Travel Spotlights and Tourism
Here you will find cities, tourist routes, historic and/or stunning sights worth seeing, celebrations and festivals to visit and take part in, as well as recreational possibilities from spas to skiing
Asparagus ´Roads, Facts and History´, Germany´s Spargelzeit 
A symbol of spring, ‘Spargelzeit’, is the white asparagus season in Germany. There are ´Asparagus Routes´, ´Asparagus Towns´ and even ´Asparagus Museums´.
And for just a few weeks there is ´Asparagus without end´ to eat.
The much loved white stalks known as ‘The Royal Vegetable or ‘Das Koenigliche Gemuese’, are harvested and enjoyed for two months from around the middle of April until June 24th, St. John the Baptist’s feast day. Bavaria, Germany, A Winter Wonderland
With breathtaking mountain scenery, snow covered forests, castles, palaces, abbeys and ski slopes, together with culture, shopping streets and a regional cuisine designed to keep cold out and warmth in, enjoying the winter months is a way of life in Bavaria. Beer Gardens in Germany
Biergaerten are a tradition with origins in 19th century Bavaria, a way to use areas covering underground beer storage cellars. Nowadays spending time in a chestnut tree shaded beer garden continues to be a favourite warm weather option throughout Germany, for the Spring, Summer and Autumn months. Carnival in Cologne, Women's Thursday
Carnival in Germany began in ancient times, masked Teutons made as much noise as possible to chase away the evil spirits of winter. Now in the Cologne area it begins with 'Weiberfastnacht', where women take over the streets and no necktie is safe from the large scissors they carry. Carnival in Germany
Karneval, fun and chaos before Lent, especially in the wine regions of Germany. Those who are not fans try to avoid Carnival areas, where strangers embrace, bars make 40 percent of their annual earnings, and 'The Fifth and Foolish Season' takes over city streets. Chocolate Museum in Cologne, Germany
Cologne´s Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum, the world´s largest and most comprehensive chocolate museum. A futuristic building, designed as a boat moored alongside the River Rhine, it is an inter-active museum where you can visit a mini sub-tropical forest with cocoa plants, learn about chocolate history, and watch as a chocolate bar begins life as cocoa beans and ends up ground, processed, molded and wrapped in foil. With a short video. Cologne Cathedral
The Cologne Cathedral took over 600 years to complete. Construction began when Cologne was part of the Holy Roman Empire, and was finished in 1880 when it was a city in newly United Germany, with Wilhelm I as the first German Emperor. Now it is one of the country's most important monuments. Consular Information Sheet on Germany [offsite link]
This page provides the consular information on the travel to Germany by US Citizens Cuckoo Clocks and the Black Forest
Cuckoo Clocks and Black Forest Gateau, both from the south west corner of Baden Wuerttemberg, one of the most successful of Germany’s sixteen Laender. The Black Forest a fascinating mixture of tradition, stunning scenery, history, health resorts and the German Clock Route, the Deutsche Uhrenstrasse. Fifty Years of the Berlin Wall, Germany Remembers
East Germany began to build a wall across Berlin on August 13th 1961, and freedom of movement and choice was taken away from millions.
In November 1989 the GDR government issued a decree that the exits were to be opened, and families who had been separated for decades were reunited.
During its existence the Berlin Wall had defined the cold war, and the division of Europe, now not much of it exists. But there are walking and cycling paths that follow the route, as well as museums, memo Foreign and Commonwealth Office Advice for UK tourists to Germany [offsite link]
A continously updated guide for anyone wishing to plan a trip to Germany, or in fact anywhere else. Includes links to a Travel summary, Safety and security tips, Local laws and customs, Entry requirements, Health and General advice.
For whatever reason the link sometimes ´switches off´, so just enter on ´travel advice´, that will get you to the correct site.
German New Year
Silvester, Germany's New Years Eve, is a mixture of ancient and relatively modern tradition. Based in part on customs originating in the country's pagan past, the celebrations for a German New Year are designed to ensure that it will have the best chance possible of becoming a vintage one. German Wine and Vineyards
The German Wine route through a patchwork of age old vineyards is a fascinating experience. The scenery is stunning, while wine from the different areas can be tasted everywhere from monasteries and castles to that produced by the vines planted in fields belonging to the village pub.
