About Germany

Land & people

Area: 357,021 sq km

Population (July 2008 est.): 82.4 million

Capital: Berlin

Languages: German is the official language. English is widely spoken

Per capita GDP (2007 est.): $34,100

Germany lies in central Europe. It borders France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, and has a short coastline on the North and Baltic seas.

The German federation comprises 16 states:
Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein and Thueringen (Thuringia). Major cities include Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Hanover, Frankfurt, Nuremburg, Stuttgart and Dusseldorf.

German National Tourist Board (GNTB)
Beethovenstraße 69, 60325 Frankfurt/Main
++49 (0) 69/75 19 03
info@d-z-t.com
www.germany-tourism.de

Passports/visas

A valid passport or identification document is required to enter the country. EU citizens don’t need a visa. Please contact the nearest German embassy or consulate for more information on entry requirements.

Cash/credit cards

Most banks in the country are affiliated with international ATM networks such as Cirrus, Plus, Star and Maestro. Traveller’s cheques are rarely accepted.

Credit cards have a low usage level in Germany compared to other European countries. Commonly accepted credit cards include MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club, which can be used at petrol stations, large shops and major hotels.

When to go

Germany’s climate can be unpredictable. Most people prefer to visit the country between May and September (high season) when it will be sunny.

Popular activities in this season include hiking, cycling and swimming as well as festivals. Between November and early March skies tend to be cloudy and the weather frosty. Travel to Germany is becoming more and more popular in this season.

Accommodation

Finding the right hotel in Germany won’t be a problem: choices range from affordable economy- and tourist-class hotels to lavish, ultra-luxurious five-star comfort.

Other types of accommodation include family-run guesthouses, holiday parks, castle hotels, spa resorts, designer hotels, self-catering accommodation and much more.

Getting there

Travelling by air is the easiest way to get to Germany and several international airlines offer flights to the country. Though Frankfurt International Airport is the main gateway for transcontinental flights, Dusseldorf and Munich also receive overseas air traffic. The national carrier Lufthansa offers flights to and from Germany. Emirates and Etihad airways offer direct flights to some German cities.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) rail passenger system, Eurostar and Intercity Express (ICE) link Germany with other European cities.

Germany is served by an excellent highway system connected to the rest of Western Europe. Ferries run between the country’s northern coast and Scandinavia and the UK.

Getting around

Germany has a world-class transportation system with extensive and well-maintained road, rail and air networks. Being a compact country, domestic air travel is not generally a popular means of travel within Germany. Train travel is more convenient and economical. The main passenger rail system is the DB or GermanRail. At speeds of up to 300km/h, ICE trains are the fastest.

The Intercity (IC) trains link major centres throughout the country, while Eurocity (EC) trains connect Germany with major cities in the neighbouring countries. A new generation of local trains, double-decker coaches, tilting coaches and double-decker rail buses, offer greater comfort and faster journey times.

Driving around is an enjoyable way to see the country. Germany’s autobahn system is an extensive network of limited-access freeways that provide a speedy route from city to city.

Germany – a nation standing strong

Europe’s largest economy and one of the founding members of the EU plays a central role in the region’s decision-making

Germany enjoys a solid reputation as one of the world’s most highly developed industrial countries, ranking seventh in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness report in 2008.

Renowned as much for its contribution to classical music and poetry as for its technology and reliable cars, it has emerged from a difficult past to establish its enviable position at the heart of European decision making.

Germany’s recent history has been shaped by the reunification of the western Federal Republic of Germany and the eastern communist German Democratic Republic.

Reunification was formally completed on October 3, 1990 following the demolition of the Berlin Wall, and the unified country reverted to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Germany’s total area is 357,021 square kilometres, comprising 349,223 square kilometres of land and 7,798 square kilometres of water.

Borders are shared with Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria to the east, and the Netherlands, Belgium and France to the west and Switzerland to the south, with a total of 3,621 kilometres of land boundaries.

The north of Germany meets the Baltic Sea and the North Sea and has 2,389 kilometres of coastline, divided in the middle by the land border with southern Denmark. Germany is divided into 16 administrative regions and subdivided into 439 districts and cities with Berlin as its capital.

Germany is Europe’s second most populated nation behind Russia, and the most populous of all European Union (EU) countries with more than 82 million inhabitants as of last July.

The overwhelming majority of the population is German, with small minority communities from Turkey and European nations such as Spain, Greece, Poland and Russia. German is the only official language and the currency is the euro.

Germany is both geographically and financially a central part of Europe and was a founding member of the EU, now providing almost 20 per cent of its annual budget.

The country continues to foster strong relationships with its neighbours, and its companies have invested considerably in the central and eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004.

Balanced public budget

Germany’s economy is the largest in Europe and fifth largest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity. GDP growth of 2.5 per cent in 2007, after a period of stagnation for several years, was fuelled by reformed government policies promoting free enterprise and competition.

Aligning standards between the former states remains a costto public funds, with roughly $80 billion (around Dh293 billion) transferred annually from west to east, and a total of $2.02 trillion (about Dh7.4 trillion) has been spent on reunification in the form of subsidies to date.

Despite such expenditure, Germany succeeded in achieving a balanced public budget in 2007 for the first time since 1989.

In the current climate of concern over the global economic downturn, Germany’s economy – although not immune to the crisis – appears to be faring better than some.

Unpopular policy reforms implemented by former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder as part of the Agenda 2010 programme, such as cuts in pensions and unemployment benefits and reforms of the healthcare system, have proved successful as Germany’s modernised economy finds itself better prepared to ride out the current financial uncertainty.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is presently implementing initiatives to counteract the effects of the widespread credit crisis, including a rescue package of more than $680 billion (about Dh2.4 trillion) for German banks, and consumer confidence has been somewhat bolstered by the promise that private deposits will be fully guaranteed.

