Tempelhofer Feld

Germany

　　The airfield of Tempelhof Airport, which so gloriously handled the Berlin airlift of 1948–49, has been repurposed as one of the largest urban parks in the world. In this noncommercial open-sky adventure playground, cyclists, bladers and kite-surfers whisk along the tarmac, while fun zones include the Luftgarten beer garden, barbecue...

Zeche Zollverein

Germany

　　A key site along the Ruhr area's Industrial Heritage Trail, the former Zollverein coal mine was a marvel of efficiency while in operation from 1932 until 1986. In 2001, Unesco declared the Bauhaus-style complex a World Heritage Site. Since closing, the sprawling site has since been rebooted as a cultural...

August Macke-Haus

Northern Rhineland

　　The expressionist painter August Macke (1887–1914) lived and worked in this house in the three years before his untimely death on the battlefields in WWI. Soak up the master’s aura in his recreated studio and see some originals; the finest works, though, are not far away at the Kunstmuseum Bonn....

Museum Koenig

Northern Rhineland

　　The Museum Koenig is a natural history museum but it’s hardly your usual dead-animal zoo. The ‘Savannah’ exhibit re-creates an entire habitat with theatrical flourishes: elephants drinking at a watering hole, a jaguar holed up with its kill and vultures surveying the scene from above. In the 'Rainforest' diorama elephants...

Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf

Northern Rhineland

　　The 12th-century Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf is a magnificent ‘double church’ where the nobility would sit on the upper level and peek down on the common parishioners through an octagonal opening in the floor. Considered one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in Germany, its architecture is truly impressive, as is the...

Deutsches Museum Bonn

Northern Rhineland

　　Did you know that the airbag and MP3 technology were invented in Germany? You will, after visiting the Deutsches Museum Bonn. This pint-size subsidiary of the blockbuster Munich mothership highlights German research and technology since WWII with plenty of buttons to push and knobs to pull. 　　The 100 or so...

Bundeskunsthalle

Northern Rhineland

　　Adjoining the Kunstmuseum Bonn, the Bundeskunsthalle (Federal Art Hall) is another striking space that brings in blockbuster exhibits from around the world. Despite the name, the hall doesn't necessarily showcase serious art; it also has exhibits that delve into the realms of history, science, technology and the environment. 　　The building...

Kunstmuseum Bonn

Northern Rhineland

　　Beyond its dramatic foyer, the Kunstmuseum Bonn presents 20th-century works, especially by August Macke and other Rhenish expressionists, as well as such post-WWII avant-gardists as Beuys, Baselitz and Kiefer. It has a vigorous schedule of special exhibitions showcasing various facets of contemporary art. 　　Competing with the art is the stark...

Haus der Geschichte

Northern Rhineland

　　The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland presents a smart, fun romp through recent German history, starting from the end of WWII. Walk through the fuselage of a Berlin airlift Rosinenbomber plane, watch classic clips in a 1950s cinema, imagine free love in a VW microbus, examine Erich Honecker’s arrest...

Beethoven-Haus Bonn

Northern Rhineland

　　Star composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in this rather humble townhouse, where today original scores, letters, paintings and instruments, including his last grand piano, offer insight into his work, routines and feelings. Of special note are the huge ear trumpets he used to combat his growing deafness....

Fränkisches Brauereimuseum

Nuremberg & Franconia

　　Located in the Kloster St Michael, this comprehensive brewery museum exhibits over 1000 period mashing, boiling and bottling implements, as well as everything to do with local suds, such as beer mats, tankards, enamel beer signs and lots of photos and documentation. If the displays have left you dry mouthed,...

Neue Residenz

Nuremberg & Franconia

　　This splendid episcopal palace gives you an eyeful of the lavish lifestyle of Bamberg’s prince-bishops who, between 1703 and 1802, occupied its 40-odd rooms that can only be seen on guided 45-minute tours (in German). Tickets are also good for the Bavarian State Gallery, with works by Lucas Cranach the...

Altes Rathaus

Nuremberg & Franconia

　　Like a ship in dry dock, Bamberg's 1462 Old Town Hall was built on an artifical island in the Regnitz River, allegedly because the local bishop had refused to give the town's citizens any land for its construction. Inside you'll find the Sammlung Ludwig, a collection of precious porcelain, but...

Historisches Museum

Nuremberg & Franconia

　　Bamberg's main museum fills the Alte Hofhaltung (old court hall), a former prince-bishops' palace near the cathedral, with a mixed bag of exhibits. These include a model of the pilgrimage church Vierzehnheiligen and the Bamberger Götzen, ancient stone sculptures found in the region. Often of greater interest are the expertly...

Kloster St Michael

Nuremberg & Franconia

　　Above Domplatz, at the top of Michaelsberg, is the Benedictine Kloster St Michael, a former monastery and now an aged people’s home. The monastery church is essential Bamberg viewing, both for its baroque art and the meticulous depictions of nearly 600 medicinal plants and flowers on the vaulted ceiling. The...

