Cologne Christmas Market Opens - And Germany's Holiday Season Begins
Finally - one of the first Christmas markets opens these days in Germany, which means that the most wonderful time of the year is officially beginning!
The city of Cologne celebrates the season with seven Christmas fairs, but the most impressive one is the Christmas Market in the heart of the city, right in front of the Cologne Cathedral.
Opening on Monday, November 23, 2009, the Cologne Christmas Market features the tallest Christmas tree in the region. Swing to free Christmas concerts playing nightly in front of the Cologne Cathedral, watch artisans at work, and try a cup of hot spiced wine to keep the cold away.
The rest of Germany's Christmas Markets will follow soon, with most of them opening next weekend, November 27 and 28, 2009.
Germany's Holiday Season
- Germany's Best Christmas Markets
- Photo Gallery: Take a Stroll Through a German Christmas Market
- Christmas Gifts From Germany
(Team Bilderdienst Köln)
Germany Budget Travel Tip: Berlin For Free
Every week, I will be posting budget travel tips for your Germany vacation in my blog, so you can find out how to make your Dollar go further - without taking the fun out of your travels.
This week is all about the German capital: Getting the most out of Berlin doesn't have to break the bank; you can enjoy the culture, history, and architecture Berlin is famous for without paying a single Euro. Here are the best things to see and do in Berlin - on the house:
More Berlin Budget Travel Tips:
Do you have a budget travel tip you want to share with us? Leave a comment or join the conversation in our Germany Travel Forum. The best Germany budget travel tips will be published in this blog.
Check out Last Week's Budget Travel Tip: Sleep Cheap
(Photo by Rene Erhardt)
Cologne's Chocolate "Mmmmh-Museum"
If you have a sweet tooth like I do, then a visit to the Chocolate Museum should be on your list of things to do in Cologne. Probably the most delicious museum in Germany, the Chocolate Museum takes you on a journey through the 3000-year old history of chocolate-making around the world.
From the Mayan's "Drink of the God's" to a mini-production unit where you can see how chocolate bars and pralines are made, this museum is a fun and interesting adventure for visitors of all ages. The highlight of the museum is the 10-feet high chocolate fountain; the museum staff will be happy to dip waffles into the warm chocolate to give you a try.
- Guide to the Chocolate Museum
- The Best 5 Museums in Cologne
- Cologne Travel Guide
- The Best Free Things to Do in Cologne
(Photo: GNTB/Astrid Schwarz)
Jewish Culture Days 2009 in Munich
This week, Munich is hosting the Jewish Culture Days, an annual festival dedicated to Jewish history, art, and tradition. This year, the festival celebrates the 100th birthday of the city of Tel Aviv, and you can enjoy an interesting series of concerts, theater, film, panel discussions, and exhibitions.
The Jewish Culture Days take place from November 14 - 24, 2009 in the Munich venue Gasteig.
Germany Budget Travel Tip: Sleep Cheap
Every week, I will be posting budget travel tips for your Germany vacation in my blog, so you can find out how to make your Dollar go further - without taking the fun out of your travels.
This week, I have a great budget tip for design-fans: Travel in style and on a shoestring by staying in the hip Motel One.
Motel One combines modern design and low budget prices to create a unique line of "Boutique Motels". Rooms start at just 49 Euros a night, and you can find Motel One in 13 of Germany's most popular destinations. Read my review about Motel One and find out what to expect.
Do you have a budget travel tip you want to share with us? Leave a comment or join the conversation in our Germany Travel Forum. The best Germany budget travel tips will be published in this blog.
Check out Last Week's Budget Travel Tip
(Photo: Copyright Motel One)
Helau! Germany's Carnival Season Begins Today
It might only be November and you probably have Christmas on your mind, but today is the official beginning of Germany's carnival season, also called the "Fifth Season". On November 11th, at 11:11 a.m., the "Council of Eleven" comes together throughout Germany to plan the events for the upcoming carnival festivities. The official hats of the councils' members: Colorful fool's caps with little bells.
The real deal though won't happen until February 2010; Germany's costume balls and street parades take place between February 15 - 17, 2010, so mark your calendars and start planning.
Almost every German city celebrates carnival and organizes a street parade in its city center, but the best and most traditional carnival festivities take place in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Münster, Aachen, and Mainz.
- Dates of Carnival in Germany 2010 - 2015
- How to celebrate German Carnival
- Events in Germany Month by Month
(Photo: Patrick Stollarz/Getty Images)
Christmas Markets in Germany and Europe
Only a couple more weeks until Christmas markets all over Germany open their gates, lighting winter evenings and filling the season with holiday cheer.