Germany has some of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced industries, such as mechanical engineering, which accounts for $186.3 billion (about Dh684 billion) of the country’s economy.

The chemicals industry employs some 440,000 people, with output ensuring Germany maintains its position as the world’s largest chemicals exporter.

The country is renowned for its commitment to research and development in this area.

Public and private contributions to such research and development amounted to $9.45 billion (about Dh34 billion) in 2007, and foreign direct investment in this sector tripled to more than $33 billion (about Dh121 billion) over the past 15 years.

Germany’s agriculture industry is considerably less productive now than prior to reunification – together with forestry and mining, it only constituted 1.1 per cent of GDP in 2004, compared to four per cent in 1991 – but the country remains the third largest producer in Europe behind France and Italy.

Germany is able to cover more than 90 per cent of its national nutrition requirements through domestic production.

Manufacturing sector

German manufacturing is renowned worldwide and a ‘Made in Germany’ stamp has become synonymous with superior quality. The German vehicle manufacturing industry provides employment for more than 1.25 million people and produces some six million cars per year, of which more than half are exported.

An estimated five million German vehicles are also produced elsewhere around the world.

Although Germany enjoys access to an enormous domestic market, it draws its economic power mainly from exports, which account for more than a third of its GDP.

Germany currently ranks top of the world’s exporting nations, finding the majority of its export partners – led by France – in fellow European countries.

Vehicles, for which Germany is renowned, account for 17 per cent of all exports, with the remaining share consisting of machinery, chemicals, metals, textiles and foodstuffs. Export growth in 2007 is estimated to be in the region of nine per cent.

- With additional input from Belabbes Benkredda, Chief Editorial Director, and Alice Tapfield, Senior Editor, of Bridge Media News, Dubai- and Cologne-based news agency.

Facts & Figures

$3,322.1 trillion is the GDP

2.5% is the GDP real growth rate (2007)

3% is the rate of inflation (January 2008)

43.54 million is the labour force (2007)

$1.454 trillion is the budget revenues

$1.453 trillion is the expenditures

Driven by a desire for perfection

Quality and craftsmanship are the watchwords that mean German cars are in demand all over the world

The German automotive industry has always been considered strong from a design and engineering perspective. The reasons for this lie with the evolution of the automobile itself, as the pioneering research and design has often been the work of Germans.

The brain of the automobile is the internal combustion engine. In 1876, a German shop clerk, Nikolaus August Otto, invented it. Otto’s engine, the basis for all engines, is still used in automobiles.

German engineer Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine, which he patented in 1892. It was the first auto-ignition engine in the world. Before diesel, coal was used as fuel.

In 1897, Diesel built a compression-ignition engine that ran on kerosene, thus beginning the worldwide search for alternatives to coal-driven engines not just in automobiles but also in railways, ships and other means of transport.

The efficiency of the diesel engine, which is in general governed by the same factors that control the efficiency of Otto-cycle engines, is greater than that of any Otto engine by more than 40 per cent.

Germans Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz together share credit for building the first modern cars, though both worked independently of each other and didn’t know the other.

In 1878, Karl Benz developed a two-cycle internal-combustion engine and later a light four-cycle engine. He invented the differential drive and other automotive accessories.

In 1885, he built a three-wheeled vehicle with an internal-combustion engine. In 1870, Daimler assisted in the development of the Otto gasoline engine, and he later became director of the factory in which it was produced.

After 1882, he devoted himself to the construction of light, high-speed gasoline and oil engines. In 1906, Daimler hired as his chief engineer Ferdinand Porsche, who would produce many influential designs and who later conceived the Volkswagen.

In 1950s, German engineer Felix Wankel developed an internal-combustion engine that was radically different. In Wankel’s engine, a three-cornered rotor turning in a roughly oval chamber replaced the piston and cylinder. This is the rotary engine, which is more compact and weighs less. However, it has low fuel efficiency.

While the British, Americans, Italians, French and Japanese contributed to the growth of the automobile industry, it was the pioneering research and design of German engineers that really made a difference.

The German contribution to the growth of the automotive industry didn’t stop with research but also included manufacturing companies. Three of them stand out to this day, namely BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler-Benz that is now Daimler.

BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke) is a German manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and aircraft engines. It is the leading auto exporter in Europe.

BMW’s origin can be traced to 1913, when Karl Rapp began an aircraft-engine shop in Munich named Rapp Motoren Werke. When Rapp left in 1917, it was renamed BMW.

Max Friz designed the company’s first aircraft engine, and it created strong demand for BMW engines. When the Treaty of Versailles prohibited German companies from producing aircraft and aircraft engines, BMW made air brakes for railways.

In 1923, Friz developed the company’s first motorcycle that held world speed records for motorcycles during the 1930s. BMW began producing a line of larger touring and sports cars, introducing its highly successful sports car in 1936.

German automobile engineer, Ferdinand Porsche, founded Volkswagen in 1938. From near ruin in the World War II, it is today one of the world’s largest automakers.

The company began to achieve recognition in the 1960s, when it began to manufacture compact cars. Volkswagen’s entry into the highly competitive SUV sector with the imposing Touareg is spectacular.

With excellent support from Ali and Sons Motors Division, Volkswagen has made its foray into the UAE market. From a single showroom, Volkswagen has recently grown into two plush showrooms that offer state-of-the-art facilities to customers.

Innovative launch events have led to rising sales of Volkswagen cars in the UAE that include road shows. Volkswagen reaches out to customers in every corner of the UAE, making the Emirates Germany’s leading economic partner in the Arab world.

