Ludwig II built Linderhof Palace in a remote valley 30 km southwest of Oberammergau. He built it not as a seat of power but as a private fantasy, a retreat where he could be alone. Linderhof is the smallest of his three palaces and the only one he lived to see completed. Construction began in […]
Categories: Castles, Germany, Mountains, Nature, Sights, Sights
Deep in the Berchtesgaden Alps, Rothbachfall plunges 470 metres down a sheer rock face, making it the highest waterfall in Germany. The water drops in three stages, each one adding to the roar that echoes through the valley. Reaching the falls requires a hike through the spectacular Klausbach Valley. The trail passes through dense forest, […]
Categories: Germany, Nature, Nature, Waterfalls
The parterre stretches in perfect geometric symmetry, clipped hedges forming patterns that have remained unchanged since the early 19th century. Muskau Park, straddling the border between Germany and Poland, is the largest English-style landscape garden in Central Europe, a masterpiece of landscape architecture created by Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau. The park covers over 700 hectares, […]
The Zugspitze rises 2,962 metres above sea level, visible from Garmisch-Partenkirchen as a constant reminder of the alpine grandeur that surrounds this Bavarian resort. The town split its identity before the 1935 unification: Garmisch was the spa and winter sports centre, Partenkirchen the ancient Roman settlement. Together they form one of Germany premier mountain destinations. […]
Categories: Germany, Mountains, Nature, Wellness, Relax & Sports, Wellness, Relax & Sports
Spruce forests stretch across the rounded summits of the Harz Mountains, their dark green broken only by the granite outcrops that punctuate the high plateau. The Harz National Park protects one of the largest continuous forested areas in Germany, a landscape of deep river valleys, waterfalls, and the iconic Brocken peak, the highest mountain in […]
Categories: Germany, National Parks, Nature, Nature
Europe is lucky to have a wealth of fantastic countries, the romance of France, the history of Greece and Italy, not to mention the chocolate of Belgi
The Berlin air carries a charge that no other capital city can match. This is a place where history was made, broken, and remade within living memory, and the city wears every layer proudly. The Brandenburg Gate stands as the silent witness to two centuries of European history. The remnants of the Wall trace a […]
If you live close to London, and within travelling distance of London Gatwick Airport as I do, the option of a cheap, short return flight to Cologne,
Zoo Karlsruhe is one of Germany’s oldest and best zoological gardens, a 22-hectare zoological park in the heart of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, that has been delighting visitors since 1865 and is consistently ranked among the most family-friendly and attractively landscaped zoos in the country. The zoo’s historic heart is the Stadtgarten, a beautiful English-style landscape park, […]
The white chalk cliffs of Jasmund National Park on Germany’s R\u00fcgen Island are one of northern Europe’s most dramatic coastal landscapes, gleaming white Cretaceous cliffs rising 118 metres above the Baltic Sea from ancient beech forest, immortalised in the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich and now a UNESCO World heritage site. The K\u00f6nigsstuhl (King’s Chair) […]
Categories: Germany, National Parks, Nature, Nature