My first visit to Germany was in 1998 with a school trip (North Rhine-Westphalia), and I subsequently took part in two exchanges to Germany in 2000 (Hesse) and again in 2003 (Baden Württemberg). Since then I’ve visited Germany several time to see friends, on holiday and occasionally for work.
But it’s a big country, and there’s a lot I haven’t seen here. Now that Zab and I have finally just started the process of moving to Berlin, I’ve been starting to think about what other parts of my new home country I’d like to get to know.
Lübeck
This north German town and UNESCO World Heritage Site was for a long time the capital of the Hanseatic League, a confederation of merchants that spanned most of the Baltic coast between 13th and 17th centuries. As well as the rich history and striking architecture, Lübeck is also considered by some to be the birthplace of marzipan, something I definitely feel is worth checking out.
Leipzig
I’ve heard great things about this city and it sounds like it has a lot in common with Berlin. It has thriving arts and music scenes and has also been rated as Germany’s most liveable city. I’m keen to see why, and indeed whether the rumours are true that it is becoming the “new Berlin”!
Stuttgart
While I enjoy living in larger cities, I enjoy visiting medium sized cities even more, and Stuttgart looks to be the perfect size for me. The city has all the facilities and cultural mix you’d expect of a modern German city of half a million people, as well as a healthy range of vegan and vegan-friendly places to eat. The Mercedes Benz and Porsche museums, while not particularly interesting for me, they would no doubt attract Zab’s attention. I’d rather visit the tram museum and check out the cool modern architecture, though.
Lake Constance
I’ve been to the very small stretch of coast this lake shared by three countries that Austria lays claim to several times, but haven’t seen anything of the German side except Lindau. Meersburg, Konstanz and Überlingen all seem like lovely places to visit in their own right, and indeed cycling, hiking or sailing along the coast would also be a nice way to see this part of Germany. And of course there are Zepplins at Friedrichshafen!
Have you been to any of these places? Where else would you recommend visiting in Germany?
In case you’re curious, the places I’ve already visited in Germany are Cologne, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt am Main, Heidelberg, Hamburg, Rostock, Berlin, Dresden, Nuremberg and Munich.
