black Forest.”

• Mosel Valley: The road along this Rhine tributary passes by some of the country’s most famous vineyards. At least a half-dozen of the cities en route are worth visiting as well.

The best Walks

• The Royal Castle Walk: For one of the grandest panoramas in all of the Alps (in any country), hike up to the Marienbrücke, the bridge that spans the Pöllat Gorge behind Neuschwanstein Castle. From there, if you’re up to it, you can continue uphill for about an hour for an amazing view of “Mad” King Ludwig’s fantasy castle.

• Partnachklamm: One of the most dramatic walks in all of the Bavarian Alps starts from the great winter sports resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. A signposted trail leads to the dramatic Partnachklamm Gorge. Carved from solid rock, the route passes two panoramic bottlenecks amid the thunder of falling water and clouds of spray.

• Mainau Island: A walk across the footbridge to Mainau, in Lake Constance, is like a visit to a tropical country. Mainau is filled with exotic plants collected by the Baden princes and members of the Royal House of Sweden. Tropical brushwood and other botanical wonders still thrive in this mild climate. You’ll hardly believe you’re in Germany.

• Cochem: Reichsburg Cochem (Cochem Castle), which towers over the little town of the same name, can be reached on foot in about 15 minutes from the town’s Marktplatz. Although hardly an Alpine climb, this walk is one of the most rewarding you’ll find in Germany, with panoramas in all directions.

The best Biking

• Munich by Bike: You see so many locals riding bikes that you might think Munich is the biking capital of Germany. If you’d like to join the fun, pick up a copy of the pamphlet Rad-Touren für unsere Gäste (Bike-Riding for Our Guests) at the tourist office. It outlines itineraries for touring Munich by bike.

• Lake Constance: Rent a bike at the train station in the former imperial town of Lindau, and set out in any direction to enjoy the views of this beautiful lake. The Lindau tourist office will provide a map and suggestions for the best routes to follow.

• The Neckar Valley Cycle Path: This signposted path allows you to follow the source of the Neckar, beginning in Villingen-Schwenningen and going all the way to the confluence of the Rhine at Mannheim. Instead of going the entire way, many visitors prefer to pick up a bicycle in Heidelberg and cycle along the riverbanks until they find a good spot for a picnic. See “Exploring on Two Wheels.”

• Lüneburg Heath: This wild heath in northern Germany is one of the country’s major natural attractions. (Some of Germany’s greatest poets have waxed rhapsodic about this shrub-covered land.) Rent a bike, pick up a map at the Lüneburg tourist office, and set out on your adventure. See “The Lüneburg Heath.”

The best Spas

• Bad Reichenhall: Many spa lovers head for this remote corner of Bavaria to “take the waters.” Europe’s largest saline source was first tapped in pre-Christian times and the place has a definite 19th-century aura. And though some of the hotels in the town are better than others, all have equal access to the spa and lie about a 5-minute walk away.

• Baden-Baden: There’s no better spa in all of Germany, and certainly none more fashionable or famous—it’s also site of the country’s most celebrated casino. Baden-Baden’s spa’s been going strong since the leisure class of the 19th century discovered its healing waters, although the Roman legions of Emperor Caracalla had discovered the springs long before that. As at Bad Reichenhall, all hotels, no matter the price range, have equal access to the spa.

• Wiesbaden: One of Germany’s oldest cities, Wiesbaden attracted Roman legions to its hot springs, and lures today’s fashionable traveler as well. It’s not as chic as Baden-Baden, but Wiesbaden has one of Germany’s most elegant casinos and concert halls, along with two gourmet restaurants. In summer, the beer garden at the Kurhaus is one of the liveliest along the Rhine.

• Bad Homburg: Bad Homburg lies at the foot of the Taunus Hills in a setting of medieval castles and luxuriant forests. There are more than 31 fountains in the town’s Kurpark. The Bad Homburg Palace was once the summer residence of Prussian kings.

The best Luxury Hotels

German efficiency and cleanliness are legendary, so it’s not surprising that you can choose from a great number of well-managed hotels.

• Grand Hotel Esplanade, Berlin (www.esplanade.de; 866/597-8341 in the U.S., or 030/254788255): This strikingly contemporary hotel near several foreign embassies is one of the most prestigious in the German capital. With its collection of modern art, its spacious, cheerfully decorated rooms, and its first-class service, it is a prime address for the luxury minded.

• The Regent, Berlin (www.theregentberlin.com; 888/201-1806 in the U.S., or 030/20338): One of Germany’s great luxury hotels, the Regent is all about opulence, superb service, and comfort. It’s discreet, tasteful, reliable, and a brilliant addition to the roster of luxury leaders in Germany’s capital.

• Hotel Elephant, Weimar (www.starwoodhotels.com; 03643/8020): This is one of Germany’s most interesting hotels because of its age (over 300 years), its name, its 50-year survival in Germany’s eastern zone, and its associations with such luminaries as Schiller, Liszt, and Goethe. Today, it’s a cost-conscious treasure chest of German history.

• Eisenhut, Rothenburg ob der Tauber (www.eisenhut.com; 09861/7050): This hotel’s 16th-century walls and valuable collection of antiques enhance the appeal of the most authentic Renaissance town in Germany.

• Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski München, Munich (www.kempinski.com; 800/426-3135 in the U.S., or 089/21250): Munich’s most prestigious choice offers elegance and luxury. The wealthy and titled have checked in here for more than a century, enjoying the ambience, the antiques, the style, and the grace.

• Bayerischer Hof & Palais Montgelas, Munich (www.bayerischerhof.de; 089/21200): This deluxe hotel and 17th-century Bavarian palace together form Munich’s answer to New York’s Waldorf-Astoria. This is the only hotel in Munich to provide serious competition for the Kempinski Hotel.

• Der Kleine Prinz, Baden-Baden (www.derkleineprinz.de; 07221/346600): This hotel’s director once helped manage the New York Hilton and the Waldorf-Astoria. Today, he and his wife run a century-old pair of neobaroque houses in the heart of Germany’s most elegant resort, Baden-Baden. Inspired by Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince this stands as one of the most romantic of Germany’s many romantic hotels.

• Krone Assmannshausen, Rüdesheim-Assmannshausen (www.hotel-krone.com; 06722/4030): Sprawling along the banks of the Rhine in an oversize, grangelike, gingerbread-laden fantasy, this hotel has witnessed the arrival of many important Germans (including Goethe) in its 400 years. It also contains one of the best traditional restaurants in town.

• Fürstenhof Celle, Celle (www1.fuerstenhof.de; 05141/2010): This 17th-century manor, enlarged with half-timbered wings, stands out even in a town legendary for its medieval and Renaissance buildings. There’s a cozy bar in the medieval cellar and one of the best dining rooms in Lower Saxony.

• Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hamburg (www.fairmont.com/hamburg; 888/425-8227 in the U.S. and Canada, or 040/34940): Its dignified interior is as opulent as its 19th-century facade. This hotel’s appeal is correctly aristocratic, but it has a touch of the saltwater zestiness that makes Hamburg a great city.

The best Small Inns & Hotels

• Art’otel, Berlin (www.artotels.com; 030/884470): This hotel in the heart of Berlin is chic, discreet, and unique. The swirling action of the Ku’Damm lies right outside the door, but inside, the decor is soothing and serene, the work of some of the Continent’s top designers.

• Altstadt-Hotel, Passau (www.altstadt-hotel.de; 0851/3370): This inexpensive hotel stands at the convergence of three rivers—the Danube, the Ilz, and the Inn. But the hotel offers more than river views—it’s comfortably and traditionally furnished, and its regional cuisine and convivial pub attract the locals.

• Gästehaus Englischer Garten, Munich (www.hotelenglischergarten.de; 089/3839410): This is an oasis of charm and tranquillity, close to the Englischer Garten, where buffed Munich lies out nude in the sun. The furnishings are in an old-fashioned Bavarian style, but the comfort level is first-rate.

• Parkhotel Atlantic Schlosshotel, Heidelberg (www.parkhotel-atlantic.de; 06221/60420): This 24-room inn is on the wooded outskirts of Heidelberg, near the famous castle. Every room is comfortable and convenient, and in the afternoon you can go for long walks along the woodland trails surrounding the property.

• Antik-Hotel Bristol, Cologne (www.antik-hotel-bristol.de; 0221/120195): In the heart of this cathedral city along the Rhine, this unique hotel is filled with antiques, both country rustic and town-house elegant, making the atmosphere both authentic and inviting.

The best Restaurants

• Die Quadriga, Berlin ( 030/214050;www.brandenburger-hof.com): Critics hail this gastronomic wonder in the Hotel Brandenburger Hof as Berlin’s finest dining choice. Celebrated for its modern Continental cuisine, it’s where the president of Germany takes his favorite guests when he wants to “show off.” While seated in a 1904 chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, you can enjoy food that is, in a word, sublime.

• Essigbrätlein, Nürnberg ( 0911/225131): Food critics single this out as the best dining spot in Nürnberg, and we heartily agree. Its upscale Franconian and Continental cuisine is reason enough to visit the city.

• Weinhaus Zum Stachel, Würzburg ( 0931/52770;www.weinhaus-stachel.de): This is the oldest (ca. 1413) wine house in a town loaded with them. Food is good, portions are copious, the wine flows, and everyone has a wonderful time. This is old-time Deutschland at its most appealing.

• Tantris, Munich ( 089/3619590;www.tantris.de): Savvy German food critics have honored Tantris’s Hans Haas as the country’s top chef. He definitely serves some of the finest and most innovative food in Bavaria.

• Hanse Stube, Cologne ( 0221/2701;www.excelsiorhotelernst.com): Located in a landmark hotel, this restaurant lies on the same square as the fabled Rhineland cathedral. French cuisine in Cologne doesn’t get any better than this—the chefs have a prodigious talent for preparing food using only the finest and freshest ingredients.

• Victorian Restaurant, Düsseldorf ( 0211/865500;www.restaurant-victorian.de): Regulars know what a treasure they have in this restaurant: Market-fresh ingredients and a steady hand in the kitchen produce award-winning traditional and modern food.

• Waldhotel Sonnora, outside Bernkastel-Kues ( 06578/406;www.hotel-sonnora.de): In the Mosel Valley, the Waldhotel Sonnora is one of the most justifiably acclaimed restaurants in the country. Be sure to make a reservation as far in advance as possible and prepare yourself for a gastronomic adventure in Continental cuisine. Herr Thieltges, the chef, told us, “We don’t just serve dishes—rather, culinary masterpieces.” We agree.

• Fischereihafen Restaurant, Altona, near Hamburg ( 040/381816;www.fischereihafenrestaurant.de): Patrons from Tina Turner to Helmut Kohl have pronounced the food here delightful. From a window seat, you can overlook the boats that might have hauled in your sole, eel, turbot, herring, or flounder from the seas that day.

The best Beer Halls & Taverns

• Auerbachs Keller, Leipzig ( 0341/216100;auerbachs-keller-leipzig.de): The most famous tavern in eastern Germany, this is where Goethe staged the debate between Faust and Mephistopheles. The tavern dates from 1530 and has a series of murals evoking the Faust legend.

• Augustiner Bräustuben, Munich ( 089/5022569;www.braeustuben.de): Although many raid the famous Hofbräuhaus (see below), this authentic tavern at the backdoor of the Augustiner brewery combines the Bavarian camaraderie and flavorful fare without the tourist circus. It occupies the former horse stalls, but don’t fret—the odor has long since dissipated. Best of all, they fill the massive Mass glasses for one of the lowest prices in town.

* Hofbräuhaus, Munich ( 089/221676;www.hofbraeuhaus.de): Needing no introduction, the Hofbräuhaus can stake the claim as the world’s most famous beer hall, packing in up to 4,500 beer drinkers on any given night. Music from live bands and huge mugs of beer served at wooden tables combine to produce the best of Bavarian nighttime fun.

• Zum Roten Ochsen, Heidelberg ( 06221/20977;www.roterochsen.de): Over the years, “The Red Ox” has drawn beer drinkers from Mark Twain to Bismarck. Students have been getting plastered here since 1703, and the tradition continues to this day.

• Ratskeller, Bremen ( 0421/321676;ratskeller-bremen.de): This is one of the most celebrated Ratskellers in Germany. A tradition for decades, it serves top-notch German and international food and some of the best suds along the Rhineland, as well as one of the longest lists of vintage wines from the country’s vineyards.

The best Shopping

The best way to approach shopping here is to make it a part of your overall experience and not an end unto itself. Though Berlin and Munich are the major shopping centers in Germany, the rest of the country is okay—neither a shopper’s mecca nor the bargain basement of Europe. Still, you can find some good buys here.

• Porcelain: For centuries, Germany has been known for the quality of its porcelain. Names such as KPM, Rosenthal, and Meissen are household words. KPM, for example, has been a Berlin tradition for more than 2 centuries.

• Handicrafts: In the Bavarian Alps, woodcarvers still carry on their time-honored tradition. The best place to purchase woodcarvings is in the Alpine village of Oberammergau.

• Timepieces: Corny though they may be, carved Black Forest cuckoo clocks remain an enduring favorite.

• Cutlery: WMF (Württembergische-Metalwaren-Fabrik) and J. A. Henckels are two of the country’s premier producers of fine cutlery. Their knives are expensive, but longtime users say they last forever. Both WMF and Henckels stores are found all over Germany.

Germany in Depth

A unified, wealthy, industrial yet beautiful Germany awaits you and promises some of the most intriguing travel experiences in Europe.

Many of its treasures were lost in World War II, but much remains and has been restored. Natural scenery, particularly in the Black Forest, the Mosel Valley, the Harz Mountains, and the Bavarian Alps, is a potent lure.

For those who want to see history in the making, we’d recommend visiting Potsdam, Leipzig, Dresden, Meissen, and Weimar, all centers of East Germany before German unification in October 1990. Keep in mind, however, that although political developments have been fast paced, the infrastructure of the five new states cannot change overnight, and living standards there are still different from those in (the former) West Germany.

Germany is one of the most modern and, at the same time, the most traditional of countries. Its advanced technology and industry are the envy of the rest of the world. Here you’ll likely meet people of learning and sophistication, boasting a long cultural heritage and devotion to music and the arts.

This guide is meant to help you decide where to go in Germany and how best to enjoy its charms, but ultimately the most gratifying rewards will be your own serendipitous discoveries—drinking beer in a yard shaded by chestnut trees, picnicking in a Bavarian meadow, or spending time chatting with a winemaker in the Mosel Valley. You will surely remember experiences like these for years to come.

Germany Today

In late September 2009, Chancellor Angela Merkel swept to reelection, making her one of the longest-serving leaders among Europe’s major powers. Her Christian Democrats formed a new center-right government, triumphing over Social Democrats, who fared badly in the election.

In a union with the probusiness Free Democrats, Merkel strengthened her hand in Germany, and in the next year or so may begin to enact the kind of liberalizing economic plans she proposed when she first ran for chancellor.

Her victory was muted by Germany’s rising budget deficits as a result of the global economic crisis.

As an example of the changing times, Ms. Merkel, Germany’s first female chancellor, is joined by the first openly gay vice-chancellor and foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, who shepherded his Free Democrats to their strongest showing ever. All this occurring in a country that a few decades ago sent homosexuals to the concentration camps and the gas chambers, along with Jews and Gypsies.

It is still ranked low on the threat of terrorism in spite of memories of the 1972 Munich Massacre at the Olympic Games, in which 11 Jewish athletes were killed.

Germany has about 84 million citizens, making it the most densely populated of the nations in the E.U. The capital, Berlin, has the largest population, with some 3.5 million residents, trailed by Hamburg and Munich.

Germany today remains split between Protestantism and Catholicism, and it is not homogeneous, as each year it greets an influx of non-German immigrants.

Turks form the largest group of immigrants (2.3 million), followed by Sorbs (about 60,000) and even some 50,000 Dane, who live in Schleswig-Holstein near the Danish border.

In spite of a gloomy economy, Germany still remains the third-largest economy in the world, with exports counting for 40% of its GDP.

Although East and West Germany long ago united as the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, conflicts remain. Westerners often express resentment at having to spend so many of their euros on propping up the less affluent Easterners, who lived for so long under Communist rule.

The Ossis, as Easterners are known in Germany, often claim that they feel like poor cousins come to live with a far more affluent family, the Wessis (those from the former West Germany).

The friends you’re likely to meet in Germany (and you’re likely to meet many) will probably be well educated and will possess linguistic skills (almost certainly including English) that, by the standards of the rest of the world, particularly the United States, are astonishing. Many younger Germans are likely to be guided by a sense of idealism, even zeal, for ecological and other causes.

Germans, like Americans, are worried about job security. The greatest fear sweeping across Germany today is of “job hemorrhage.” German companies are finding that more and more of their manufacturing plants and jobs can be farmed out to other locations, including, ironically enough, Alabama and South Carolina, where wages and benefits for workers at a BMW plant are about 30% less than in Germany. In the Czech Republic, just across the border, wages are equivalent to 10% of those paid in Germany, for workers nearly as well qualified.

But in spite of its problems, a modern Germany, centered around Berlin, continues to remain at the epicenter of European culture and a continuing powerhouse in the E.U.

Looking Back: German History

Note About Maps

This guide contains dozens of maps of varying sizes and complexity. If you find it hard to read a map on your device, use the zoom function to enlarge. You can also download and/or printout PDFs of all of the maps in this guide. Go to www.frommers.com/go/ebookmaps and click on the title of your guide.

Germany’s Historic Borders

Early Days

“A large build, very strong in the attack, but not suitable to the same extent for heavy work” was how Tacitus, the Roman historian, described the Teutons in A.D. 60. The Romans had been trying to push the borders of their empire up to the Rhineland, with mixed success, since 9 B.C., but the Teutonic tribes fought back ferociously. The first recognized German national hero was Arminius, who led his tribe (the Cherusci) in defeating three Roman legions near modern-day Bielefeld in A.D. 9.

After the deterioration of the Roman Empire, the Franks ruled much of what we now know as Germany. In 800, a Frankish king, Charlemagne, extended the Carolingian Empire from the Pyrenees to Saxony and Bavaria. His rule marks the high point of cultural and political development of that period. He divided the empire into counties, each with an administrator directly responsible to him, and promoted education, scholarship, and the revival of Greek and Roman culture.

The Holy Roman Empire

After Charlemagne’s death, the Carolingian Empire fell apart. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun granted the empire’s eastern territory to Louis the German, marking the beginning of German history.

In 962, the pope recognized Otto I as emperor of what was later called the Holy Roman Empire. This new political entity was formed both to impose unity on the European political world and to create a bulwark against the invasion of non-Christian tribes. It claimed direct links to the grandeur of ancient Rome and to the more contemporary might of the church.

Unity, however, did not prevail. The empire splintered into a bickering alliance of dukedoms, bishoprics, and principalities. The emperor’s authority was often dependent on German nobles and the pope. A capital city that could have served as a center of power was never established—the monarch simply moved from one city to another, mustering an army and collecting revenue wherever he could—so the possibilities for dynastic intrigues were endless. In subsequent jockeying, the church itself was a voracious competitor for power. This power struggle broke out into open conflict in 1076, when Pope Gregory VII excommunicated the emperor, Henry IV, who was forced to stand barefoot in the snow outside Canossa, humiliated, awaiting a repeal.

To strengthen their position as the Holy Roman Empire declined, the emperors turned to alliances with the wealthy, independent trading ports to the north and east, under the federation of the Hanseatic League. Such German cities as Hamburg, Lübeck, and Bremen grew in both economic and political power. Eventually the league controlled trade as far as Novgorod in Russia.

The Reformation & the Religious Wars

When an Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, nailed his theological and political complaints to a church door in Wittenberg in 1517, he set off a political and religious wildfire that spread across the landscape of Europe. The fragmented political situation in Germany played into Luther’s hands: For every prince who condemned him, he found one to protect him. Luther’s Reformation fanned the flames of Germany’s political factions. A new conflict between Catholics and Protestants set the stage for the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48), which entrenched the divided sensibilities of the splintered nation.

The only powerful German state to emerge from these conflicts was Prussia, a tiny northeast kingdom on the Baltic Sea. The rise of Prussian power continued through the 18th century until, led by a soldier and patron of the Enlightenment, Friedrich (Frederick) the Great, Prussia became a major kingdom, with Berlin as its capital.

Napoleon Arrives

After the French Revolution, Napoleon and his new political ideas swept across Europe. The left bank of the Rhine came under French control. Under these pressures, the Holy Roman Empire officially came to an end in 1806. Around the same time, Napoleon’s armies invaded Prussia, making it, for a brief time, a part of the French Empire. But Napoleon was defeated at Leipzig in 1813; 2 years later, Britain and Prussia crushed him at the Battle of Waterloo.

