I had an opportunity to stay in Germany for 3.5 months as a part of exchange program. The primary reason for selecting Cologne as the city to be based in was its prime location as a hub for travel. Germany is centrally located with one of the best train connections to any other city in Europe through Deutsche Bahn. While Germany itself did not have varied landscapes to offer, the location made it very convenient to do weekend trips to one neighboring country at a time. Black forests of Bavaria, Dachau, castle of Neuschwanstein, Heidelberg and cities like Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne are the best places to visit in Germany
Germany is a quite standardized, predictable country. Germans consider most issues objectively and are known for following processes, being productive and not liking chaos/ ad hoc way of working- quite an opposite compared to India
Best time to visit
Spring and Autumn between Mar- May, Sep- Nov are best months to visit. The temperature will be pleasant with minimal rains and snow
Visa
Schengen visa is valid here
Getting In and around
Frankfurt and Munich are hubs for Lufthansa airlines, well connected to most cities in Europe. Deutsche Bahn in partnership with Lufthansa and many other airlines, offers connecting trains as a part of flight tickets which turns out to be bit cheaper
If you are staying for more than a week in Eurozone and not opting for car rentals, Eurail pass can be worth the cost. It comes in variants as low as 4 days to 3 months, offering unlimited train travel among participating countries. Only long-distance trains are covered, the local trams or metros are not covered
You can explore all Eurail pass options here
Currency- Euro
Germany is a part of Eurozone. You can get Euros from India or use a zero charges card for withdrawal from ATMs
Places to visit
Bavaria and Munich
Black forests and wonderful castles dominate the landscape of Bavaria. Munich is the major city and hub to reach most destinations. Oktoberfest is a popular time when most people flock streets of Munich to have a beer and celebrate the Bavarian culture decked in dirndl and lederhosen. Pretzels are popular food options to try out in Bavaria
Lake Titisee is a serene place amidst the black forest to experience nature. You can see making of the famous cuckoo clocks in this region
Black forest cake traces its origins here, do give it a try when you are in the region
Dachau
One of the main sites which had concentration camps during Nazi era. You can visit the memorial site for free. The museum is quite informative and shares the horror stories of people who lived there. Dachau is connected by train to Munich every half an hour
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the best in Europe, a fairy tale castle featuring as an inspiration to the Disney Logo. We frankly liked the castle from outside more than inside, but it is still worth going in. Hohenschwangau Castle is about 30 minutes away from Neuschwanstein castle
Cologne
The city has given its name to Eau-de-Cologne, synonymous with perfumes and lotions which means water from Cologne. You can see the iconic cathedral and Hohenzollern bridge in most of the photos from this region. Hohenzollern bridge is fully covered with love locks!
Bonn and Dusseldorf are other hubs close by in this region. The city is on the banks of river Rhine- you can take one of the peaceful river cruises to experience the region. Christmas is the time when the area transforms into colorful huts selling myriad things like chocolates, wines, cakes, souvenirs
Heidelberg
Home to one of the popular castles of Europe along banks of river Neckar. Heidelberg station is well connected to Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich stations
How much does it cost
- Flights: $500-600 Lufthansa offers the cheapest connections typically to Frankfurt and Munich
- Accommodation: Hostels cost $10-20 per night and mid-range can be around $50
- Travelling around: Budget $10-30 per day for mix of public transport and 1-2 Uber rides
- Food: $10-20 for simple takeaways. Try out pretzels, black forest cakes