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Travel advice for Germany
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Germany
Book your individual trip, stress-free with local travel experts
written by Jeroen van Marle
updated 18.12.2020
In the early 20th century, leading German architects and artists sparked a global design revolution that influenced buildings across the world. Several sites across the country have been preserved and tell the story of how the Modernist movement evolved in Germany's fast-changing society. Here are five of the best.
9 days / from2263 USD
A self drive exploration of UNESCO Sites in Southern Germany
Explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites across different German states. This self drive trip allows you to design your own days with recommendations stated for each day.
customize ⤍7 days / from2905 USD
Explore Berlin and Potsdam in depth
The German capital Berlin has plenty to offer: from historical sites to world-class museums and a vibrant nightlife. Enjoy this private tour to explore a wide range of activities in Berlin and Potsdam, including several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
customize ⤍8 days / from1501 USD
Explore Northern Germany on Your Own
From Bremen to Stralsund - Northern Germany offers plenty of gems to explore. With well-developed public transportation links, this itinerary is suited for everyone wanting to explore on their own - getting lost on the cobble-stoned streets of many UNESCO World Heritage Highlights.
customize ⤍15 days / from6264 USD
Capitals of Europe - Berlin, Prague, Vienna and more
This trip is ideal for all city & culture lovers: the Reichstag in Berlin, the castle in Prague, historical Cesky Krumlov, St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, the fortress above Salzburg and Schloss Neuschwanstein near Munich - these are just some of the highlights of this incredible roundup trip.
customize ⤍11 days / from4212 USD
Castles across Austria and Czechia
Austria and Czechia are home to some of the world's most beautiful architecture and culture gems, such as Schloss Schönbrunn in Vienna, Prague castle, the fortress above Salzburg and many more. Finish your tour with a visit to Schloss Neuschwanstein before flying out of Munich.
customize ⤍12 days / from4536 USD
Best of Germany
Germany has a lot to offer to visitors: history buffs will enjoy guided tours in Berlin and Dresden, children (and those at heart) will marvel at Schloss Neuschwanstein, scenery lovers will appreciate Rothenburg and the Black Forest. This trip truly has something for everybody!
customize ⤍11 days / from3510 USD
Exclusive trip to Prague and Austria
Explore the main highlights of Central Europe: fascinating Prague & historical Cesky Krumlov, the highlights of Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck in Austria and then further on to Germany - get in the Disney spirit at Schloss Neuschwanstein.
customize ⤍8 days / from1134 USD
Discover Saxony
Saxony is one of Europe’s most versatile destinations for art and culture. However, it is not just a treasure trove for culture buffs and city breakers but also features stunningly beautiful landscapes for adventures and active breaks in the great outdoors.
customize ⤍12 days / from5346 USD
Oktoberfest in Germany & Beer culture in Austria & Czechia
Oktoberfest is a 2-week festival held in Munich/Germany. The first weekend of October is traditionally the last weekend of the festival, so plan accordingly. Before or after, head to Austria and Czechia for some more insights in to European beer culture.
customize ⤍5 days / from1058 USD
Saxony - a first impression
Embark on an exploration tour through Saxony starting in Dresden. A 5-day “taster journey” combines cultural highlights and romantic spots in and around the state capital and make your way to Leipzig. The ideal tour for a perfect "first impression".
customize ⤍11 days / from4212 USD
Beer culture in Czechia, Austria and Germany
Beer is an important part of Central European culture and this trip allows you to get to know this part in more detail - Pilsner brewery in Czechia, the famous Hofbräuhaus in Munich, the small and unique Stiegl brewery in Salzburg - get your taste buds ready for lots of Beer-liciousness.
customize ⤍8 days / from4298 USD
An active outdoor trip for the whole family in Germany & Austria
Discover 'The Sound of Music' in Salzburg, swim in the lake at Zell am See, go hiking in the mountains of Kitzbühel, and get to know the world's most famous castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Start and end to the tour is Munich and you can easily extend your days here.
customize ⤍The short-lived Bauhaus school for architecture and design, active in Germany from 1919 until 1933, revolutionized the world of design, influencing art and architecture to this day. Moving from Weimar to Dessau and finally Berlin before being dissolved by the Nazis, the school employed Europe’s cutting-edge architects, leading artists and innovative designers. In Weimar, the two original school buildings and the Haus Am Horn model house are part of this dispersed World Heritage Site, and there's a new Bauhaus Museum in the city centre, too.
Dessau has some of the movement's finest buildings: the iconic Bauhaus school building from 1926 with its glass curtain wall, the Masters' Houses for the teachers, both open for tours, as well as the five Houses with Balcony Access. The city also has a new Bauhaus museum.
Set in the forests just outside Bernau near Berlin, the ADGB Trade Union School from 1930 consists of several light-flooded geometrical shapes connected by a glass corridor. Bauhaus architecture students collaborated on the construction, experimenting with exposed concrete, steel and glass. Still in use as a boarding school, it's possible to join tours of the site. A visitor centre is set to open in 2021.