Bismarck & Prussia

The Congress of Vienna (1814–15) redrew the map of Germany after Napoleon’s defeat, giving more territory to Prussia but making Austria the leader in a German Confederation. During this time, there was a rising spirit of nationalism, exploited to good effect by Prince Otto von Bismarck when he became Prussia’s prime minister in 1862. Prussia triumphed in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and after the subsequent Franco-Prussian War (1870–71), when Prussia laid siege to Paris, Bismarck succeeded in his goal of unification. Wilhelm I was made emperor of all Germany in 1871, and a strong, unified Germany at last took shape. Under Bismarck’s leadership, Germany adopted an advanced social welfare system and brought its military and industrial production, as well as technical and scientific achievements, to new heights.

The Prussians

Take, for instance, the Prussians: they are saints when compared with the French. They have every sort of excellence; they are honest, sober, hardworking, well instructed, brave, good sons, husbands, and fathers and yet . . . all with whom I have been thrown were proud as Scotchmen, cold as New Englanders, and touchy as only Prussians can be.

—Henry Labouchere, 1871

World War I

By 1907, Europe was divided into two camps: the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, Great Britain, and Russia). The match that ignited the powder keg was struck at Sarajevo in 1914, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The subsequent German invasion of France launched the bloodiest war the world had ever seen. A new and particularly demoralizing form of battle, “trench warfare,” produced staggering casualties. On August 8, 1918, the Allies penetrated German lines, and the German high command realized the situation was hopeless.

To get more favorable treatment from the Allies, the Germans voluntarily declared a parliamentary democracy, ending the reign of the kaiser. Despite that concession, in 1918 Germany was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Versailles, which demanded the surrender of strategic territories, including Alsace-Lorraine, just west of the Rhine. The Allies—especially the French—also demanded huge monetary reparations.

Weimar Republic

In 1919, the National Assembly met in Weimar to draw up a new constitution, hailed at the time as the most progressive in the world. But in defeated and humiliated postwar Germany, extremists from both the left and the right launched savage attacks against the inexperienced and idealistic government. Enormous payments demanded by the Allies crippled the German economy. When Germany couldn’t make reparations, France retaliated by occupying the Ruhr, one of Germany’s most valuable industrial resources. Inflation destroyed what was left of the German economy.

Life is a Cabaret

by George McDonald

Cabaret existed in Germany long before World War I, and even in its early days it strained against the boundaries of censorship and the prevailing moral climate. But the form really came into its own during the years that followed defeat in the war. During the 1920s and 30s, the chaos of the Weimar Republic, hyperinflation and economic meltdown, street battles between militias of right and left, and the steady rise of the anti-Semitic Nazi Party formed the backdrop to a collapse of traditional values. Live it up while you can and spend money while you have it was the new morality. Cabaret provided entertainment with a satirical and political bent that suited the mood and circumstances of the times, influenced by cutting-edge artistic and social movements such as Dadaism, social expressionism, and Neue Sachlichkeit (new objectivity).

Berlin between the wars generally gets the historical kudos when it comes to cabaret, but in fact the capital was a long way behind pre-war Munich in taking to the genre. German Kabarett emerged as different from original French form in that it was nearly always a vehicle for political satire. In clubs like Die Elf Scharfrichter (The Eleven Executioners), founded in 1901 in the Schwabing district, Munich’s bohemians, socialists, progressives, and avant-gardistes of all stripes got together to gripe and poke fun at the smug, stultifyingly bourgeois society in which they lived.

Life in between-the-wars Berlin inspired writers like, among others, Christopher Isherwood, who lived in the city from 1929 to 1933. He wrote The Berlin Stories (1946), comprising two novellas—Good-Bye to Berlin and Mr. Norris Changes Trains—based in part on his experiences. The first of the two stories became the source of the stage and film versions of Cabaret.

“Old chums” and many more fans are still rolling up to the louche cabaret depicted in the modern Broadway show Cabaret, first performed in 1966 and revived at regular intervals ever since, and in the Hollywood movie based on the show, Cabaret (1972), directed by Bob Fosse and starring Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey.

Famous Period Cabarets

Die Katakombe Comedian Werner Finck (1902–78) found “The Catacombs” on Bellevuestrasse, just off Potsdamer Platz, in Berlin in 1929. His subtle jibes at Brownshirts, the Gestapo, and other “pillars” of the Nazi establishment made him popular—and brought secret policemen into the audience to “take notes.” Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels ordered the cabaret closed in 1935, and Finck spent 6 weeks in a concentration camp before enlisting in the German army.

Kabarett der Komiker Better known as Kadeko, the Cabaret of Comics took a less risky approach than Die Katakombe in its choice of material. A well-known Kadeko Conferencier (Master of Ceremonies), Fritz Grunbaum, frequently employed his acid wit on his own audiences, ribbing them for, among other things, their disgusting eating habits.

Wien-München From 1915 to 1916, the “Vienna-Munich” cabaret in Munich had as its director the comic actor Karl Valentin, who has been dubbed “the German Chaplin.” In the 1930s, Valentin made two failed attempts to get his Panoptikum für Gruseliges und Nonsens (Panopticon for Horror and Nonsense) exhibit in Munich off the ground.

Living the Revival

Popular among visitors to Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Dresden, and other German towns is the kind of nightspot depicted in the musical Cabaret, with floor-show patter and acts that satirize the political and social scene, though the satire is less biting than it was during the time of the Weimar Republic. Some of today’s cabaret shows may remind you of Broadway blockbusters, without much of the intimacy of the smoky, trenchant cellar revues of the 1920s and early 1930s.

Playlist

• Berlin; Marlene Dietrich.

• Berlin Cabaret Songs; Ute Lemper, Mischa Spoliansky.

• Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins & Berlin Theatre Songs; Lotte Lenya.

• Songs of the Berlin Cabaret 1920–29; Friedrich Hollaender, Jody Karin Appelbaum, Marc-André Hamelin.

The Rise of Nazism

This was just the right climate for the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. The Nazis believed in the superiority of the Aryan race and blamed non-Aryans, particularly Jews, for Germany’s woes. At first Hitler’s anti-Semitic, nationalist ideas failed to gain popular support, even with right-wingers. Nazi membership in the Reichstag (parliament) dropped from 25 in 1925 to only a dozen following the elections of 1928.

In 1932, Hitler lost the electoral race for president against the compromise candidate of the democratic parties, war hero Paul von Hindenburg. Nevertheless, Hitler’s power increased, and on January 30, 1933, Hindenburg submitted to right-wing pressure and appointed Hitler chancellor. Upon Hindenburg’s death in 1934, Hitler declared himself Führer (leader) of the Third Reich, a new German empire. Protected by hastily drafted laws and regulations, he made his power absolute.

On June 30, 1934, Hitler disposed of any opposing elements in his own party in the “Night of Long Knives,” when hundreds were massacred, including Ernst Röhm, chief of his notorious Brownshirts. Heinrich Himmler’s black-shirted Schutzstaffel (SS) became a powerful political force. Surrounded by adoring fans (or, at best, passive witnesses), Hitler now viewed his empire as a worthy successor to those of Charlemagne and Bismarck.

In 1936, Hitler remilitarized the Rhineland and signed agreements with Japan and fascist Italy, forming the Axis alliance. In 1938, he enforced the Anschluss (annexation) of Austria and marched triumphantly into the country of his birth, and he occupied the German-speaking Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, an act that other western powers could not summon the will to oppose.

The horrors of unchecked Nazi rule lasted until 1945. The Gestapo, or secret police, launched one of the most notorious reigns of terror in history. Anyone whom the Nazis considered enemies or simply undesirables—which included Communists, Social Democrats, homosexuals, political dissidents, Gypsies, and many others—was persecuted. Jews were disenfranchised, terrorized, and forced into ghettos and concentration camps.

World War II

In late August 1939, Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union that gave him free rein to launch an invasion of Poland, which he did on September 1. France and Britain, honoring their agreements with Poland, declared war on Germany. Germany scored early victories, and in one of the most stunning campaigns of the 20th century, invaded and occupied France in June 1940. In 1941, Hitler turned on the Soviet Union.

Meeting in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee in 1942, the Nazi leadership formulated the implementation of the “final solution” to the “Jewish question,” the systematic extermination of millions of Jews. The mass murders of homosexuals, Gypsies, Communists, Slavs, and other “undesirables” were less systematic but also numbered in the millions.

Following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the United States on December 11, 1941. But after defeats in north Africa in 1942 and at Stalingrad in 1943, the recurrent theme became one of Nazi retreat. The D-day landings along the coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944, began the steady advance of the Allied armies from the west, while Soviet armies relentlessly marched toward Berlin from the east. Hitler committed suicide in Berlin in April 1945. His country, along with much of Europe, lay in ruins.

Division of Germany

The Berlin Wall

At war’s end, Germany and its capital were divided. The nation shrank in size, losing long-held territories (among them East Prussia and Upper Silesia). The United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union divided the country into four zones of occupation. Berlin, in the heart of the Soviet district, was also divided among the four powers. In the late 1940s, the Soviet Union tried to cut off Allied access to Berlin, but a massive U.S.-sponsored airlift into the city thwarted the effort. In 1949, the Soviets established the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In response, the Federal Republic of Germany was established in the American, British, and French zones. In 1961, the GDR sealed off its borders and erected the Berlin Wall, a stark symbol of the Cold War.

Throughout the 1960s, the financial world buzzed with the talk of an economic miracle in Germany. Led by Ludwig Erhard, the economist, this miracle was called Wirtschaftswunder, and it saw West Germany rise to become the fourth-largest economy in the world.

This era of prosperity also saw the rise of a young German leader, Willy Brandt. Along with his Social-Liberal Coalition, Brandt, as chancellor, brought about long-overdue reform, an overhaul of education, and much improvement in industrial relations. His controversial Ostpolitik (Eastern Policy) improved relations with Soviet-dominated East Germany and other Communist countries to the east of Germany. His efforts in normalizing relations with the GDR brought Brandt the Nobel Prize of 1971.

The 1972 Summer Olympic Games were meant to show the entire world the bold new face of a radically rebuilt Munich. However, the terrorist attack on and murder of 11 Israeli athletes revived memories of the recent past.

Helmut Schmidt became chancellor in 1974, as West Germany continued to amaze the world with its economic muscle. Problems such as mounting unemployment remained, however, and in 1982, Helmut Kohl became the new German leader, pursuing welfare cuts, a tight-fisted money policy, and military cooperation with the U.S. The Kohl era saw the Green Party rise as a political force, with its goals of disarmament and protecting a fragile environment.

Fall of the Wall & Unification

The year 1989 was one of change and turmoil. In the wake of the collapse of Communist power across eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall also fell. The following year was perhaps the most significant in postwar German history. The two German nations announced economic unification in July, followed by total unification—with its thousands of inherent problems and headaches—on October 3, 1990. In 1991, Parliament voted to quit Bonn, seat of the West German government, and reestablish the once-mighty capital of Berlin.

After the first heady period of reunification, disillusionment set in, especially in eastern Germany, which was riddled with unemployment and unrealized expectations. Resentment against immigrant workers led to some violent neo-Nazi marches, bombings, and physical assaults. However, most Germans rose up to condemn the ultrarightists and the sporadic violence.

Psychological and emotional differences between the two zones were almost overwhelming, as were the vast disparities in industrial development. As the influential newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau editorialized, “The terms of east and west are not so much geographical expressions as they are descriptions of states of mind.”

Modern Germany

As the 21st century began, Germany, despite the enormous costs of reunification, remained an economic powerhouse in Europe. As a member of the European Union (E.U.), NATO, and the G8 group of the world’s industrial powers, Germany’s influence extends throughout Europe and across the globe.

Moving deeper into the 21st century, Berlin has become the center of the Continent. Of the three major European powers, including France and Great Britain, Germany appears to be the most dynamic. In fact, of all E.U. members, Germany most actively pursued the abandonment of national currencies, such as its own historic deutsche mark, and the adoption of the euro as the standard unit of currency for all E.U. countries. Other countries, such as Great Britain, though a member of the E.U., still hold back. German economists continue to hope that the adoption of a single currency for Europe will lead to prosperity for all in a future “United States of Europe.”

Homosexuals, once persecuted by the Nazis and sent to death camps along with Jews and Gypsies, moved significantly forward in postmillennium Germany. In 2001, in spite of fierce opposition from some conservatives, same-sex partners won legal status in Germany. The law, announced in Germany’s unofficial gay capital of Berlin, allows gay couples to register their unions at government offices and requires a court decision for divorce. Same-sex couples also receive the inheritance and health-insurance rights given married spouses.

In the aftermath of World War II, Germany had become an economic giant but remained a military midget. Because of its aggression in Hitler’s war, Germany appeared reluctant to make a strong show of military force anywhere in the world. But in 2001, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder announced a major change in military policy in which Germany would pursue a “more muscular policy.” He pronounced as “irrevocably passed” the day when Germany would be economically powerful but militarily passive. Schröder stated that now that Germany was reunited, it had to take on more responsibilities in the international community. As proof of his stated goal, Germany sent troops to aid the United States in its military strikes against terrorist bases in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.

But support for U.S. policies abruptly ended in 2003, when Chancellor Schröder took a stance against America’s war with Iraq. While this course proved politically rewarding in Germany, where most voters opposed U.S. involvement, it created a sharp rift with Washington, D.C., and irritated President George W. Bush. Schröder’s opposition to the war led to the lowest point in German-American relations since World War II. Since then, relations have been more cordial. In 2004 Schröder and Bush issued a joint statement on “The German-American Alliance for the 21st Century.” Schröder also attended the funeral of President Reagan as well as the 60th anniversary of the commemoration of the Allied D-day invasion of Normandy.

In a surprise development in 2005, conservative Angela Merkel became the first woman to govern modern Germany and the country’s first leader to grow up under communism in the Soviet-occupied East. Her conservatives finished just 1 percentage point ahead of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s center-left Social Democrats, with neither party getting a majority.

Merkel campaigned on pledges to shake up Germany’s highly regulated labor market and get the stagnant economy going again. She also promised to reinvigorate relations with the U.S. Merkel faced massive problems, including unemployment. Like the United States, the German economy remained strong but there were horrendous problems, including an economic slowdown. The financial burden of reunification has exerted a terrible price on Germany.

The new “First Man” of Germany, Merkel’s husband is mild-mannered chemistry professor Joachim Sauer, who likes to cook for friends and watch old Dustin Hoffman movies.

Although Germany in 2006 and early 2007 didn’t do anything earthshaking enough to discuss here, a significant historical event occurred in Luxembourg. An agreement was reached to open up millions of Nazi secret archives locked away since World War II. The vast archive has been hidden for decades in the German town of Bad Arolsen, but will in time become available to researchers.

An 11-nation International Commission has overseen the archives since the war. The files are available to Holocaust survivors and families of victims whose fate may not be clear. The files contain most of what the Nazis recorded on their death camps, including the prisoners held there, not only Jews but Gypsies and gay people, including “patients” subjected to cruel medical experiments.

In the fall of 2009, Chancellor Angela Merkel swept to victory with her conservative Christian Democrats in an alliance with the probusiness Free Democrats. Since then, her popularity has declined as Germany’s economy suffered under the global economic crisis. The nation as a whole is on the gloomy side, since the country’s money formed a significant part of the bailout for Greece in 2010.

Art & Architecture

Germany’s art ranges from medieval carved wood statues to Dürer prints to expressionist paintings, its architecture from Gothic cathedrals and riotous baroque chapels to neoclassical temples and Bauhaus buildings. This overview should help you make sense of it all.

German Art

Romanesque (11th–12th c.)

Artistic expression in early medieval Germany was largely church related. Because Mass was said in Latin, the illiterate masses had to learn Bible lessons via bas reliefs (sculptures that project slightly from a flat surface) and wall paintings, which told key tales to inspire faith in God and fear of sin.

The best examples of this period include scraps of surviving Romanesque sculpture on the 11th-century, carved wood doors at Cologne’s St. Maria im Kapitol, Augsburg’s Dom St. Maria, and the intricate The Shrine of the Magi reliquary (1182–1220) in Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral; ).

Gothic (13th–15th c.)

Late medieval German art continued to be largely ecclesiastical, including stained glass, church facades, and massive wooden altarpieces festooned with statues and carvings. In Gothic painting and sculpture, figures tended to be more natural looking than in the Romanesque, but remained highly stylized.

The best examples and artists include stained glass in Ulm Münster, Rothenburg’s St. Jakobskirche, and Cologne’s St. Gereon’s Sacristy. Stephan Lochner (active 1400–51) was the premier artist of the School of Cologne, where he painted the Cologne Cathedral’s Altar of the City Patrons (ca. 1440; ) and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum’s Madonna in the Rose Garden (1450; ). Bamberger Reiter is an anonymous equestrian statue in Bamberg’s Kaiserdom, a masterpiece of 13th-century sculpture. Tilman Riemenschneider (1460–1531) was Germany’s genius Gothic woodcarver of languid figures draped in flowing, folded robes. Some of his best works remain in Würzburg, including statues in the Mainfränkisches Museum.

Renaissance (Late 15th to 16th c.)

The German Renaissance masters, striving for greater naturalism, included the greatest of them all, Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). A genius painter, superb illustrator, and one of the greatest draftsmen ever, Dürer was the most important Renaissance artist outside Italy. His art matched the scientific and geometric precepts of the Florentine Renaissance with a command of color learned in Venice, a Flemish eye for meticulous detail, and the emotional sensibility of the German Gothic. He was the first to paint stand-alone self-portraits (including one in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek; ), as well as watercolors and gouaches for their own sake rather than merely as sketches. His paintings grace Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie and the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in his native Nürnberg. Also see the box.

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553) melded Renaissance sensibilities with a still somewhat primitive, medieval look. As a young artist in Vienna, he helped popularize landscape painting as a member of the Danube School (Rest on the Flight into Egypt [1504] in Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie; ) and invented the full-length portrait (Duke of Saxony [1514] and The Duchess [1514] in Dresden’s Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, in the Zwinger complex; ). Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) was second only to Dürer in the German Renaissance, and one of the greatest portraitists ever. Germany preserves precious little of his work, but you can see the Portrait of Georg Gisze (1532) in Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie and a Nativity in the Freiburg Cathedral.

Baroque & Rococo (16th–18th c.)

The baroque is more theatrical and decorative than the Renaissance, mixing a kind of superrealism based on the use of peasant models and the exaggerated chiaroscuro (“light and dark”) of Italy’s Caravaggio with compositional complexity and explosions of dynamic fury, movement, color, and figures. Rococo is this later baroque art gone awry, frothy and chaotic. Artists from this period include Andreas Schlüter (1660–1714), whose sculptures can now be found at Berlin’s Schloss Charlottenburg. Balthazar Permoser (1651–1732) was court sculptor at Dresden. His stone pulpit stands in Katholische Hofkirche, his sculptures in the Zwinger.

Romantic (19th c.)

The paintings of the Romantics were heroic, historic, dramatic, and beautiful in contrast to the classically minded Renaissance artists or the overly exuberant baroque artists. Adam Elsheimer (1578–1610) created tiny paintings that bridged the gap from late Renaissance Mannerism (a style characterized by twisting figures in exaggerated positions), through baroque, to proto-Romantic. His Flight into Egypt (1609) resides in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) was the greatest of the German Romantics. Dresden’s Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in the Zwinger complex houses his famous Cross in the Mountains (1808).

Early 20th Century

Until Hitler, Germany was one of Europe’s hotbeds of artistic activity. But the Nazis outlawed and confiscated what they called “degenerate” modern art. Almost all the artists listed below are represented at Cologne’s Museum Ludwig, save Höch and Grosz, whom you can find at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie. At least one artist from every movement is at Stuttgart’s Staatsgalerie, and there are also good modern collections at Düsseldorf’s Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen and Dresden’s Albertinum. Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne is strong on expressionist artists.

The major artists and movements of the early 20th century include expressionism, which abandoned realism and embraced, to varying degrees, exaggeration, visible artistry (thick paint, obvious brush strokes, and strong colors) and, most important, abstraction—all to try to “express” the emotions or philosophy of the artist himself. Pure expressionism fell into two main groups, especially Die Brücke, founded in 1905 Dresden, which sought inspiration in folk art, medieval examples, and “unspoiled” landscapes. Its greatest members were Ernst Kirchner (1880–1938) and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976), though Impressionist Emil Nolde (1867–1956) also later joined for a while. They have their own Brücke Museum in Berlin. The second movement was Der Blaue Reiter group, set up in Munich in 1911 by Russian-born Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), Franz Marc (1880–1916), and August Macke (1887–1914) to oppose the cultural insularity and antimodern stance of Die Brücke. The “Blue Riders” embraced international elements, modern abstraction techniques, and bright, vibrant color schemes to seek an emotional, visceral intensity in their work. Determined critics of the horrors of World War I, Dadaists were by turns abstract, nihilistic (inviting gallery visitors to help destroy the art), and just generally anti-art (many made random collages of found materials). Its proponents included Hannah Höch (1889–1978), who collaged photographs and magazine cutouts to make social statements; George Grosz (1893–1959), who was more strictly a painter, and later moved on to the Neue Sachlichkeit movement (below); and Kurt Schwitters (1887–1948), who eventually started his own splinter group called “Merz,” which experimented with abstract and Russian constructivist elements.

