Germany
Germany sits just west of Poland, and these four cities are the ones most travellers pair with a Baltic trip: Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Cologne. The currency is the euro. German is the language, with English common in the centre of each city.
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Language
- German
- Capital
- Berlin
Cities
Berlin
Berlin is a capital spread across a plain, with the Brandenburg Gate, an island of museums, and a wall that is now a gallery and a scar. The centre is larger than a walk suggests. Pick a district for the day rather than trying to collect the whole city.
Munich
Munich is a court city that learned how to be a beer city, with a wide pedestrian centre, the English Garden, and palaces at the edge. The old town is compact. The pleasure is the mix of a formal street and a table that does not take itself too solemnly.
Hamburg
Hamburg is a port city on the Elbe, with brick warehouses, a concert hall on a quay, and a lake of an Alster in the middle of town. The harbour is the point. The centre is walkable if you accept that the water keeps interrupting the grid.
Cologne
Cologne is a cathedral city on the Rhine, the spires visible from the train as you arrive, with a beer culture of its own and a rebuilt old town at the water. The cathedral is not optional. Everything else is a walk from its steps.