Germany is home to more than 80 million people. Across its 16 federal provinces its landscape varies from the massively impressive cities like Berlin and Munich to the stunning beauty of the Black Forest and the Rhine Valley.

Germany makes an ideal location for city breaks. Cities worth noting are:

• Berlin, Brandenburg - the capital city. Architecturally impressive, since unification the city has been transformed to combine elements of the harsh communist grandeur with the ultra-modern Potsdam business area.
• Cologne, North Rhine - Westphalia - famous for the distinctive Cologne Cathedral, it is host to its 'Fifth Season' Carnival celebration, with the big moments in November and February.
• Dresden, Saxony - reknowned as the one of the most beautiful cities in germany until two nights or bombing during World War II destroyed much of it, many of the architechtural highlights have been rebuilt from scratch
• Frankfurt, Hesse - A centre of finance and business travel, this cosmopolitan city is the birthplace of Goethe.
• Hamburg - one of europe's biggest ports and an important centre of commerce, Hamburg has a number of impressive sights (the city hall, the old botanic garden) and smells (the lively fish market).
• Leipzig, Saxony - historically significant as the base for Luther, Bach, Mendelsohn, the defeat of Napolean and the start of the peaceful revolution that ended the GDR, it includes an impressive opera house and in Drallewatsch, the old part of the city and a perfect location fo a night out.
• Munich, Bavaria - famous for its Oktoberfest, with its top-class beer and the sight of fully grown men kitted up in Lederhosen. It also has breathe-taking scenery nearby making it ideal for hiking, swimming and biking vacations.
• Munster, North Rhine - Westphalia - a relaxed university city with good shopping, coffee shops and beer gardens surrounded by impressive Romanesque and Gothic architecture.
• Stuttgart, Baden - Wurttemberg - a virant city in one of the major wine-growing regions, Stuttgart is a mix of bustling city life, porsches and beautiful forests

Germany is also good for hiking holidays, especially in the Rhine Valley and Bavaria regions

Good travel information on Germany can be found in the About Germany travel pages