Both Max Ernst (1891–1976) and Alsatian Jean “Hans” Arp (1887–1966) started as Blaue Reiter expressionists and, after their Dada collage period, ended up in Paris as surrealists (Ernst as a painter, Arp as a sculptor and painter of amorphous shapes).

Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) was a 1920s Berlin movement opposed to the abstraction of the expressionists. Their caricature-filled art was painted in harsh colors and focused on even harsher subjects such as sex and violence. Proponents included Otto Dix (1891–1969), who started as an expressionist but quickly became one of the most scathing and disturbing New Objectivity painters; George Grosz (see above); and Max Beckmann (1884–1950), who also was originally an expressionist.

Post–World War II Art

Germany hasn’t had any one style or school to define its art since World War II, though terms such as neoexpressionism (an antiabstract, antiminimalist, anticonceptual trend that grounds itself more in tradition and figurative art) are often bandied about. There have been, however, several important artists. All three listed below are represented in Stuttgart’s Staatsgalerie and Bonn’s Kunstmuseum. Notable post–World War II artists include Josef Beuys (1921–86), an iconoclast and nonconformist who made constructivist sculpture from trash; Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945), who made a return to huge, mixed-media figurative art, often with a strong historical bent; and Georg Baselitz (b. 1938), a figurative painter—and a sculptor, since the 1980s—a neoexpressionist with a penchant for portraying people upside down.

Architecture

Romanesque (10th–13th c.)

Romanesque architects concentrated on building large churches with wide aisles to accommodate the masses. Identifiable features include rounded arches, thick walls, small windows, huge piers, tall towers, dual chancels, and blind arcades.

The best examples include Mainz’s Dom, which looks more like a castle fortress than a church; Worms’s Dom St. Peter, with a dual-chancel arrangement and two imposing facades; and Speyer’s Kaiserdom, the largest cathedral in Germany, a four-towered Romanesque basilica with dwarf galleries and blind arcades.

Church floor plan

Dom, Mainz

Gothic (13th–16th c.)

Ceilings began to soar with Gothic architects, walls became thinner, and windows—often stained glass—proliferated. On the exterior, graceful buttresses and soaring spires rose over a town. Pointed arches, it was discovered, carried more weight than rounded ones. Other features included cross vaulting, a facade flanked by two towers, flying buttresses, spires, gargoyles, and delicate tracery.

Cross vault

Cross section of a Gothic church

The best examples of Gothic include Cologne Cathedral, Germany’s finest, at once massive and graceful; Freiburg Cathedral, built almost entirely during the Middle Ages; and Ulm Münster, second in size only to Cologne’s cathedral. Ulm’s Münster sports the world’s tallest spire—though it did take 500 years to complete. The best-preserved town centers with Gothic-style houses and buildings include Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Goslar, Regensburg, and Tübingen.

Cologne Cathedral

Renaissance (Late 15th Through Mid–17th c.)

Germany was so busy with the Reformation that the country had little time for the Renaissance, which really had an effect only in southern Germany (transalpine influences from Italy) and a few isolated examples in the far north (influences from Flemish and Dutch neighbors). Other than a close eye to the Renaissance ideals of proportion, symmetry, and the classical orders (distinguished by the use of three column capitals: Corinthian, Ionic, and Doric), little specifically identifies Italianate Renaissance buildings.

Classical orders

Weser Renaissance was a late-16th- and early-17th-century style prevalent in Lower Saxony, distinguishable on houses by pinnacled gables (the triangular upper portion of a wall at the end of a pitched roof), heavy scrollwork, elaborate dormers (an upright window projecting from a sloping roof), rounded pediments (a low-pitched feature above a window, door, or pavilion), and decorative stone bands.

Celle is the best preserved town center in the Weser Renaissance style, including its moated Herzogschloss. The Pied Piper town of Hameln has several fine Weser Renaissance houses, including the Rattenfängerhaus, Hochzeitshaus, and Dempterscheshaus. The only solidly Renaissance church in Germany is Michaelskirche in Munich, built 1583 to 1597 by Jesuits to resemble their church in Rome.

Baroque & Rococo (17th–18th c.)

With a seamless meshing of architecture and art, the German baroque flourished in the south and in Lower Saxony. Germany’s brand of over-the-top, baroque chaos worked better perhaps than in any other country. Whereas rococo is usually used as a derogatory term for the baroque gone awry into the grotesque, in Germany the rococo actually succeeds (sometimes). Baroque lines follow a complex geometry and interplay of concave and convex surfaces. The overall effect is to lighten the appearance of structures and add movement of line and vibrancy to the static look of the Renaissance.

The best example of a baroque palace is the Residenz in Würzburg (1720–44; ), designed by Balthasar Neumann, including a monumental staircase under the world’s largest ceiling fresco by the Italian master Tiepolo. Friedrich the Great’s Sanssouci Palace at Potsdam (1744–1860) is one of Europe’s best examples of the rococo.

Jean François de Cuvilliés (1698–1767), a French dwarf, was originally the elector of Bavaria’s court jester until his talent for architecture was recognized. After schooling in France, he returned to Munich to craft its greatest rococo monuments, including the jewel box of the Residenz’s Altes Residenztheater, which now bears his name, and the facade of the baroque Theatinerkirche. His masterpiece is Schloss Nymphenburg’s Amalienburg hunting lodge, which became a model for palaces across Europe.

Amalienburg, Schloss Nymphenburg

Neoclassicism & Romantic (Mid–18th Through 19th c.)

As a backlash against the excesses of the baroque and rococo, by the middle of the 18th century architects began turning to the austere simplicity and grandeur of the classical age and inaugurated the neoclassical style. Their work was inspired by the rediscovery of Pompeii and other ancient sites. However, many of their interiors continued to be rococo, though more muted than before. The sterility of German neoclassicism didn’t last long, however, and the 19th century left the increasing nationalist German society looking into its own past for inspiration, kicking off the neo-Gothic Romantic Movement.

The Prussians remade Berlin in a neoclassical image, starting with the Brandenburger Tor and moving on to the buildings of Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841), among which Altes Museum, Schloss Charlottenhof, and Nikolaikirche are his best. There’s a museum devoted to him called the Friedrichswerdersche Kirche–Schinkelmuseum. In Munich, Ludwig I had Leo von Klenze lay out neoclassical structures across his “new Athens,” including those surrounding Königsplatz and the nearby Alte and Neue pinakotheks. Caught up in Wagner’s dramatic operas set in the heroic Middle Ages, “Mad” King Ludwig II was the ultimate Romantic, building for himself a series of faux medieval fairy-tale castles, including Herrenchiemsee’s Neues Schloss and the incomparable fantasy of Neuschwanstein Castle, a festival of banner-fluttering towers and battlements right out of a Brothers Grimm folk tale, its entire setting chosen solely for its picture-postcard perfection.

Neuschwanstein

20th-Century Architecture

Germany’s take on the early-20th-century Art Nouveau movement was called Jugendstil. The Bauhaus was a 1920s avant-garde school of architecture led by Walter Gropius (1883–1969) that combined industrial-age architecture with art and craft to create functional buildings and furnishings. Among its chief designers and institute teachers were Marcel Breuer, Wassily Kandinsky, Oskar Schlemmer, and Paul Klee. The Nazis closed the school in 1933, though it was reborn in Chicago. Jugendstil houses and hotels exist across Germany, but the movement took its name from Jugend magazine published in the Schwabing district of Munich, where many buildings in the style survive. Munich is also home to the Jugendstil Museum in the Stuck-Villa, a hybrid neoclassical/Jugendstil structure. Bauhaus structures, too, pepper Germany in unobtrusive ways, often in city outskirts. One fine example is Berlin’s Die Siemensstadt, the first modern housing complex, built with long “slab” blocks by Walter Gropius. Berlin also has the Bauhaus-Archiv Museum für Gestaltung, devoted to Bauhaus drawings, photographs, and some design examples.

Siemensstadt

Germany in Pop Culture

Books

Biography

Taylor, A. J. P. Bismarck: The Man and the Statesman (1967). This is the story of the “Iron Chancellor,” who was instrumental in unifying the German states into the German Empire.

Trevor-Roper, Hugh. The Last Days of Hitler (1986). This is an insightful reconstruction of the twilight of the Third Reich.

Fiction

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. The Sorrows of Young Werther (1990). This is required reading for every German schoolchild. Goethe explored the theme of suicide in this early epistolary novella.

Grass, Günter. Dog Years (1989), The Tin Drum (1990), and The Flounder (1989). Grass’s works deal with the German psyche coming to terms with the dreadful legacy of Nazism and World War II.

Isherwood, Christopher. The Berlin Stories (1954). Isherwood lived in Berlin from 1929 to 1933. His most famous story was “Good-Bye to Berlin,” which became the source of the stage and film versions of Cabaret.

Mann, Thomas. The Magic Mountain (1969). This is Mann’s most celebrated masterpiece.

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front (1987). This is a classic novel of World War I.

Folklore & Legends

Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. Complete Grimm Tales. This is the world’s most famous collection of folk tales, with a cast of characters that includes everybody from Little Red Riding Hood to Tom Thumb.

The Nibelungenlied. Every school kid in Germany reads this great epic poem, which details the exploits of Siegfried and Kriemhild and the fall of the Burgundians. The Nibelungenlied is characterized by the violence of its emotions and its uncompromising emphasis on vengeance.

History

Beevor, Antony. The Fall of Berlin 1945 (2002). This is one of the most vivid accounts ever written of the Red Army’s assault on Berlin.

Large, David Clay. Berlin (2000). In this controversial and caustic survey of Berlin since 1871, the author claims that “no other place has so dramatically encapsulated the highs and lows of our modern human experience” as Berlin.

Schneider, Peter. The German Comedy: Scenes of Life after the Wall, translated by Leigh Hafrey and Philip Boehm (1992). Comic absurdities surrounding the collapse of the Wall fill this book, but Schneider (author of The Wall Jumper) also explores resurgent anti-Semitism and how West Germans are coping with the flood of refugees from the former East Germany.

Shirer, William L. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany (1959–60). This story has never been told better—the complete saga of Hitler’s empire from beginning to end.

Taylor, Frederick. Dresden: Tuesday, February 13, 1945 (2004). This book takes a new look at the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombings, which was more famously brought home in Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 novel Slaughterhouse Five. A British historian, Taylor debunks the theory that Dresden contributed little toward the Nazi war effort, but was “one of the foremost industrial locations of the Reich.”

Travel

Twain, Mark. A Tramp Abroad (1989). The American humorist’s travels through Germany are comically detailed here. Read also his comments on “The Awful German Language.”

German literature: From Gutenberg to Grass

Even before Gutenberg invented the first printing press in the Western world in the 15th century, German literature—both oral and written—was being produced. The first written literary work known is The Lay of Hildebrand, a narrative poem handed down by ancient storytellers and copied by monks at the Benedictine Abbey at Fulda. Such tales of valor, love, sorrow, and death were strong in oral tradition, with the Rhine valley giving rise to many legends and songs through the centuries, Lohengrin, Roland, the Lorelei, and the Nibelungen being among the subjects.

The age of chivalry gave birth to lyric poetry in Germany. Like the troubadours in France, Minnesingers of the Holy Roman Empire roamed the land singing songs of love and derring-do inspired by the Crusades. One of these, Walter von der Vogelweide, a knight of the late 12th and early 13th centuries, is seen as the father of lyric poetry in Germany. Another early-13th-century poet of note was Wolfram von Eschenbach, whose epic, Parsifal, glorifies chivalry and religious devotion. By the 16th century, another “hero” had joined German folklore and literature—Til Eulenspiegel, a clownish fellow whose life around 1300 became the subject of story and song.

From the time of the Reformation (16th c.), Martin Luther’s influence can be traced in many fields of the German life of the mind and spirit. His translation of the Bible into modern German was hailed as the first great literary work in the language. A Luther contemporary, Hans Sachs, a Meistersinger (a “master singer” who carried on the traditions of the earlier Minnesingers), was a prolific author of stories, poems, plays, and songs.

Publications of a picaresque novel, Simplicissimus, by Grimmelshausen (17th c.), marked the start of production of long prose narratives in the country. The Age of Enlightenment in German literature dawned in the late 17th century, inaugurated by Klopstock in his epic, Der Messias, and his Odes, and it continued into the 18th century. Rationalization was the watchword in this Enlightenment period, or Aufklärung. Much writing was in the form of philosophical treatises (for example, the works of Leibniz and Kant). Also in this era, the principles of German drama were laid out by Lessing.

As a reaction to rationalization, a literary movement known as Sturm und Drang was born in the 18th century, marked especially by poetry and drama extolling both sentiment and grand passions and rejecting previous social, political, moral, and literary authority.

In this time, when ideas of storm and stress dominated the literati, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe arrived on the scene, a giant of letters. Dramatist, novelist, philosopher, and Germany’s greatest poet, Goethe followed the pattern of the times in youth and early manhood (the Urfaust or Early Faust, Egmont, and The Sorrows of Young Werther). However, he soon became disenchanted with Sturm und Drang, turning in midlife after a stay in Italy to a classical mode (Nausikaa). During this period, he reworked Faust so that the final product begins with storm and stress and then levels off into tranquil classicism. It was after his sojourn in Italy that he also produced Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, a novel that served for decades as the prototype of the best German fiction.

Another literary immortal, Johann Friedrich Schiller, playwright and poet, a contemporary and friend of Goethe, also turned away from Sturm und Drang after presentation of Don Carlos, a powerful historical drama honoring liberty. Similar dramas were Wallenstein and Wilhelm Tell. Schiller’s outlook placed his interests in the fields of history and philosophy.

Besides these two masters of the literary world, which soon moved on from classicism to romanticism to historical romanticism, such names of world note as the brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, famous for their collection of fairy tales, folk tales, and myths, and Heinrich Heine appeared. Many of the works of Heine, second only to Goethe as Germany’s greatest poet, have become folk songs.

A poet who became known for his work in the first quarter of the 20th century was Rainer Maria Rilke. Another German, the novelist Erich Maria Remarque (All Quiet on the Western Front), moved to the United States to escape the political conditions of his homeland. Franz Kafka became known for his novels of the absurd. Bertolt Brecht (The Threepenny Opera and Mother Courage) chose to live in East Germany after World War II.

In 1959 Gunther Grass burst onto the scene with his extraordinary first novel, Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum). He became a spokesman for the German generation that grew up in the Nazi era and received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1999 as a poet, novelist, and playwright.

Other Germans who won the Nobel Prize for literature:

• Theodor Mommsen, 1902, philosopher

• Paul J. L. Heyse, 1910, novelist, dramatist, and poet

• Gerhart J. R. Hauptmann, 1912, dramatist

• Thomas Mann, 1929, novelist

• Hermann Hesse, 1946, novelist

• Heinrich Böll, 1972, novelist

The influence of German thought on the Western mind has been powerful, from as far back as the 13th century when Albertus Magnus became known as a scholastic philosopher, naturalist, and theologian. Through the centuries, other notable philosophers have been Kant, Moses Mendelssohn, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Marx, Engels, and Nietzsche (Thus Spake Zarathustra).

Music

Music is an important and pervasive facet of German life. German disunity over the centuries actually helped foster German music. The many small principalities and bishoprics that split up the German-speaking world meant that there were many courts to offer opportunities to musicians, both composers and instrumentalists. As a result, the German-speaking nations produced more composers of indisputable greatness than any other.

Today, the musical scene in Germany is as vibrant as ever. Every major city has an opera house and an orchestra, many of them world renowned. New composers are encouraged, and productions are often at the cutting edge.

Men (and Women) of Note: Germany’s Rich Musical History

by Donald Olson

Some of the greatest works of Western music have been written by German composers. The roster includes Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Wagner, as well as 20th-century greats Alban Berg and Kurt Weill. The country’s rich musical history dates back to 12th-century Minnesängers (troubadours) and religious chants. Over the centuries, Germany’s musical traditions were fostered in convents, monasteries and churches where composers were hired to write sacred songs, cantatas and oratorios. Eventually, as opera houses and concert halls became a fixture in German cities, a wider public clamored for musical performances. Classical music remains an important part of German culture today and can be enjoyed in concert halls and opera houses throughout the country.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) Known as Saint Hildegard, this Benedictine abbess was revered in her day as an author, visionary, herbalist, poet, and composer. Over 70 of her compositions have survived, one of the largest repertoires among medieval composers. Hildegard’s music is monophonic, consisting of only one melodic line, but her soaring melodies go well beyond the range of medieval chant.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) After stints as a violinist, an organist, and Kapellmeister, Bach arrived in Leipzig in 1723 and stayed for the rest of his life, writing more than 200 cantatas, the Passion According to St. Matthew, and the Mass in B Minor. He was prolific in other ways as well, fathering 17 children. Every June, Leipzig celebrates Bach’s musical legacy with the famous Bachfest (www.bach-leipzig.de), during which Bach’s works are performed in the Thomaskirche, where he is buried.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Beethoven brought emotional depth and new tone colors to music in the transitional period between the Classical (Bach) and Romantic (Brahms) eras. He began his career by composing and performing piano concertos, and he continued to compose (9 symphonies, the opera Fidelio) even when his hearing began to deteriorate in the late 1790s. By the time his monumental Ninth Symphony was premiered in 1824, Beethoven was so deaf that he had to be turned around to see the tumultuous applause of the audience. Music lovers can visit his birthplace, the Beethoven House Museum, in Bonn.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Like Beethoven, Brahms was a composer and virtuoso pianist who performed many of his own works. He composed for piano, chamber ensembles, symphony orchestra, and for voice and chorus. The structure of Brahms’s music is rooted in the traditions of Baroque and Classical composition, but he developed musical themes in a way pioneered by Beethoven, creating bold new harmonies and melodies. Brahms’s glory years as a composer were between 1868, when he premiered A German Requiem, his largest choral work, and 1885, by which time he had composed his four symphonies and the Piano Concerto No. 2. In 1889, Brahms made an experimental recording of his first Hungarian dance on the piano, the earliest recording made by a major composer.

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) Known primarily for his operas, Wagner pioneered advances in musical language that greatly influenced the development of European classical music. His life was tumultuous, requiring periodic flights to escape creditors. It was while in exile from Germany that Wagner completed his four-act Ring cyle, the opera Tristan and Isolde, and developed his revolutionary vision of operas as Gesamtkunstwerk, or “total artwork”, a fusion of music, song, dance, poetry, visual arts, and stagecraft. His fortunes brightened when Ludwig II, king of Bavaria, became Wagner’s patron., Wagner built the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, a theater where his operas—and only his—would be performed. He is buried in the garden at Villa Wahnfriend in Bayreuth.

Kurt Weill (1900-1950) Although he was classically trained and had some success with his works for the concert hall, it was Weill’s musical-theatre songs that became popular in Germany in the late 1920s and early 1930s. His best-known work, The Threepenny Opera, was written in 1928 in collaboration with the German playwright Bertolt Brecht contained his most famous song, “Mack the Knife.” As a prominent Jewish composer, Weill became a target of the Nazis and was forced to flee Germany in 1933.

A History of German Music

Baroque Music The greatest composer of the baroque era was Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), who was a supreme master of all musical forms of his time. Bach produced many church cantatas, especially for St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where he served as cantor. His compositions were technically outstanding, vigorous, and profound. Little of his music was published during his lifetime, but after his death, his influence steadily grew, especially that of his organ works. The musical tradition in his large family was maintained by two of his talented sons, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–88) and Johann Christian Bach (1735–82). The Brandenburg Concertos are highly recommended.

Bach’s contemporary George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) was another great composer. He first rose to prominence as musician of the court of Hannover, a post that he left to become composer at the court of St. James of England. He was a leading composer of operas and instrumental music for the court. Listen to his oratorio, Messiah.

The Classical Period Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91), although an Austrian, cannot be omitted from any discussion of German music. His operas, with their contemporary themes and lively musical characterizations, paved the way for later composers. Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), another Austrian, also exerted great influence on German music, especially instrumental music. Listen to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni and Haydn’s “Drum Roll” Symphony no. 103.

The 19th Century & Romanticism The 19th century was rich in musical genius. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) ushered in romanticism. His works included symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, quartets, and many others. He greatly expanded and developed the orchestra. Tragically, he completely lost his hearing in 1819. However, the chamber music he wrote after this event shows an even greater depth and complexity than his previous compositions. Listen to symphonies no. 5 and no. 9.

Other great composers of the era include Franz Schubert (1797–1828), Felix Mendelssohn (1809–47), Robert Schumann (1810–56), and Johannes Brahms (1833–97). Listen to Schubert’s Lieder, Mendelssohn’s “Overture” to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Schumann’s Symphony no. 3, and Brahms’s German Requiem.

The giant of the 19th-century opera world was Richard Wagner (1813–83). His theories of musical drama exerted a tremendous influence on everyone who followed him, even his detractors. His influence can best be heard in the music of the later Romantic composer Richard Strauss (1864–1949), whose operas carry Wagner’s ideas of character development to greater psychological depth. Listen to Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelungs and Strauss’s Salome.

