The Allgäu: Alpine Meadows and Cheese in Bavaria’s South
Bavaria’s Allgäu region pairs snowcapped peaks with rolling green pastures, working dairy farms, and centuries-old cheese traditions. Here’s what to see, taste, and explore.
Schloss Schwerin: A Castle on an Island in Mecklenburg
Germany’s northernmost grand palace rises from its own island in a lake, blending Renaissance towers with neo-Gothic romance. Inside Schloss Schwerin, you’ll find a throne room, a grotto, and stories of dukes who dreamed big in a small northern state.
Schwäbisch Hall: Salt Money and Medieval Rooftops
This Swabian town built its fortune on salt and brine. Today its staircase marketplace, half-timbered lanes, and open-air theater draw visitors to the Kocher Valley.
Passau: Three Rivers Meet at the Bavarian-Austrian Border
Where the Danube, Inn, and Ilz converge, Passau rises on narrow peninsulas with a baroque cathedral, riverside promenades, and views across three countries.
Franconia’s Erlangen: Brewing History and University Life
Between Nuremberg and Bamberg, Erlangen blends centuries-old brewing tradition with student energy, baroque architecture, and a unique beer cellar forest that cools lager beneath oak and chestnut trees.
Trier: Rome on the Moselle and Germany’s Oldest City
Walk through the Porta Nigra, explore Constantine’s throne room, and taste wine where Roman emperors once ruled in Germany’s most ancient city.
Mainz: Roman Ruins, Gutenberg, and the Rhineland Carnival
The capital of Rhineland-Palatinate blends two millennia of history with Germany’s liveliest carnival tradition, world-class Roman artifacts, and the workshop where printing changed the world.
The Sauerland: Caves, Lakes, and Forest Trails
Between the Ruhr and the Rhine, the Sauerland offers limestone caves, reservoir swimming, and ridge trails through beech forests—an outdoor playground most visitors overlook.
Lüneburg: Salt, Brick Gothic, and the Ilmenau River
An hour south of Hamburg, Lüneburg built its fortune on underground salt deposits and spent it on gabled merchant houses, soaring churches, and a tilting townscape that refuses to sit flat.
Heidelberg’s Philosopher’s Way: Views Above the Neckar
The Philosophenweg climbs the opposite bank of the Neckar for the finest view of Heidelberg Castle, the old town, and the river valley below. We walk the path where poets and thinkers found inspiration.