Europe Travel Guides

Berlin had modest beginnings as a trading centre in the 13th century, growing into a European powerhouse that hogged the 20th century stage. Since reunification in 1990, it has evolved into a dynamic, sexy and creative city where a surprising lightheartedness lurks beneath an austere exterior.

Frankfurt is often seen only as a transit hub or a business centre, but it's so much more. It boasts Germany's most spectacular skyline, mirrored in the Main River, and Europe's tallest office building. It's also the country's most international town; more than a quarter of its citizens are foreign.

Sure, Hanover does host a lot of trade fairs and it has been dismissed as nothing more than 'the Autobahn exit between Göttingen and Walsrode'. But all this is far too disparaging. Hanover is green and lovely, with a faux-medieval old quarter and acres of Baroque-style gardens.

Munich, rivalled only by Berlin as Germany's most popular destination, is a sophisticated city that enjoys contradicting itself. Don some ironic lederhosen and head down to the capital of Bavaria, where folk traditions ride alongside BMWs and hearty meals share the table with haute cuisine.