The 20th Century Musical experimentation flourished in early-20th-century Germany. Austrian-born Arnold Schönberg (1874–1951) developed the 12-tone system of musical structure. Kurt Weill (1900–50) and Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) tried to reach a more popular audience. During the Nazi era, many composers fled Germany. Others, like Hans Pfitzner (1869–1949) and Strauss, remained in an uneasy relationship with the Nazis. Listen to Schönberg’s Five Pieces for Orchestra, Weill’s Threepenny Opera, and Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler. The music of Pfitzner is still heard in such operas as Palestrina from 1917 and Das Herz from 1931. The compositions of Strauss are among the most frequently played around the globe, especially his operas such as Salome (1905) and Elektra (1909).

More recently, major composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007) and Hans Werner Henze (b. 1926) have brought the traditions of Germany’s musical past into the present. Listen to Stockhausen’s Gesang der Jünglinge (Song of the Youths). Henze has won cultural awards around the world for such compositions as The English Cat in 1980 and La Cubana in 1973.

Beyond Baroque: The Modern German music Scene

Modern German music tastes are heavily influenced by the American or British pop worlds, but many German musicians have created their own Teutonic sounds, notably the amusingly named “Krautrock.” Kraut, of course, was originally an ethnic slur used by American GIs to refer to Nazi soldiers. One critic defined Krautrock “as a mix of Anglo-American post-psychedelic jamming and moody progressive rock.” Its stars were the band Can, often compared to the Velvet Underground, and the band Faust, which became one of the first acts to sign with Richard Branson’s Virgin Records.

Crossing international boundaries is the German industrial metal band Rammstein, which nonetheless performs almost exclusively in German. The group is known for its rock hit “Du Hast.” Rammstein is also controversial—a liquid-ejecting dildo earned them a night in a Massachusetts jail. Rammstein band members much admire the music of Nina Hagen, who often leads protests concerning issues such as the war in Iraq. She headlined the Drop Dead Festival in New York City in 2005.

Neue Deutsche Welle (New German wave) was a form of punk rock and new wave music that rose in the mid-’70s. Out of this movement came a German band from Berlin, Wir Sind Helden (We Are Heroes), which has achieved great success, including sold-out concerts in London, with non-English lyrics.

Punk music became popular in the 1970s in the wake of the success of British bands like the Sex Pistols, who developed a devoted following in West Germany. After reunification, many punk bands such as Slime rose to rant against politicians who ignore the dangers of neo-Nazis in Germany. The late ’70s also saw the rise of Goth rock, with strong ties to the English punk rock scene. Since the turn of the millennium, Goth rock has declined in popularity but still flourishes in pockets.

German hip-hop entered the mainstream only in the early ’90s, bringing with it graffiti and break dancing. The controversial and mysterious Berlin rapper Sido released Maske, a debut album in 2004, which was hailed as the first real German hip-hop music. His most recent releases are the 2008 album Ich und meine Maske (Me and My Mask) and the 2009 album Aggro Berlin.

Film

German cinema came into its own in the aftermath of World War I, although it actually began in 1895, when the brothers Skladanowsky presented their Bioscop in the Wintergarten at Berlin. Early German film not only has earned a place in cinema history, but also has been enormously influential in both Europe and the United States. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), directed by Dr. Robert Wiene and released in Berlin in 1920, was hailed as “the first work of art on the screen.” After viewing the film, the French coined the term Caligarisme to describe the “all upside-down” postwar world.

The 1920s saw the production of many notable German films, such as Fritz Lang’s Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler), a 1922 screen version of a novel by Norbert Jacques. In 1924, Lang achieved great popular success with his two Nibelungen films, which became classics. The influence of Lang’s science fiction film Metropolis (1927) can still be seen today, and his Spione (The Spy) became the forerunner of the Hitchcock thrillers. Carl Mayer achieved renown for his scripts, which were called “screen poems.” These include the expressionist 1920 film Genuine and 1924s Der Letzte Mann (The Last Laugh). Mayer is said to have “unchained” the camera.

In the late 1920s, Hollywood began drawing away Germany’s brightest stars, including directors Ernst Lubitsch and F. W. Murnau (Faust, 1926) and stars such as Conrad Veidt and Emil Jannings. As the worldwide recession hit Germany, film production suffered further. The most notable film to come out of this troubled period was Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel), released in 1930. It starred Emil Jannings and brought world acclaim to its female lead, Marlene Dietrich, who later found even greater glory in Hollywood.

When the Nazis came to power, German films became propaganda tools. Nazi films reached the zenith of their power in Leni Riefenstahl’s 1934 Triumph des Willens (Triumph of the Will), acclaimed for its cinematic techniques in spite of its glorification of Nazism. She went on to make Olympia, her classic account of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Her innovative camera angles and close-ups of the athletes in action were brilliant, and the films won her both praise and condemnation.

In the first decades after World War II, the German film industry was not very creative. By the 1970s, however, a group of talented directors was emerging, including Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and Volker Schlöndorff.

Currently, there are few screen giants in Germany. The Berlin Film Festival often honors golden oldies, such as Pandora’s Box, by G. W. Pabst, starring American Louise Brooks. Many Pabst films have been restored and reconstructed. Pabst’s critical treatment of social issues earned him the sobriquet “The Red Pabst” during the Weimar Republic. Franz Seitz is often honored for producing some 80 films during his career, including 1979’s The Tin Drum.

The 1981 story of a doomed Nazi submarine, Das Boot (The Boat) still holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations for a German film, a total of six. The 1990 film Das schreckliche Mädchen (The Nasty Girl) tells the often shocking story of what a Bavarian high-school student uncovers when she sets out to investigate the Nazi past of her hometown. Michael Verhoeven’s picture was nominated for an Oscar as best foreign film. The movie is said to have been based on true-life experiences of a young woman. The German hometown in the film is actually Passau, covered later in this guide. Hitler once resided in Passau.

In 2006, Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) won an Academy Award as best foreign-language film. The film documented how Stasi (the East German secret police) spied on the lives of its citizens. In 2007, Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters) also won an Oscar as best foreign-language film. Shot in Berlin, this Austro-German production told the story of how forgers were assigned the job of producing massive amounts of fake U.S. dollars and British pounds in an effort by the Nazi regime to weaken the Allied economy.

Modern films continue to offer us a glimpse of contemporary German life and culture as well. Most of these are available in the U.S. either dubbed or translated into English. Tom Tykwer’s Lola Rennt (1998) remains one of our favorites. It was called Run Lola Run in its English release. Starring Franka Potenta as Lola, the film has been called iconic of a reunified Germany. The plot involves a young woman who has 20 minutes to find and bring 100,000 German marks to her boyfriend before he robs a supermarket. The action is riveting, the soundtrack dynamic.

In Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (The Princess and the Warrior), director Tykwer is reunited with Potenta. First released in 2000, the film follows the travails of Sissi, who works in a psychiatric hospital. She becomes involved with a tormented ex-soldier who stages a bank robbery. A near-death experience throws Sissi’s life into chaos.

One of the freshest post-reunification films is Wolfgang Becker’s 2003 comedy Goodbye, Lenin!, set in East Germany in 1989. A young man, to protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock after a long coma, tries to prevent her from learning that her beloved East Germany has disappeared.

Eating & Drinking

Though traditional dishes like dumplings, Wurst (sausages), pastries, and beer may make Germany seem the worst possible place to eat healthfully, in reality, restaurants are offering foreign foods and neue Küche (modern cuisine). Chefs trained in Switzerland, France, or Italy return to Germany to open Continental restaurants, and Italians and Turks, many of whom originally came to Germany as “guest workers,” own restaurants featuring their own culinary traditions.

Regional Specialties

• Bavaria & Franconia: In southern Germany, you can feast on such hearty fare as Leberkäs (a chilled mold of minced pork, beef, and liver), Knödel (dumplings or soaked bread), Haxen (pork or veal trotters, most often consumed with Sauerkraut), Rostbratwürste (small finger sausages), and Leberknödel (large liver dumplings in a clear broth). Schweinwurst mit Kraut (pork sausages with Sauerkraut) is another unforgettable local dish.

• Lower Saxony & Schleswig-Holstein: Here in northwest Germany, with its maritime tradition, a typical local dish is Aalsuppe—sweet-and-sour eel soup flavored with bacon, vegetables, and sometimes even pears and prunes (or perhaps other fruits). The sailor’s favorite is Labskaus, a ground-together medley of pork, salt herring, and beef, along with potatoes and beets. The traditional topping is a fried egg and a side dish of cucumbers. Bruntes Huhn is salt beef on a bed of diced vegetables, a robust winter favorite. Rollmops, pickled herring rolled in sour cream, is another local specialty, as is Finkenwerder Scholle (plaice) and oysters, raw or baked with cheese.

• Berlin: During those cold nights in old Prussia, Berliners took comfort in their soups, notably Kohlsuppe (cabbage soup) and Erbsensuppe (pea soup), along with dark bread, especially Westphalia pumpernickel. Hase im Topf is a delicious rabbit pâté. Other favorites are Bratwurst, a pork sausage, and Regensburger Wurst, a spicy pork sausage. For dessert, Berliners like Kugelhupf, a marvelous coffeecake, and Käsekuchen, or cheesecake. But probably the most typical Berlin delicacy is Eisbein (pigs’ knuckles).

• Hassen & Westphalia: Famed for its hams, this region eats food guaranteed to put hair on your chest. Sample their Sulperknochen, made from the pigs’ trotters (feet), ears, and tail, and served traditionally with pea pudding and pickled cabbage. Try Tüttchen, a ragout of herb-flavored calves’ heads and calves’ brains, or settle for Pickert, sweet-potato cakes flavored with raisins.

• Baden-Württemberg: In the southern region around Stuttgart, begin with such dishes as Schneckensuppe (snail soup), Spätzle (egg-based pasta), or perhaps Maultaschen (ravioli stuffed with ground meat, spinach, and calves’ brains). A dish beloved in the area and widely consumed is Geschnetzeltes (slices of veal in a cream sauce). The favorite local dish in Stuttgart itself is Gaisburger Marsch, a beef stew. Another commonly served dish is Rostbraten, braised beef, invariably accompanied by Sauerkraut or Linsen mit Saiten, lentil stew cooked with sausages.

• Saxony & Thuringia: In eastern Germany, you can feast on everything from Linsensuppe mit Thüringer Rotwurst (lentil soup with Thuringian sausages) to Rinderzunge in Rosinen-Sauce (calves’ tongues in grape sauce). Kartoffelsuppe (potato soup) remains a favorite of the district, as does a baked appetizer, Quarkkeulchen, made from curd, boiled potatoes, flour, sugar, and raisins, topped with cinnamon and served with applesauce. Each city in the district also has its own popular local dishes. Leipzig, for example, has its Leipziger Allerlei, a blend of carrots, peas, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, crayfish, oxtails, bits of veal, and dumplings.

• Rhineland: The Rhineland features dishes that have made Germans the subject of good-natured ridicule, especially in neighboring France. For example, there’s Saumagen, stuffed pork belly with pickled cabbage. Also beloved is Schweinepfeffer, a highly seasoned and spicy pork ragout that’s thickened with pig blood. After that feast, it’s on to Hämchen, pork trotters with pickled cabbage and potatoes, or else Sauerbraten, beef marinated in wine vinegar and spices. Postwar Chancellor Konrad Adenauer was a Rhinelander, and one of his favorite foods was Reibekuchen, small potato pancakes with a blueberry sauce or applesauce. Taverns along the Rhine fill up when Federweisser, partially fermented new wine, comes in. They drink it while devouring onion tarts.

The Best of the wurst

The German love affair with Wurst (sausage) dates from the dawn of history. Every region of Germany has its own specialty, but the overall favorite seems to be Bratwurst from Nürnberg, made of seasoned and spiced pork. Germans often take their Wurst with a bun and a dab of mustard. Weisswurst (white sausage) is a medley of veal, calves’ brains, and spleen. Bauernwurst (farmer’s sausage) and Knockwurst are variations of the Frankfurter, which originated (naturally) in Frankfurt. (Oddly enough, small Frankfurters, which are called wieners or Vienna sausages in the United States and Wienerwurst in Germany, are known as Frankfurters in Austria.) Leberwurst (made from liver) is a specialty of Hesse. Rinderwurst and Blutwurst (beef sausage and blood sausage) are Westphalian specialties and are often eaten with Steinhäger (corn brandy).

Beer & Wine

Beer For variety and quality, German beer is unequaled. The world’s oldest brewery is in Bavaria, but other regions in Germany have proud beer-making traditions. Export beers and the rather more bitter Pils, the most popular type of beer, are also produced in Berlin, Hamburg, the Ruhr, Hesse, and Stuttgart. Altbier, a very early product of the brewer’s art, can be found today all over Germany.

In Germany, if you go into a beer hall and ask the bartender for ein Bier, you’ll probably get the standard stock beer, Vollbier, which is 4% alcohol. More potent is Export at 5% or Bockbier at 6%. Connoisseurs specify the type of beer they want and often the brewery. The following is a bit of beer vocabulary. When the malt has been darkly roasted and fermented for much longer, it becomes dunkles Bier, or dark beer. Doppelbock is an extra-dark beer with a 6% alcoholic content. Helles Bier is light and brewed from malt dried and baked by the local brewery, or Brauerei. Many Germans, especially the citizens of Bamberg, like their beer “smoked.” If that appeals to you, request Rauchbier. In nearby Bayreuth, Richard Wagner’s old hometown, locals prefer a “steam beer” known as Dampfbier. The denizens of Düsseldorf and Frankfurt can often be heard requesting Alt, a brown, barley-malt brew. Kölsch is a light beer drunk mainly in Cologne in tall fluted glasses. Hefeweizen is a yeasty wheat beer consumed often with a squeeze of lemon. Berliner Weisse is made from wheat, like a Bavarian white beer, but with a dash of raspberry or woodruff syrup. Dark and sweet, malt beer has hardly any alcohol, whereas Starkbier is a powerful beer served when the barrels are opened after the post-Lenten celebrations in March. It has the highest alcohol content of them all. Finally, Pils, or pilsner, beers are light and contain more hops. Dortmund has earned a reputation in this field.

o’ zapfstisl (“The Barrel Is Tapped”)

The oldest brewery in the world is at Weihenstephan, a former Benedictine monastery 30km (19 miles) northeast of Munich in Old Bavaria. It dates from the year 1040, although there is evidence that a hop garden already existed near the grounds of the monastery in A.D. 768. The monks here brought beer to the masses in Europe. Even today, the oldest brewery within Munich itself, Augustiner, reflects brewing’s monastic heritage.

Over the centuries, monks brewed a strong beer for consumption during the fasting period of Lent, during which they were technically supposed to drink only water. The story goes that the pope heard about this custom and ordered that the beer be transported to Rome for him to sample. When the pope finally tasted the beer after its long journey (it didn’t have preservatives back then), he decided it tasted foul and decreed that the beer was strong enough punishment for the Bavarian monks to drink it during Lent. Today, all Munich breweries brew this strong beer during Lent; Salvator and Triumphator are the best-known brands. Ator in German means a strong beer. By long-standing tradition, the names of German Doppelbock Bier (a type of strong beer) end with an “-ator” suffix.

Wine Germany has produced delightful wines for centuries, but sometime in the 1970s, German wine became the butt of jokes. The postwar German economic miracle had led to a boom in wine production. Many new vineyards sprang up suddenly, and quality was not always their first priority. Cheap, cloyingly sweet table wines flooded the market. One label in particular, Liebfraumilch, began to sully the reputation of the entire industry; the mere mention of its name to anyone in the know met with a knowing titter or contemptuous sneer. Today, however, German viticulture has many smaller producers producing excellent wines.

Good German wine is renowned for its natural lightness and its delicate balance of sweetness and acidity. Most vineyards flourish on steep hillsides, protected from harsh winds by wooded neighboring hills, especially on the banks of the Rhine and Mosel rivers and their tributaries. The vineyards profit from the warmth reflected off the sunlit water. The slow maturing of the grapes gives German wines their typical fresh, fruity acidity.

Germany does produce red wine, but as a rule it’s better to stick to white or perhaps a rosé. Trocken (dry) or halbtrocken (semidry) are often given on the labels; look for them if you want to escape anything sweet. This avoidance, however, should not extend to the dessert wines, which resemble nectar.

The overload of information on a German wine label is often puzzling to foreigners, but it’s not really that hard to decipher. First of all, the grape variety should be indicated. Legally, German wines are only required to contain 85% of the declared variety. The classic is Riesling, which can range widely in taste from fruity to spicy. Other grapes include Weissburgunder, used to make dry wines, often with an aroma of melon or pear, and Scheurebe, which produces delicious, high-quality wine with the aroma of red currant. No grape reference on the label often means a poorly blended, inferior-quality wine.

“Vintage” refers to when the grapes were grown (not harvested). The question of origin is also something to keep an eye on. It’s best if the label gives a single vineyard, but these can be distinguished from the less specific vineyard zones only if you are in the know or can consult a pocket guide, such as Johnson’s.

Next, check for the level of ripeness. German law distinguishes between Tafelwein (table wine) and Qualitätswein (quality wine). QbA (Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete) on a bottle means the wine is made from the approved grape varieties, which will give it the particular and traditional taste of its region. QmP refers to Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (wine with distinction) and carries one of six special attributes. These, in order of ascending price, are Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese (BA), Eiswein, and the exclusive Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA).

As a classification, Kabinett was first used by Eberbach Abbey in 1712 to denote quality. This wine is especially good as an aperitif with light snacks or veal. The mildly sweet and fruity Auslese from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region and the rich Spätlese are well suited to richer dishes such as duck, smoked fowl, and oysters. Those trocken and halbtrocken Rieslings from the Rheingau and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer are perfect with pork, sausages, and Sauerkraut, as well as with mild cheeses. A fuller-bodied Riesling Spätlese and Auslese Trocken from Rheingau or Pfalz goes excellently with wild boar and lobster. The rarest vintages, those sweet wines carrying the BA and TBA designations, are best left for anything oily or pungent in flavor, such as goose-liver pâté or rich cheeses. They are also wonderful with desserts.

Many foreign visitors tour one of the winegrowing districts. Since reunification, a number of wine districts have emerged in eastern Germany; however, the traditional German wine country, stretching from the middle Rhine at Bonn down to Lake Constance on the Swiss border, is still the most charming, with its classic scenery of imposing castle ruins, elegant spas, and Brothers Grimm villages replete with spires and black-and-white gabled houses.

When to Go

The most popular tourist months are May to October, although winter travel to Germany is becoming increasingly popular, especially to the ski areas in the Bavarian Alps. Germany’s climate varies widely. In the north, winters tend to be cold and rainy; summers are most agreeable. In the south and in the Alps, it can be very cold in the winter, especially in January, and very warm in summer, but with cool, rainy days even in July and August. Spring and fall are often stretched out—in fact, we’ve enjoyed many a Bavarian-style “Indian summer” until late in October.

Holidays

Public holidays are January 1 (New Year’s Day), Easter (Good Friday and Easter Monday), May 1 (Labor Day), Ascension Day (10 days before Pentecost/Whitsunday, the seventh Sun after Easter), Whitmonday (day after Pentecost/Whitsunday), October 3 (Day of German Unity), November 17 (Day of Prayer and Repentance), and December 25 and 26 (Christmas). In addition, the following holidays are observed in some German states: January 6 (Epiphany), Corpus Christi (10 days after Pentecost), August 15 (Assumption), and November 1 (All Saints’ Day).

Calendar of Events

All dates and events are subject to change. Contact the German National Tourist Board (www.germany-tourism.de) for more information. The board publishes a free calendar of forthcoming events three times a year, in April, October, and January; the first two are biannual calendars and the last is a yearly preview. They give the dates of trade fairs and exhibitions, theatrical and musical performances, local folk festivals, sporting events, conferences, and congresses throughout Germany.

For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.com, where you’ll find a searchable, up-to-the-minute roster of what’s happening in cities all over the world.

January

New Year’s Day International Ski Jumping, Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This is one of Europe’s major winter sporting events. For more information, contact the tourist bureau on Richard-Strauss-Platz ( 08821/180700;www.gapa.de). January 1.

February

International Film Festival, Berlin (at various theaters; announced in local newspapers). Stars, would-be stars, directors, and almost anyone with a film to peddle show up at this well-attended festival. It lasts for 10 days and is a showcase for the work of international film directors as well as the latest German films. Tickets can be purchased at any box office. Contact the Berlin International Film Festival ( 030/259200;www.berlinale.de) for more information. Early February.

Ambiente. This is one of the principal consumer goods trade fairs of Europe. Its origins go back centuries. For information, call 069/75750 (http://ambiente.messefrankfurt.com). Mid-February.

Fasching. Carnival festivals take place throughout Germany, reaching their peak on the Tuesday (Mardi Gras) before Ash Wednesday. Particularly famous carnivals take place in Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and especially Munich.

