Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia is not only easily to reach but also a city to enjoy and a walk in the city centre is quite formidable.

Aachen Cathedral/Dom © flickr/Jim Linwood

The cathedral was the first German architectural monument on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. It was not only the coronation church of more than 30 German kings and 12 queens but also the burial site of Charlemagne.
The Shrine of St Mary resting in the choir of the church dates from 1220-1239 and contains the four great Aachen relicts: St Mary’s cloak, Chirst’s swaddling clothes, St John the Baptist’s beheading cloth and Christ’s loincloth. Every seven years the relicts are put on display during the Great Aachen Pilgimage.
Seven of the eight bells of the cathedral date back to the year 1659. The biggest was melted down in WW2 but replaced in 1958.
Very impressive is also the cathedral’s treasure chamber with its unique collection of sacral art treasures from the late Antique, Carolingian, Ottonian and Staufian epoch.

Worth a visit is the Couven Museum offering its visitors an insight into the life in the city during the 18th and 19th century. Visitors can see high-quality furniture, fine chimney pieces and Italian stucco work. The museum also houses the Adler-Apotheke (pharmacy). In the pharmacy chocolate has been produced for the first time in 1857.

The gothic town hall of Aachen was built in the early 14th century on the foundation of the ruined palace of Charlemagne. In the 17th and 18th century it was converted into a baroque building. In the two fires of 1656 and 1883 the town hall was severely damaged. The north façade is decorated with the statues of 50 German rulers, 31 of them crowned in Aachen. Inside the building visitors can see the Coronation hall with its famous Rethel frescoes dating back to the 19th century, and the copies of the Imperial Crown Jewels and the gothic and baroque furniture.

Elisenbrunnen/Elisa Fountain © flickr/heipei

Especially at night the Elisenbrunnen (Elisa Fountain) is great to look at as it is beautifully illuminated. According to plans of Cremer and Schinkel it was built in 1827 and still today visitors can try the healing thermal waters from this fountain. Many famous visitors have visited Aachen spa over the centuries as can be seen on marble name plates.

Aachen has many restaurants offering international as well as regional cuisine. Visitors should try the typical Aachener Printen, mustard from Monschau and ham from the Eifel region.

Aachen also is a good starting point for trips to Belgium or the Netherlands and even the North Sea is not too far away.
At the Aachener Radstation near the main station bikes can be rented and even a special electric bike for the disabled is available but should be booked in advance under tel.: +49(0)241/450 195 02.

Being the largest coherent lakes and canals area in Germany, the Mecklenburg Lakes (Mecklenburgische Seenplatte) are located in southern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The region, which is sometimes called ‘land of the thousand lakes’ and was formed during the ice age, is home to the Müritz National Park with Germany’s second largest lake after Lake Constance, Lake Müritz.
The region is great for visitors who seek quietness and relaxation but also want to be active as it offers a variety of possibilities like hiking, cycling, horse riding and water sports.

Mecklenburger Seenplatte © flickr/mueritz

The landscape is magnificent and besides Müritz National Park travellers can also visit four more national parks called: Feldberger Seenlanschaft, Mecklenburgische Schweiz, Nossentiner/Schwinzer Heide and Sternberger Seenlandschaft. There are forests, crystal clear lakes, moor landscapes to attract the visitors and they can watch birds like sea eagles, fishing eagles, white storkes or migrating cranes in autumn, when even guided tours to the resting and nesting places are offered.

But there are also beautiful towns and villages in the wide open of the Mecklenburg landscape. In ancient times places like Röbel/Müritz, Wesenberg or Penzlin were called ‘Ackerbürgerstadt’ which means that they were towns being set up for citizens who worked in the fields. The towns and villages offer half timbered houses, cobbled streets and beautiful churches and town halls. In Ludorf visitors can see a very rare octagon shaped church and if you want to experience some of the ancient power and strength, you should visit historic monasteries like Malchow, Himmelpfort or Dobbertin.
Also situated in the region of the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte are quite a number of castles and mansions. Most of the buildings even have mysterious legends of their own and avenues lined up with trees lead to the buildings surrounded by magnificent gardens and parks. The castles and mansions are built in different styles like Gothic, Renaissance or English farmhouse style but also Classicism or neo-Gothic-Romantic. Some of the buildings are home of museums, host music festivals or are now hotels.

In the restaurants in the region travellers get typical Mecklenburg specialties like freshly smoked fish, bread from old fashioned ovens, and many others.