In 1926, Daimler merged with Benz and the Mercedes-Benz was born. Mercedes-Benz is a time-tested luxury car. Once produced by Daimler-Benz, today it is one of the models produced by German automaker Daimler.

Other models cater to the luxury segment, cab segment, SUV, truck segment, van segment and bus segment.

Automobiles made by Daimler have not only proved to be fuel efficient, safe and reliable but with constant innovation are also larger and environmental friendly.

The Actros truck is in the Guinness Book of Records as Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer/tractor combination is listed as the most fuel-efficient 40 tonne truck in the world.

Daimler is the largest manufacturer of commercial automotive vehicles in the world. Mercedes Benz also has a cult status worldwide and this includes the UAE.

Daimler wins over London cabbies

There has been a change in the streets of London where the classic five-seat black cab has been replaced with the six-seater Mercedes Vito taxi made by Daimler.

Not only is the cab more spacious, environmentally friendly and fuel efficient than the autos made by British firm LTI Vehicles, it also has electric sliding doors, disc brakes all round, and parktronic system that warn you if another vehicle is parked too close.

Another interesting feature is the panic button that when pressed sounds the vehicle’s horn and shuts the doors automatically, which has earned the appreciation of the cab drivers.

Apart from automatic doors the cabbie can operate, there are also steps on both sides of the cab, which can be operated automatically.

However, the five-inch clearance of the steps from the road can prove to be a problem at speed breakers or speed bumps as it is too low.

The vehicle has an engine management system called Assyst, which monitors the quality of the motor oil, coolant, etc and will automatically notify the service dealer and the cabbie when the car is due for a service.

The steering wheel can be adjusted for both reach and height and the driver seat is extremely comfortable and has a lot more leg room with the added benefit of a superb ride.

Time will ultimately tell if it is a success but even the most sceptic of cabbies in London who after having seen the quality of build, features, and driving it, agree that it is far better than the old cab.

They feel that LTI or any other competitor would really need to pull something out of a magic hat as in addition to all this, it is extremely fuel efficient than the old cabs.

The mark of distinction

Designs that have won a Red Dot award will be on view at the 18th Index interior design fair in Dubai this December

The label ‘Made in Germany’ has long been an indication of superior-quality products – Audi, Siemens, Volkswagen and Miele are just a few of the famous names originating from Germany – and it is renowned worldwide for its advanced technology and manufacturing industries.

One particular mark of distinction is Red Dot, an internationally recognised symbol of design excellence that is making its Middle East debut at the 18th Index interior design trade fair being held in Dubai this December.

According to the Red Dot concept, the basis of good design is a balance of four qualities – function, aesthetics, use and responsibility.

The Red Dot Design Award, staged by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen institution, recognises products and concepts considered outstanding in all four areas.

It is among the largest international design competitions in the world with entrants for this year’s award alone numbering more than 10,000 from 60 countries.

There are three categories of award – product design, communication design and design concept – and recent winners include Porsche, for the 911 Targa; Nokia, for its 8800 model cell phone; and Acer, for three of its computers.

To be considered for the award products are submitted to an international panel of jurors, drawn from a cross section of design fields, who are appointed yearly in order to ensure the awards remain objective and impartial and maintain credibility.

The jury reviews and evaluates all products, and designs considered exceptional in the specified areas win a Red Dot Design Award. Products and designs of the highest quality are further awarded a Red Dot Best of the Best Award.

Winning designs are then exhibited in a Red Dot Design museum, the first of which was established in Essen, Germany, in the mid 1950s as an exhibition venue to showcase products that set standards for industries and consumers.

Today more than 1,400 current designs are exhibited in the 4,000 square metre museum, and following the success of the German museum, a second Red Dot museum was established in Singapore in November 2005.

Alongside exhibition in the museum, Red Dot Design Award winners enjoy exposure of their products during tours such as the one due to visit the Index exhibition in December.

Recent Red Dot tours have included Tokyo, Moscow and Prague, but this is the first time Red Dot designs have been showcased in the Middle East.

‘Designs on stage – Index presents Red Dot winners’ is set tobe a highlight at the fair, which is the largest interior design trade fair in the Middle East and Asia.

“One thousand seven hundred exhibitors are expected from 56 nations, along with an increase on the 32,755 visitors it attracted last year, and the Red Dot exhibition will be the largest display taking up a space of 400 square metres.

“The Red Dot exhibition is a central attraction of the trade fair and paves the way for the exhibiting companies to establish themselves in the Arab as well as the international market,” says Kim Willis, exhibition director of Index 2008.

Some 76 companies’ designs will be included in the exhibition, to be held at Dubai International Exhibition Centre from December 3 to 7.

“A presentation area in one of the fastest-growing
metropolises in the world offers the Red Dot winners an excellent stage, and we are delighted that so many companies have recognised and seized this opportunity,” says Professor Dr Peter Zec, head of the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and initiator of the Red Dot Design Awards.

Design expert Professor Dr Zec will be present at the exhibition to give a presentation on ‘Design as an Economic Factor’, and there will also be a number of Red Dot specialists on hand to discuss the concept and winning products.

“Through Index, the Red Dot Design Award can become a benchmark for [the] highest design quality not only for Dubai, but also the whole Arab market,” says Professor Dr Zec.

“Red Dot wants to make the outstanding achievements of the award-winning companies known worldwide, and thus lastingly strengthen the awareness of good design.”

Award categories

Product design (and design team); The award for product design is the oldest of all Red Dot Design Awards.

Open to all areas of manufacturing such as cars, furniture and home appliances, this category also includes the ‘Radius Challenge Trophy’ – recognition of a ‘design team of the year’ that has consistently achieved success over a period of time. Previous winners include Bose, BMW and Apple.