March

Spring Fairs. Highlights throughout Germany, especially in Augsburg, Münster, Nürnberg, Hamburg, and Stuttgart. Dates vary from year to year.

April

Walpurgis Festivals. Celebrated in the Harz Mountains. Festivities occur on the night of April 30.

May

Hamburg Summer. An entire series of cultural events, including concerts, plays, festivals, and special exhibitions throughout May, June, and July. For information, contact the Hamburg Tourist Bureau, in Hauptbahnhof ( 040/30051300;www.hamburg-tourism.de).

International May Theatre Festival, Wiesbaden. This city near Frankfurt hosts a premier cultural event—a series of artistic celebrations lasting 1 month. For information, contact the Wiesbaden Tourist Office, Marktstrasse 6 ( 0611/1729780;www.wiesbaden.de).

June

Floodlighting of the Castle, Heidelberg. Fireworks enliven the display in this storied university city. For more information, contact the Heidelberg Tourist Bureau, Willy-Brandt-Platz 1 ( 06221/14220;www.heidelberg-marketing.de). June, July, and September.

Mozart Festival, Würzburg. Mozart fans flock to this major cultural event in the baroque city of Würzburg. For more information, contact Tourismus Zentrale, Falkenhaus am Markt Centrum ( 0931/372336;www.wuerzburg.de or www.mozartfest-wuerzburg.de). Early June to early July.

July

See Floodlighting of the Castle, Heidelberg, under June, above.

Freiburg Wine Tasting. Local residents and visitors enjoy the first vintages from grapes grown in the Black Forest district. For more information, contact the Freiburg Tourist Board, Rathausplatz 2–4 ( 0761/3881880;www.freiburg.de). Early July.

Richard Wagner Festival, Bayreuth. One of Europe’s two or three major opera events, this festival takes place in the composer’s Festspielhaus in the capital of upper Franconia. Note that opera tickets often must be booked years in advance. For information, contact Festival Administration, Bayreuther Festspiele, Kartenbüro, Postfach 100262 ( 0921/78780;www.bayreuther-festspiele.de). Late July to late August.

August

Red Wine Festival, Rüdesheim/Assmannshausen. This is held in Assmannshausen, the Rhine village most famous for red wines. For exact dates, contact the Rüdesheim Tourist Bureau, Geisenheimer Strasse 22 ( 06722/906150;www.ruedesheim.de). Late August.

Musikfest Berlin ( 030/254890;www.berlinerfestspiele.de) takes place for a little more than 2 weeks. During the festival, Berlin plays host to orchestras, ensembles, conductors, and soloists from around the world. The festival is organized in conjunction with the Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker. Late August to mid-September.

September

See Floodlighting of the Castle, Heidelberg, under June, above.

Oktoberfest, Munich. Much of Germany’s most famous festival takes place in September, not October. Millions show up, and hotels are packed. Most activities are at Theresienwiese, where local breweries sponsor gigantic tents that can hold up to 6,000 beer drinkers. Contact the Munich Tourist Bureau ( 089/23396500;www.muenchen.de) for particulars or just show up. Reserve hotel rooms well in advance. Mid-September to mid-October.

October

Frankfurt Book Fair. A major international event for publishers, book dealers, agents, and authors. For more information call 069/21020 (www.frankfurt-book-fair.com) or contact the Frankfurt Tourist Office ( 069/21238800;www.frankfurt-tourismus.de). Mid-October.

Spielzeit’europa. Schaperstrasse 24, Berlin ( 030/254890;www.berlinerfestspiele.de), is a 4-month season of theater and dance performances at Festspiele. October to January.

November

Jazz-Fest Berlin. This annual festival, staged at the Philharmonie, attracts some of the world’s finest jazz artists, ranging from traditional to experimental. Contact the Berlin Festspiele Ticket Office ( 030/254890;www.berlinerfestspiele.de) for more information. Early November.

Winter Dom, Hamburg. An annual amusement fair (sometimes called Hamburg Dom) at the Heiligengeistfeld. For more information, contact the Hamburg Tourist Bureau, in Hauptbahnhof ( 040/30051300;www.hamburg-tourism.de). Early November to early December.

December

Christmas Fair, Mainz. Mainz stages its Christmas fair on the Rhine for the 4 weeks preceding Christmas. For more information, contact the Mainz Tourist Bureau, Brueckenturm am Rathaus ( 06131/286210;www.mainz.de). December. (Other German towns hold Christmas fairs in Nov.)

Responsible Travel

Germans, with some justification, consider themselves in the avant-garde of green travel. Although they suffered one of history’s most devastating attacks on their environment (World War II), in the postwar years they became a front-runner in preserving their environment and protecting nature.

“Germans are known for recycling and reusing their natural resources,” said Berlin activist Hans Welder.

In Germany, more and more systems are going into place to generate energy from wind and solar power.

Germans didn’t exactly invent walking or hiking across their countryside, but you would think so when you notice the numbers of citizens who prefer this form of exploration. It’s a way to stay in good health, enjoy nature, and avoid harming the environment, all at the same time.

Trails in Germany are often signposted, cutting through all areas of the country, from tidal shores to low mountain regions, with tours offered to some of the more difficult-to-reach points along mountaintops.

The outdoor enthusiast might want to concentrate on Germany’s national parks, 14 in all, with the heaviest concentration in Bavaria and in old East Germany. Our favorite of these biosphere reserves is the Bavarian Forest National Park in the south and the Harz National Park in Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.

We applaud the German effort to reintroduce wildlife that was once native to these parks. The last lynx in the Harz Mountains was shot in 1818. But the animal was reintroduced in 1999, and wild lynxes began to give birth in 2002. However, other attempts have failed, including an attempt to return the capercaillie to its former native habitat.

For general data about the parks of Germany, consult Nationalpark Service, Informationshaus, 17192 Federow, Germany ( 039/91668849;www.nationalpark-service.de). The national parks are free, but camping at designated areas ranges from 5€ to 10€ per night. Some parks have huts that are basic but better than a tent, and this form of accommodations costs from 10€ to 20€ per person. Park rangers crack down on those who harm the environment.

If you’re interested in camping, check the Great Outdoor Recreation Page (www.gorp.com) before you go. It has some fine data not only on camping but also on ways to enjoy the landscapes of Germany.

Many organizations are devoted to eco-tourism today, including Biosphefere Expedition, P.O. Box 917750, Longwood, FL 32791 ( 800/407-5761;www.biosphere-expeditions.org). This group sets up ecofriendly tours to the Bavarian Alps, for example. Earthwatch, 3 Clocktower Place, Ste. 1000, P.O. Box 75, Maynard, MA 01754 ( 800/776-0188;www.earthwatch.org), often includes Germany in its 1- to 3-week jaunts to promote conservation of natural resources.

An unusual offering for the true green visitor is provided by Willing Workers on Organic Farms, Postfach 210259, 01263 Dresden (www.wwoof.de). Charging a membership of 20€, the organization’s name says it all—participants get free room and board at a variety of organic farms throughout the country, but they must be willing to work for their supper.

One of the best ways for the green traveler in Germany is to take a tour from one bio hotel to another. These jaunts take you to the most scenic parts of the country, ranging from Lüneburg in the north to the Bavarian Forest in the south. For information and a list of these places to stay, check www.biohotels.info.

Increasingly popular is spending a vacation on a German farm, a welcome alternative for families with children. Sometimes guests can help with the activities, such as feeding the cows or helping with the harvest. Some lodgings are no longer working farms but have been turned into tranquil guesthouses with typical regional charm. Find out more about this type of holiday by searching www.landtourismus.de.

In addition to the resources for Germany listed above, see frommers.com/planning for more tips on responsible travel.

Tours

Germany is one of the great outdoor destinations of Europe. From its mountains to its beaches, from its rivers to its castles, there is much to see and explore. It has summer attractions galore, plus skiing on its Alpine slopes in winter. Here is but a sampling of the offerings that await you.

Biking

In Germany you can bike through green valleys and past rivers while enjoying rural landscapes and villages. Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club, P.O. Box 107747, 28077 Bremen ( 0421/346290;www.adfc.de), offers complete information on biking in Germany.

For over 20 years, Classic Adventures, P.O. Box 143, Hamlin, NY 14464 ( 800/777-8090; fax 585/964-7297; www.classicadventures.com), has offered bike tours of such areas as the Romantic Road. Euro-Bike and Walking Tours has teamed with Austin-Lehman Adventures to offer some of the best biking and walking tours in Germany. The company’s trips in Bavaria are particularly notable. For more information, check out www.austinlehman.com. You can also call 800/575-1540 in the United States and Canada, or else write to P.O. Box 81025, Billings, MT 59108.

Dozens of companies in Britain offer guided cycling tours. One of the best is the Cyclists Touring Club, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, Surrey GUZ 9JX ( 0870/873-0060;www.ctc.org.uk). It charges £36 a year for membership.

Cruises

The most popular cruises in Germany are along the Rhine.

Jody Lexow Yacht Charters rents hotel barges (including crew, food, and beverages) and smaller self-drive craft for touring the canals and rivers of Germany. For additional information, contact the agency at 26 Coddington Wharf, Newport, RI 02840 ( 800/662-2628;www.jodylexowyachtcharters.com).

Canal barge cruises are the way to see a rarely viewed part of Germany. The best such packages are available through European Barging, 25132 Oakhurst Dr., No. 130, Spring, TX 77386 ( 888/869-7907;www.europeanbarging.com). German itineraries focus on Berlin and the Mecklenburg lakes, and the “Mosel Cruise,” from Trier to Koblenz.

Escorted General-Interest Tours

Escorted tours are structured group tours with a group leader. The price usually includes everything from airfare to hotels, meals, admission costs, and local transportation.

Many people derive a sense of ease and security from escorted trips. Escorted tours—whether by bus, motorcoach, train, or boat—let travelers sit back and enjoy the trip without having to spend lots of time behind the wheel or worrying about details. You know your costs upfront, and there are few surprises. Escorted tours can take you to the maximum number of sights in the minimum amount of time with the least amount of hassle—you don’t have to sweat over the plotting and planning of a vacation schedule. Escorted tours are particularly convenient for people with limited mobility. They can also be a great way to meet people.

On the downside, an escorted tour often requires a big deposit upfront, and lodging and dining choices are predetermined. You’ll have few opportunities for serendipitous interactions with locals. The tours can be jampacked with activities, leaving little room for individual sightseeing, whim, or adventure—plus they often focus only on the heavily touristed sites, so you miss out on lesser known gems.

Brendan Vacations ( 800/421-8446;www.brendanvacations.com) has a selection of 8- to 15-day tours. Accommodations are at the better hotels, and rates include everything except airfare. Collette Vacations ( 800/340-5158;www.collettevacations.com) has an “Alpine Countries” tour that covers southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Globus & Cosmos Tours ( 800/338-7092;www.globusandcosmos.com) offers 9- to 16-day escorted tours of various parts of Germany. It also has a budget branch that offers tours at lower rates. Maupintour ( 800/255-4266;www.maupintour.com) has a selection of upscale tours, such as a Rhine River tour of Berlin, Dresden, Meissen, Nürnberg, and Heidelberg. Its most popular tour is a 14-day trip that takes in such cities as Dresden, Berlin, Rothenburg, Munich, Meissen, Baden-Baden, and Potsdam, including a Rhine River cruise past the Lorelei Rock.

Abercrombie & Kent ( 800/554-7016;www.abercrombiekent.com) provides customized group tours to various areas of Germany.

Golf

Most German golf courses welcome visiting players who are members of courses at home. Weekday greens fees are usually around 50€, rising to as much as 90€ on Saturday and Sunday. For information about the various golf courses, write to the Deutscher Golf/Verband, Viktoriastrasse 16, 65189 Wiesbaden ( 0611/990200;www.golf.de/dgv).

The Swabian region of Allgäu has several good courses. Golf Club Oberstaufen und Steibis ( 08386/8529;www.golf-oberstaufen.de), at Oberstaufen, is an 18-hole course close to a forest and nature park. Ofterschwang, a small, peaceful resort on the scenically beautiful Tiefenberger Moor, has Golf Club Sonnenalp ( 08321/272181;www.golfresort-sonnenalp.de). A good 18-hole course is found at Golf Bodensee ( 08389/89190;www.gcbw.de) on Lake Constance in southern Germany. Farther north, the city of Augsburg has an 18-hole course at Golf Augsburg ( 08234/5621;www.golfclub-augsburg.de).

Hiking & Mountain Climbing

These sports are popular in the German uplands. It’s estimated that Germany has more than 80,000 marked hiking and mountain-walking tracks. The Deutschen Wanderverband, Wilhelmshöher Alle 157–159, 34121 Kassel ( 0561/938730;www.wanderverband.de), services the trails and offers details about trails, shelters, huts, and addresses of hiking associations in various regions. The Deutscher Alpenverein (DAV), Von-Kahr-Strasse 2–4, 80997 Munich ( 089/140030;www.alpenverein.de), owns and operates 50 huts in and around the Alps that are open to all mountaineers. This association also maintains a 15,000km (9,300-mile) network of Alpine trails.

The best Alpine hiking is in the Bavarian Alps, especially the 1,240m (4,070-ft.) Eckbauer, on the southern fringe of Partenkirchen. The tourist office will supply hiking maps and details. Another great place for hiking is Berchtesgaden National Park, Franziskanerplatz 7, Berchtesgaden ( 08652/64343;www.nationalpark-berchtesgaden.bayern.de), bordering the Austrian province of Salzburg. This park offers the best-organized hikes and will hook you up with various groups offering hikes.

Planning Your Trip to Germany

Getting There

By Plane

Lufthansa ( 800/645-3880 in the U.S., 800/563-5954 in Canada, or 01805/805805 in Germany; www.lufthansa.com) operates the most frequent service and flies to the greatest number of Germany’s airports. From North America, Lufthansa serves 23 gateway cities. In any season, there are more than 100 weekly flights from these cities to Germany. The largest of the gateways is the New York City area, where flights depart from both JFK and Newark airports. Lufthansa has an alliance with United Airlines and Air Canada to provide seamless air service to Germany and other parts of the globe from North America. Dubbed “Star Alliance,” the union allows cross-airline benefits, including travel on one or all of these airlines on one ticket and frequent-flier credit to the participating airline of your choice.

American Airlines ( 800/443-7300;www.aa.com) flies nonstop from Chicago and Dallas to Frankfurt daily, and American’s flights connect easily with ongoing flights to many other German cities on Lufthansa or British Airways. Continental Airlines ( 800/525-0280;www.continental.com) offers daily nonstop service from Newark to Frankfurt. Delta Airlines ( 800/241-4141;www.delta.com) offers daily connecting service to Hamburg (via Paris) and nonstop to Frankfurt from Atlanta, Cincinnati, and New York’s JFK; nonstop to Munich from Atlanta; and nonstop to Berlin from JFK. United Airlines ( 800/538-2929;www.united.com) offers daily nonstops from Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to Frankfurt and Munich, and because of the Star Alliance, discussed above, all German flights by Lufthansa or Air Canada will also be honored as a part of a United ticket. US Airways ( 800/428-4322;www.usairways.com) also flies to Frankfurt and Munich daily (with nonstops from Charlotte and Philadelphia).

From London, British Airways ( 0870/8509850;www.britishairways.com) and Lufthansa ( 01805/805805;www.lufthansa.com) are the most convenient carriers to the major German cities, including Düsseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin. British Midland ( 0870/6070555;www.flybmi.com) has daily flights to Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich.

Flying for Less: Tips for Getting the Best Airfare

• Passengers who can book their ticket either long in advance or at the last minute, or who fly midweek or at less trafficked hours, may pay a fraction of the full fare. If your schedule is flexible, say so, and ask if you can secure a cheaper fare by changing your flight plans.

• Search the Internet for cheap fares. The most popular online travel agencies are Travelocity (www.travelocity.com), Expedia (www.expedia.com), and Orbitz (www.orbitz.com). In the U.K., go to Travelsupermarket ( 0845/345-5708;www.travelsupermarket.com), a flight search engine that offers flight comparisons for the budget airlines whose seats often end up in bucket shop sales. Other websites for booking airline tickets online include Cheapflights.com, SmarterTravel.com, Priceline (www.priceline.com), and Opodo (www.opodo.com). Meta-search sites (which find and then direct you to airline and hotel websites for booking) include Sidestep.com and Kayak.com—the latter includes fares for budget carriers such as JetBlue and Spirit as well as the major airlines. Lastminute.com is a great source for last-minute flights and getaways. In addition, most airlines offer online-only fares that even their phone agents know nothing about.

• Keep an eye on local newspapers for promotional specials or fare wars, when airlines lower prices on their most popular routes.

• Consolidators, also known as bucket shops, are wholesale brokers in the airline-ticket game. Consolidators buy deeply discounted tickets (“distressed” inventories of unsold seats) from airlines and sell them to online ticket agencies, travel agents, tour operators, corporations, and, to a lesser degree, the general public. Consolidators advertise in Sunday newspaper travel sections (often in small ads with tiny type), in both the U.S. and the U.K. They can be great sources for cheap international tickets. On the downside, bucket shop tickets are often rigged with restrictions, such as stiff cancellation penalties (as high as 50%–75% of the ticket price). And keep in mind that most of what you see advertised is of limited availability. Several reliable consolidators are worldwide and available online. STA Travel (www.statravel.com) has been the world’s leading consolidator for students since purchasing Council Travel, but their fares are competitive for travelers of all ages. Flights.com ( 201/541-3826) has excellent fares worldwide, particularly to Europe. They also have “local” websites in 12 countries. FlyCheap ( 800/359-2432;www.flycheap.com) has especially good fares to sunny destinations. AirTicketsDirect ( 888/858-8884;www.airticketsdirect.com), based in Montreal, is another good source.

• Join frequent-flier clubs. Frequent-flier membership doesn’t cost a cent, but it does entitle you to free tickets or upgrades when you amass the airline’s required number of frequent-flier points. You don’t even have to fly to earn points; frequent-flier credit cards can earn you thousands of miles for doing your everyday shopping. But keep in mind that award seats are limited, seats on popular routes are hard to snag, and more and more major airlines are cutting their expiration periods for mileage points—so check your airline’s frequent-flier program so you don’t lose your miles before you use them. Inside tip: Award seats are offered almost a year in advance, but seats also open up at the last minute, so if your travel plans are flexible, you may strike gold. To play the frequent-flier game to your best advantage, consult the community bulletin boards on FlyerTalk (www.flyertalk.com) or go to Randy Petersen’s Inside Flyer (www.insideflyer.com). Petersen and friends review all the programs in detail and post regular updates on changes in policies and trends.

Getting Through the airport

• Arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before an international flight to Germany. You can check the average wait times at your airport by going to the TSA Security Checkpoint Wait Times site (http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov).

• Know what you can carry on and what you can’t. For the latest updates on items you are prohibited to bring in carry-on luggage, go to www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel.

• Beat the ticket-counter lines by using the self-service electronic ticket kiosks at the airport or even printing out your boarding pass at home from the airline website. Using curbside check-in is also a smart way to avoid lines.

• Help speed up security before you’re screened. Remove jackets, shoes, belt buckles, heavy jewelry, and watches and place them either in your carry-on luggage or the security bins provided. Place keys, coins, cellphones, and pagers in a security bin. If you have metallic body parts, carry a note from your doctor. When possible, keep liquids in checked baggage.

• Use a TSA-approved lock for your checked luggage. Look for Travel Sentry certified locks at luggage or travel shops and Brookstone stores (or online at www.brookstone.com).

Don’t Stow It—Ship It

Though pricey, it’s sometimes worthwhile to travel luggage-free, particularly if you’re toting sports equipment, meetings materials, or baby equipment. Specialists in door-to-door luggage delivery include Skycap International and Sports Express. Both services use the same website (www.sportsexpress.com).

By Train

Many passengers, especially holders of the Eurailpass, travel to Germany by train from other European cities. (See “Getting Around,” below, for information on purchasing rail passes.)

British Rail runs four trains a day to Germany from Victoria Station in London, going by way of the Ramsgate-Ostend ferry or jetfoil. Two trains depart from London’s Liverpool Street Station, via Harwich-Hook of Holland. Most trains change at Cologne for destinations elsewhere in Germany. You can purchase tickets through British Rail travel centers in London ( 866/274-8724 in the U.S. and Canada; www.britrail.com). See “Via the Chunnel,” below, for information about the Eurostar service running between London and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel.

Unless you pay a premium for rail travel on the Eurostar, which connects London’s St. Pancras station via the Chunnel (see below) with either Paris or Brussels, train travel from the U.K. to points within Germany can be lengthy and tedious, with multiple transfers en route and with long, bouncing segments aboard either hovercrafts or conventional ferryboats between the English port of Ramsgate and the Belgian port of Oostende. If you opt to save money and embark upon one of these non-Chunnel methods of transport, expect transit times between London and Cologne of up to 12 hours, and from London to either Berlin or Munich of between 18 and 22 hours, depending on the train and the ferryboat or hovercraft crossing.

