For more than 500 years the Kloster Andechs, the monastery of Andechs, has not only been a destination for pilgrims but also for many tourists.

Kloster Andechs 1©flickr/Allie Caulfield

Kloster Andechs is located about 30 kilometres southwest of Munich, Bavaria on a hill between Ammersee and Lake Starnberg. Apart from being a pilgrimage and a meeting point for many people it also is a famous brewery and beerhouse.

And even you can bring your own food you should really try the Schweinshaxe (pork hock), Weisswurst or Leberkäs there. You can go on guided tours not only in the abbey but also in the brewery.

From the steeple you have a magnificent view over the surrounding landscape. In the so called Wachsgewölbe you can see a collection of votive candles. The herb garden also is worth a visit as herbs always played a great role in monastic life. A special highlight every year is the Orff-Festival.

You can reach Kloster Andechs from Munich by public transport (S-Bahn S5) to Herrsching and walk from there.

Kloster Andechs 2©flickr/Allie Caulfield

No matter wheter you want to go hiking, skiing or sunbathing, all this you can do on the German Zugspitze.

The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany with a height of almost 3,000 metres (10,000 ft). When the visibility is good you can see 400 peaks in four countries, Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. You can get right into the Schneeferner glacier by cogwheel train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Grainau or Eibsee. And from there the Glacier Cable Car takes you to the summit at 2,962 meters (9,718 feet) above sea level.

In 1922 the first plane landed on the Schneeferner glacier and in 1931 the first air balloon started from the Zugspitze. The Zugspitze didn’t get a summit cross before 1851 and only because the priest Christoph Ott didn’t like the “naked” summit.

On the Zugspitze you also find Germany’s highest post office from where you can send hand stamped post cards. And if you nowadays prefer e-cards, why not send one from Germany’s highest internet terminal. If you like, you can ride back down in the Eibsee cable car and from there travel back to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria or Grainau in the historical cogwheel train. Or why not take the chance a go for a walk around the Eibsee. It will only take you about 2.5 hours.

Zugspitze©flickr/DHausBT

The Königsee is the highest German lake (603 metres above sea level) and also the cleanest and is located south of the town of Berchtesgaden, Bavaria.

The lake is about 8 kilometres long and has a depth of about 190 metres and is surrounded by high mountain walls, one of them is the Watzmann. You can go on trips on the lake and a special highlight is a stop in the middle of the lake where the horn is played and you can hear the echo from the surrounding mountains.

By boat you get to St. Bartholomew’s Church, the world famous pilgrimage church, which is an inspiration for photographers and painters.

Once there you should also try the smoked fish from the Königsee. The fishermen and their families have been living there for generations and the fish is always of very good quality. You can also go on walking tours or visit the Obersee at the end of the valley. From there you have a fantastic view on one of the highest German waterfalls, the Röthbachfall with a height of 470 metres.

St. Bartholomew's Church©flickr/Allie Caulfield

In the Zoologisches Museum in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein you can visit a whale exhibition.

You can learn about the evolution and the physique of whales. Or did you know that a cow is closer related to a whale than to a horse? And that whales were animals, that once lived on land but went back into the sea.

In the exhibition you also get to know about the sounds whales make and about their hearing system.
Of course there are also fascinating skeletons of different whales to be seen.

Whale © kohane/flickr.com

In 1987 the historical centre of the hanseatic city of Lübeck was declared a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Lübeck©flickr/albertsen.training

The city centre not only is magnificent but also very lively. The formerly Free Hanseatic City and state of its own, now politically belongs to Schleswig-Holstein. Lübeck with the famous “Holstentor” is the cultural capital of the north is said by its more than 200,000 inhabitants.

The city was founded in 1143 by Adolf von Schauenburg and reinvigorated by Henry Lionheart in 1157. And during the Middle Ages Lübeck was Germany’s second largest city and a gateway to the Baltic Sea. Today you can learn about the history in one of the many museums in the city and you should of course try some of the marzipan made in Lübeck. And even though it is not quite clear how it all started but after 1800 Lübeck became famous for its marzipan and still is.

One thing is for sure the north German red-brick gothic buildings are a touristic attraction. The beauty of the old city centre does not only attract visitors from Scandinavia but from all over the world. And from Lübeck you can easily get to the beautiful coastal resort of Travemünde, located on the German coast of the Baltic Sea.

Hesse

Fulda:

Kinder-Akademie
In this museum children can learn a lot about natural science and even walk through the model of a huge human heart. www.kaf.de

Gießen:

Liebig-Museum

In the Liebig-Museum you can see how chemical research work was done 150 years ago and experience the world of Justus Liebig. www.liebig-museum.de

Mathematikum

Here you can experience mathematics with stunning puzzles and mysterious bubbles. www.mathematikum.de

Hünfeld:

Konrad-Zuse-Museum

Konrad Zuse built the Z1 computer and lived in Hünfeld from 1957 to his death in 1995. www.zuse-museum-huenfeld.de

Wetzlar:

Viseum

A laser beam is guiding you through the world of light and you can experience the world of optics. www.viseum-wetzlar.de