The majority of tourists who flock to Germany tend to stick to two of its major cities, Berlin and Munich.

However, some fail to realize that there is a wealth of history located in many other cities and regions surrounding Berlin and Munich that are begging to be discovered.

1.      Cologne

Cologne’s city gates were built during the medieval period, and three of the original twelve sites still remain today. The Roman city walls still surround the city, but Cologne is also internationally  known for its “Veedel” or traditional neighborhoods where you find various historical monuments like the North City Gate and the late neo-gothic church on Neusserstrasse.

2.      Regensburg

Some of the many architectural highlights Regensburg has to offer includes the Old Town Hall, the Old Chapel, the Porta Pretoria gates (which leads to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 AD) and much more.

3.      Dusseldorf

Dusseldorf is situated along the Rhine River is home to numerous old castles and historic churches. Even though the majority of the Old Town was destroyed during World War 2, much of the city was rebuilt on its original foundation walls.

4.      Hamburg

Die-hard Beatles fans flock to Hamburg as it was the city that essentially “discovered” the Beatles before they became popular in the United States and even England.

5.      Stuttgart

Stuttgart is located near the Black Forest, and there are numerous historic buildings you could check out such as the Old Palace, the Old Chancellery which was built in the 16h century, the Princes’ Building, the Solitude Palace, King William’s Palace and much more.

6.      Dresden

Dresden has been termed as the “Florence of the Elbe” thanks to its historic city center; however, the majority of it was destroyed during World War 2.

7.      Bremen

Considered to be one of the most important cities in northern Germany, Bremen has a lot to offer for tourists who are looking for a slice of German history. Once upon a time Bremen was a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, thus it became (and still is) one of the most important cities in northern Germany.

8.      Nuremberg

Nuremberg is home to the old “Nazi party rally grounds” during World War 2, and also hosts a historical Castle Quarter which contains numerous old buildings that managed to survive the war.

9.      Bonn

Also known as Beethoven’s hometown, classical music lovers head to Bonn to check out Beethoven-Haus, also known as the birthplace of one of the most famous composers who ever lived.

10.   Frankfurt

If you fly to Germany chances are you will fly into the Frankfurt airport given that it is one of the biggest airports in Europe. However, if you’re going to land in Frankfurt be sure to check out some of the many historical museums like the German Architecture Museum, the German Film Museum, the Jewish Museum and much more.

                          

Copenhagen is the premier capital of Northern Europe and the centre of the most dynamic region in Europe. And in fact the monarchy in Denmark is the oldest in the world! Being the biggest and most vibrant of all Scandinavia’s cities, Copenhagen has been the Danish capital for almost 400 years.

Copenhagen has grown steadily over the years where it expands from its historic centre, where most city’s noteworthy historic buildings are clustered together with parks, public squares and green spaces. Its coastal scenery is one of the world’s most important cruise destinations, regularly rated as Europe’s premier port.

You can do a lot of things in Copenhagen. You can enjoy your day at the extremely popular Tivoli Amusement Park which is situated in the very centre of Copenhagen or enjoy the scenery by boarding on a canal boat and enjoy a tour of the scenic waterfront. Take your time shopping along the Stroget which is known for being the longest pedestrian mall in the entire world.

Royal Danish Arsenal Museum is the entrance to one of the city’s smallest oasis’s named the garden of the Royal Library. Enjoy its beauty and use this as your route to the area of Christians Brygge to the Royal Library called The Black Diamond. You can see amazing architecture situated right on the water front opposite the recreational harbour pool area at Islands Brygge.

The Nationalmuseet (National Museum) is another attraction that you shouldn’t miss and was established as far back as 1807. It contains many priceless Danish treasures and an interesting exhibition related to the Viking Age. If you are looking for art museums, consider visiting the Malerisamlingen Ordrupgard (Museum of Modern Art), the Statens Museum for Kunst (State Museum of Art), and also the Royal Danish Academy of Art, located within the magnificent Charlottenborg Palace and filled with Danish masterpieces.

In Copenhagen warehouses have been turned into restaurants old shops have been converted into elegant bars. You can see new cafes and clubs are opening up. Don’t be shocked if you found sushi, nasi-goreng, tom yum goong and couscous on your way to take your meal because Copenhagen has become an international city and so its foods.

Remember that you shouldn’t leave Copenhagen without having tried a Danish hot dog and the Danish smørrebrød. The best hot dogs are served at the very far end of the Copenhagen waterfront!

You can access within Copenhagen via Metro trains. The stations are marked with a red M. There are two lines, M1 runs from Vanløse Station to Copenhagen Airport in East Amager, and M2 runs from Vanløse Station to Ørestad in West Amager and both lines take you through the heart of the city.

The trains are driverless and fully automatic, but with Metro stewards on the train. In addition all trains and stations are equipped with CCTV. The trains operates at four, six minutes’ intervals during the day and evening hours and every 15 – 20 minutes during the night.

                          

If you got the opportunity to visit Belgium, make sure you spare your time in Brussels – which is at the level standard one of Europe’s premier cities. From year to year the city has become an interesting metropolis with amazing architecture and heritage.

As the capital city of Belgium and the administrative centre of the European Union, Brussels is a vibrant and modern city which receives a lot of tourists and visitors daily. You will be surprised by the awesome vitality of the city centre. The city centre is itself divided into two main areas. The larger westerly portion comprises the Lower Town starting from the amazing Grand Place while up above to the east lies the smaller Upper Town which is home to the finest art collection in Belgium.

I guess most of us know about Belgian chocolates, but you can get more than that here – from comic books to costume jewelery.

