Germany
Germany moves between extremes. In Berlin, former industrial buildings host world-class galleries and the kind of nightlife that starts on Saturday and ends sometime Sunday. In Bavaria, the Alps rise above medieval towns and green valleys where little has changed in centuries. The Rhine cuts through vineyards and castle-topped cliffs. Hamburg's waterfront hums with music and maritime history. Frankfurt bridges old and new in a single skyline. Germany rewards the curious traveller with culture, history and a local pride in doing things properly, from the bread to the beer to the trains.
Oktoberfest: The World's Greatest Festival
Every September and October, Munich hosts the largest folk festival on the planet. What started as a royal wedding celebration in 1810 has grown into a two-week event that draws millions of visitors from around the world into enormous beer tents, traditional Bavarian dress and a level of joy that is genuinely hard to find anywhere else. The tents themselves are the thing: each one run by a different Munich brewery, each with its own atmosphere, its own band playing oompah music that somehow gets better with every stein. Lederhosen and dirndls are the uniform. Pretzels the size of your head. Roast chicken, pork knuckle and sausages. Get there early, find your bench, make friends with whoever sits down next to you.
Cheat-Sheet:
MAJOR AIRPORT:
Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Munich Airport (MUC), Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)
CURRENCY:
Euro (€ / EUR)
HIGH TRAVEL SEASON:
May to September (long days, festivals, beer gardens)
LOW TRAVEL SEASON:
November to March (quieter cities, Christmas markets, ski season in Bavaria)
TIPPING CULTURE:
Round up or add 10% at restaurants and bars, not mandatory but appreciated
HOW TO SAY 'THANK YOU':
Danke, pronounced "dahn-keh"
Why we love it
Lucy
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