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This stylish, airport-themed cafe/bar near the Hauptbahnhof is located in a former Lufthansa city terminal, and is one of Stuttgart's best lounge bars. Coffee, lunches, cocktails, wine, spirits and boutique beers are served. DJs play several nights a week, mainly jazz, lounge, and soul. Take a seat at the long bar and observe passers-by, or make yourself comfortable in one of the lounge areas.
Lautenschlagerstr. 14;
www.bravo-charlie.de
Come here for the best döner kebab (€3,50) in the city. Freshly baked pita bread, grilled lamb, yoghurt, grilled vegetables and salad. Takeaway or eat, standing up, on site. The "Alaturka teller", a mixed plate of salads, meat, vegetables and börek for €7,90, is easily enough for two people.
Olgastr. 100, Stuttgart Süd.
Wilhelma is a botanical gardens and zoo, apparently the result of King Wilhelm I’s attempts to emulate the Alhambra in southern Germany in the mid-ninteenth century. Alongside the striking Moorish architecture, an impressive range of wild animals reside in some disturbingly poky glass boxes.
Neckartalstrasse, 70342 Stuttgart - Bad Cannstatt
tel: 711 5402 0;
www.wilhelma.de
Huge, rightly famous, beer hall. People packed together on benches at tressle tables to drink excellent beer in vast quantities, served and kept in order by formidable, efficient hospital matron style waitresses.
Hofbräuhaus am Platzl
Platzl 9 (behind Marienplatz);
tel: 089 290136 10;
www.hofbraeuhaus.de
In general, I can recommend Kaiserslautern to all English-speaking visitors, due to the tradition of having the American forces around for 50 years, everybody is used to speaking English; and English-speaking guests are often particularly welcome since the town hasn't got much other industry and relies heavily on the income from the "base" in Ramstein and the neighbouring supporting military units.
For a post-lunch digestive drink or late-night cocktails, the Gusto bar is the place to be, preferably BEFORE closing time of the regular pubs (1am weekdays, 2am weekends), when it can become very crowded.
At weekends, personal knowledge of the doorman may be required after hours so make sure you arrive early if you want a really late night and some of the most attentive waiting staff I've experienced in Kaiserslautern.
Nights out are pretty cheap, cheerful and can be very late if so required. My personal favourite for studenty atmosphere is the Benderhof in Richard-Wagner-Strasse, they also serve a mean and affordable breakfast buffet on Saturdays and Sundays.
My family emigrated to Frankfurt 8 years ago and I have been a regular visitor ever since. I can tell you for a fact that, for the best night out in the city, you need to head to Sachsenhausen, and specifically the Irish bar O'Dwyers and the Cuban bar round the corner.
Prepare yourself for extremely reasonably priced drinks, friendly people and a good time!
U-bahn stop Lokalbahnhof
Morena Bar in Kreuzberg serves the best breakfasts in Berlin, massive plates of meat, cheese and fruit with freshly squeezed juice and a bowl of coffee for about €6. It's also a great bar for drinks in the evening, always nicely busy with an interesting crowd. Great for sitting outside too.
Wiener Strasse 60, U1- Gorlitzer Bahnof
YoHo Hamburg is a very stylish hotel aimed at the post-backpacker market. It’s basically an upmarket youth hostel which is reasonably priced and in a great location. Highly recommended.
There are three great orchestras in Munich:
Symphoniorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under Mariss Jansons; Bayerisches Staatsorchester under Zubin Mehta ( Kent Nagano as his successor); and Muenchner Philharmoniker under Christian Thielemann.
If you are avid music fans who like going to rehearsals as well as concerts, you could attend open rehearsals organised by Bayerischer Rundfunk for 8 EUR (for students and those unemployed, disabled or on social benefit the admittance is free).
If not, you could always go to a good concert in Munich. Personally it is worth going to any concert performed by the first orchestra mentioned above ('Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra' in English), as the orchestra direction has revived under the new chief conductor (Mariss Jansons who holds another chief conductorship for Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam).