Frankly, it’s far better to pay the extra premium aboard Eurostar, the name given to each of the trains running under the English Channel, between London and Brussels, and from there, taking a high-speed train onward to your destination within Germany. Even so, transit time from London to Cologne, requiring a change in Brussels, would take 4 hours and 45 minutes; from London to Berlin, requiring a single change in Brussels and Cologne, would take 9 hours; and from London to Munich, requiring a single change in Brussels, would require between 9 and 10 hours, depending on the day of the week.

By Car & Ferry

To bring a car over from England, you face a choice of ports from which you’ll continue driving to Germany. P & O Ferries ( 08716/645645 in the U.K.; www.poferries.com) has 30 to 35 ferryboat crossings a day, depending on the season, between Dover and Calais. The crossing can take as little as 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once you’re in Calais, the drive to Cologne takes about 3 hours. Other options involve passage from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, a sea crossing of about 8 hours. You can also take your car via the Chunnel (see below).

Via the Channel Tunnel

The $15-billion Channel Tunnel, one of the greatest engineering feats of all time, is the first link between Britain and the Continent since the Ice Age. The tunnel was built beneath the seabed through a layer of impermeable chalk marl and sealed with a reinforced concrete lining. The 50km (30-mile) journey between Britain and France takes 35 minutes, although actual time in the Chunnel is only 19 minutes. Once on the Continent, you can connect to Germany fairly easily.

Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com) sells tickets on the Eurostar direct train service between London and Paris or Brussels ( 800/622-8600 in the U.S., or 800/361-7245 in Canada; www.eurostar.com). In the U.K., make reservations for Eurostar at 0870/5186186. The train operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, running every 15 minutes during peak travel times and at least once an hour at night.

The tunnel also accommodates passenger cars, charter buses, taxis, and motorcycles from Folkestone to Calais. Tickets may be purchased at the tollbooth.

Getting Around

By Plane

From Frankfurt, most Lufthansa ( 800/645-3880 in the U.S., or 800/563-5954 in Canada; www.lufthansa.com) destinations in Germany can be reached in an average of 50 minutes, with at least four flights daily.

All German cities with commercial airports have an airport shuttle service, offering reduced fares and fast connections between the city center and the airport. Departure points are usually the airlines’ town offices and the city’s main rail terminal. Luggage can be checked at the DB (Deutsche Bahn/German Rail) baggage counter at the airport for delivery to the railroad station at your ultimate destination.

By Train

Whether you travel first- or second-class, you’ll find that the trains of German Rail (DB Rail; 0800/1507090;www.bahn.de) deserve their good reputation for comfort, cleanliness, and punctuality. All are modern and fast, and all cars are nonsmoking. A snack bar or a dining car, serving German and international cuisine as well as good wine and beer, can usually be found on all trains except locals.

For city sightseeing, you can leave your baggage in a locker or check it at the station’s baggage counter. In many cities, German Rail provides door-to-door baggage service, allowing passengers to have luggage picked up at or delivered to their hotels. Accompanying baggage can be checked for a nominal fee. Suitcases, baby carriages, skis, bicycles, and steamer trunks are permitted as baggage. Insurance policies of various kinds, including a travel medical plan, are also available.

About 20,000 InterCity (IC;www.bahn.de) passenger trains offer express service every hour between most large and medium-size German cities. IC trains have adjustable cushioned seats and individual reading lights, and often offer telephone and secretarial services. Bars, lounges, and dining rooms are available, too. A network of EuroCity (EC) trains connecting Germany with 13 other countries offers the same high standards of service as those of IC.

Germany’s high-speed rail network, known as InterCity Express (ICE), is among the fastest in Europe—their trains reach speeds of 280kmph (174 mph). One of these trains runs from Hamburg, via Würzburg and Nürnberg, to Munich; another from Frankfurt, via Stuttgart, to Munich; and yet another from Berlin, via Frankfurt, to Munich. Each train makes stops along the way. ICE significantly reduces travel time, making transits north to south across the country easily possible in the course of a single day. Some 200 east-west connections have been added to the German Rail timetable to link the Deutsche Bundesbahn (west) and the Deutsche Reichsbahn (east). Additional connections make Leipzig and Dresden more accessible.

InterCity Night (ICN)—one of the most comfortable night trains in Europe—operates between Berlin and Bonn, and Berlin and Munich. Even though the train doesn’t depart until 10 or 11pm, you may board as early as 8 or 8:30pm. Arrival the next morning is between 6:55 and 7:55am, and you have the option of remaining aboard until 9 or 9:30am.

The ICN offers first and tourist class. Sleeping accommodations in first class include single or double compartments with shower and toilet, and they are equipped with key cards, phones for wake-up service, luggage storage, and other amenities. Tourist class offers open seating with sleeperettes (reclining seats). The ICN is equipped with a restaurant and bistro car, and a breakfast buffet is included in the first-class fare. For an extra cost, a limited menu for dinner is offered. Advance reservations are mandatory for all sleeping accommodations.

German Rail issues tickets for the ICN and also makes reservations. Eurail and German Rail pass holders are accepted on this train but have to pay for the seat or sleeper reservation and also for meals. Youth-pass holders are accepted only in tourist class. Children 3 and under travel free, provided they do not require a separate seat; those between 4 and 12 are charged half fare.

Before leaving for Germany, you can get complete details about German Rail and the many plans it offers, as well as information about Eurailpasses, at Rail Europe ( 877/272-7245;www.raileurope.com).

German Rail Tourist Passes The German Rail Passes offer several options beginning with 3 days and going up to 10 days in 1 month. For example 3 days of travel in 1 month costs 230€ first class or 175€ second class.

If you’re age 12 to 25, ask about a Youth Pass, or inquire about a Twin Pass, which is shared by two adults traveling together at all times.

The passes also entitle the bearer to additional benefits, such as free or discounted travel on selected bus routes operated by Deutsche Touring/Europabus, including destinations not serviced by trains, or excursions along particularly scenic highways such as the Romantic Road and the Castle Road. The pass also includes free travel on KD German Line steamers (day trips only) along the Rhine, Main, and Mosel rivers.

These passes are available from www.bahn.com or buy them from travel agent Rail Europe ( 877/272-7245). Rail Europe can also arrange cost-effective “Rail and Drive” packages that combine a certain number of days on the train with a certain number of days in a rental car. Here’s an example of how it might work: Ride the train from Frankfurt to Munich, spend 3 days exploring the city, and then rent a car for a 2-day excursion to Berchtesgaden and the Bavarian Alps. The German Rail Flexipass is also sold by Premier Gateway ( 800/777-8369 in the U.S. and Canada; www.premiergateway.com).

Where to Buy Rail Passes Travel agents in all towns and railway agents in major North American cities sell all these tickets, but the biggest supplier is Rail Europe ( 877/272-7245;www.raileurope.com), which can also give you informational brochures.

Many different rail passes are available in the U.K. for travel in Britain and continental Europe. Stop in at the International Rail Centre, Victoria Station, London SW1V 1JY ( 0870/5848848 in the U.K.). Some of the most popular passes, including Inter-Rail and Euro Youth, are offered only to travelers 25 years of age or under; these allow unlimited second-class travel through most European countries.

By Car

British travelers who want to bring their own cars over should see “By Car & Ferry” under “Getting There,” earlier in this chapter.

Competition in the European car-rental industry is fierce, so make sure you comparison shop. You can make reservations by calling these toll-free numbers: Avis ( 800/331-1212;www.avis.com), Budget ( 800/472-3325;www.budget.com), Hertz ( 800/654-3001;www.hertz.com), Kemwel Drive Group ( 877/820-0668;www.kemwel.com), and Auto Europe ( 800/223-5555;www.autoeurope.com). You can often rent a car in one German city and return it to another for no additional charge.

There are some advantages to prepaying rentals in your native currency before leaving home. You get an easy-to-understand net price, the rental process is more streamlined, and you can avoid unpleasant surprises caused by sudden unfavorable changes in currency exchange rates. Remember, however, that if you opt to prepay and your plans change, you’ll have to go through some rather complicated paperwork for changing or canceling a prepaid contract.

Driving Rules In Germany, you drive on the right side of the road. Both front- and back-seat passengers must wear safety belts. Children 5 and younger cannot ride in the front seat.

Easy-to-understand international road signs are posted, but U.S. travelers should remember that road signs are in kilometers, not miles. In congested areas, the speed limit is about 50kmph (about 30 mph). On all other roads except the autobahns, the speed limit is 100kmph (about 60 mph).

In theory, there is no speed limit on the autobahns (in the left, fast lane), but many drivers going too fast report that they have been stopped by the police and fined, and the government recommends a speed limit of 130kmph (81 mph). Reasonable caution is recommended, for safety if nothing else. A German driver on the autobahn can be a ferocious creature, and you may prefer the slow lane.

Note: Drinking while driving is a very serious offense in Germany. Be sure to keep any alcoholic beverages in the trunk or other storage area.

Breakdowns/Assistance The major automobile club in Germany is Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD), Lyoner Strasse 16, 60528 Frankfurt ( 069/660600;www.avd.de). If you have a breakdown on the autobahn, you can call from one of many emergency phones, spaced about a mile apart. On secondary roads, go to the nearest phone. If you don’t belong to an auto club, call 01802/222222. In English, ask for “road service assistance.” Emergency assistance is free, but you pay for parts and materials.

Driver’s Licenses American drivers, and those from E.U. countries, need only a domestic license to drive. However, in Germany and throughout the rest of Europe, you must also have an international insurance certificate, known as a carte verte (green card). Any car-rental agency will automatically provide one of these as a standard part of the rental contract, but it’s a good idea to double-check all documents at the time of rental, just to be sure that you can identify the card if asked by border patrol or the police.

By Bus

An excellent, efficient bus network services Germany. Many buses are operated by Bahnbus, which is owned by the railway. These are integrated to complement the rail service. Bus service in Germany is particularly convenient during slow periods of rail service, normally around midday and on Saturday and Sunday. German post offices often operate local bus services (contact local post offices for schedules and prices).

The most popular bus ride is along the Romantic Road, where special green-and-white buses carry tourists regularly from town to town. For more information, ask a travel agent or call Deutsche Touring GmbH, Am Römerhof 17, Frankfurt ( 069/7903501;www.touring.de).

By Boat

Perhaps Germany’s most beautiful features are its lakes and rivers. The mighty Rhine is the country’s most traveled waterway. German cruise ships also run on the Main River between Mainz and Frankfurt; on the Danube from Nürnberg to Linz (Austria), going on to Vienna and Budapest; and on the Mosel between Cochem and Trier.

To cruise the mythically rich rivers of Germany, especially the legendary Rhine, you can book cruises on the principal carrier, Viking River Cruises ( 800/304-9616 in the U.S., or 0800/319-6660 in the UK; www.vikingrivers.com).

Tips on Accommodations

In general, Germany has one of the highest standards of innkeeping in the world. Hotels range from five-star palaces of luxury and comfort to plain country inns and simple Gasthäuser (guesthouses), with a huge variation in rates. The cheapest accommodations are in Fremdenheime (pensions) or rooms in private homes (look for a sign saying ZIMMER FREI, meaning there are rooms for rent). Hotels listed as garni provide no meals other than breakfast.

Also, tourist offices will often book you into a room for a small charge. Obviously, the earlier you arrive in these offices, the more likely you are to get a good room at the price you want.

Surfing for Hotels

In addition to the online travel booking sites Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Hotwire, you can book hotels through Hotels.com, Quikbook (www.quikbook.com), and Travelaxe (www.travelaxe.com).

HotelChatter.com is a daily webzine offering smart coverage and critiques of hotels worldwide. Go to TripAdvisor.com or HotelShark.com for helpful independent consumer reviews of hotels and resort properties.

It’s a good idea to get a confirmation number and make a printout of any online booking transaction.

Throughout Germany, as in many tourist centers worldwide, hotels routinely overbook, so booking by credit card doesn’t automatically hold your room if you arrive later than expected or after 6pm. The hotel clerk always asks when you expect to arrive, and the hotel usually holds the room until that time. Always pad your expected arrival by a few hours to be safe. However, all bets are off after 7pm, and the hotel is likely to give your room away unless you call and specifically ask them to hold it. If you’ve made a reservation very far in advance, confirm within 24 hours of your expected arrival. If you’re experiencing a major delay, alert the hotel as soon as you can.

Beware of billing. Readers report that sometimes in Germany they booked a room online (say, $100 a night) but were charged $125 when they checked out. Keep your online confirmation in case of a dispute.

Saving on Your Hotel Room

The rack rate is the maximum rate that a hotel charges for a room. Hardly anybody pays this price, however, except in high season or on holidays. To lower the cost of your room:

• Ask about special rates or other discounts. You may qualify for corporate, student, military, senior, frequent-flier, trade union, or other discounts.

• Dial direct. When booking a room in a chain hotel, you’ll often get a better deal by calling the individual hotel’s reservation desk rather than the chain’s main number.

• Book online. Many hotels offer Internet-only discounts, or supply rooms to Priceline, Hotwire, or Expedia at rates much lower than the ones you can get through the hotel itself.

• Remember the law of supply and demand. You can save big on hotel rooms by traveling in a destination’s off season or shoulder seasons, when rates typically drop, even at luxury properties.

• Look into group or long-stay discounts. If you come as part of a large group, you should be able to negotiate a bargain rate. Likewise, if you’re planning a long stay (at least 5 days), you might qualify for a discount. As a general rule, expect 1 night free after a 7-night stay.

• Sidestep excess surcharges and hidden costs. Many hotels have adopted the unpleasant practice of nickel-and-diming their guests with opaque surcharges. When you book a room, ask what is included in the room rate, and what is extra. Avoid dialing direct from hotel phones, which can have exorbitant rates. And don’t be tempted by the room’s minibar offerings: Most hotels charge through the nose for water, soda, and snacks. Finally, ask about local taxes and service charges, which can increase the cost of a room by 15% or more.

• Carefully consider your hotel’s meal plan. If you enjoy eating out and sampling the local cuisine, it makes sense to choose a Continental Plan (CP), which includes breakfast only, or a European Plan (EP), which doesn’t include any meals and allows you maximum flexibility. If you’re more interested in saving money, opt for a Modified American Plan (MAP), which includes breakfast and one meal, or the American Plan (AP), which includes three meals. If you must choose a MAP, see if you can get a free lunch at your hotel if you decide to do dinner out.

• Book an efficiency. A room with a kitchenette allows you to shop for groceries and cook your own meals. This is a big money saver, especially for families on long stays.

• Consider enrolling in hotel chains’ “frequent-stay” programs, which are upping the ante lately to win the loyalty of repeat customers. Frequent guests can now accumulate points or credits to earn free hotel nights, airline miles, in-room amenities, merchandise, tickets to concerts and events, discounts on sporting facilities—and even credit toward stock in the participating hotel, in the case of the Jameson Inn hotel group. Perks are awarded not only by many chain hotels and motels (Hilton HHonors, Marriott Rewards, and Wyndham ByRequest, to name a few), but by individual inns and B&Bs. Many chain hotels partner with other hotel chains, car-rental firms, airlines, and credit card companies to give consumers additional incentive to do repeat business.

For more tips on surfing for hotel deals online, visit Frommers.com.

Landing the Best Room

Somebody has to get the best room in the house. It might as well be you. You can start by joining the hotel’s frequent-guest program, which may make you eligible for upgrades. A hotel-branded credit card usually gives its owner “silver” or “gold” status in frequent-guest programs for free. Always ask about a corner room. They’re often larger and quieter, with more windows and light, and they often cost the same as standard rooms. When you make your reservation, ask if the hotel is renovating; if it is, request a room away from the construction. Ask about nonsmoking rooms and rooms with views. Be sure to request your choice of twin, queen-, or king-size beds. If you’re a light sleeper, ask for a quiet room away from vending or ice machines, elevators, restaurants, bars, and dance clubs. Ask for a room that has been recently renovated or refurbished.

If you aren’t happy with your room when you arrive, ask for another one. Most lodgings will be willing to accommodate you.

In resort areas, ask the following questions before you book a room:

• What’s the view like? Cost-conscious travelers may be willing to pay less for a back room facing the parking lot, especially if they don’t plan to spend much time in their room.

• Does the room have air-conditioning or ceiling fans? Do the windows open? If they do, and the nighttime entertainment takes place alfresco, you may want to find out when showtime is over.

• What’s included in the price? Your room may be moderately priced, but if you’re charged for beach chairs, towels, sports equipment, and other amenities, you could end up spending more than you bargained for.

B&B Stays

Many travelers prefer to go the B&B route when touring Germany. This can be an inexpensive alternative to all those pricey hotels. However, some B&Bs, just as in America, are more luxurious than even a first-class hotel. Naturally, these come with a higher price tag. Breakfast, as promised in the name, is served, and often the staff at a B&B will pack you a picnic lunch if you’re staying over in the area and want to go hiking. In some cases, and only if arranged in advance, a home-cooked German dinner might be served.

For reservations, contact Bed & Breakfast Inns Online ( 800/215-7365 or 310/280-4363; www.bbonline.com) or BnB Finder.com ( 888/547-8226 or 212/432-7693; www.bnbfinder.com).

Bungalow, Villa & Apartment Rentals

Dozens of agencies handle such rentals, the best of which include At Home Abroad, Inc. ( 212/421-9165;www.athomeabroadinc.com). Drawbridge to Europe ( 888/268-1148;www.drawbridgetoeurope.com) offers vacation rentals in Mittel Europa, including not only Germany but also Switzerland and Austria. The staff will even rent you a private castle. Interhome ( 800/882-6864 or 954/791-8282; www.interhomeusa.com) offers properties in 21 countries, including Germany.

Castle Hotels

There are more Schlosshotels (castle hotels) in Germany than anywhere else in Europe. After unification, many castles in the old East Germany were restored and opened to the public. Some are rather basic, having more character than comfort, but others are luxurious, with antiques such as four-poster beds and a baronial atmosphere, often harking back 3 centuries or more. Most of them have installed modern plumbing. Some visitors with a sense of the romantic book castle hotel packages throughout Germany. The best source for such vacations is Euro-Connections ( 800/645-3876 in the U.S.; www.traveldata.cc).

Farm Vacations

Growing in its appeal to tourists, a vacation down on the farm—Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof in German—cuts costs and is an adventure as well. Nearly every local tourist office has a list of farmhouses in its area that take in paying guests. Sometimes only bed-and-breakfast is offered; at other places a farm-style home-cooked dinner can be included if you wish. For more information, you can contact DLG (German Agricultural Association) at 069/247880 (www.landtourismus.de).

House Swapping

House swapping is becoming a more popular and viable means of travel; you stay in their place, they stay in yours, and you both get a more authentic and personal view of a destination, the opposite of the escapist retreat many hotels offer. Try HomeLink International (www.homelink.org), the largest and oldest home-swapping organization, founded in 1952, with more than 11,000 listings worldwide ($115 yearly membership). HomeExchange.com ($9.95 a month for 6,000 listings) and InterVac.com ($100 for more than 10,000 listings) are also reliable.

Romantik Hotels

Throughout Germany you’ll encounter hotels with a “Romantik” in their names. This is not a chain, but a voluntary association of small inns and guesthouses that have only one theme in common: They are usually old and charming, and romantic in architecture. If you like a traditional ambience as opposed to bandbox modern, then a Romantik hotel might be for you. The requirement is that the hotel be in a historic building (or at least one of vintage date) and personally managed by the owner. Usually you get a regional cuisine and good, personal service, along with an old-fashioned setting and cozy charm. Sometimes the plumbing could be better, and standards of comfort vary widely, but all of them have been inspected.

For more information, contact Romantik Hotels and Restaurants ( 800/650-8018 in the U.S., or 069/6612340 in Germany; www.romantikhotels.com).

Spa Hotels

More than any other country in Europe, Germany has developed the spa process to a high art. The heyday of German spa construction coincided with the rise of the bourgeoisie in the 19th century, when a lavish series of resorts was built around the dozens of mineral springs bubbling from the soil. Many of these springs had been known since the Middle Ages, or even Roman times, and to each was attributed specific cures for arthritis, gout, infertility, hypertension, and gynecological problems. (The German word Kur—Kurort means “spa”—is derived from the Latin cura, meaning “care.”) Going to a spa became an intensely ritualized social experience.

Regardless of the various medical claims made at the spas of Germany, the real reason to go to any spa, in our view, is to momentarily escape the stress of everyday life.

For more information, contact Deutschen Heilbaderverbandes, Reinhardtstrasse 46, 10117 Berlin ( 030/2463629-0;www.deutscher-heilbaederverband.de).

Youth Hostels

Germany has some of the best and most modern youth hostels (Jugendherbergen) in the world—some 550 of them are scattered throughout the country. Reservations are imperative in all cases, but especially in July and August. Venues range from rather bleak modern buildings to old castles in bucolic settings.

For more information and requirements, contact DJH Service GmbH, Bismarckstrasse 8, 32756 Detmold ( 05231/74010;www.jugendherberge.de). Most hostels in Germany are affiliated with Hostelling International USA ( 301/495-1240;www.hiusa.org).

