WEIMAR: GOETHE, SCHILLER, BAUHAUS
Weimar was once home to such German luminaries as Goethe and Schiller, whose homes are now museums. The Bauhaus movement, which gave rise to much of modern architecture and design, was also born here-- as you'll learn on a visit to the Bauhaus Museum Weimar.
JÜDISCHES MUSEUM, BERLIN
Under the Nazis, at least 6 million Jews, along with homosexuals, the disabled, Gypsies, and religious and political dissidents, were rounded up and sent to slave labor and death camps. Berlin's Jewish Museum, a riveting, angular building designed by Daniel Libeskind, documents Jewish life in Germany and confronts the scars of World War II.
THE LORELEI ROCK
The beautiful Lorelei rock soars above the Rhine river at this UNESCO World Heritage site in the Rhineland.
KÖLNER DOM
Köln's breathtaking cathedral, one of Germany's best-known monuments, is the first thing that greets you when you step out of the train station. The Gothic marvel took more than 600 years to build.
FRAUENKIRCHE, DRESDEN
Dresden's Church of Our Lady is a masterpiece of baroque architecture. Completed in 1743, the magnificent domed church was destroyed as a result of Allied bombing in February 1945. In 2005, the church was rebuilt from the original rubble, thanks entirely to private donations.
Berlin was the capital of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich before being divided after World War II. The Checkpoint Charlie museum details accounts of people escaping the GDR. When the wall fell in 1989 Berliners couldn't wait to get rid of it. The excellent Berlin Wall Memorial, located along another remaining stretch, has a museum and open-air exhibition dedicated to the years of division. Cobblestones mark the streets where the wall once ran throughout the city.
NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE
Walt Disney modeled the castle in Sleeping Beauty and later the Disneyland castle itself on Neuschwanstein. "Mad" King Ludwig II's creation is best admired from the heights of the Marienbrücke, a delicate-looking bridge over a deep, narrow gorge.
HEIDELBERG CASTLE
Heidelberg's immense ruined fortress is a prime example of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It inspired the 19th-century Romantic writers, especially the poet Goethe, who admired its decay amidst the beauty of the Neckar Valley.
MUNICH'S OKTOBERFEST
For 12 days at the end of September and into early October, Munich hosts the world's largest beer bonanza.
BERLIN, CAPITAL CITY
Berlin was the capital of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich before being divided after World War II. The iconic East German TV tower, a symbol of political power, also makes a great stop. The Checkpoint Charlie museum details accounts of people escaping the GDR.
THE BERLIN WALL
The excellent Berlin Wall Memorial, located along another remaining stretch, has a museum and open-air exhibition dedicated to the years of division. Cobblestones mark the streets where the wall once ran throughout the city.