Germany

Germany [1] (German: Deutschland) is a country in Central Europe and a founding member of the European Union. It is bordered to the north by Denmark, to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland, and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands

Cities

Germany has numerous cities of interest to tourists; these are the top seven travel destinations.

Berlin — the reunified and reinvigorated capital of Germany; known for its division during the
Cold War — and the Berlin Wall. Today its a metropolis of diversity with elegant clubs and galleries and traditional restaurants. It is also a haven for shoppers.
Cologne (K?ln) — Germany's fourth-largest city, 2000 years old with its huge cathedral, Romanesque churches, and archaeological sites, also well known for its carnival and its Christopher-Street-Day parade. Don't forget to try the local cuisine and of course the
beer—called "K?lsch".
Dresden - World-famous for its Frauenkirche and historic center, the city offers more than the average traveller knows. Great festivals, all kinds of cultural entertainment, vibrant night life, and surrounded by beautiful natural vistas. There is a reason it was once called 'Florence-on-the-Elb'.
Dusseldorf (D?sseldorf) — the capital North Rine Westphalia is famous as Germany's capital of fashion, offers a wide scale of fascinating new architecture. Right along the shores of river rhine, the "Altstadt" and the "Medienhafen" are among the most decent places in Germany to enjoy a vibrant nightlife! Being one of the country's wealthiest cities, the atmosphere for the tourist is very pleasent. Germans call it "the only metropolis ending with -dorf (German for village)".
Frankfurt — Germany's leading financial center, transportation hub, seat of the European Central Bank (ECB), international trade fair center (Book Fair, Motor Show), hub of multicultural activity (30% Immigrants), and site of numerous world-class museums and theaters. It is also Germany's only city with enough skyscrapers to have a skyline.
Hamburg — Germany's second-largest city, famous for its harbour as well as its liberal and tolerant culture. Don't miss the Reeperbahn with its night clubs and casinos. Hamburg is also popular for its many musicals.
Munich (M?nchen) — Bavaria's beautiful capital city and Southern Germany's leading city, site of the famous Oktoberfest and the gateway to the Alps.

Other destinations

Nature
Due to its size and location in central Europe, Germany boasts a large variety of different landscapes. In general, the country's climate is mild and humid, a large part of the rural areas is covered by forests.

Seacoast
Germany's north has coasts to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The landscape, especially along the North Sea shore is very flat, the climate is rough with strong winds, lots of rain and mild, chilly temperatures. Due to the south-easterly winds that press water into the German Bight, tidal variations are exceptionally high, creating the "Wattenmeer": Vast areas of the seabed are uncovered twice a day, allowing one to walk from one of the numerous islands to another. The North Sea islands just off the coast are very picturesque, although mostly visited by the Germans themselves. Out in the German Bight lies the country's only off-shore island, Helgoland. Thanks to the strong winds, Wind-Surfing is possible all year round. Do not expect Hawaiian temperatures, though.

Understand
While relatively small by world standards, Germany's attractions tend to be bigger than in the surrounding European neighbour countries, which is no surprise as Germany is the biggest country in Central Europe, runs Europe’s biggest economy, and has the largest population on the continent (excluding Russia).

The country's financial capital (Frankfurt) features an unusual skyline for Europe with its many high-rise buildings, including the continent's tallest office tower.

Berlin, though, because of the country's decentralized structure, is not as dominant in Germany as London is in the United Kingdom or Paris in France. Nevertheless, it has been touted as one of the world's most fashionable big cities since the early 90s.

The world's most famous beer culture is centered around Southern Germany's leading city (Munich), where beer is traditionally served in 1 liter mugs (not in Kneipen (pubs) and Restaurants); Munich is also the site of the annual Oktoberfest, Europe's most visited festival and the world's largest fair.

Germans biggest winegrowing areas are Rheinhessen and Pfalz (Palatinate). While Rheinhessen produces slightly more wine the Palatinate is the biggest coherent wine growing area in Germany. The biggest wine fest worldwide with over 600 000 visitors each year is held in Bad Duerkheim on the German Wine Route.

German cars such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and Volkswagen (VW) are famous internationally for their quality. This quality is matched by Germany's excellent network of roadways including the famous Autobahn network, which has many sections without speed limits and lots of speed hungry drivers on it. Germany also features an extensive network of high speed trains - the InterCityExpress (ICE).