| sightseeing |
Sightseeing in Germany From the Sony Center in Berlin to the Castles of Heidelberg, the beer gardens in Munich to the docks of Hamburg, Germany’s attractions are an entrancing testament to the richness of the culture, and bode well for the traveler looking for fun things to do and see while backpacking through, or vacationing in, Germany.
Start out in Berlin, where intense nightlife, historical attractions, impressive architecture, museums, luscious, scenic parks and beautiful waterways make for a perfect sightseeing experience. The Brandenburg Gate is a wonderful entry point to your discovering of this awe-inspiring city. The looming, chaliced archway has an ominous appearance that oversaw some of the more dubious periods of the past. Now, it is a symbol of the strength of a reunited, peaceful Germany. Even more symbolic of that is the Checkpoint Charlie attraction at the old Berlin Wall. The Parliament building is a must-see, as is the holocaust museum, a moving feat of German architecture that holds no punches in condemning the dark past.
Moving on, the mind-blowing pavilion and glassy towers of the Sony Center is one of Europe’s most striking modern constructions, and is delightfully futuristic and enjoyable, as numerous shops and food courts make for a great consumer experience, although you won’t need to buy anything to enjoy the ambience.
Munich is a fascinating city amidst enchanting Bavaria, with a series of beer gardens often providing ample attractions for younger tourists with limited intentions here – especially during the wild Oktoberfest. Nevertheless, art lovers will shriek with sober delight upon hearing that there are not one, not two but THREE Pinothek art museums covering a grand corpus of German, European and plastic arts throughout the world. Icing on the cake is the Kandinsky museum, although for many that is a color-drenched religious experience in and of itself.
West of Munich, the wending rivers and roads of Heidelberg reveal no less than seven breathtakingly picturesque German castles perched nonchalantly upon hillsides, basking in the ooh-ing and aah-ing of spellbound package tourists. An abrupt shift way up north brings us to Hamburg, whose harbor is a culture milieu of old and new – a vibrant, gritty working class feel with a tasteful dose of gentrification to make the harbor less of an anthropological investigation, and more of a truly comfortable attraction. |
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