Munich is also cultural crossroads where world-renown artists/musicians come to perform on a frequent basis. So if you are around Munich for a couple of days, it is always a good idea just to see what's on in Munich by looking at the monthly event leaflet which you can get from the Tourist board centre at Hauptsbahnhof.
www.br-online.de/kultur-szene/klassik/
www.staatsorchester.de
www.mphil.de/mphil/de/
The first Nazi concentration camp built in 1933 mainly for 'political prisoners'. As those who have never experienced wars and only learnt History through textbooks, it was an eye opening and unforgettable experience to explore.
The site is an empty space in which the concentration camp existed and features the crematoria and entrance gate with the inscription 'Arbeit macht frei '.
It was snowy and cold when we went and it was as if time had stopped there. One must not forget what happened. We walked to the site from Dachau station (S2) on the way, which took about 25 minutes or so, but on the way back, I personally could not help getting back to the city centre quickly by bus, as seeing the site was quite a traumatic experience for me.
One would never imagine that Dachau concentration camp is one of the sites that exist within Maerchen-chic Munich. Certainly it makes such a huge difference to your impression of the city if you see this kind of dark historic site as well as pretty tourist attractions. I thought visiting the site even once was certainly worthwhile.
This is a great place for traditional German food and atmosphere. You sit alongside strangers on wooden tables and the waiter continuously brings you glasses of beer, until you ask him to stop....most men's idea of heaven!
As far as the food is concerned, I'd recommend the sausage and bratkartoffeln (basically sauteed potatoes) that I had and the schnitzel and sauerkraut both looked pretty good too.
The Germans might not be renowned for their cuisine, but Peter's will definitely make you change your mind.
Cologne old town, on one of the little streets that heads up from the Rhine
I simply love Munich and think Munich airport is one of the best airports I have been to. It is so clean and spacious.
Everytime I arrive in the airport, I get the impression that it is one of the least busy airports, but apparently it is one of the busiest airports in Germany.
From airport to Munich city centre, there are two S-Bahn's running (S1 and S8) regularly and usually take about 40 minutes to get to the centre.
In the older Sachsenhausen district, this traditional hostelry serves the local cider, apfelwein, by the jug, and also cooks up delicious local dishes.
Perfect for wiling away a summer's afternoon (and evening!) as it is open daily from 11am to midnight.
Sachsenhausen, Schweizer Strasse
Tel: +49 69 61 25 65)
The first place to head for a pre-match drink is the square around Hakescher Markt S-Bahn stop. When the weather's fine everyone sits outside and enjoys a quiet drink amid the hustle and bustle of the city's old Jewish quarter... more like being in Paris or Milan than Germany!
Just outside Hackescher Markt S-Bahnhof
Two things recommend Freising, both beer related:
One, a beer garden called Plantage which is in the forest behind Freising. It is just really lovely with great food and plenty of opportunity to get lost on the way back to the train, when one has sampled too much of the beer.
Two, the oldest continually operating brewery in the world, Weihenstephan. Apparently there was once a quarrel between the Brewer (a monk) and the Bishop (there is a cathedral here too) about the bishop taxing the beer. The beer is still there and these days is part of the University of Munich in Weihenstephan(Freising) where one can study to be a master brewer. About as traditional an atmosphere as it gets but much more laid back than the Hofbrauhaus in Munich.
Feising is the last station on the S1 north of Munich.
Great student area. Good food, good drink, good prices. Need I say more? Oma's Apotheke is a good cafe with lots of hearty fare!
Sternschanze (S1, U3, S21, S31)
Vibrant part of Hamburg with interesting shops and laid-back multicultural population. In walking distance to the river Elbe with its lovely beach where you are always sure to find people BBQ-ing (weather permitting).
Get yourself a day ticket or group day ticket for public transportation, which is phenomenal. S-Bahn (underground) stop Altona is what you want.
If you're having problems, don't be afraid to ask someone! Contrary to what many believe, the Hamburgers are quite fond of the English, and almost everyone speaks English, so no worries. Have fun.
The place to be is along the river. You can't miss it. Try the beach bar on the "Rechtsrheinisch" (right side of the river).
The stadium is some way out on the left side of town.
Cologne is a cool, civilised town, enjoy it.
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