Germany Holidays

Germany is a proper powerhouse of a holiday destination. Whether you're after world-class city breaks, legendary beer culture, or Christmas markets that make December worth the wait, there's a German city with your name on it. Two hours from the UK & Ireland, big on character, and easier on the wallet than you'd think. Your next jollies sorted.

✨ Highlights of your Holidays to Germany 2026 / 2027

• 🍺 Beer gardens, beer halls, beer festivals. Germany does beer like nobody else

• 🏰 Fairytale castles that look like they were built by Disney (they weren't, but Disney definitely took notes)

• 🎄 The original Christmas markets. Gluhwein, gingerbread, and twinkling lights in every major city

• 🌆 City breaks for days. Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Hamburg. Take your pick

• 🥨 The food is hearty, the portions are massive, and the pretzels are the size of your head

📌 Good to Know

• ☀️ Summers are warm and long. June to August averages 20 to 25°C with up to 8 hours of sunshine a day. Perfect for beer gardens and outdoor exploring

• 💶 Your money goes further than you'd expect. A pint of beer runs about €4 to €5, and a sit-down meal at a decent restaurant is around €12 to €20 per person

• 🚂 Germany's rail network is brilliant. Once you land, you can hop between cities by train in a couple of hours, so it's dead easy to visit more than one place on a single trip

🏨 Germany Hotels 2026/2027

Germany's hotel scene is geared around its cities, so wherever you're heading, you'll find everything from slick boutique stays to reliable big-name brands. Here are some of the best picks across the country's top destinations.

💑 Couples

• 🏨 Hotel Luc, Autograph Collection, Berlin Boutique style in the heart of Mitte, walking distance from Gendarmenmarkt and the Berlin State Opera. The rooms are chic, there's a steam bath for unwinding, and the bar is a proper date-night spot.

• 🏨 Ruby Lilly Hotel, Munich A 70s-inspired design hotel right at Stiglmaierplatz. The 24-hour bar serves Italian antipasti and hand-picked wines, and you're a short walk from Marienplatz and Munich's best nightlife streets.

• 🏨 Hotel AMO by AMANO, Berlin Ultra-stylish pad in Berlin's Mitte district with a garden terrace and buzzing bar. Museum Island, Hackescher Markt, and Friedrichstrasse are all on the doorstep.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• 🏨 Mondrian Suites, Berlin Spacious studios and suites with kitchenettes, balconies, and a playground. On a quiet side street near Checkpoint Charlie, so you've got peace and quiet with the buzz of Berlin around the corner.

• 🏨 Leonardo Hotel Munich City South Family-friendly base with great transport links (the stop is literally 20 metres away). Hellabrunn Zoo is 3.4km and the Oktoberfest grounds are nearby too. Rooms have adjustable air con and extra beds are available.

• 🏨 IntercityHotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof Right next to Berlin's main station with free public transport passes included. Brilliant for families who want to cover a lot of ground without faffing with tickets.

✨ Luxury

• 🏨 Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich The big one. 340 rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a full spa with Turkish bath and steam room, multiple restaurants, and a nightclub. 200 metres from Marienplatz in Munich's historic centre. Proper five-star.

• 🏨 Hotel Bristol Berlin 301 rooms on Kurfurstendamm, Berlin's most famous shopping street. Indoor pool, sauna, 24-hour health club, and room service. The Memorial Church is 100 metres away and KaDeWe department store is just across the road.

🎉 Groups

• 🏨 Sana Berlin Hotel 208 rooms including suites and apartments, right by KaDeWe and a 10-minute walk from Kurfurstendamm. Free gym, lobby bar, and the metro is a 2-minute walk. Brilliant for groups who want to split up during the day and regroup at the bar.

• 🏨 Leonardo Royal Hotel Munich Near the Oberwiesenfeld U-Bahn station with easy access to Munich's centre. On-site spa, restaurant, and close to BMW World. During Oktoberfest season, you're laughing.

💰 Value

• 🏨 B&B Hotel Berlin City-Ost No-frills but proper comfy. 140 rooms, a restaurant, bar, and even a sauna. 2.5km from the East Side Gallery and well-connected by bus and metro. Gets the job done without emptying your wallet.