Communication design; The communication design category has been awarded since 1993 for excellence in the fields of advertising, corporate design, interactive media and sound.

Design concept; Since 2005, the Red Dot Museum Singapore has recognised innovation and distinction in design concepts.

Red Dot – best of the best; The pinnacle of design excellence is recognised with the Red Dot: Best of the Best award for the highest design quality in the category.

All you could want and more

With castles, palaces, museums and abbeys, not to mention great places to shop and chill out, there is something for everyone across the 16 states

Rhineland Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate, situated in the far west of Germany, brings to mind scenes of idyllic river valleys, green forests and lush meadows. The capital is Mainz. There are nine regions to visit each one a beautiful part of the state.

Explore: Rhineland-Palatinate is a real treasure trove of stories and history. This region organises the Rhineland-Palatinate Summer of Culture with more than 1,600 events taking place across the region.

If you are in this region, make sure you travel to the Roman town of Trier – a Unesco World Heritage Site, Karl Marx’s House. In Mainz, spend some time at Saint Stephen’s Church.

The Schmetterlings(Butterfly) Garden in Koblenz is also a tourist’s delight. The imperial Cathedral of Speyer is one of the largest Romanesque edifices in Germany.

Shop: There are many interesting shops in the old quarter of Mainz that offer a range of high-quality goods, from jewellery, fashion, books and toys to art and leather goods.

Places such as Augustinerstrasse or the small lanes around Kirschgarten square, Schönbornstrasse or Grebenstrasse are great places to buy gifts.

Hotels: The Hilton Mainz Hotel (www.hilton.de) is on the banks of the Rhine, just a block away from the picturesque old town of Mainz.

The Novotel Mainz (www.accorhotels.com) enjoys a quiet yet central location, only 30km from the exhibition centre and Frankfurt Airport. The Hotel Hammer (www.hotel-hammer.com) in Mainz is recommended for both business and pleasure.

Getting there: The Frankfurt-Hahn airport and the Zweibruecken airport are conveniently located in the heart of the region.

Saxony-Anhalt

With more than 2.5 million inhabitants and 21 municipalities, Saxony-Anhalt reflects European cultural tradition in its purest form. Magdeburg, the capital, is famous for its Gothic-style cathedral.

Other tourist destinations may be Eisleben, the city where Martin Luther was born and died, or Dessau, the ‘capital’ of the Bauhaus movement in the early 20th century.

Explore: Visit the Wörlitzer Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Also make a trip to Lutherstadt Wittenberg, which is where Martin Luther changed the course of European history, or spend some time exploring the Harz Mountains, on foot or by bike.

Don’t miss the Kandinsky/Klee Masters’ House in Dessau. It was part of the complex built by the Bauhaus school for the institute’s senior staff.

Shop: If you feel like shopping, take a stroll along Magdeburg’s traditional shopping boulevards Breiter Weg und Ernst-Reuter-Allee. You can also visit the shops in Neustadt and Sudenburg and big department stores such as Karstadt, Papenbreer and C&A.

Hotels: The Holiday Inn Leipzig Günthersdorf is a business and conference hotel just a 20-minute drive from the new Leipzig Exhibition centre and the Leipzig international airport.

The Dormotel Europa Halle is highly appreciated for its central position – only 150 metres from Halle an der Saale central station. The Mercure Halle Leipzig is the ideal place to explore the region.

Getting there: Take a connecting flight to Magdeburg domestic airport.

Bremen

Bremen is the smallest of Germany’s 16 states and has a history that dates back more than 1,200 years. It is a town with many faces – a trading and commercial hub, rich in music and culture, one of Europe’s most important aerospace centres, the place where Mercedes-Benz builds its luxury vehicles and a centre for gastronomic delights.

With more than 1,000 pubs, cafés, restaurants, bistros and bars, hospitality is at the heart of Bremen.

Explore: In Bremen, visit the Rathaus (Town Hall). It is one of the finest in Europe and has been included on the Unesco World Heritage List. You should pay a visit to the 1,200 year-old Dom Saint Petri (Cathedral of Saint Peter).

In addition, take time to see the bronze sculptures of Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten (the town musicians of Bremen). Böttcherstrasse, the incredible art nouveau street that runs from the main square towards the river, Am Wall and Schnoor with its twisting lanes will also help you capture the essence of the city.

Shop: If you’re a shopaholic, head straight to the Obernstrasse, the main shopping boulevard of Bremen. You will find hundreds of small shops here and several big department stores such as the Karstadt (www.karstadt.de).

If you want to shop for good local wine, check out Bremen’s Rathaus. There is also the 16th century Schnoor quarter in Bremen where you can find aromatic teas, jewellery and hand-painted crockery.

On a rainy day, head for the Domshof Passage. This glass-covered shopping area is packed with little shops and boutiques.

Hotels: If you want to holiday in the lap of luxury, the Park Hotel Bremen (www.park-hotel-bremen.de) is the place to be. The Hotel Bremer Haus (www.hotel-bremer-haus.de), built in a traditional townhouse style in 1907, is also popular with tourists, as is the Jugendherberge Bremen (www.jugendherberge.de/jh/bremen), one of Germany’s most beautiful youth hostels.

Getting there: Bremen airport offers flights to most major German cities and some European destinations. The major carriers are Ryanair and Lufthansa.

From the UAE, the easiest option is the Lufthansa German Airlines, which flies directly to Frankfurt from Abu Dhabi non-stop six times a week. Lufthansa also has daily flights from Dubai to Frankfurt and Munich.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The ’state of a thousand lakes’ is mainly characterised by its unspoilt beauty. A total number of 283 nature reserves, 110 landscape reserves and three of Germany’s 14 national parks are scattered all over the state.