Fast Facts

Business Hours Most banks are open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 1pm and 2:30 to 4pm (Thurs to 5:30pm). Money exchanges at airports and border-crossing points are generally open daily from 6am to 10pm. Exchanges at border railroad stations are kept open for arrivals of all international trains. Most businesses are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to 1pm. Store hours can vary from town to town, but shops are generally open Monday to Friday 9 or 10am to 6 or 6:30pm (Thurs to 8:30pm). Saturday hours are generally from 9am to 1 or 2pm, except on the first Saturday of the month, when stores may remain open until 4pm.

Car Rental See “By Car” under “Getting Around,” earlier in this chapter.

Cellphones See “Mobile Phones,” later.

Crime See “Safety,” later.

Customs You can take into Germany most personal effects and the following items duty-free: one video camera or two still cameras with 10 rolls of film each; a portable radio, a tape recorder, and a laptop PC, provided they show signs of use; 400 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco; 2 liters of wine or 1 liter of liquor per person 18 and over; fishing gear; one bicycle; skis; tennis or squash racquets; and golf clubs.

Returning U.S. citizens who have been away for at least 48 hours can bring back, once every 30 days, US$800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You’ll be charged a flat rate of 4% duty on the next US$1,000 worth of purchases. Be sure to have your receipts handy. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is US$200. With some exceptions, you cannot bring fresh fruits and vegetables into the United States. For specifics on what you can bring back, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. Or contact the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20229 ( 877/287-8667), and request the pamphlet.

For a clear summary of Canadian rules, you can download the booklet I Declare at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications. It is issued by Canada Border Services Agency ( 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca). Canada allows a C$750 exemption, which can be used only once a year and only after an absence of 7 days. You’re allowed to bring back duty-free one carton of cigarettes, one can of tobacco, 40 imperial ounces of liquor, and 50 cigars. In addition, you’re allowed to mail gifts to Canada valued at less than C$60 a day, provided they’re unsolicited and don’t contain alcohol or tobacco (write on the package “Unsolicited gift, under C$60 value”). You should declare all valuables on the Y-38 form before departing Canada, including serial numbers of valuables you already own, such as expensive foreign cameras.

Citizens of the U.K. who are returning from an E.U. country will go through a separate Customs exit (called the “Blue Exit”). In essence, there is no limit on what you can bring back from an E.U. country, as long as the items are for personal use (including gifts) and you have already paid the necessary duty and tax. However, Customs law sets out guidance levels. If you bring in more than these levels, you may be asked to prove that the goods are for your use. Guidance levels on goods bought in the E.U. for your own use are 3,200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos, 3 kilograms of smoking tobacco, 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine, 20 liters of fortified wine (such as port or sherry), and 110 liters of beer. For information, contact HM Revenue Customs at 0845/0109000 ( 02920/501261 from outside the U.K.), or consult their website at www.hmrc.gov.uk.

The duty-free allowance in Australia is A$900 or, for those 17 and under, A$450. Citizens can bring in 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of loose tobacco, and 2.25 liters of alcohol. If you’re returning with valuables you already own, such as foreign-made cameras, you should file form B263. A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at 1300/363263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au

The duty-free allowance for New Zealand is NZ$700. Citizens 18 and over can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco (or a mixture of all three if their combined weight doesn’t exceed 250g); plus 4.5 liters of wine and beer, or 1.125 milliliters of liquor. New Zealand currency does not carry import or export restrictions. Fill out a certificate of export, listing the valuables you are taking out of the country, so you can bring them back without paying duty. Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs Service, The Customhouse, 17–21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington ( 0800/428786 or 04/4736099 in New Zealand, or 04/4736099; www.customs.govt.nz).

Disabled Travelers Germany is one of the better countries for travelers with disabilities. All the large cities have excellent facilities. The local tourist offices can issue permits for drivers to allow them access to parking areas for people with disabilities. Newer hotels are more sensitive to the needs of those with disabilities, and the more expensive restaurants, in general, are wheelchair accessible.

Older, smaller towns may pose more of a problem, however, especially where the streets are cobblestone. Also, because of Germany’s many hills and endless flights of stairs, visitors with disabilities may have difficulty getting around outside of major cities, but conditions are slowly improving. If the areas you wish to visit seem inaccessible or you are not certain, you may want to consider taking an organized tour specifically designed to accommodate travelers with disabilities.

Organizations that offer assistance to travelers with disabilities include MossRehab ( 800/225-5667;www.mossresourcenet.org), which provides a library of accessible-travel resources online; Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH; 212/447-7284;www.sath.org), which offers a wealth of travel resources for all types of disabilities and informed recommendations on destinations, access guides, travel agents, tour operators, vehicle rentals, and companion services; and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB; 800/232-5463 or 212/502-7600; www.afb.org), a referral resource for those who are blind or visually impaired that provides information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs.

Air Ambulance Card ( 877/4247633;www.airambulancecard.com) is now partnered with SATH and allows you to preselect top-notch hospitals in case of an emergency.

Access-Able Travel Source ( 303/232-2979;www.access-able.com) offers a comprehensive database on travel agents from around the world with experience in accessible travel; destination-specific access information; and links to such resources as service animals, equipment rentals, and access guides.

Many travel agencies offer customized tours and itineraries for travelers with disabilities. Among them are Flying Wheels Travel ( 507/451-5005;www.flyingwheelstravel.com) and Accessible Journeys ( 800/846-4537 or 610/521-0339; www.disabilitytravel.com).

Flying with Disability (www.flying-with-disability.org) is a comprehensive information source on airplane travel.

Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons (www.emerginghorizons.com), available by subscription ($17 per year in the U.S.; $22 outside the U.S.).

The “Accessible Travel” link at Mobility-Advisor.com (www.mobility-advisor.com) offers a variety of travel resources to persons with disabilities.

British travelers should contact Holiday Care ( 0845/124-9971 in the U.K. only; www.holidaycare.org.uk) to access a wide range of travel information and resources for seniors and people with disabilities.

For more on organizations that offer resources to travelers with disabilities, go to Frommers.com.

Doctors Contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT; 716/754-4883 or 416/652-0137; www.iamat.org) for tips on travel and health concerns in Germany and lists of local, English-speaking doctors. You can find listings of reliable medical clinics in Germany at the International Society of Travel Medicine (www.istm.org).

Drinking Laws As in many European countries, drinking laws are flexible, enforced only if a problem develops. Officially, you must be 18 to consume any kind of alcoholic beverage. Bars and cafes rarely request proof of age. Drinking while driving, however, is treated as a very serious offense.

Driving Rules See “Getting Around,” earlier in this chapter.

Electricity In most places, the electricity is 220 volts AC (50 cycles). You will need a transformer and a plug that fits the German socket for your U.S. appliances. Many leading hotels will supply these.

Embassies & Consulates The following embassies and consulates are in Berlin. The embassy of the United States is at Pariser Platz 2 ( 030/83050;http://germany.usembassy.gov; U-Bahn: Brandenburger Tor), open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 3pm. The U.K. Embassy is at Wilhelmstrasse 70 ( 030/204570;http://ukingermany.fco.gov.uk/de; U-Bahn: Anhalter Bahnhof), open Monday to Friday 8am to 4:30pm. The Australian Embassy is at Wallstrasse 76–79 ( 030/8800880;www.germany.embassy.gov.au/beln/home.html; U-Bahn: Spittel-markt), open Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5pm and Friday 8:30am to 4:15pm. The Canadian Embassy is at Leipziger Platz 17 ( 030/203120;www.canadainternational.gc.ca; U-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz), open Monday to Friday 9am to noon. The Irish Embassy is at Friedrichstrasse 200 ( 030/220720;www.embassyofireland.de; U-Bahn: Uhlandstrasse), open Monday to Friday 9:30am to noon and 2:30 to 3:45pm. The New Zealand Embassy is at Friedrichstrasse 60 ( 030/206210;www.nzembassy.com; U-Bahn: Friedrichstrasse), open Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 2 to 5:30pm.

Emergencies Throughout Germany the emergency number for police is 110; for fire or to call an ambulance, dial 112.

Family Travel To locate accommodations, restaurants, and attractions that are particularly kid-friendly, look for the “Kids” icon throughout this guide.

Health Germany should not pose any major health hazards. The heavy cuisine may give some travelers mild diarrhea, so take along some antidiarrhea medicine and moderate your eating habits. The water is safe to drink throughout Germany; however, don’t drink from mountain streams, no matter how clear and pure the water looks.

German medical facilities are among the best in the world. If a medical emergency arises, your hotel staff can usually put you in touch with a reliable doctor. If not, contact the American embassy or a consulate; each one maintains a list of English-speaking doctors. Medical and hospital services aren’t free, so be sure that you have appropriate insurance coverage before you travel.

If you suffer from a chronic illness, consult your doctor before your departure. Pack prescription medications in your carry-on luggage and carry them in their original containers, with pharmacy labels—otherwise they won’t make it through airport security. Carry the generic name of prescription medicines, in case a local pharmacist is unfamiliar with the brand name.

For conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, or heart problems, wear a MedicAlert Identification Tag ( 888/633-4298;www.medicalert.org), which will immediately alert doctors to your condition and give them access to your records through MedicAlert’s 24-hour hot line.

Insurance For travel overseas, most U.S. health plans (including Medicare and Medicaid) do not provide coverage, and the ones that do often require you to pay for services upfront and reimburse you only after you return home.

As a safety net, you may want to buy travel medical insurance. If you require additional medical insurance, try MEDEX Assistance ( 800/732-5309 or 410/453-6300;www.medexassist.com) or Travel Assistance International ( 800/821-2828;www.travelassistance.com; for general information on services, call Worldwide Assistance Services, Inc. at 800/777-8710;www.worldwideassistance.com).

Canadians should check with their provincial health-plan offices or call Health Canada ( 866/225-0709;www.hc-sc.gc.ca) to find out the extent of their coverage and what documentation and receipts they must take home if they are treated overseas.

Travelers from the U.K. should carry their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which replaced the E111 form as proof of entitlement to free/reduced-cost medical treatment abroad ( 0845/605-0707;www.ehic.org.uk). Note, however, that the EHIC covers only “necessary medical treatment”; for repatriation costs, lost money, baggage, or cancellation, travel insurance from a reputable company should always be sought. Call 0870/033-9985 or visit www.travelinsuranceweb.com for quotes from several companies.

Travel Insurance The cost of travel insurance varies widely, depending on the destination, the cost and length of your trip, your age and health, and the type of trip you’re taking, but expect to pay between 5% and 8% of the vacation itself. You can get estimates from various providers through InsureMyTrip.com ( 800/487-4722). Enter your trip cost and dates, your age, and other information, for prices from more than a dozen companies.

U.K. citizens and their families who make more than one trip abroad per year may find that an annual travel insurance policy works out cheaper. Check www.moneysupermarket.com ( 0845/345-5708), which compares prices across a wide range of providers for single- and multitrip policies.

Most big travel agents offer their own insurance and will probably try to sell you their package when you book a holiday. Think before you sign. Britain’s Consumers’ Association recommends that you insist on seeing the policy and reading the fine print before buying travel insurance. The Association of British Insurers ( 020/7600-3333;www.abi.org.uk) gives advice by phone and publishes “Holiday Insurance,” a free guide to policy provisions and prices. You might also shop around for better deals: Try Columbus Direct ( 0870/033-9988;www.columbusdirect.net).

Trip-Cancellation Insurance Trip-cancellation insurance will help retrieve your money if you have to back out of a trip or depart early, or if your travel supplier goes bankrupt. Trip cancellation traditionally covers such events as sickness, natural disasters, and State Department advisories. The latest news in trip-cancellation insurance is the availability of expanded hurricane coverage and the “any-reason” cancellation coverage—which costs more but covers cancellations made for any reason. You won’t get back 100% of your prepaid trip cost, but you’ll be refunded a substantial portion. TravelSafe ( 888/885-7233;www.travelsafe.com) offers both types of coverage. Expedia also offers any-reason cancellation coverage for its air-hotel packages. For details, contact one of the following recommended insurers: Access America ( 800/284-8300; www.accessamerica.com), Travel Guard International ( 800/826-4919; www.travelguard.com), Travel Insured International ( 800/243-3174; www.travelinsured.com), and Travelex Insurance Services ( 800/228-9792; www.travelex-insurance.com).

Internet & Wi-Fi Many hotels, cafes, and retailers are signing on as Wi-Fi “hot spots.” Boingo (www.boingo.com) and Wayport (wayport.com) have set up networks in airports and high-class hotel lobbies. IPass providers (see below) also give you access to a few hundred wireless hotel lobby setups. To locate other hot spots that provide free wireless networks in cities in Germany, go to www.jiwire.com.

A few thousand hotels in Germany now offer free high-speed Internet access. In addition, major Internet service providers (ISPs) have local access numbers around the world, allowing you to go online by placing a local call. The iPass network also has dial-up numbers around the world. You’ll have to sign up with an iPass provider, who will then tell you how to set up your computer for your destination(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to www3.ipass.com and click on “Individuals Buy Now.” One solid provider is i2roam ( 866/811-6209 or 920/233-5863; www.i2roam.com).

To find cybercafes, check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com. Cybercafes can be found on almost every business street in large cities.

Aside from formal cybercafes, most youth hostels and public libraries have Internet access.

Language German, of course, is the official language, but English is widely understood. Germans start learning English in grade school.

LGBT Travelers Although Germany is one of the “gayest” countries of Europe, there is also prejudice and hostility here. Violence against gays and foreigners (especially nonwhite) is not unknown. On the other hand, homosexuality is widely accepted by a vast number of the country’s millions, especially young people. All major cities have a wide and varied gay and lesbian nightlife. Keep in mind that western Germany is far more gay-friendly than the more isolated outposts of the former East Germany. The legal minimum age for consensual homosexual sex is 18.

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA; 954/630-1637;www.iglta.org) is the trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry and offers an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses; go to its website and click on “Members.”

Many agencies offer tours and travel itineraries designed specifically for gay and lesbian travelers. Now, Voyager ( 800/255-6951;www.nowvoyager.com) is a well-known San Francisco–based gay-owned and -operated travel service. Olivia Cruises & Resorts ( 800/631-6277;www.olivia.com) charters entire resorts and ships for exclusive lesbian vacations and offers smaller group experiences for both gay and lesbian travelers. Gay.com ( 415/834-6500;http://daily.gay.com/travel) provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide.

The Canadian website GayTraveler (www.gaytraveler.ca) offers ideas and advice for gay travel all over the world.

The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Spartacus International Gay Guide, 38th edition (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide); and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate annual books for gay men and lesbians.

For more gay and lesbian travel resources, visit Frommers.com.

Mail Street mailboxes are painted yellow. It costs 1.70€ for the first 5 grams (about 1⁄5 oz.) to send an airmail letter to the United States or Canada, and 1€ for postcards. All letters to the U.K. cost .70€.

Medical Requirements Unless you’re arriving from an area known to be suffering from an epidemic (particularly cholera or yellow fever), inoculations or vaccinations are not required for entry into Germany.

Mobile Phones The three letters that define much of the world’s wireless capabilities are GSM, which stands for Global System for Mobiles, a big, seamless network that makes for easy cross-border cellphone use. In general, reception is good. But you’ll need a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card. This is a small chip that gives you a local phone number and plugs you into a regional network. In the U.S., T-Mobile and AT&T Wireless use this quasi-universal system; in Canada, Microcell and some Rogers customers are GSM, and all Europeans and most Australians use GSM. Unfortunately, per-minute charges can be high.

For many, renting a phone is a good idea. While you can rent a phone from any number of overseas sites, including kiosks at airports and at car-rental agencies, we suggest renting the phone before you leave home. North Americans can rent one before leaving home from InTouch USA ( 800/872-7626 or 703/222-7161; www.intouchglobal.com) or RoadPost ( 888/290-1616 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). InTouch will also, for free, advise you on whether your existing phone will work overseas.

Buying a phone can be economically attractive, as many nations have cheap prepaid phone systems. Once you arrive at your destination, stop by a local cellphone shop and get the cheapest package; you’ll probably pay less than $100 for a phone and a starter calling card. Local calls may be as low as 10¢ per minute, and in Germany incoming calls are free.

Money & Costs The euro (€) is the single European currency of Germany and other participating countries. Exchange rates of participating countries are locked into a common currency fluctuating against the dollar.

The major cities of Germany are some of the world’s most expensive. So, if you want to see the country without breaking the bank, you may want to cut short your time in Frankfurt, Munich, or Berlin and concentrate on regional capitals such as Freiburg in the Black Forest, where you can cut your travel cost by anywhere from 20% to 40%. You may also want to consider a rail pass.

Although prices in Germany are high, you generally get good value for your money. The inflation rate has remained low. Hotels are usually clean and comfortable, and restaurants generally offer good cuisine and ample portions made with quality ingredients. Trains are fast and on time, and most service personnel treat you with respect.

Many people come to Germany just for winter sports. The most expensive resorts are places like Garmisch-Partenkirchen. However, if you avoid the chic places, you can enjoy winter fun at a moderate cost. Some of the winter spots in the Bavarian Alps that haven’t been overrun by the beautiful people give you great value for your money. And prices in a village next to a resort are often 30% lower than at the resort itself.

In Germany, many prices for children (generally defined as ages 6–17) are considerably lower than for adults. And fees for children 5 and younger are often waived entirely.

Frommer’s lists exact prices in the local currency. The currency conversions quoted above were correct at press time. However, rates fluctuate, so before departing consult a currency exchange website such as www.oanda.com/currency/converter to check up-to-the-minute rates.

ATMs The easiest way to get cash away from home is from an ATM (automated teller machine), sometimes referred to as a Geldautomat. Note: Remember that many banks impose a fee every time you use a card at another bank’s ATM, and that fee can be higher for international transactions. In addition, the bank from which you withdraw cash may charge its own fee. For international withdrawal fees, ask your bank.

Note: Banks that are members of the Global ATM Alliance charge no transaction fees for cash withdrawals at other Alliance member ATMs; these include Bank of America, Scotiabank (Canada, Caribbean, and Mexico), Barclays (U.K. and parts of Africa), Deutsche Bank (Germany, Poland, Spain, and Italy), and BNP Paribas (France).

Credit Cards Credit cards are another safe way to carry money. They also provide a convenient record of all your expenses, and they generally offer relatively good exchange rates. You can withdraw cash advances from your credit cards at banks or ATMs, but high fees make credit card cash advances a pricey way to get cash. Remember that you’ll pay interest from the moment of your withdrawal, even if you pay your monthly bills on time. Also, note that many banks now assess a 1% to 3% “transaction fee” on all charges you incur abroad (whether you’re using the local currency or your native currency).

In Germany, American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, and Visa are commonly accepted, with the latter two cards predominating.

Beware of hidden credit-card fees while traveling. Check with your credit or debit card issuer to see what fees, if any, will be charged for overseas transactions. Recent reform legislation in the U.S., for example, has curbed some exploitative lending practices. But many banks have responded by increasing fees in other areas, including fees for customers who use credit and debit cards while out of the country—even if those charges were made in U.S. dollars. Fees can amount to 3% or more of the purchase price. Check with your bank before departing to avoid any surprise charges on your statement.

For help with currency conversions, tip calculations, and more, download Frommer’s convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the “Travel Tools” icon.

Passports Visas are not needed by citizens of the U.S., Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, or the U.K. for visits of less than 3 months. You do need a valid passport, unless you’re a citizen of the E.U., EEA or Switzerland (in which case you need only an identity card, though we recommend you always carry a passport anyway).

Passport Offices

Australia Australian Passport Information Service ( 131-232, or visit www.passports.gov.au).

Canada Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 ( 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).

Ireland Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 ( 01/671-1633; www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie).

New Zealand Passports Office, Department of Internal Affairs, 47 Boulcott Street, Wellington, 6011 ( 0800/225-050 in New Zealand or 04/474-8100; www.passports.govt.nz).

United Kingdom Visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency or contact the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), 89 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PN ( 0300/222-0000; www.ips.gov.uk).

United States To find your regional passport office, check the U.S. State Department website (travel.state.gov/passport) or call the National Passport Information Center ( 877/487-2778) for automated information.

Police Throughout the country, dial 110 for emergencies.

Safety Overall, the security risk to travelers in Germany is low. However, Germany experiences a number of demonstrations every year on a variety of political and economic themes. These demonstrations have a tendency to spread and turn violent, and anyone in the general area can become the victim of a random attack. Prior police approval is required for public demonstrations in Germany, and police oversight is routinely provided to ensure adequate security for participants and passersby. Nonetheless, situations may develop that could pose a threat to public safety. All foreign visitors are cautioned to avoid the area around protests and demonstrations and to check local media for updates on the situation.

In addition, hooligans, most often young and intoxicated “skinheads,” have been known to harass or even attack people whom they believe to be foreigners or members of rival youth groups. While U.S. citizens have not been specific targets, several Americans have reported that they were assaulted for racial reasons or because they appeared “foreign.”

