Introduction 

A wet and windy Wednesday night coupled with a tube strike made me question whether I really wanted to attend a travel trade event put on by Germany.Travel to encourage us to take our holidays in Germany.

I’m glad that I made the effort. The event did make me want to travel to Germany again, and just as keen to promote it as a destination to my clients.

The evening began with some facts and figures. I was surprised to learn that Germany is the 4^th most popular destination for UK travellers. First, unsurprisingly, is Spain, followed by France and Greece.

Although Germany does have beaches in the North, these are obviously less appealing than those of the other three nations, although, as you will see later in this article, the Baltic sea beaches certainly have their charms.

51% of British visitors will stay in cities, and of that percentage, 55.9 will stay in the five most popular cities: Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Germany is of course a popular destination for city breaks and for Christmas markets, so, again no surprises.

We were advised that Germany doesn’t have a problem with overtourism, a complaint certainly from Spain, and one of the themes that Germany.Travel wants to promote is to stay longer. Staying longer and travelling less are key factors behind sustainable travel, and Germany has a number of sustainable travel initiatives.

Germany will encourage us to travel more and stay longer with a number of campaigns focusing on

• Culinary
• City life
• Nature and wellness

There are of course many more reasons to consider taking holidays in Germany, but for the purpose of this article, I am focusing only on those suppliers who came over to the UK to give their presentations.

Introductions over, it is time to listen to some of the trade partners who have travelled to London to introduce their destinations to us. First up is the Black Forest.

The Black Forest

The Black Forest is a familiar destination for UK travellers, perhaps one of the most familiar for those not travelling to a city. It’s name dates back to Roman times, when it was so called because it was considered to be impenetrable and intimidating. Now it is a romantic destination: times change.

It is a well-known wellness destination with spas in towns such as Baden Baden, and of course a lot of outdoor activities. The cost of wellness activities has from time to time been funded by the German public health system, not just as a means of getting well, but also to prevent illness. The aim is a healthier population and a saving to the public purse.

Baden Baden is a well known Spa town, famous for its thermal bathing, its culture, architecture and state of the art opera house. Its name is doubled up to avoid confusion with another Baden, not because it’s so good that they named it twice!

The capital of the region is Freiburg, which is a livelier, younger town.

The Black Forest is known for two other things, firstly its cake, which fits in well with the desire to encourage travel to Germany through its culinary offerings.

Secondly, the Black Forest is probably where Cuckoo Clocks originated from, and not Switzerland as fans of the film The Third Man might have it. The first mention of Cuckoo clocks dates back to the mid 17^th Century, and the first to be made in the Black Forest was probably made by Franz Anton Kellerer. Clocks were made by farmers from the late 17^th century from logs collected from the forest in the winter months to supplement their income

Tranquility in Garmish-Partenkirchen.

Next up was Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which was originally two small towns. Hitler recommended that the two should merge to form one town when the 1936 Winter Olympics were being planned. Garmisch is the more modern of the two, a little livelier, and Partenkirchen quieter and more traditional, but it is still very much one town.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is on the border with Austria, about an hour’s drive from Munich through wonderful countryside. Germany’s highest mountain is here, the Zugspitze, with a cable car to the summit, allowing you on a good day to see Italy, Austria and Switzerland as well as more of Germany.

This is a quiet region with quaint villages, houses with painted murals, old churches and a backdrop of mountains.

Cologne

From the tranquility of the mountains on the Austrian border, we now move to one of the big 5 cities, the largest on the Rhine, Cologne, and its iconic cathedral by the Hohenzollern Bridge, and a hot spot for street art.

The official Cologne website sites describes Cologne as a feeling, and you will most probably feel that vibe at one of its markets including a nighttime flea market, vintage clothes, sustainability and of course organic food.

There are eclectic neighbourhoods such as the Nippes, where “dolce vita meets industrial heritage,” food, drink, and the creative arts mix attracting large crowds.

The City of Music: Leipzig

From Cologne, we head towards the city of Music, Leipzig, which has been on my want to visit list for some years.  There used to be bi-annual Mahler festival in Leipzig, but it seems that, at least for this year, it is not happening, the last being held in 2023. There are plenty of other musical festivals and experiences to be had. One that caught my eye is the opportunity to conduct your own orchestra, which I think is a sort of VR exercise but is one open to those who are completely devoid of musical talent. It is something I will have to explore on the visit I am planning.

The other big draw for me is the opportunity to visit Colditz Castle. The BBC series and Pat Reid’s books were a big part of my adolescence.

I had forgotten that the fall of the Berlin Wall was not the start of a unified Germany. That process began in Leipzig with the Peaceful Revolution in 1989 and is celebrated annually on the 9^th October.

Leipzig has a number of art galleries and museums. It is a green city, which also offers green kayaking on its lakes.

Visitors are often surprised to learn that Leipzig has the second oldest Christmas market in Germany, and a vibrant coffee culture.

Lubeck & Travemunde

Lubeck on the Baltic coast was passionately presented as the place to be, a quite place where you can feel the difference. It is surrounded by two rivers so has the appearance of an island. It has 5 churches and 7 steeples. It is coupled with Travemunde which has a sandy beach. One of the more novel experiences is booking a bed on the beach for the night. These beds can be enclosed for privacy or in the event of bad weather, but offer the sound of the waves on the shore and the skies above. On waking you can burst into life with an early morning and very cold dip.

Lubeck can be a day trip from Hamburg, but is probably best experienced over two nights, but still part of a trip incorporating the big City.

There are of course many other choices for holidays in Germany, particularly for City breaks and for the Christmas markets, as well as sporting and musical events. The big cities such as Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt have much to offer and are all easily accessible from the UK. 

I have a range of holiday experiences available for holidays in Germany, from cooking and wine tasting experiences, biking and hiking, photography walks and art talks.  Give me a call and let’s get your holiday in Germany booked.