In addition, there are more than 2,000 castles, palaces and manor houses, making Mecklenburg-Vorpommern a tourist hot-spot.

Explore: Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, is steeped in history. Visit the Schwerin State Museum, which houses around 3,600 paintings, 52,000 prints, 8,000 drawings and 10,000 hand-crafted objects.

Artists such as Ruben, Rembrant and Bruegal are represented in the collection entitled ‘The Golden Age of Dutch Paintings,” which is the largest in Germany with 550 paintings (www.museun-schwerin.de).

Set in a romantic location on a small island in Lake Schwerin, Schwerin Castle is one of Europe’s foremost examples of historicist architecture. In the former living and reception rooms of the Grand Duchess you will find a collection of 18th and 19th Century art. (www.schloss-schwerin.de).

Shop: Rostock is a great place to enjoy some retail therapy, with the historical town centre being a particularly pleasant place to browse and shop. Many stores have taken up residence in the town houses and old warehouses.

The area around Kröpeliner Strasse, Lange Strasse and Doberaner Platz has numerous shops and boutiques selling a wide range of goods. (www.rostock.de).

Hotels: Best Western Seehotel Frankenhorst, Schwerin (www.seehotel.bestwestern.de) and Kempinski Grand Hotel, Heiligendamm (www.kempinski-heiligendamm.com) are a couple of good options.

Getting there: Emirates offers daily flights to Munich. You can catch a domestic flight to Rostock from Munich. Getting around the state is easy, as everything is well connected by rail.

Schleswig-Holstein

The northernmost of the 16 states, Schleswig-Holstein combines German and Dutch aspects of culture. The castles and manors in the region are a good example of this. Kiel, the capital, has lively streets, romantic courtyards, market squares and a port.

Explore: Gottorp Palace is the ancestral home of royal families within the House of Oldenburg. It’s also a museum. Here you will find exhibits that showcase centuries of history.

The National Museum for Art and Cultural History is also at the palace – art treasures from the Middle Ages to the present day are on exhibition here (www.schloss-gottorf.de).

Shop: Visit from the end of November through to December to enjoy the festive atmosphere at Lubeck’s Christmas market.

There are more than 400 merchants, offering toys, Christmas decorations, gingerbread and hot spiced wine, among many other things (www.luebecker-weihnachtsmarkt.de).

Hotels: You can take your pick from a huge offering,
including the Radisson SAS Senator Hotel, Lubeck (www.senatorhotel.de) and Golden Tulip Luebecker Hof, Lubeck (www.goldentulipluebeckerhof.de).

Getting there: Emirates offer daily flights to Munich. You can take a domestic flight to Lubeck from Munich. Getting around in the state is easy, as everything is well connected by rail.

Thuringia

Known for its inviting countryside, vast forests and world-class cultural centres, the appeal of Thuringia as a holiday destination is its diversity.

Visitors can look forward to unwinding in the unspoilt countryside, exploring castles and palaces, finding rest and relaxation at a spa or discovering medieval towns.

Explore: According to legend, Wartburg Castle was founded in 1067 above the town of Eisenach. The castle is best known for sheltering Martin Luther while he translated the New Testament into German.

In 1999, Unesco added Wartburg Castle to the World Heritage List as an ‘Outstanding Monument of the Feudal Period in Central Europe’ (www.wartburg-eisenach.de). Thuringia is famous for its spas, so take a trip to Bad Liebenstein, the oldest spa town in the state.

Shop: As the entire city centre is a listed site of historical interest, shopping in the traffic-free heart of Erfurt is a particular delight.

Head to Mechant’s Bridge where you will find an array of boutiques and galleries, antiquarian bookshops, woodcarving and porcelain workshops, pottery and glass blowing studios.

If you enjoy the bustle of stalls selling flowers, fruit and vegetables, you will love the Erfurt market on Domplatz in the old quarter (www.erfurt.de/ef/en).

Hotels: Intercity Hotel, Erfurt. (www.intercityhotel.com) and Mercure Hotel Erfurt Altstadt (www.mercure.com) are among the options available to visitors.

Getting there: Emirates offers daily flights to Munich. You can catch a domestic flight to Erfurt from Munich. Getting around in the state is easy, as everything is well connected by rail.

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the westernmost and the largest state of Germany, with Düsseldorf as its capital. Cologne (Köln) is the largest city in the state. While Düsseldorf is the economic centre of Germany, Cologne is a major cultural centre and home to several museums and galleries.

Explore: In Cologne, visit the magnificent twin-spired cathedral Kölner Dom, Museum Ludwig with its renowned collection of 20th-century art and Wallraf-Richartz Museum. In Düsseldorf, visit Saint Lambertus Church, Town Hall, city market Carlsplatz and the Rhine Embankment Promenade.

Shop: Cologne’s special attractions include the Christmas fairs during December, with the popular ones being Neumarkt, Alter market and the one in front of the Kölner Dom.

Hohe Strasse and Schildergasse have all the big department stores and famous designers. In Düsseldorf, the Altstadt is a good place to start. Königsallee is the city’s primary shopping street and has a varied selection of stores.

Hotels: For backpackers, Cologne has hostels such as the Jugendherberge Köln-Deutz City-Hostel, (T: +49 221 814711) and the Station Hostel for Backpackers (T: +49 221 9125301).

In Düsseldorf, there’s the Backpackers Hostel Dueseldorf (T: +49 211 3020848). For budget travellers, the options include Hotel Ibis Koeln Am Dom (T: +49 221 9128580) and Hotel Engelbertz (T: +49 221 2578994) in Cologne. Düsseldorf has the Hotel Ibis Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof (T: +49 211 16720) and Hansa Hotel (T: +49 211 4915950). For luxury travellers, check out the InterContinental Cologne (T: +49 221 28060) and Steigenberger Park Hotel in Dusseldorf (T: +49 211 13810).

