GERMANY
Travel Guides
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Germany is one of the most popular travel destinations in Europe pulling visitors from all over the world. The reasons are royal palaces, romantic parks, and medieval towns that all look like taken from a fairy tale. Besides the major cities offer historic landmarks, beautiful museums, theatres, and operas that reside in impressive old structures and a stunning modern architecture.
Germany offers a diversified landscape and culture and is bordered by the North and Baltic Sea in the North and the rough and scenic Alps in the South. Yet, most visitors concentrate their visit to the cultural heritage in the South with romantic fairy tale landmarks like Neuschwanenstein, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the Rhone area, Bavaria, and Munich. However, there is more to see than that! You shouldn’t miss the contemporary cities of the country. Encounter Germany’s modern and cosmopolitan side by visiting Hamburg or Berlin. Visit the sea with beautiful seaside-resort architecture and stunning landscapes. In the following travelin-mate.com will help to discover scenic Germany off-the-beaten-path skipping the crowds and leading you to new sights. |
Best time to visit Germany
The weather in Germany is not predictable no matter the season and you have to be prepared for heat, rain, chill, and snow. The latter applies only in late fall and winter but in short: Telling you when to come is kind of a gamble.
The highest chances to have dry, sunny, and warm weather is from May to October. By then most flowers and trees are in blossom or the German foliage starts and the chances are high that you can spend most time outdoors.
In summer rain isn’t rare in the North and usually comes with a grayish overcast sky. Temperatures vary between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, which is equal to 59 – 77 degrees Fahrenheit. During this time most Germans are on vacations, which has the advantage that the cities are emptier but the beaches and mountain resorts fill up. Furthermore the prices for inland flights and accommodations increase.
The fall can be nice with beautiful foliage but it also can be very wet and chilly. Lows are around 40, highs around 60 degrees Fahrenheit/ 4-16 degrees Celsius. Outdoor activities are common to enjoy the last warm and bright days but if the weather doesn’t play along you might be forced to do things inside.
The winter can be either very wet or very snowy. You shouldn’t travel without a warm coat and boots. The average lies around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which is -1 in Celsius but the last winters tended to be even colder. Christmas time in Germany on the other side can be very pleasant because of the many Christmas markets.
The spring is similar to the fall and either sunny or extremely wet. If the sun hits the country everyone is outside to enjoy the first rays of sunlight in parks, along lakes, the sea, and on the streets. Average temperatures are around 5-15 degrees Celsius/ 41-59 degrees Fahrenheit.
The weather in Germany is not predictable no matter the season and you have to be prepared for heat, rain, chill, and snow. The latter applies only in late fall and winter but in short: Telling you when to come is kind of a gamble.
The highest chances to have dry, sunny, and warm weather is from May to October. By then most flowers and trees are in blossom or the German foliage starts and the chances are high that you can spend most time outdoors.
In summer rain isn’t rare in the North and usually comes with a grayish overcast sky. Temperatures vary between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, which is equal to 59 – 77 degrees Fahrenheit. During this time most Germans are on vacations, which has the advantage that the cities are emptier but the beaches and mountain resorts fill up. Furthermore the prices for inland flights and accommodations increase.
The fall can be nice with beautiful foliage but it also can be very wet and chilly. Lows are around 40, highs around 60 degrees Fahrenheit/ 4-16 degrees Celsius. Outdoor activities are common to enjoy the last warm and bright days but if the weather doesn’t play along you might be forced to do things inside.
The winter can be either very wet or very snowy. You shouldn’t travel without a warm coat and boots. The average lies around 30 degrees Fahrenheit, which is -1 in Celsius but the last winters tended to be even colder. Christmas time in Germany on the other side can be very pleasant because of the many Christmas markets.
The spring is similar to the fall and either sunny or extremely wet. If the sun hits the country everyone is outside to enjoy the first rays of sunlight in parks, along lakes, the sea, and on the streets. Average temperatures are around 5-15 degrees Celsius/ 41-59 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to travel within Germany
Germany stretches over 544 miles (876km) from North to South and over 397 miles (640 km) from East to West. To explore all areas of the country you have the choice between rental cars, trains, busses, and planes.
Driving through Germany might be difficult for guests from abroad since the driving behavior is extremely different compared to other countries like the United States. Germans tend to be rather aggressive and fast drivers, which is particularly the case on the German Autobahn (the German freeway system). Besides, most car rentals offer stick shift cars. And finally, all street signs are written in German and a GPS is indispensable.
Rental companies that specialize on foreign visitors and already include full insurance coverage in their rates are:
Auto Europe: www.autoeurope.com
Europcar: www.europcar.com
The national railway company “Deutsche Bahn” is a great alternative if you are afraid of driving in Germany. The fastest trains are called ICE (IntercityExpress), the slower ones IC (InterCity), and there are regional trains running through different counties called InterRegio. Tickets can be purchased at all train stations or online. Next to inland tickets, Deutsche Bahn also offers cheap fares to 16 other European countries.
More info is available at: http://bahn.com/i/view/index.shtml
If you like to have the “Autobahn”-experience without driving the national highway yourself you can also take travel busses to go from one city to the other. There are different companies that offer commutes, like “Berlinienbus” with routes to 350 destinations within Germany and Europe leaving from Berlin. This company also departures from other German cities to selected destinations.
An alternative is the company “Touring”, which connects cities in the North and South and offers routes to other European cities.
Bus tour operators:
Berlinienbus: https://www.berlinlinienbus.de/index.php
Touring: http://www.touring.de/index.php?id=2&L=1
Aldi Busreisen: http://nord.aldi-reisen.de/html_nord/staedtereise/11940.htm
Moreover, there are plenty of airlines that offer affordable tickets within Germany and to other European countries. For the cheapest fares check on the following carrier:
Lufthansa: http://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/homepage
EasyJet: http://www.easyjet.com/EN
Eurowings: http://www.eurowings.de/en/
Air Berlin: http://www.airberlin.com/prepage.php
Germanwings: http://www.germanwings.com/en/index.shtml
TUIfly: http://www.tuifly.com/en/
RyanAir: http://www.ryanair.com/en
Within bigger cities you can expect a well running public transportation network of busses, metro lines, trams, and regional trains. Further info about each city’s transportation system is listed in the respective travel guide.
Enjoy your stay in my home country.
Willkommen and Gute Reise!