The North Frisian Islands lie off the western coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Did you know that Sylt the most northern and probably most popular of the North Frisian Island lies on the same latitude as Southern Alaska? About 8000 years ago Sylt was separated from the mainland and can now be reached via the Hindenburgdamm causeway which is only accessible to trains. But of course you can take your car on the train.

Sylt © flickr/micha 1968

Sylt also is the largest of the North Frisian Islands and the fourth largest German island. Sylt is well known for its 40 kilometres of sandy beaches, coastal mudflats, unspoiled dunes, flowering heath and its thatched Frisian cottages and beautiful gardens. Sylt also offers a variety of walking and cycling trains as well as great water sports facilities. The lively centre of Sylt is Westerland but there are of course many other villages to see: Keitum and Morsum with the historical churches, the Morsum Cliff which shows geological history of five million years on a height of only 21 metres. The family resort Wenningstedt and Kampen with the Kampen lighthouse located between Kampen and Wenningstedt.
Tinnum Castle (Tinnumburg)was possibly built as a pagan holy site in the 1st century BC.  The island of Sylt still has its own dialect called Söl’ring with elements of Danish, Dutch and English.

Föhr is the second largest German North Sea island and lies in the heart of the Wattenmeer (Wadden Sea) National Park. With more than half of the island being marshland it has a lot to offer for bird watchers, hikers and cyclists. Wyk on the south eastern shore is the island’s main town.

Föhr © flickr/elbfoto

Amrum has wide sandy beaches and magnificent sand dunes which are up to 30 meters high. But in the heart of Amrum you also find dark forests and heathland. The island’s villages are located on the eastern shore with the health resort of Wittdün being the most important. In the village of Nebel visitors can see richly decorated 18th century tombstones. But there are also Bronze Age tombs and an excavated Viking cemetery that can be seen on the island.

Pellworm is an island full of unspoiled nature with marshland, meadows and fields. In spring and autumn visitors can watch migratory birds. By night visitors can not only sea the beams from the lighthouse but also the stars in the sky which is remarkably clear.

Nordstrand peninsula is connected to the mainland by a causeway and is surrounded by a dyke.  Nordstrand is perfect for cycling tours and you can also go on horse-drawn cart trips along the sea bed.

And last but not least there are the North Frisian Hallig islands. The marshy islands are a result of tides and storm floods. There used to be hundreds of Hallig islands but now only 10 still exist. On the small islands in the ocean visitors can find peace and relaxation but also get an impression of how powerful nature can be.

One thing visitors should experience when visiting the North Frisian Islands is a walk in the mudflats. But make sure you are accompanied by an expert tour guide because descending fogs and rapidly rising tides are always a great danger.

The Eifel is a low mountain range western Germany and eastern Belgium.

In Germany it occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia and of northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and is located between Aachen in the north, Trier in the south, Koblenz in the east.

Maria Laach © flickr/gmancgn 2008

Long ago the heart of the Eifel used to be a site of extensive volcanic activity and some of the hills are volcanic vents. Now there circle shaped lakes called “Maar” in the volcanic craters. One of the most popular is the Laacher See lake, which in fact is not a “Maar”, where the last volcanic eruptions took place about 13,000 years ago.

In the region there are about 240 volcanic vents and 60 “Maar” lakes. In numerous museums in the region visitors can learn all about the volcanic past of the Eifel. And you can also go on a discovery tour of the “German Volcano Route”. It is about 280 kilometres long and connects 39 geological sites of cultural and industrial historic interest and related to the Eifel volcanoes.

Besides the splendid nature and hiking and cycling trails visitors will also find castles and palaces in the Eifel. From the 11th to 13th century there used to be 140 castles in the region. Today most of them are ruins but nevertheless interesting. Many of them are now used for classical events. And visitors who want to see a rare example of a medieval castle in its original state should visit Bürresheim Castle near Mayen. It was even inhabited till 1921.

Burg Eltz © flickr/Jaeger-Meister

Burg Eltz (Eltz Castle) is another very beautiful example of an undestroyed medieval castle. It epitomizes German castle romanticism and really is worth a visit.

There are many abbeys and churches in the Eifel too. One of the most famous is the abbey “Kloster Maria Laach”. The church was built from 1093 to 1230 and is said to be one of the most perfect examples of Romanesque architecture.
But you should also visit the picturesque towns and villages such as Monschau, Bad Münstereifel, Nideggen or Blankenheim.

Families can spend their holidays on a farm as that always means great fun for the kids. Of course you don’t necessarily have to work during your stay but no one would mind a helping hand if you are interested in that kind of work. But of course there are hotels and private accommodation in the area too.