One more interesting thing to know is Brussels is a wonderful place to eat – the traditional meals in home-grown restaurants are rarely cheap and there is great-value foods and options in many bars. And it’s time to taste the city’s delights by having peaceful dinner while enjoying the nightlife environment of Brussels.

In Brussels exploring the narrow streets on foot is more fun than getting snarled up in traffic. The city centre is enclosed by an inner ring road, which follows the course that the medieval city fortifications took. As the rail network is efficient, I suggest your go for this one as your transportation mode where Brussels also makes the perfect base for a wide range of day-trips.

Most of the key attractions in Brussels are crowded into a centre that is small enough to be absorbed over a few long days where its boundaries is largely defined by a ring of boulevards. One of the region’s most visited attractions is the battlefield of Waterloo which is now displays a peaceful scene of pastures and fields of cereals.

Some interesting places that you should not miss when visiting Brussels are:

• The Atomium – The symbol of the 1958 Brussels world fair from the inside.
• Toone Theater – Pub dating from 1696, with excellent choice of Belgian beers. Open: every day from 12 am to 12 pm.
• Mini Europe – See the major monuments of the memberstates of the European Union in miniature.
• The Belgian Comic Strip Centre – famous Belgian art form in a beautiful Art Nouveau Setting.
• The Ommegang – Historical procession takes place at the Market Place annually at the end of June and the beginning of July.

Again, if you have the opportunity to visit Belgium, don’t forget to spare your time in Brussels and enjoy the moment!

                          

Do you recognize a location with beautiful buildings involved in “Knight and Day” film starred by Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz? Yes, it is Salzburg in Austria!

Salzburg is a city in central Austria located near to the German/Bavarian border. It is among the busiest places of Europe throughout the year. The city of Salzburg is sheltered between two mountains Kapuzinerberg and Mönchsberg together with the River Salzach.

Most visitors define Salzburg as a picturesque city with small alleys, colorful town houses, and rich castles and palaces. It is a city which full of quaint townhouses and window boxes spilling over with colorful flowers. You should not miss visiting The Fortress of Hohensalzburg, a 900 year old building which is considered to be the most well-maintained Medieval Fortress in Europe. Besides that, Salzburg also includes a large number of churches and monasteries – you will have to spare your time to visit them all!

Salzburg’s “Old Town” which is famous for its baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centers and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. It is known for Mozart, music and fine churches where the amazing palaces and homes within the city are awesome examples of Baroque architecture that you can see and enjoy in the city.

Some recommended tourism attractions to be visited in Salzburg are:

• Museum Carolino Augusteum
• Hohensalzburg Fortress (Festung)
• Old Town District
• Large Festival Theater (Neues or Grosses Festspielhaus)
• Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche)
• Residenzplatz
• St Peter’s Church (Stiftskirche St Peter)
• Mozart’s Birthplace
• House of Nature (Haus der Natur)
• Mirabell Gardens (Mirabellgarten)
• St Sebastian’s Church (Sebastianskirche)
• Salzburg Cathedral
• Salzburg Festival

Most places are within walking distance of the city center. You can access through the city using Salzburg Cards which allows free bus travel and some discounted admissions for you. It is time to enjoy the Sound of Music Tours, amazing places such as Grosses Festspielhaus and Mozart’s residence. In addition, you have the chane to boast fortresses, abbeys and castles which got amazing architecture to be visited.

You can visit Salzburg from late July to late August to enjoy the city’s famous Salzburg Festival. The Festival includes some best dramas, operas and concerts by performers and composers from around the world.

Credits to Wayfaring Travel Guide, TravelPod & University of Warsaw for the images.

                          

My cousin told me about her visit to Prague. I asked “How is it?” and she answered “Magnificent!” so I thinking of sharing about Prague too. Prague is located in Czech Republic and had been defined as the most exciting city in Central Europe where you can find wonderful restaurants and amazing nightlife in a trip. Besides having wonderful architectural and cultural sites, Prague also offers you the beauty of Vltava river with wooded hills and parks located opposite to the pedestrian friendly center.

If you’re planning a trip to Prague, plan to stay for at least a number of days because there is a lot of things to see from Prague Castle and Old Town Square to various museums and zoo.

Visit the Prague Castle. The Prague Castle is the most popular tourist site in the entire city. It is the world’s biggest ancient castle. In existence since the ninth century, the Prague Castle has three courtyards and an impressive wooden fortress. The castle is so vast that as a tourist you should allot yourself at least a few hours to see everything properly. You will understand simply by strolling along the cobblestone streets of the old town, observing the fantastic architecture of the buildings, the churches and the magnificent Castle.

Take a view of maybe some photos of stunning and wonderful architecture in Prague – from Gothic to Renaissance and baroque to neoclassical, and from art nouveau to cubist. Explore through the Medieval lanes of the Old Town and Castle District. After visiting various places, take an escape an enjoy the peaceful view of Vysehrad, Stromovka Park or go to the top of Petrin Hill where you can enjoy a memorable views from there. Good news for shopping lovers where you can get various local products at reasonable price.

Don’t worry about transportation matters as you got Harness Prague’s excellent public-transport system to help you explore the interesting places. With cheaper prices an welcoming local ambience, you can assure yourself from any doubt while traveling.

It is cool in Prague during day where it is suitable to take a walk around the city. However it could be rainy so plan some alternatives such as visiting galleries or museum. No matter if it is winter or summer, you have the chance to enjoy Prague at its best.

“I even wish I could stay longer!”, as my cousin said.

Credits to CheapOair, Voyage, ITA and Metinda for the photos.