• 🏨 Sure Hotel by Best Western, Munich 138 rooms right by Munich's main station, walking distance to Karlsplatz and the Theresienwiese. On-site bar and easy access to everything. Cracking value for a Munich city break.

👉 See all Germany hotels

🗺️ Must Do in Germany 2026/2027

Brandenburg Gate & the Berlin Wall

You can't go to Berlin and skip the Brandenburg Gate. It's the city's most iconic landmark and the selfie spot to end all selfie spots, especially when it's lit up at night. From there, walk along to the East Side Gallery, the mile-long stretch of the Berlin Wall covered in murals. The whole area around Checkpoint Charlie and the Memorial of the Berlin Wall is worth a few hours of anyone's time.

Neuschwanstein Castle

The fairytale castle perched in the Bavarian Alps that inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty. King Ludwig II built it in the 1860s and it looks every bit as dramatic as you'd imagine. It's a day trip from Munich and one of the most visited castles in Europe. Book tickets in advance because it sells out fast.

Rhine Valley

Vineyards, hilltop castles, and little riverside villages that look like they belong in a snow globe. A river cruise along the Rhine between Koblenz and Rudesheim is one of Germany's great experiences. You'll pass the famous Lorelei Rock and dozens of medieval castles clinging to the hillsides. Pair it with a wine tasting and you've got yourself a proper day out.

Oktoberfest, Munich

The world's biggest beer festival runs for about two and a half weeks from mid-September into early October. Millions of people descend on Munich for steins the size of small children, brass bands, traditional lederhosen, and an atmosphere that's completely unhinged in the best way. If you're going, book your hotel months in advance.

Christmas Markets

Germany invented the Christmas market, and nobody does them better. Cologne has several running at once around the cathedral, Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is one of the oldest and most famous in Europe, Stuttgart's is one of the biggest, and Berlin has markets popping up all over the city from late October. Gluhwein, roasted almonds, handmade ornaments, and that warm fuzzy feeling. Proper magic.

The Black Forest

Thick pine forests, cuckoo clock villages, and some of the best hiking in central Europe. The Black Forest sits in Germany's southwest corner and it's where Black Forest gateau actually comes from. Drive the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse scenic road, visit the open-air museum in Gutach, or just disappear into the trails for a day.

🏘️ Where to Stay in Germany 2026/2027

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

🌆 Berlin Loads of green space, brilliant museums (many with free entry for kids), and the Berlin Zoo is right in the city centre. Mitte puts you near all the big sights, while the area around Alexanderplatz has family-friendly hotels with good transport links.

🎢 Munich The Englischer Garten is massive, Hellabrunn Zoo is a winner, and the Deutsches Museum will keep older kids entertained for hours. Stay near the Hauptbahnhof for easy access to everything.

💑 Couples

🎭 Berlin Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain for trendy bars and street art. Mitte for culture and fine dining. The whole city is built for exploring on foot, and the restaurant scene is brilliant without being bank-breaking.

🍷 Cologne Sunset walks along the Rhine, the love locks on the Hohenzollern Bridge, and proper good food in the Altstadt. Smaller and more romantic than Berlin, with a cracking bar scene around the Belgisches Viertel.

🎉 Groups

🍻 Munich Beer halls. Need we say more? The Hofbrauhaus alone is worth the flight, and during Oktoberfest season the city is basically one massive party. Between the beer gardens, the nightlife, and the day trips to the Alps, Munich is group trip gold.

🎶 Hamburg The Reeperbahn is legendary for nightlife, the harbour area is buzzing, and Miniatur Wunderland is weirdly brilliant even for adults. More of an under-the-radar pick than Berlin or Munich, which is part of the appeal.

🗣️ Local Lingo

• 🤝 Hello - Hallo (ha-lo)

• 🙏 Please - Bitte (bit-uh)

• 😊 Thank you - Danke (dan-kuh)

• 🍻 Cheers! - Prost! (prohst)

• 🌅 Good morning - Guten Morgen (goo-ten mor-gen)

• 💬 Excuse me - Entschuldigung (ent-shool-dee-goong)

• 💰 How much is this? - Was kostet das? (vas kos-tet das)

• 😋 Delicious! - Lecker! (lek-er)

• 💳 The bill, please - Die Rechnung, bitte (dee rech-noong, bit-uh)

