Germany

• traditional landscapes and handsome villages
• comfortable, family-run hotels
• walking, cycling and journeys

Architecture, history and wine (or beer!) are common themes in our holidays to Germany, whether you are exploring on foot, by bike or by train. In Bavaria, so pretty are the whimsical castles built by Ludwig II and so historically significant are places such as the Eagle’s Nest that sometimes the eye doesn’t know which to linger on – man’s legacy or the mountains framing every scene. In the Moselle Valley, close to the border with Luxembourg, man and nature again compete, albeit it in a different way. Here, there is a clear winner, as wine-makers conquered the slopes 2,000 years ago and continue to produce delectable Riesling wines from Europe’s steepest vineyards downriver of the country’s oldest city. If you take our train journey in Germany, you can discover a wealth of history and architecture spanning several centuries, right up to the present day, as you explore the intriguing cities which until relatively recently were hidden behind the Iron Curtain. Other treasures which were revealed at the same time were the laid-back island of Rügen, whose coastline of white-sand beaches, chalk cliffs and timelessly elegant seaside villages holds a surprise around every bend, and the Harz Mountains. This central region has its share of ancient towns, but even more fascinating is the folklore surrounding the brooding mass of the Brocken, the ‘mountain of the German people’. If this is a ‘must’ for all German walkers, then so too is the Black Forest, where you would be forgiven for thinking you are walking through the pages of a fairy tale and where the fine gastronomy serves as a just reward for your efforts.