There’s no question that Berlin is the ideal place to getaway for a few days. It’s even a great place to live. Just ask all the Londoners who’ve upped sticks and permanently move there.
It was high up on our travel to-do list and now, well, we’ve kind of been there, done that. There was even a t-shirt involved. You get the idea.
There’s so much more to Germany than its much-loved capital. Here are just a three of the best cities to explore once you’ve ticked Berlin off the bucket list…
1. Dresden
Getting there: Flights from London City Airport to Dresden Airport start from £85 return. You can also fly to Prague with Ryanair, and take a 2 hour train to Dresden.
Where to stay: Hostels(like the new town’s Hostel Mondpalast) start at around £14 for a dorm.
Dresden isn’t like a lot of the baroque cities in Europe. Much of its historic architecture has been restored or recaptured, following the bombings that took place during WW2.
We’d recommend the Kurt Vonnegut walking tour, which costs around £9.10 and takes you to the actual slaughterhouse which inspired the novel ‘Slaughterhouse Five’. Even if you have no idea what you’ve just read, the tour is a fascinating insight Dresden’s complex history.
Too much history? Leave the Aldstadt (old town) and head to the neuestadt (think Shoreditch before it became… well, Shoreditch) for record shops, vintage shopping and streetside photobooths. Stick around, try the currywurst at Curry & Co, and chase it with a cheap drink at beer garden-turned-club Katy’s Garage.
2. Stuttgart
Getting there: An EasyJetreturn from Gatwick to Stuttgart starts from £62.
Where to stay: There aren’t many cheap places to stay, but you can set up camp in a modern-looking hostel from around £10 per night.
Perhaps Stuttgart’s most famous tourist attraction is the Mercedes Benz Museum. So, if cars aren’t your thing, take a walk around the Wilhelma Botanical Gardens (and zoo) and visit the palace square, Schlossplatz.
When it comes to eating out, the schnitzel from Onkel Ottocomes highly recommended, and heading to Bohnenviertel (the historic Bohemian district) is the best place to head for antique shopping, followed by drinks.
3. Munich
Getting there: Return from London Gatwick to Munich via Easyjetstarts at around £70 (but can reach crazy-level prices, so it might be worth doubling up your trip with cheaper-to-get-to Salzburg, Prague and Vienna).
Where to stay: City centre hostels start at £10 per person, per night.
When you think ‘Munich’, what you really think is ‘Oktoberfest’. And while we wouldn’t recommend wiling away a full long weekend here without the infamous beer-guzzling festival, it’s definitely worth a day trip or short overnight stay.
One thing Munich is good at (that isn’t beer) is museums. Some of the uber-cheap options include the Munich Residenz, Deutches Museum, and the Bavarian National Museum. Bored? If it’s summer, quickly make your way to the gorgeous Englischer Garden and take up a seat in one of the (many) beer gardens. Fine, there’s lots of beer in Munich, no matter the time of year.
If you can stop yourself from getting pissed for like, five seconds, head to Man vs Machine for excellent coffee and something else Germany is known for – pastries.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.