Traditions and customs surrounding the harvest remain, but more emphasis is being placed on the grapes and wines created, so sweet and tasteless Liebfraumilch is on the way out, replaced by wines more compatable Germany in Springtime
Spring wild flowers add to picturesque landscapes and Spring Festivals begin to take place across Germany. Evenings are lighter, days milder, but, to take advantage of the tables and chairs appearing outside cafe's and beer gardens, don't forget those layers. Germany's Fairy Tale Road
There is a Fairy Tale Road in Germany, which, as it follows in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm, leads to a castle filled world of fantasy, sagas, myths and legends, through forests, beautiful countryside and medieval villages. Germany´s Prehistoric Solar Observatory, Goseck
A pre-historic site worth visiting. Built by an agricultural civilisation 7,000 years ago, near to present day Leipzig on Germany’s eastern side, the Goseck Circle celebrated solstice as an important seasonal midpoint, and festivities of many faiths and cultures are still held on or near winter and summer solstices, including Goseck Circle itself. Germany´s Romantic Road
Germany´s Romantische Strasse, a spectacular journey into a world from the past, through stunningly beautiful scenery and historic medieval towns. A showcase of culture in all its forms, from art and architecture to cuisine. Germany´s Traditional Christmas Markets
Famous the world over ´Weihnachtsmarkte´ are an essential, enchanting and unforgettable part of Germany´s holiday season for tourists and Germans alike.
Throughout the entire country Advent in Germany signals the opening of the traditional, and atmospheric, Christmas markets that take place everywhere from cities large to villages small.
International Green Week in Berlin
It has been held for over 80 years, but the annual food, agriculture and horticulture fair held each January in Berlin has kept in step with the times. Now Germany´s enthusiasm for the environment, ecology and ´green´ food, organic products, is mirrored in Berlin´s ´International Green Week´. The food halls alone, with hundreds of different varieties of worldwide specialties on offer to try, are worth a trip to the exhibition if you happen to find yourself in Berlin during a January winter. Munich´s Oktoberfest, Trendy but Historic
A huge, historic, country fair, the world’s largest Volksfest. The Oktoberfest started as a horse race to honour a royal wedding and over 200 years later, although it has moved with the times, it remains an annual festival of traditional Bavarian exuberance, draught beer and beer garden food. Oktoberfest in Munich, 15 Fast Facts
Albert Einstein once worked there as an electrician, an intoxicated dachshund was delivered to Lost and Found, it uses enough electricity to give 52 years of power to a home for four, and emigrants from Germany have taken it all over the world, but Oktoberfest began over 200 years ago in Munich. Sylvester and The New Year in Germany
Sylvester, Germany's celebration of New Years Eve, is a mixture of ancient and relatively modern tradition, based in part on customs from the country's Pagan past and all designed to ensure that the coming year will have the best chance possible of becoming a vintage one. The Castle Road and Fairytale Castles
The Castle Road is a scenic 745 mile journey through the legacies of the past. From Mannheim in Germany to Prague in neighbouring Chechnya the 'Castle Road' is filled with castles, palaces, historic sites and medieval towns and villages. A unique experience which leaves a lasting impression. The Oberammergau Passion Play
The beautiful alpine village of Oberammergau, is renowned for its houses painted with ‘Lueftlmalerei´, typical Bavarian religious or fairytale pictures, and for the Passion Play which has taken place there for over 300 years. The Rhine In Flames
The unique annual Fire, Water, Light and Culture festival, Rhein in Flammen, takes place for five days during the spring, summer and autumn along a strikingly beautiful, and historic, stretch of Germany's Rhine River. Each spectacular firework display celebrates a different theme. Two of Germany’s Fun and Unusual Museums
The Potato Museum and The Medieval Crime Museum are two of many unusual museums that join Germany’s huge and comprehensive museum collection, which covers everything from classical antiquities and priceless treasures, chocolate, ships and composers Bach and Beethoven to Zeppelins Visa requirements and other information from German Federal Foreign Office [offsite link]
Visa regulation links, with list of countries for which a visa is necessary in order to enter Germany, links relating to work and study in the country, and additional travel information. Walpurgisnacht, May Day and Maibaum in Germany
May 1st, May Day Celebrations, in many parts of Germany are filled with Maypoles, Mayhem and Fun, chasing away the winter and marking the beginning of summer. It is a long way from May Day parades with soldiers, rifles and tanks in former communist countries, including what was 'East Germany'. Links marked with the [offsite link] designation point to websites not associated with BellaOnline.com. BellaOnline.com is not responsible for the material found there.
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