QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Janka’s idyllic itineraries

The question was then put: what might an experienced traveller, or regular visitor, to Germany be recommended to see, if they wanted to experience a ‘different’ side to the country? Janka’s two proposals: (1) flying into and out of Hamburg, spending time exploring the North Sea and Baltic coasts and islands, from Sylt to Rügen, taking in seaports like Kiel, Wismar and Rostock; and (2) flying into Berlin, savouring the Spreewald and Naturparks of the former East, then visiting Dresden and the “Porzellan” factory at Meissen, continuing through historic Weimar and Bayreuth down to Nürnberg, and Augsburg in the Bavarian foothills, before flying out from Munich.

Janka Henke from German Australian Travel was asked for some alternative travel programs for readers of this book, some of whom will be more familiar with different parts of Germany than others – as well as those who are yet to visit Deutschland! On the latter basis, we asked Janka for her recommendations for ‘the essential Germany’ which a first-time visitor from Queensland ought to see in a three-week trip. Janka’s suggested itinerary, travelling in an anti-clockwise direction from arrival/departure point Frankfurt, is shown graphically below (suggested number of nights at each location).

Kiel

Sylt

Essential Germany

Rügen

Rostock, Wismar

Coastal Germany

image: aridocean / shutterstock.com

The historic East

HAM

Hamburg, Bremen (2)

BER

Berlin, Potsdam (3)

Spreewald

Köln (1)

Weimar

Dresden

Meissen

Frankfurt (1)

Dresden (2)

Rhein cruise (1)

FRA

Bayreuth

Heidelberg (1)

Nürnberg

Rothenburg o.d.Tauber (1)

Nürnberg (1)

Disclaimer: before any arguments begin over a beer, we remind you this is just one set of professional opinions; there will of course be as many other views on what to see and do in Germany as

Freiburg Schwarzwald (1)

München

MUC

München (3)

there are local dialects and beers – the most important suggestion is that you visit and experience the country and its people for yourself!

Bodensee (1)

Hohenschwangau, Oberammergau, Zugspitze (2)

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