Getting there: Emirates and Lufthansa fly daily from Dubai to Frankfurt and Munich. From Frankfurt and Munich, there are connecting flights to both Cologne and Düsseldorf.

Berlin

After the World War II the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a Western enclave surrounded by the Berlin Wall. Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of Germany.

Explore: Take a guided walking tour to get a full picture of the city. The most important sites include Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Unter den Linden, Museuminsel, Berliner Dom, Ferhnsehturm TV Tower and the Berlinische Gallery.

Shop: Berlin offers a great mix of shops from designer brands and small boutiques to department stores and flea markets. The city’s main shop drag is Kurfürstendamm and its Tauentzienstrasse extension with exclusive shops.

Other attractions include the enormous KaDeWe department store. The flea markets invite you with great bargains on everything from antiques, clothes and furniture to books, art and jewellery, with the most popular one being Kunst- und Trödelmarkt on Straße des 17.

Hotels: For backpackers, there is the Baxpax Berlin (T: +49 30 69518322) and Generator Hostel Berlin (T: +49 30 417 2400), Budget travellers have options such as Hotel Charlot am Kurfürstendamm (T: +49 30 3279660) and Hotel-Pension Bella (T: +49 30 8816704). The Berlin Hilton (T: +49 30 20234206) is a favoured by more discerning travellers.

Getting there: Lufthansa flies to Berlin daily from Dubai and Abu Dhabi via Frankfurt. KLM and Turkish Airlines also fly to Berlin via Amsterdam and Istanbul, respectively.

Baden-Württemberg

Baden-Württemberg is the third largest of the 16 German federal states and ranks second only to Bavaria in its importance as a German tourist destination. It is divided into four administrative districts, 12 regions, 35 rural and nine urban districts. The Romans, Staufen dynasty and the Allemannians have all left their unmistakable traces on the face of its cultural heritage.

Explore: Black Forest and Swabian Alb area, the Neckartal Valley and Lake Constance, Hohenlohe and Allgäu are great spots. Historic cities such as Heidelberg, Freiburg or Tübingen add a touch of character to the state.

There are more than 1,000 museums in Baden-Württemberg. Events such as the ‘Long Night of the Museums’ in Stuttgart, held every September, shouldn’t be missed.

Other heritage centres that warrant a visit include the monastery of Maulbronn, the German Limes-Road that runs close to the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian ‘Limes’ from Rhine to the Danube and Heidelberg Castle and old town.

Shop: There are a host of places to shop but you must not leave without a ‘Bollenhut’ (straw hat with red pompoms) and cuckoo clock, for which the area is famous.

Hotels: Backpackers have numerous options considering the place has a large student population. Cheap rental accommodation or home stays are available all year round.

Budget travellers can easily find small family-managed motels that provide good accommodation and food. Luxury travellers should try one of Baden-Württemberg’s mineral spas.

Getting there: Stuttgart airport offers daily and weekly direct flights to all countries as well as comfortable train connections to both Frankfurt and Munich airport.

The state shares borders with countries such as France and Switzerland and the German states of Rhineland Palatinate, Hesse and Bavaria.

Saarland

In the past 200 years, Saarland has changed nationality eight times and the French influence is highly evident. Most residents live in a cluster of cities on the French border, surrounding the capital of Saarbrücken.

Explore: In 1994, the Alte Völkinger Hütte, once one of Europe´s biggest steel mills, became the world’s first industrial plant to be put on Unesco´s cultural heritage list.

The eight-mile drive from Tholey to Saint Wendel will take you along the Saarländische Sculpture Road. This open-air gallery features sculptures carved and erect over the past 25 years.

The ‘House of Villeroy & Boch’ visitors centre on the banks of the Saar in Met tlach is the place to go to discover the amazing world of ceramics.

Saarbrücken’s three prettiest squares – Schlossplatz,
Ludwigsplatz and Saint Johanner Markt – are a must-see.

Shop: The narrow streets surrounding Saint Johanner market square in Saarbruken are a great place for sauntering around the shops. There are specialist shops found in the Luisen district, or ‘old Saarbrücken’, on the opposite side of the river Saar.

Hotels: The Mercure Saarbrucken Sud is close to the French border and popular with budget travellers, while the four-star Mercure Hotel Saarbrucken is slightly more expensive.

Getting there: Emirates operates daily flights to Berlin via Frankfurt. There are direct flights three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) from Berlin to Saarbrucken with Luxair.

Hesse

Although the elegant city of Wiesbaden is Hesse’s state capital, the cosmopolitan city of Frankfurt am Main has a more significant role. Nicknamed ‘Mainhatten’, Frankfurt has the tallest buildings, the largest airport, and the most banks in continental Europe.

Explore: The heart of Frankfurt’s old quarter, Römerberg square and the old town hall, known as the ‘Römer’, with its Imperial Hall showcasing portraits of German emperors are popular with tourists.

The Bruder-Grimm Haus in Steinau is an hour north of Frankfurt and marks the beginning of ‘Deutsche Marchenstrasse’ or the Fairy Tale Road.

Highlights include Schwalmstadt, fabled home of Little Red Riding Hood and the Reinhardswald in Sababurg – now a castle-hotel – which inspired the Brothers Grimm to write Sleeping Beauty.

Further north is Kassel, home of the Grimm Brothers Museum and the Wilhelmshöhe Palace with its magnificent grounds.