Violent crime is rare in Germany, but it can occur, especially in larger cities or high-risk areas such as train stations. Most incidents of street crime consist of theft of unattended items and pickpocketing. You should take the same precautions against becoming a crime victim as you would in any city.

Report the loss or theft abroad of your passport immediately to the local police and the nearest embassy or consulate. If you are the victim of a crime while in Germany, in addition to reporting to local police, contact the nearest embassy or consulate for assistance. The embassy/consulate staff, for example, can assist you in finding appropriate medical care, contacting family members or friends, and explaining how funds could be transferred. Although the investigation and prosecution of the crime is solely the responsibility of local authorities, consular officers can help you understand the local criminal-justice process and find an attorney if needed.

Senior Travel Mention that you’re a senior when you make your travel reservations. Although all major U.S. airlines have canceled their senior-discount and coupon-book programs, many hotels still offer discounts for seniors. In most cities, people 60 and over qualify for reduced admission to theaters, museums, and other attractions, as well as discounted fares on public transportation.

Members of AARP, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049 ( 888/687-2277;www.aarp.org), get discounts on hotels, airfares, and car rentals. AARP offers members a wide range of benefits, including AARP The Magazine and a monthly newsletter. Anyone 50 and over can join.

Many reliable agencies and organizations target the 50-plus market. Exploritas’s ( 800/454-5768;www.exploritas.org) programs include a wide spectrum in Germany. The most popular is a 10-night program in both Berlin and Munich, where participants join local experts to learn about the history and culture of Germany. For the more athletic, there is a 13-night program spent biking along the Danube. Those interested in opera and classical music can join a 12-night cultural and fine arts program that takes place in the vibrant cultural cities of Berlin, Dresden, and Leipzig.

Recommended publications offering travel resources and discounts for seniors include the quarterly magazine Travel 50 & Beyond (www.travel50andbeyond.com) and the best-selling paperback Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures That You Absolutely Can’t Get Unless You’re Over 50 (McGraw-Hill), by Joann Rattner Heilman.

Frommers.com offers more information and resources on travel for seniors

Smoking Check before lighting up. In general, you cannot smoke in most restaurants and many bars in Germany, but it is in a continuous state of flux and rules vary by federal state—in some cases smoking is banned by law and enforced. In other cases the official law is not enforced in bars of a certain size, or after the kitchen closes at restaurants that are open late and morph into a barlike setting as the night goes on. Throughout the country, smoking is banned in all public buildings and transport.

Taxes As a member of the European Union, Germany imposes a tax on most goods and services known as a value-added tax (VAT) or, in German, Mehrwertsteuer. Nearly everything is taxed at 16%, including vital necessities such as gas and luxury items such as jewelry. Food and books are taxed at 7%. VAT is included in the prices of restaurants and hotels. Goods for sale, such as cameras, also have the 16% tax already factored into the price. Stores that display a tax-free sticker will issue you a Tax-Free Shopping Check at the time of purchase. When leaving the country, have your check stamped by the German Customs Service as your proof of legal export. You can then get a cash refund at one of the Tax-Free Shopping Service offices in the major airports and many train stations, even at some of the bigger ferry terminals. Otherwise, you must send the checks to Tax-Free Shopping Service, Mengstrasse 19, 23552 Lübeck, Germany. If you want the payment to be credited to your bank card or your bank account, mention this. There is no airport departure tax.

Telephones The country code for Germany is 49. To call Germany from the United States, dial the international access code 011, then 49, then the city code, then the regular phone number. Note: The phone numbers listed in this book are to be used within Germany; when calling from abroad, omit the initial 0 in the city code.

For directory assistance: Dial 11837 if you’re looking for a number inside Germany, and dial 11834 for numbers to all other countries.

For operator assistance: If you need operator assistance in making a call, dial 0180/200-1033.

Local and long-distance calls may be placed from all post offices and from most public telephone booths, about half of which operate with phone cards, the others with coins. Phone cards are sold at post offices and newsstands in denominations of 6€ to 25€. Rates are measured in units rather than minutes. The farther the distance, the more units are consumed. Telephone calls made through hotel switchboards can double, triple, or even quadruple the base charges at the post office, so be alert to this before you dial. In some instances, post offices can send faxes for you, and many hotels offer Internet access—for free or for a small charge—to their guests.

German phone numbers are not standard. In some places, numbers have as few as three digits. In cities, one number may have five digits, whereas the phone next door might have nine. Germans also often hyphenate their numbers differently. But since all the area codes are the same, these various configurations should have little effect on your phone usage once you get used to the fact that numbers vary from place to place.

Be careful dialing toll-free numbers. Many companies maintain a service line beginning with 0180. However, these lines might appear to be toll-free but really aren’t, costing .12€ per minute. Other numbers that begin with 0190 carry a surcharge of 1.85€ per minute—or even more. Don’t be misled by calling a 1-800 number in the United States from Germany. This is not a toll-free call but costs about the same as an overseas call.

To call the U.S. or Canada from Germany, dial 01, followed by the country code (1), then the area code, and then the number. Alternatively, you can dial the various telecommunication companies in the States for cheaper rates. From Germany, the access number for AT&T is 0800/8880010, and for MCI, 0800/8888000. USA Direct can be used with all telephone cards and for collect calls. The number from Germany is 013/00010. Canada Direct can be used with Bell Telephone Cards and for collect calls. This number from Germany is 013/00014.

If you’re calling from a public pay phone in Germany, you must deposit the basic local rate.

Tipping If a restaurant bill says Bedienung, that means a service charge has already been added, so just round up to the nearest euro. If not, add 10% to 15%. Bellhops get 1€ per bag, as does the doorperson at your hotel, restaurant, or nightclub. Room-cleaning staffs get small tips in Germany, as do concierges who perform some special favors.

Toilets Use the word Toilette (pronounced twah-leh-tah). Women’s toilets are usually marked with an F for Frauen, and men’s toilets with an H for Herren. Germany, frankly, doesn’t have enough public toilets, except in transportation centers. The locals have to rely on bars, cafes, or restaurants—and using them isn’t always appreciated if you’re not a paying customer.

VAT See “Taxes,” above.

Visas See “Passports,” above.

Visitor Information All cities and nearly all larger towns in Germany have tourist offices. The German National Tourist Board headquarters is at Beethovenstrasse 69, 60325 Frankfurt am Main ( 069/751903;www.germany-tourism.de or www.cometogermany.com).

In the U.S., they can be reached at 122 E. 42nd St., Ste. 2000, New York, NY 10017 ( 212/661-7200).

In Canada, tourist offices are at 480 University Ave., Ste. 1500, Toronto, ON M5G 1V2 ( 877/315-6237 or 416/968-1685). In the U.K., you can write P.O. Box 2695, London W1A ETN ( 020/7317-0808).

Water See “Health,” earlier.

Wi-Fi See “Internet & Wi-Fi,” earlier.

Useful Terms & Phrases

Getting There & Getting Around

I am looking for… Ich suche…

…a porter. …einen Träger für mein Gepäck.

…the check-in counter. …den Abfertigungsschalter.

…the ticket counter. …den Kartenschalter.

…arrivals. …den Ankunftsbereich.

…departures. …den Abreisebereich.

…the waiting area. …den Wartebereich.

…the men’s restroom. …die Herrentoilette.

…the women’s restroom. …die Damentoilette.

…the police station. …die Polizeidienststelle.

…a security guard. …einen Sicherheitsbeamten.

…the smoking area. …den Raucherbereich.

…the information booth. …den Informationsstand.

…a public telephone. …ein öffentliches Telefon.

…an ATM. …einen Geldautomaten.

…baggage claim. …die Gepäckausgabe.

…a luggage cart. …einen Gepäckwagen.

…a currency exchange. …eine Geldwechselstube.

…a café. …ein Café.

…a restaurant. …ein Restaurant.

…a bar. …eine Bar.

…a bookstore or newsstand. eine Buchhandlung oder einen Zeitungsstand.

…a duty-free shop. …einen Duty-Free-Shop.

Is there Internet access here? Gibt es hier einen Internetzugang?

I’d like to page someone. Ich möchte jemanden ausrufen lassen.

Do you accept credit cards? Akzeptieren Sie Kreditkarten?

Common Airport Signs

Ankunft Arrivals

Abreise Departures

Terminal Terminal

Gate Gate

Tickets Ticketing

Zoll Customs

Gepäckausgabe Baggage Claim

Drücken Push

Ziehen Pull

Rauchen verboten No Smoking

Eingang Entrance

Ausgang Exit

Herren Men’s

Damen Women’s

Pendelbusse Shuttle Buses

Taxis Taxis

Security Lingo

Bitte ziehen Sie Ihre Schuhe aus. Please remove your shoes.

Ziehen Sie Ihre Jacke aus. Remove your jacket / sweater.

Legen Sie Ihren Schmuck ab. Remove your jewelry.

Legen Sie Ihre Taschen auf das Band. Place your bags on the conveyor belt.

Treten Sie zur Seite. Step to the side.

Wir müssen Sie abtasten. We have to do a hand search.

Road Signs

Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung Speed Limit

Stopp Stop

Vorfahrt gewähren Yield

Gefahr Danger

Sackgasse No Exit

Einbahnstrasse One Way

Einfahrt verboten Do Not Enter

Strasse gesperrt Road Closed

Maut Toll

Nur Bargeld Cash Only

Parken verboten No Parking

Parkgebühr Parking Fee

Parkhaus Parking Garage

General Terms

Basic Greetings & Expressions

Hello. Hallo.

How are you? Wie geht es Ihnen?

I’m fine, thanks. Mir geht es gut, danke.

And you? Und Ihnen?

My name is ____. Ich heiße ____.

And yours? Wie heißen Sie?

It’s a pleasure to meet you. Freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen.

Please. Bitte.

Thank you. Danke.

Yes. Ja.

No. Nein.

Okay. OK.

No problem. Kein Problem.

I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Entschuldigung, ich verstehe Sie nicht.

Would you speak slower please? Könnten Sie bitte etwas langsamer sprechen?

Would you speak louder please? Könnten Sie bitte etwas lauter sprechen?

Do you speak English? Sprechen Sie Englisch?

Do you speak any other languages? Sprechen Sie irgendeine andere Sprache?

I speak ____ better than German. Ich spreche besser ____ als Deutsch.

Would you spell that? Könnten Sie das bitte buchstabieren?

Would you please repeat that? Könnten Sie das bitte wiederholen?

Would you point that out in this dictionary? Könnten Sie mir das bitte in diesem Wörterbuch zeigen?

Common Words

Allee Avenue

Altes Rathaus Old town hall (a historical monument; no longer used as the headquarters of the city’s officials)

Altstadt Old part of a city or town

Anlage Park area

Apotheke Pharmacy

Auf Wiedersehen Goodbye

Ausgang Exit

Bad Spa (also bath)

Bahn Railroad, train, course

Bahnhof Railroad station

Berg Mountain

Bitte Please

Brücke Bridge

Burg Fortified castle

Danke Thank you

Dom Cathedral

Domplatz Cathedral square

Drogerie Shop selling cosmetics, sundries

Eingang/Einfahrt Entrance

Eintritt Admission

Fahrrad Bicycle

Flughafen Airport

Gasse Lane

Gasthaus Inn, tavern, restaurant

Gasthof Inn

Gutbürgerliche Küche German home cooking

Hallo Hello

Hauptbahnhof Main railroad station

Hotelgarni Hotel that serves no meals or serves breakfast only

Insel Island

Kammer Room (in public building)

Kapelle Chapel

Kaufhaus Department store

Kino Cinema

Kirche Church

Kloster Monastery

Kneipe Bar for drinking; may serve snacks

Konditorei Cafe for coffee and pastries

Kunst Art

Land State

Marktplatz Market square

Neue Küche Cuisine moderne

Neues Rathaus New town hall (the seat of current city business)

Neustadt New part of city or town

Palatinate A region of Germany bordering France

Platz Square

Polizei Police

Postamt Post office

Rathaus Town or city hall

Ratskeller Restaurant in a Rathaus cellar serving traditional German food

Reisebüro Travel agency

Residenz Palace

Schauspielhaus Theater for plays

See Lake (der See) or sea (die See)

Seilbahn Cable car

Speisekarte Menu

Spielbank Casino

Stadt Town, city

Stadtbahn (S-Bahn) Commuter railroad

Steg Footbridge

Strasse Street

Strassenbahn Streetcar, tram

Tagesmenu Menu of the day

Tankstelle Filling station

Teller Platter

Tor Gateway

Turm Tower

Ufer Shore, riverbank

Untergrundbahn (U-Bahn) Subway, underground transportation system

Verkehrsamt Tourist office

Weg Road

Weinstube Wine bar or tavern serving meals

Zimmer Room

Menu Terms

Meats & Poultry (Wurst, Fleisch & Geflügel)

Aufschnitt Cold cuts

Beefsteak Hamburger steak

Brathuhn Roasted chicken

Bratwurst Grilled sausage

Eisbein Pigs’ knuckles

Ente Duck

Frankfurter Hot dog

Gans Goose

Hammel Mutton

Kalb Veal

Kassler Rippchen Pork chops

Lamm Lamb

Leber Liver

Ragout Stew

Rinderbraten Roast beef

Rindfleisch Beef

Sauerbraten Marinated beef

Schinken Ham

Schnitzel Cutlet

Schweinebraten Roast pork

Tafelspitz Boiled beef usually served with applesauce and horseradish—a famous staple of Austria

Truthahn Turkey

Wiener schnitzel Breaded veal cutlet

Wurst Sausage

Fish (Fisch)

Aal Eel

Forelle Trout

Hecht Pike

Karpfen Carp

Lachs Salmon

Makrele Mackerel

Muschel Mussel

Rheinsalm Rhine salmon

Schellfisch Haddock

Seezunge Sole

Eggs (Eier)

Eier in der Schale Boiled eggs

Mit Speck With bacon

Rühreier Scrambled eggs

Spiegeleier Fried eggs

Verlorene Eier Poached eggs

Vegetables (Gemüse)

Artischocken Artichokes

Blumenkohl Cauliflower

Bohnen Beans

Bratkartoffeln Fried potatoes

Champignon Mushroom

Erbsen Peas

Grüne Bohnen Green or string beans

Gurken Cucumbers

Karotten Carrots

Kartoffel Potato

Kartoffelbrei Mashed potatoes

Kartoffelsalat Potato salad

Knödel Dumplings

Kohl Cabbage

Reis Rice

Rettich Radish

Rote Rüben Beets

Rotkraut Red cabbage

Salat Lettuce

Salzkartoffeln Boiled potatoes

Sellerie Celery

Spargel Asparagus

Spinat Spinach

Steinpilze Boletus mushrooms

Tomaten Tomatoes

Weisse Rüben Turnips

Desserts (Nachtisch)

Auflauf Soufflé

Bienenstich Honey almond cake

Blatterteiggebäck Puff pastry

Bratapfel Baked apple

Dolce di Castagne Chestnut roll

Eis Ice cream

Kaffeecreme Coffee mousse

Käse Cheese

Kirschtorte Black Forest cake

Kompott Stewed fruit

Obstkuchen Fruit tart

Obstsalat Fruit salad

Pfannkuchen Sugared pancakes

Pflaumenkompott Stewed plums

Schlagsahne Whipped cream

Schokolademus Chocolate mousse

Tarte Tatin A tart filled with, most often, apples

Topfenpalatschinken Cottage cheese pancakes

Zwetschkenknodel Plum dumplings

Fruits (Obst)

Ananas Pineapple

Apfel Apple

Apfelsine Orange

Banane Banana

Birne Pear

Erdbeeren Strawberries

Himberren Raspberries

Kirschen Cherries

Pfirsich Peach

Weintrauben Grapes

Zitrone Lemon

Beverages (Getränke)

Bier Beer

Ein dunkles A dark beer

Ein helles A light beer

Eine Tasse Kaffee A cup of coffee

Eine Tasse Tee A cup of tea

Eistee Ice tea

Geist Brandy

Hiesse Schokolade Hot chocolate

Kaffee Coffee

Kaffee mit Rahm/Milch/Zucker Coffee with cream/milk/sugar

Kaffee mit Suss-stoff Coffee with artificial sweetener

Kaffee Schwarz Black coffee

Koffeinfrei Decaffeinated coffee

Kräutertee Herb tea

Leicht Light (wine)

Likör Liqueur

Limonade Lemonade

Milch Milk

Mineralwasser Mineral water

Mit Eis With ice

Mit Wasser With water

Ohne Eis Without ice

Ohne Wasser Without water

Pur Straight

Rotwein Red wine

Saft Juice

Schaumwein Sparkling wine

Schnaps Schnapps

Schokolade Chocolate

Soda Club soda

Soda mit gas Soda with gas (to make sure your club soda is carbonated)

Süss Sweet (wine)

Tee mit Milch Tea with cream

Tee mit Zitrone Tea with lemon

Trocken Dry (wine)

Wasser Water

Weisswein White wine

Condiments & Table Items (Würze & Tafelgeschirr)

Brot Bread

Brötchen Rolls

Butter Butter

Eis Ice

Essig Vinegar

Flasche Bottle

Gabel Fork

Glas Glass

Kalte pikante sosse Ketchup

Löffel Spoon

Messer Knife

Öl Oil

Pfeffer Pepper

Platte Plate

Sahne Cream

Salat Zubereitung Salad dressing

Salz Salt

Senf Mustard

Tasse Cup

Teller Platter

Tischzeug Napkin

Zucker Sugar

Cooking Terms

Gebacken Baked

Gebraten Fried

Gedämpft Steamed

Gefüllt Stuffed

Gekocht Boiled

Geröstet Roasted

Gut durchgebraten Well done

Heiss Hot

Kaltes Cold

Mittep Medium

Nicht durchgebraten Rare

Paniert Breaded

Pochiert Poached

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Hamsburg and Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: Frommer’s® Shortcuts

Table of Contents

Hamburg

Essentials

Getting There

Visitor Information

City Layout

Getting Around

Boat Tours

Exploring Hamburg

The Top Attractions

Nearby Attractions

Gardens & Parks

Where to Dine

Near the Hauptbahnhof

In Binnenalster & Neustadt

In Altona

In St. Pauli

In Bahrenfeld

In Overlgönne

Shopping

Entertainment & Nightlife

Nightlife

Sports & Outdoor Pursuits

Where to Stay

Near the Hauptbahnhof

In St. Pauli

In St. Georg

In Binnenalster & Neustadt

In the Reeperbahn

In Harvestehude

In Nienstedten

In Uhlenhorst

In Bahrenfeld

Schleswig-Holstein

Lübeck

Essentials

Exploring Lübeck

Where to Eat

Shopping

Entertainment & Nightlife

Where to Stay

Kiel

Essentials

Exploring the Harbor & Beyond

Where to Eat

Entertainment & Nightlife

Where to Stay

Schleswig

Essentials

Exploring Schleswig

Where to Eat

Entertainment & Nightlife

Where to Stay

The Island of Sylt

Essentials

Where to Eat

Shopping

Entertainment & Nightlife

Where to Stay

The Best of Germany

The Best Experiences

The Best Museums

The Best Castles & Palaces

The Best Cathedrals

The Most Charming Small Villages

The Best Driving Tours

The Best Walks

The Best Biking

The Best Spas

The Best Luxury Hotels

The Best Small Inns & Hotels

The Best Restaurants

The Best Beer Halls & Taverns

The Best Shopping

Germany in Depth

Germany Today

Looking Back: German History

Early Days

The Holy Roman Empire

The Reformation & the Religious Wars

Napoleon Arrives

Bismarck & Prussia

World War I

Weimar Republic

The Rise of Nazism

World War II

Division of Germany

Fall of the Wall & Unification

Modern Germany

Art & Architecture

German Art

Architecture

Germany in Pop Culture

Books

Music

Film

Eating & Drinking

Regional Specialties

Beer & Wine

When to Go

Holidays

Responsible Travel

Tours

Biking

Cruises

Escorted General-Interest Tours

Golf

Hiking & Mountain Climbing

Planning Your Trip to Germany

Getting There

By Plane

By Train

By Car & Ferry

Via the Channel Tunnel

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

Tips on Accommodations

Surfing for Hotels

Saving on Your Hotel Room

Landing the Best Room

B&B Stays

Bungalow, Villa & Apartment Rentals

Castle Hotels

Farm Vacations

House Swapping

Romantik Hotels

Spa Hotels

Youth Hostels

Fast Facts

Useful Terms & Phrases

Getting There & Getting Around

Common Airport Signs

Security Lingo

Road Signs

General Terms

Basic Greetings & Expressions

Common Words

Menu Terms

Meats & Poultry (Wurst, Fleisch & Geflügel)

Fish (Fisch)

Eggs (Eier)

Vegetables (Gemüse)

Desserts (Nachtisch)

Fruits (Obst)

Beverages (Getränke)

Condiments & Table Items (Würze & Tafelgeschirr)

Cooking Terms