Klein Venedig

Nuremberg & Franconia

　　A row of diminutive, half-timbered cottages once inhabited by fishermen and their families (hence the street's name meaning 'fishery') comprises Bamberg’s Klein Venedig (Little Venice), which hems the Regnitz’s east bank between Markusbrücke and Untere Brücke. The little homes balance on poles set right into the water and are fronted...

Bamberger Dom

Nuremberg & Franconia

　　Beneath the quartet of spires, Bamberg’s cathedral is packed with artistic treasures, most famously the slender equestrian statue of the Bamberger Reiter (Bamberg Horseman), whose true identity remains a mystery. It overlooks the tomb of cathedral founders, Emperor Heinrich II and his wife Kunigunde, splendidly carved by Tilmann Riemenschneider. The...

Dom Information

Northern Rhineland

　　The Dom's visitor centre is your go-to stop for tour tickets, information and to peruse the displays and a short introduction to the cathedral. ...

Katschhof

Northern Rhineland

　　It's worth finding a comfy spot in which to sit and contemplate this deeply historic square. At the north end is the backside of the Rathaus; across from it is the Dom and its complex of buildings. To the west is a mishmash of old buildings that have parts dating...

Suermondt Ludwig Museum

Northern Rhineland

　　The Suermondt Ludwig Museum is especially proud of its medieval sculpture but also has fine works by Cranach, Dürer, Macke, Dix and other masters. An oddly fascinating highlight is the room of curiosities with such items as a stuffed shark and a falcon mummy on display. 　　It's all beautifully presented...

Ludwig Forum Aachen

Northern Rhineland

　　In a former umbrella factory, the well-respected Ludwig Forum trains the spotlight on American and European contemporary art (Warhol, Richter, Holzer, Penck, Haring) and also stages progressive changing exhibits. Among the most eye-catching works is the sculpture Supermarket Lady (1971) by Duane Hanson, a poignant critique of mass consumption. ...

Centre Charlemagne

Northern Rhineland

　　A modern triangular building in the midst of where the great man walked, this museum looks at not only the life and times of Charlemagne but also Aachen's dramatic history. Multimedia exhibits bring key periods to life, from the Roman era onward. Begin your Route Charlemagne walk here; there is...

Rathaus

Northern Rhineland

　　Fifty life-sized statues of German rulers, including 30 kings crowned in Aachen between AD 936 and 1531, adorn the facade of Aachen's splendid Gothic town hall. Inside, the undisputed highlight is the vaulted coronation hall where the post-ceremony banquets were held. Note the epic 19th-century frescoes and replicas of the...

Domschatzkammer

Northern Rhineland

　　Aachen's cathedral treasury is a veritable mother lode of gold, silver and jewels. Of particular importance are the silver-and-gold bust of Charlemagne and a 10th-century bejewelled processional cross known as the Lotharkreuz; both featured in the coronation ceremonies held at the cathedral between 936 and 1531. Other highlights include a...

Aachener Dom

Northern Rhineland

　　It’s impossible to overestimate the significance of Aachen’s magnificent cathedral. The burial place of Charlemagne, it’s where more than 30 German kings were crowned and where pilgrims have flocked since the 12th century. Before entering the church, stop by Dom Information for info and tickets for tours and the cathedral...

Stadthaus

Swabian Alps Region

　　Designed by Richard Meier, the contemporary aesthetic of the concrete-and-glass Stadthaus is a dramatic contrast to the Münster. The American architect caused uproar by erecting the postmodern building alongside the city’s Gothic giant but the result is striking. The Stadthaus stages exhibitions and events, and houses the tourist office and...

Zeughaus

Swabian Alps Region

　　With origins dating back to the early 14th century, the Zeughaus is one of Ulm's most impressive historical buildings. It underwent significant expansion in the 16th and 17th centuries – note the Renaissance and baroque motifs embellishing the portals – and was damaged during WWII. Only a few of the...

Einstein Fountain & Monument

Swabian Alps Region

　　A nod to Ulm’s most famous son, this fiendishly funny bronze fountain by Jürgen Goertz shows a wild-haired, tongue-poking-out Albert Einstein, who was born in Ulm but left when he was one year old. Standing in front of the 16th-century Zeughaus, the rocket-snail creation is a satirical play on humanity’s...

Museum Ulm

Swabian Alps Region

　　This museum is a fascinating romp through ancient and modern art, history and archaeology. Standouts include the 20th-century Kurt Fried Collection, starring Klee, Picasso and Lichtenstein works shown in rotating exhibitions. Archaeological highlights are tiny Upper Palaeolithic figurines unearthed in caves in the Swabian Alps, including the 30,000-year-old ivory Löwenmensch...

Fischerviertel

Swabian Alps Region

　　The charming Fischerviertel, Ulm’s old fishers’ and tanners’ quarter, is slightly southwest of the centre. Beautifully restored half-timbered houses huddle along the two channels of the Blau River. Harbouring art galleries, rustic restaurants, courtyards and the crookedest house in the world – as well as one of the narrowest –...