• 👋 Goodbye - Tschuss (choos)

✈️ Germany Holidays 2026/2027 - Travel Guide

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• 🏰 A day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich is the kind of thing kids remember forever. The walk up through the forest is an adventure in itself, and the views from the Marienbrucke bridge are jaw-dropping

• 🦁 Berlin's Natural History Museum has one of the biggest dinosaur skeletons in the world. Combine it with a trip to the Berlin Zoo and Aquarium for a full day of animal-themed fun

• 🍫 The Chocolate Museum in Cologne is a guaranteed hit. Kids can watch chocolate being made, learn about the history of cocoa, and sample some fresh off the line. There's a fountain of melted chocolate. Enough said

• 🚂 Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is the world's largest model railway, and it's far more impressive than that description makes it sound. Tiny airports with planes that actually take off, miniature cities with day-night cycles, and enough detail to keep adults just as hooked as the kids

• 🎿 In winter, the Bavarian Alps offer family-friendly skiing and sledging within easy reach of Munich. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is the main base and it's geared up for beginners and families

💑 Couples

• 🎵 Catch a show at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Even if classical music isn't usually your thing, the building alone is worth the visit. The Plaza viewing platform is free and the acoustics in the concert hall are world-class

• 🍷 A wine-tasting trip along the Moselle Valley makes a brilliant day out from Cologne or Frankfurt. The steep riverside vineyards are gorgeous, and the Rieslings are some of the best in the world

• 🌃 Berlin's nightlife is in a league of its own. Skip the tourist traps and head to Kreuzberg or Neukolln for cocktail bars, live music, and restaurants that stay open well past midnight

• 💆 The Friedrichsbad spa in Baden-Baden has been running since 1877. Seventeen stations of thermal bathing in a Roman-Irish style. It's the kind of experience that makes you wonder why you don't do this more often

• 🏛️ Museum Island in Berlin packs five world-class museums onto one island in the River Spree. The Pergamon Museum's ancient artefacts and the Neues Museum's Egyptian collection are the standouts

🎉 Groups

• 🍺 Oktoberfest in Munich is the ultimate group trip. Book a table at one of the big beer tents (Hofbrau and Augustiner are favourites), dress up in lederhosen and dirndls, and settle in for a day of singing, swaying, and serious pretzel consumption

• 🎪 Cologne Carnival in February is basically a week-long street party. Costumes are mandatory, the parades are wild, and the whole city shuts down for a knees-up. Groups who like fancy dress will be in their element

• 🚴 Rent bikes and explore Berlin as a group. The city is flat as a pancake, the cycle lanes are excellent, and you can cover the Wall, the Brandenburg Gate, Tiergarten, and Kreuzberg in a single day without breaking a sweat

• 🏎️ The BMW Museum and BMW Welt in Munich are free to enter and genuinely impressive, even if you're not a car person. Combine it with the nearby Olympiapark for a full group day out

• 🎄 A Christmas market crawl across multiple German cities makes an unreal group trip. Start in Berlin, train to Cologne, finish in Nuremberg. Three cities, three markets, one epic December weekend

🗺️ More Destinations in Germany

Major Cities

• 🌆 Berlin Germany's capital and the country's most visited city. History, nightlife, and culture on a massive scale

• 🍺 Munich Bavaria's capital, home of Oktoberfest, and the gateway to the Alps

• ⛪ Cologne Cathedral city on the Rhine with legendary Christmas markets and a brilliant beer culture

• ⚓ Hamburg Germany's second city. Maritime heritage, the Elbphilharmonie, and the Reeperbahn nightlife strip

More German Cities

• 🏙️ Dusseldorf Stylish Altstadt, Rhine promenade, and some of the best Japanese food outside of Tokyo

• 🚗 Stuttgart Home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, surrounded by vineyards, with a cracking Christmas market

• 🏦 Frankfurt Germany's financial hub with a surprisingly charming old town and excellent apple wine

• 🏟️ Dortmund Football-mad city with a growing cultural scene and easy access to the Ruhr region

• 🏰 Nuremberg Medieval old town, the best bratwurst in Germany, and one of Europe's finest Christmas markets

• 🛁 Baden-Baden Elegant spa town in the Black Forest. Thermal baths, grand architecture, and total relaxation