Germany is a wonderfully unique country to visit, offering tourists with more than meets the eye. If you’re interested in embarking on a German adventure, why not familiarise yourself with some of the most interesting things no one told you about Germany?
Travel without Borders are experts on holidays in Germany and have years of experience with helping to plan bespoke holidays to this beautiful country. Therefore, we’ve put together a useful guide on 7 facts no one told you about Germany.
Did You Know There Are 13 Wine Regions in Germany?
Germany’s wine-growing regions are mostly found in the South of Germany due to the warmer climates. These moderate summer temperatures are perfect for producing delicious and high-quality wines that are not only enjoyed by tourists and locals in Germany but also around the world.
For couples or small groups of friends, we recommend our “Fine Wine & Dine” breaks, and for larger groups, we can tailor-make wine trips to the Moselle or one of Germany’s other famous wine-producing regions allowing you to sample some of the finest and most flavoursome wines Germany has to offer.
The famous wine regions in Germany are as follows:
- Ahr – distinctive wines are created here such as velvety or full-bodied fiery red wines.
- Baden – dry, food-compatible ‘Burgunders’ (Pinots), red and white wines, have long been popular throughout the region.
- Franken (Franconia) – this region is known for powerful, earthy Silvaner wines and is popular with art and wine lovers alike. The drier styles of wine prevail here.
- Hessische Bergstraße – Riesling and Pinots are the most important grapes in this region, producing wines that tend to be fragrant and rich.
- Mittelrhein (Middle Rhine)- the clay-slate soil yields lively wines with a pronounced acidity, which are often used for making Sekt, Germany’s sparkling wine.
- Mosel (Moselle) – this is the setting for Germany’s most stunning and romantic wine country, the region produces fragrant white wines, rich in acidity and fruit flavours, often with a mineral undertone.
- Nahe – the region is able to produce quite diverse wines from relatively few grape varieties.
- Pfalz – this region yields wines of substance and finesse, with a less austere acidity.
- Rheingau – one of the most distinguished wine regions of the world. 45 white and 22 red grape varieties are grown here, where the Riesling grape dominates yielding elegant wines with a refined and sometimes spicy fragrance.
- Rheinhessen – Rheinhessen offers a wide range of wines – pleasant, easy-to-drink wines as well as wines of great class and elegance.
- Saale-Unstrut – Most of the wines here are from white varietals and vinified in a dry style.
- Sachsen (Saxony) – Germany’s most eastern wine-growing region. The winegrowers in Saxony are proud of their speciality Gewürztraminer.
- Württemberg – Red wine predominates and ranges from crisp, light Trollinger – the ‘Swabian national drink’ – to wines with more colour, body and substance.
The German Beer Trade
Germany is one of the most important beer markets in Europe, with beer being a huge part of German culture. Germany produces a wide range of styles of beers such as wheat beers, pale beers and dark beers.
Almost half of all German breweries are in Bavaria, where the seven main breweries produce 158 million gallons. In total, there are approximately 1,300 breweries in Germany producing over 5,000 brands of beer.
Why not let us arrange a trip to one of Germany’s many beer festivals. If you don’t fancy the crowds at the Munich Oktoberfest or the Stuttgart Canstatter Volksfest, there are plenty of others to choose from and we can help you decide which would suit you best.
Inventors of the Christmas Market
If you didn’t already know, Germany is the inventor of the famous Christmas Market with a tradition going back 600 years. The oldest include the Dresdner Striezelmarkt, Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt and the Augsburg Christmas Market. In 2017 there were around 2500 Christmas Markets dotted across Germany, most last 3- 4 weeks nowadays, but smaller ones are only open on specific weekends.
If you’re a fan of all things festive, we thoroughly recommend visiting Germany during this magical time. We can help to plan you a truly bespoke, Christmassy experience in Germany and ensure you get to experience the true wonder of an authentic German Christmas Market, maybe you would prefer a smaller Christmas Market which is less touristy and where the locals come out to savour the magical atmosphere with some warming mulled cider/wine, of course.
Germany – The Home of The Car
Tourist Routes for all Kinds of Travellers
There is a wide range of scenic tourist routes across Germany, offering travellers with stunning, educational and inspiring holiday experiences. For example, you can embark on the:
- Romantic Road
- Fairytale Road
- German Football route
- Cuckoo Clock route
- German Wine route
- German Alpine Road
- Castle Road
- German Gemstone Route
- Glass Route
Here at Travel without Borders, we can help you to plan bespoke holidays in Germany. Whether you want to take in the magic of Germany’s fairytale castles or taste the fine wines of Germany, we can help you experience this to the fullest.
Two More German Cultural Sites are Inscribed onto UNESCO’s World Heritage List
If you are a fan of holidays in Germany then you may be aware that Germany has one of the highest densities of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. However, did you know that there were two more added to the list just a couple of weeks ago?
Augsburg, Bavaria, is one of Germany’s oldest cities and its historic Water Management System has been granted UNESCO World Heritage. 22 stations bring this World Heritage site to life!
Erzgebirge or The Ore Mountains Mining Region in Saxony is the second addition. This low mountain range is in the east of Germany and is one of the most beautiful and most traditional regions.
So Much Opportunity to Relax
Did you know that there are approximately 350 spa resorts in Germany? If you’re looking for the ultimate relaxing holiday in Germany, you won’t be disappointed. The gorgeous landscapes and cultural cities of Germany make it the perfect location for a spa break.
We have fantastic insight into some of the best spa resorts to visit in Germany. If you’re looking to plan a spa break, we can help you to ensure you book your spot in the best one!