Stadtmauer

Swabian Alps Region

　　South of the Fischerviertel, along the Danube’s north bank, runs the red-brick Stadtmauer (city wall), the height of which was reduced in the 19th century after Napoleon decided that a heavily fortified Ulm was against his best interests. Walk it for fine views over the river, the Altstadt and the...

Marktplatz

Swabian Alps Region

　　Lording it over the Marktplatz, the 14th-century Rathaus sports a step-gabled, lavishly frescoed Renaissance facade. Out front is the Fischkastenbrunnen, where fishmongers once dumped their catch to be sold at market. The Rathaus' architectural antithesis is the cutting-edge glass pyramid of the Stadtbibliothek, the city's main library. ...

Ulmer Münster

Swabian Alps Region

　　'Ooh, it’s so big'… First-time visitors gush as they strain their neck muscles gazing up to the Münster. It is. And rather beautiful. Celebrated for its 161.5m-high steeple, this Goliath of cathedrals, the world’s tallest, took 500 years to build from the first stone laid in 1377. Note the hallmarks...

Salzbergwerk

Bavarian Alps

　　Once a major producer of ‘white gold’, Berchtesgaden has thrown open its salt mines for fun-filled 1½-hour tours. Kids especially love donning miners’ garb and whooshing down a wooden slide into the depths of the mine. Down below, highlights include mysteriously glowing salt grottoes and crossing a 100m-long subterranean salt...

Berchtesgaden National Park

Bavarian Alps

　　Forty years old in 2018, the wilds of this 210-sq-km park still offer some of the best hiking in Germany. A good introduction is a 2km trail up from St Bartholomä beside the Königssee to the notorious Watzmann-Ostwand, where scores of mountaineers have met their deaths. Another popular hike goes...

Dokumentation Obersalzberg

Bavarian Alps

　　In 1933 the tranquil Alpine settlement of Obersalzberg (3km from Berchtesgaden) in essence became the second seat of Nazi power after Berlin, a dark period that’s given the full historical treatment at this superb exhibition. Various rooms document the forced takeover of the area, the construction of the compound and...

Eagle's Nest

Bavarian Alps

　　At 1834m above sea level, the Eagle's Nest was built as a mountaintop retreat for Hitler, and gifted to him on his 50th birthday. It took around 3000 workers a mere two years to carve the precipitous 6km-long mountain road, cut a 124m-long tunnel and a brass-panelled lift through the...

Königssee

Bavarian Alps

　　Gliding serenely across the wonderfully picturesque, emerald-green Königssee makes for some unforgettable memories and photo opportunities. Cradled by steep mountain walls some 5km south of Berchtesgaden, the Königssee is Germany’s highest lake (603m), with drinkably pure waters shimmering into fjordlike depths. Bus 841/843 makes the trip out here from the...

Augustinerkirche

Frankfurt Region

　　Part of the local Catholic seminary, the classically baroque Augustinerkirche, built from 1768 to 1772, was unscathed by WWII so all its rich decor is original, including its elaborate organ loft and a delicate ceiling fresco by Johann Baptist Enderle. ...

St-Stephan-Kirche

Frankfurt Region

　　This would be just another Gothic church rebuilt after WWII were it not for the nine brilliant-blue, stained-glass windows created by the Russian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall (1887–1985) in the final years of his life, which serve as a symbol of Jewish–Christian reconciliation. ...

Druckladen – Gutenburg Museum

Frankfurt Region

　　Across from the Gutenburg Museum, you can try out Gutenberg’s technology yourself, with instruction on the art of hand-setting type – backwards, of course. Nearby, master craftsmen produce elegant posters, certificates and cards using the labour-intensive technologies of another age. ...

Museum für Antike Schiffahrt

Frankfurt Region

　　The extraordinary remains of five wooden ships of the Romans’ Rhine flotilla, used around AD 300 to thwart the Germanic tribes then threatening Roman settlements, are the centrepiece of this museum. Also on display are two full-size replicas of Roman ships and a collection of scale-model ships kids will love....

Landesmuseum Mainz

Frankfurt Region

　　Highlights of this well laid-out state museum include an ensemble of exquisite Jugendstil pieces, outstanding collections of Renaissance and 20th-century German paintings, and baroque porcelain and furniture. Rare artefacts from the Merovingian and Carolingian periods include 4th- to 7th-century tombstones in Latin. Mainz’ illustrious medieval Jewish community is represented by...

Mainzer Dom

Frankfurt Region

　　Topped by an octagonal tower, Mainz’ immense cathedral, built from deep red sandstone in the 12th century, is quintessentially Romanesque. Its predecessor went through a literal baptism by fire when it burned down in 1009 on the day of its consecration. Over the centuries seven coronations were held here. Sunday...

Heiligtum der Isis und Mater Magna

Frankfurt Region

　　In a darkened, dungeon-like space, a glass walkway leads you around this extraordinary Roman archaeological site, which was discovered in 1999 during the construction of the Römerpassage shopping mall. Brilliantly illuminated artefacts discovered during excavations include ceremonial bowls, Roman tablets, statues, coins and dried fruits like figs from other climates....