The tradition of celebrating Christmas markets has begun in Germany and Austria in the 14th century. Originally, the fairs only provided food and practical supplies for the cold winter season, but soon the markets became a beloved holiday tradition all over Europe.
To get into the Christmas spirit, check out the blog carnival of my colleague Ferne Arvin, Guide to UK Travel. Ferne has put together a great round-up of the best Christmas markets in Europe and the U.S., where you can hunt for unique gifts, find traditional Christmas decoration, and enjoy those steaming crocks of spiced wine, sizzling sausages and chestnuts.
Christmas Markets in Germany:
- Tradition of German Christmas Markets
- The Best Christmas Markets in Germany
- Photo Gallery: German Christmas Markets
(Photo: jule_berlin)
Berlin's Festival of Freedom on November 9th - Celebrating the Fall of the Wall
November 9 is the day Berlin waiting has been waiting for all year long: It marks the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, which came down on November 9, 1989.
Berlin celebrates the anniversary of this significant day in German history with a gigantic Festival of Freedom; besides hundreds of thousand spectators, the German capital welcomes many international heads of states and governments such as Nicolas Sarkozy, Dmitry Medwedew, Gordon Brown, Hillary Clinton, as well as Angela Merkel and Berlin's Mayor Klaus Wowereit.
The center piece of the Festival of Freedom is a giant domino chain, which follows the route of the former wall through Berlin.
The 1000 domino pieces were created by Berlin students, and just like the real Berlin Wall, they are going to fall. With the last domino, a spectacular firework display will light up the night sky over the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of a unified Germany.
Program of the Festival of Freedom
- 7:00 p.m. Concert of the Berlin state's orchestra under the conducter Daniel Barenboim (music from Wagner, Schoenberg, Beethoven, and Goldmann
- 7:30 p.m. International politicians and former GDR civil right activists walk through the Brandenburg Gate and give speeches
- between 7:45 - 8:30 p.m.
- The first domino will fall
- Performance of Jon Bon Jovi at the Brandenburg Gate
- Interview with Michael Gorbatschow and Hans Dietrich Genscher (former German Foreign Minister)
- 8:30 p.m. The last domino will fall, kicking off a spectacular firework display over the Brandenburg Gate
Where: Brandenburg Gate
When: November 9, 2009
Getting There: Metro Stop „Unter den Linden" (S1, S2) , or Bus #100
Cost: Free
Berlin's East Side Gallery Gets a Face-Lift
Right in time for the festivities of the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, this Berlin symbol got a well-deserved face-lift: The East Side Gallery, one of the most prominent and longest sections of the Berlin Wall still standing.
After the wall fell in 1989, hundreds of artists from all over the world came to Berlin to transform the grim and gray wall into a piece of art: They covered the east side of the former border, which had been untouchable up to then, with more than 100 colorful murals and paintings, transforming it into the largest open-air gallery in the world.
But the last 20 years took their toll on the colorful attraction: Big sections of the wall have been damaged by erosion, graffiti, and trophy hunters, who chip off little pieces to bring home as a souvenir. In the last months, many of the original artists returned to Berlin to restore their murals, and now the East Side Gallery is finally ready for the Fall of the Wall celebrations, which kick off this weekend in Berlin.
Berlin Travel Tips
(all photos by Manuela Guddait)
Germany Budget Travel Tip of the Week: Take a Bus
Every week, I will be posting budget travel tips for your Germany vacation in my blog, so you can find out how to make your Dollar go further - without taking the fun out of your travels.
This week is all about taking the bus to get around in Germany; buses are cheap, comfortable, environmentally friendly and a good option besides train travel or driving in Germany.
I recommend the German bus company Berlin Linien Bus; it has a very extensive network with 350 destinations all over Germany and Europe and offers great deals for city hoppers.
Right now, the company offers a Super Promo Fare for all bus trips to and from Berlin: Tickets are between 9 Euros (e.g. one way Berlin - Hamburg, Berlin Dresden) and 33 Euros (Berlin - Munich, Berlin - Frankfurt). Fares to other European cities start at 22 Euros (Berlin - Prague, Berlin - Copenhagen).
Check out the Berlin Linien Website for more deals and to book online.
Transportation in Germany
Do you have a budget travel tip you want to share with us? Leave a comment or join the conversation in our Germany Travel Forum. The best Germany budget travel tips will be published in this blog.
Check out Last Week's Budget Travel Tip