Weimar lies between Frankfurt and Berlin and can be reached from both cities in about 3 hours by train or car. Dessau is 120km southwest of Berlin and can be reached in 1.5 hours by train or car. The ADGB Trade Union School is a 10-minute bus ride from the station of Bernau, 20km north of Berlin.
Bauhaus Museum in Weimar © Thomas Müller/Klassik Stiftung Weimar
The functionalist Fagus shoe last factory (Fagus-Werk) is an important early example of the Modernist architectural concepts that would soon sweep across Europe and America. The building from 1913 that made architect Walter Gropius internationally famous has innovative glass curtain walls that maximize the natural light on the work floor, seemingly bending around the corners, giving the whole factory a transparent look – perhaps one of the first ever factories that looked like a pleasant place to work in.
All ten buildings on the complex are original and unchanged, having been carefully restored, giving unique insight in the rapid changes industry was going through at the time. The Fagus Factory is well prepared for visitors with a restaurant and a visitor centre offering video guides and tours of the interior.
The Fagus Factory is right beside Alfeld's station, a 40-minute train ride south of Hanover.
Fagus Factory © Fagus-GreCon Greten GmbH/Nadine Gebauer
During the progressive Weimar Republic era, Berlin's property companies and collectives rethought public housing and started to build extensive new estates with tenants' well-being in mind. For the first time, regular Berliners had access to cleverly designed apartments and townhouses with bathrooms, modern kitchens and balconies, all set among pleasant greenery. Six estates built between 1913 and 1934 by the star architects of German Modernism, including Bruno and Max Taut, Hans Scharoun and Walter Gropius, now have World Heritage status. While some buildings may seem mundane, at the time they used revolutionary new concepts that were much-copied – their enduring design values proven by the fact that they are as popular now as they were one hundred years ago. The most famous is the Horseshoe Estate (Hufeisensiedlung) in the district of Neukölln, where there's an information centre and an apartment that's been restored to the way it would have looked in around 1930. You can even spend the night in the restored Tautes Heim museum house nearby. The other listed estates are the colourful Gartenstadt Falkenberg, Siedlung Schillerpark, Wohnstadt Carl Legien, Weiße Stadt, Großsiedlung Siemensstadt and the Ringsiedlung.
Scattered around Berlin's suburbs, the six estates are easy to reach by metro and bus. The Hufeisensiedlung is close to U-Bahn station Blaschkoallee.
Weisse Stadt © CC BY-SA 3.0 Torstenww, WikiCommons
The German port-city of Hamburg prospered during the rapid growth of international trade and shipping between the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. The impressive Speicherstadt ("city of warehouses") that was built on a series of narrow islands next to the harbour is the world's largest port-warehouse complex from that era.
The fairly conservative Neo-gothic exteriors of the fifteen huge brick warehouses hide interiors that had advanced warehousing technology. The castle-like Wasserschloss building, perched on the tip of one of the islands and surrounded by towering walls, is now a restaurant and tea shop. One warehouse is home to Miniatur Wunderland, the world's largest model railway and one of Germany's most-visited attractions, where over one thousand trains zip around fabulous landscapes.
The adjacent Kontorhaus district is home to eight massive office complexes housing port-related companies and dating from the 1920s to the 1950s. Resembling a pointy ship's prow, the Chilehaus – from 1924 – is the most remarkable of them all, a beautiful brick Expressionist building that is massive, yet looks light at the same time.
The Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus district are just south of Hamburg city centre, a short walk from the main station.
View across the river to the Hamburg Speicherstadt © Fabian Wentzel/MAD
Stuttgart's Weissenhof Estate (Weißenhofsiedlung) attracted international attention in 1927 when it opened as an exhibition of modern residential building styles. It introduced new prefabrication techniques and features, including window bands, open-plan interiors and flat roofs. It later annoyed the Nazis for its "un-German" looks; members of the party compared it to an Arab village. Artistic director Ludwig Mies van der Rohe selected seventeen architects including Walter Gropius, Bruno Taut and Hans Scharoun to contribute designs, but it's the semi-detached homes by French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier that stand out and are listed as a World Heritage Site. The Haus Le Corbusier has an odd facade supported by columns and topped by a rooftop flower garden with a covered promenade. The interiors, furniture and colours of the rooms inside have been restored to their 1927 state. There's a modern kitchen and bathroom, and the living space can be transformed into two bedrooms using sliding walls and by rolling beds out of the closets. An exhibition occupies the rest of the house, and you can join tours of the museum and the surrounding estate.
Take metro U5 from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof station to the Killesberg stop, from where it's a short walk to the estate.
Weißenhofsiedlung © SMG/Achim Mende
In the early 20th century, German architects and artists were at the forefront of modern design, and these five state-of-the-art World Heritage sites give excellent insight into the revolutionary innovations of the time.
Find out more about Germany's World Heritage gems by downloading our free eBook
This content was created in partnership with the German National Tourist Board.
written by Jeroen van Marle
updated 18.12.2020
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