POCKET DVENTURES Henk Bekker GERMANY POCKET DVENTURES GERMANY BELIZE Henk Bekker Vivien Lougheed HUNTER HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC, 130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818 732-225-1900; 800-255-0343; fax 732-417-1744 www.hunterpublishing.com Ulysses Travel Publications 4176 Saint-Denis, Montréal, Québec Canada H2W 2M5 514-843-9882, ext. 2232; fax 514-843-9448 Windsor Books The Boundary, Wheatley Road, Garsington Oxford, OX44 9EJ England 01865-361122; fax 01865-361133 ISBN 13: 978-1-58843-596-5 ISBN 10: 1-58843-596-2 © 2007 Hunter Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause. Cover photo: Schloss Neuschwanstein (© www. romantishestrasse.de) Index by Nancy Wolff Maps by Toni Carbone, © 2007 Hunter Publishing, Inc. 1 2 3 4 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 1 History 4 Key Events 4 History Time Line 6 Early History 6 The Holy Roman Empire 6 The Unification of Germany 7 The Weimar Republic & the Nazi Era 8 Post-WW II Germany 9 Culture 9 Geography 10 Climate 11 Flora & Fauna 12 Government 12 The Economy 13 Top Attractions 13 TRAVEL INFORMATION 17 Fast Facts 17 Orientation 17 Transportation 18 Embassies & Consulates 23 Money Matters 24 Food & Drink 26 Electricity 27 Media 27 Medical 27 Restrooms 28 Shopping 28 Telephones 28 Mail 29 Dates & Time 29 Costs 30 Sightseeing & Events 32 Holidays 32 Adventures 35 Special Interest 35 Information Sources 36 Language 36 iv Contents BERLIN 39 Getting Here 41 Information Sources 43 Getting Around 43 Sightseeing 44 Zoo Station Area 46 Tiergarten 47 Unter den Linden 53 Museuminsel 56 Friedrichstraße 58 Potsdamer Platz 60 Museums & Galleries 60 Cultural Events 69 Shopping 70 Adventures 73 Where to Stay 76 Mitte & East Berlin 76 West 79 Camping 82 Where to Eat 83 Mitte 83 Unter den Linden 83 Gendarmenmarkt Area 86 Potsdamer Platz 87 West 88 Top-End Restaurants 88 Kurfürstendamm 89 Savigny Platz 91 Daytrips from Berlin 91 Potsdam 91 Sanssouci Park & Palaces 92 Other Royal Sights in Potsdam 96 Cultural Events 98 Adventures 98 Where to Stay & Eat 99 Camping 100 Oranienburg 100 Information Sources 100 Transportation 100 Sightseeing 101 Adventures 102 SAXONY 103 Getting Here & Around 103 Information Sources 106 Dresden 106 Contents v Information Sources 106 Transportation 108 Sightseeing 108 Theaterplatz (Theater Square) 108 Zwinger 110 Residenzschloss 112 Frauenkirche 115 The Albertinum 117 Brühlsche Terasse 118 Neustadt 118 Cultural Events & Festivals 120 Shopping 120 Adventures 121 Where to Stay 124 Dresden Altstadt 124 Neustadt 125 Where to Eat 126 Zwinger – Semperoper Area 126 Saxon Cuisine 127 Frauenkirche & Brühlsche Terasse 127 Daytrips from Dresden 129 Saxon Switzerland 129 Bastei 129 Königstein 130 Adventures 131 Cultural Events 133 Moritzburg 133 Transportation 133 Sightseeing 133 Adventures on Wheels 134 Where to Stay & Eat 135 Leipzig 135 Information Sources 137 Transportation 137 Sightseeing 137 Hauptbahnhof Area 137 Markt Area 139 Naschmarkt Area 140 The Grassi Museum Complex 141 Thomaskirche Area 142 Farther Afield 144 Cultural Events 146 Shopping 146 Adventures 147 vi Contents Where to Stay in Leipzig 148 Camping 149 Where to Eat 150 Markt & Naschmarkt Areas 150 Thomaskirche Area 151 Drallewatch Area 151 Daytrip From Leipzig 152 Lutherstadt Wittenberg 152 Information Sources 153 Transportation 153 Sightseeing 154 Where to Stay & Eat 159 Camping 160 THURINGIA 161 Getting Here & Around 161 Information Sources 162 Weimar 164 Information Sources 165 Transportation 166 Sightseeing 166 Theatherplatz 167 The Schiller & Goethe Residences 168 Markt Area 170 Park an der Ilm 171 Near Weimar: Buchenwald 173 Cultural Events & Festivals 174 Shopping 174 Adventures 174 Where to Stay & Eat 175 Erfurt 177 Information Sources 178 Transportation 178 Sightseeing 178 Domplatz 178 Fischmarkt 180 Krämerbrucke 181 Cultural Events 182 Shopping 182 Adventures 183 Where to Stay & Eat 183 Eisenach 184 Information Sources 185 Transportation 185 Sightseeing 186 Contents vii The Wartburg Castle 186 Cultural Events 191 Adventures 191 Where to Stay & Eat 191 HAMBURG 195 Transportation 197 Sightseeing 199 Rathausmarkt 200 Alster 201 Hauptbahnhof Area 201 St Michaelis 203 Speicherstadt 204 Planten und Blomen 206 St Pauli 206 The Landungsbrücke 208 Cultural Events 209 Festivals 209 Shopping 210 Adventures 211 Where to Stay & Eat 213 Where to Eat 217 Camping 218 Daytrip from Hamburg 218 Lübeck 218 Transportation 219 Information Sources 219 Sightseeing 219 Holstentor Area 219 Rathaus Area 220 Northern Altstadt Area 223 Cultural Events 224 Shopping 225 Adventures 225 Where to Stay & Eat 225 FRANKFURT AM MAIN 227 Information Sources 229 Getting Here & Around 229 Sightseeing 230 Altstadt 231 Neustadt 234 Westend 237 Sachsenhausen 237 Cultural Events & Festivals 240 Shopping 241 viii Contents Adventures 241 Where to Stay 243 Old Town Area 243 Hauptbahnhof Area 245 Where to Eat 246 Sachsenhausen 247 THE RHINE & MOSEL VALLEYS 249 Getting Here & Around 250 Information Sources 251 The Rhine Valley 252 Speyer 252 Information Sources 253 Transportation 253 Sightseeing 253 Where to Stay & Eat 255 Worms 256 Information Sources 256 Sightseeing 256 Mainz 257 Information Sources 258 Transportation 258 Sightseeing 258 Cultural Events & Festivals 261 Adventures 261 Where to Stay & Eat 262 Camping 263 Rheingau 263 Information Sources 263 Transportation 263 Sightseeing 263 Eltville 263 Where to Stay & Eat 264 Johannisberg 265 Where to Eat 266 Rüdesheim 266 Information Sources 267 Transportation 267 Sightseeing 267 Where to Stay & Eat 270 Camping 271 Cultural Events 272 Wine Tasting 272 Adventures in Rheingau 272 The Loreley Valley 274 Information Sources 274