In Biblis, an annual event in June, the four-day Gurkenfest (Cucumber Festival) is opened by the Gurkenkönigin (Cucumber Queen) for the enjoyment of the local population and visitors alike.

Shop: For high street shoppers, Zeil in Frankfurt is definitely worth a visit. Shoppers with a higher budget can venture down the Goethestrasse in Frankfurt.

Hotels: For budget travellers, Motel One in Wiesbaden Fleming’s Hotel Frankfurt Messe is good bet. For the ultimate in luxury, Rocco Forte Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt and Hotel Nassauer Hof Landmark Palace Hotel in the centre of Wiesbaden are popular.

Getting there: Emirates operates direct daily flights to Frankfurt. Lufthansa fly daily from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt.

Brandenburg

Brandenburg, in the north east of Germany, has a little bit of everything for visitors. Its capital, Potsdam, is full of historic sites and parks, while the surrounding countryside includes the Spree Forest, known as the ‘Venice of Brandenburg’.

The Spree Forest is home to the Biosphere Reserve, a Unesco protected conservation area formed more than 20,000 years ago.

Explore: The Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam was once the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. Designed between 1745 and 1747, the palace is a Unesco World Heritage Site and is visited by more than two million people a year.

Shop: Take a stroll into the Dutch Quarter, south of Kurfurstenstrasse in Potsdam. An area of brick buildings originally designed to make Dutch immigrants feel at home, it is now a maze of quirky little shops and welcoming cafés.

Hotels: Budget travellers can stay at one of the many campsites dotting the beautiful countryside, including the Spreewald Natur camping site (www.spreewaldcamping.de) in the Spree Forest, which offers direct boat access to the many waterways and pitches for both tents and caravans.

The three-star ApartHotel Vivaldi (www.hotelvivaldi.de) located in Babelsberg is within easy reach of attractions such as the Sanssouci Park and the Filmpark Babelsberg. It offers comfortable rooms for people with a decent budget.

For the discerning traveller (www.bayrisches-haus.de), the five-star Bayrisches Haus Hotel is ten minutes from the centre of Potsdam.

Getting there: Lufthansa and Emirates fly from Dubai to Berlin via Frankfurt. In Berlin, you can take a bus, train or drive to Potsdam.

Hamburg

Hamburg is home to the most important sea port in Germany and is its second largest city. Sitting on the River Elbe, it is one of the historic Hanseatic cities, founded in 811 during the reign of Charlemagne.

It boasts more than 50 museums and countless entertainment venues, along with the beautiful harbour that is best seen from a boat.

Explore: The 132-metre tower of Saint Michaelis Church is Hamburg’s most well-known landmark. If you can manage it, climbing the 453 steps up to the viewing platform will be well worth it to enjoy breathtaking views over the city and harbour.

Shop: Monckebergstrasse, or ‘The Mo’ to residents, is home to Europe’s largest sports store, the world’s biggest electronics store and the biggest shoe shop in Europe. Old merchants’ villas now house modern department stores, while shopping arcades complete the retail experience in the heart of the city.

Hotels: The Wira Guesthouse in the centre of Hamburg offers comfortable accommodation and excellent value for money.

The Hotel Kreuzer (www.hotel-kreuzer.de), a three-star country-style hotel, is located near the harbour and offers comfortable accommodation. Then there’s the five-star Steigenberger Hamburg (www.hamburg.steigenberger.de) in the city centre, close to the Art Museum and the City Hall for people with higher budgets.

Getting there: Emirates flies to Hamburg daily.

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony lies between rivers to the east and west, and the North Sea to the north with the seven East Frisian Islands just off the coast, with the Harz Mountains to the south. Most of the region is protected nature reserves, including the Luneberg Heath, the largest heathland in Western Europe.

The region is home to the town of Hamlyn, made famous by the story of the Pied Piper who saved the town from rats in 1284, but took 130 children from the town in revenge after he was refused payment.

Explore: The new Town Hall is best known for its beautiful architecture. The old Town Hall, however, dates back to 1410 and was completed over a period of 100 years. The mayor of Hannover resides in the new building but both can be visited throughout the year.

Shop: Hannover has many high street shops and boutiques but for a different shopping trip, pay a visit to the Leinepromenade flea market held every Saturday on the banks of the Leine River.

Hotels: A farmhouse holiday is the perfect way to experience Germany on a budget. The Hof Sickmann farmhouse is in an idyllic location in Badbergen, surrounded by beautiful countryside.

The Suitehotel Hannover is in the heart of Hannover, in an ideal spot for easy access to the old town centre, pedestrianised area and museums.

The three-star hotel is a good option for budget travellers. Luxury hotels such as the Maritim Stadt Hotel (www.maritim.de) are also favoured by tourists.

Getting there: Both Lufthansa and Emirates fly to Frankfurt and Munich. You can take a connecting flight to Hannover from these cities.

Public transport within Hannover connects you to the rest of the Lower Saxony region, or you can hire a car to drive further into the countryside.

Saxony

Saxony is one of the most dynamic economic regions in Germany. Its mountainous wooded landscape makes it ideal for walkers in the summer and skiers in the winter.

Saxony’s culture has greatly influenced the world of music and has given the world the genius of Bach and Wagner.

Explore: In the state capital, Dresden, the most famous building is the restored Zwinger Palace, which contains many old masters in its picture gallery – among them the Sistine Madonna by Raphael.

Leipzig is the birthplace of Wagner and where Lenin printed the first issues of his Marxist newspaper. Lessing, Jean-Paul Sartre and Goethe all studied at the university.

Meissen is the oldest chinaware manufacturing town in Europe, and visitors can tour the chinaware factory here.

Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) boasts no fewer than four UNESCO world heritage sites. Martin Luther’s birthplace at Eisleben, the Old Town of Quedlinberg, the Castle at Wittenberg, and Dessau’s Bauhausstätten.

Shop: Dresden’s main shopping streets – Prager Strasse, Altmarkt and Wilsdruffer Strasse – have department stores and large fashion chains.

For more exclusive labels, cross the Elbe and head for Königstrasse in Neustadt. The Hauptbahnhof Promenaden in Leipzig has chic boutiques, and Mädler and Specks Hof arcades also offer exclusive shopping.

Hotels: For travellers who want high-end luxury, the Hilton hotel located in Dresden is a good choice. Those travelling within a confined budget can stay in the more affordable Ramada Schlosshotel Althoernitz.

Getting there: Lufthansa flies to Berlin daily from Dubai and Abu Dhabi via Frankfurt. You can reach Dresden from Berlin by road in less than two hours and by train from either Berlin or Prague in less than three hours.

Bavaria

Bavaria’s magnificent Alpine scenery and picturesque castles attract more foreign tourists than any other federal state. The Wagner Festival in Bayreuth is sold out every year, as is the ‘Passion Play’ in Oberammergau, held once every ten years.

Explore: The Romantic Road is one of the most popular routes to Bavaria. Along the route is Neuschwanstein Castle, built by Ludwig II. Constructed on the ridge of a mountain valley surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it is a vision from fairyland.

In the state capital, Munich, there are several interesting tourist attractions, such as the Alte Pinakothek – which is home to the largest collection of Rubens paintings in the world.

The nearest lakes to Munich are situated in a region called the Fünfseenland. If Starnberger See is the royal lake, neighbouring Ammersee, located near the popular spa-town of Herrsching, is its rustic counterpart.

The Museum of Fantasie with its enchanted pool and pagodas is located near the Starnberger See. One of the most unlikely looking museums, it is home to the Buchheim Art Collection.

Shop: Munich’s shops combine international names and designer goods with traditional Bavarian crafts. Lederhosen is the traditional attire worn by Bavarians and its drop front style may actually be a Bavarian invention.

The main high-street shopping areas are Neuhauserstrasse and Kaufingerstrasse. Maximilianstrasse and Theatinerstrasse

Hotels: The Utting camp ground at the Lake Ammersee is good value for travellers on a tight budget. Hotel Laimer Hof in Munich is a very exclusive hotel. With a central location, Mandarin Oriental Munich is an award-winning hotel that redefines luxury within the city’s most historic setting.

Getting there: Emirates has two direct flights to Munich daily.

Gateway to the world: 48 hours in Hamburg

Tight for time? Bridget McGrouther takes you on a whistle-stop tour of the city.

The green and prosperous Hanseatic City of Hamburg has become one of the top ten most-visited cities of Europe.

Before spending 48 hours to discover what attracts so many to this must-see destination, consider buying a HamburgCARD, which provides unlimited access to all public transport and free or reduced admission to main tourist attractions (visit www.hamburg-tourism.de).

Thursday 6pm

Hamburg’s Dom is the biggest public festival in Germany providing family entertainment and a lively, carnival atmosphere. Three times a year (spring, summer and winter), you can experience all the fun of the fair from nostalgic horse carousels to the thrill of high-tech rides.

If you love musicals, then take your pick from Mamma Mia to The Lion King. There are also lots of theatres, opera houses, concert halls and clubs in Hamburg. Many of these are situated in the notorious Reeperbahn – famous for being where the Beatles first made it big during the early ’60s.

Friday 9am

Standing on the bustling Landungsbrücken (landing piers) overlooking one of the largest ports in Europe, you soon realise why Hamburg is known as the gateway to the world.

A cruise around the port is the best way to soak up the maritime atmosphere – but before boarding, check that the commentary is in a language you understand.

The red-bricked Fischmarkt nearby is worth a visit, as it has been an institution since 1703, but if you can, wait till it opens during the early hours of Sunday (5am – 10am). This is when stalls there sell everything from fish and eels to beer and breakfast.

Friday 2pm

Guided double-decker bus tours are a great way for first-time visitors to reach the leading attractions. Passengers can jump on and off at stops along the route – such as the Rathaus or popular Hamburg Dungeon where you can relive 2,000 years of blood-curdling history.

As long as you have a head for heights and no heart defects, the landmark Saint Michaelis Church offers panoramic views as does the swaying HighFlyer Fesselballoon.

Friday 8pm

No need to resort to eating hamburgers in Hamburg as this foodie’s haven is an international hotpot of cuisine serving everything from sushi to strudel.

The mouth-watering eateries range from Tibetan and Turkish to Portuguese and Iranian, but you really should taste the hearty German fare and buzz in at least one of the crowded, wooden-benched dining halls. The ‘in’ restaurant strip is along the Altona and Övelgönne riverfronts.

Saturday 9am

Shop till you drop at the exclusive boutiques along the Neuer Wall boulevard and the floors of stores reached by glass elevators in the Europa Passage mall.

During December, there are 12 Christmas markets to find festive fare such as crafts and home-baked goodies. Youngsters (most probably boys) may want to visit the Miniatur Wunderland – the largest model railway in the world – or one of the many other museums, art galleries or the zoo.

Saturday 2pm

Explore Hamburg’s waterways – the Rivers Elbe, Alster and Bille traverse it, as do a network of canals called Fleete, while the Binnenalster and Aussenalster Lakes lap the city centre shores.

During summer, rowing, sailing and pedal boats are available for hire, while cyclists and walkers enjoy exercising along the banks year-round.

Winter is one of the coolest times to visit, when a Glühwein steamboat cruise on the lakes or canals can be a relaxing way to appreciate the city’s beauty.