Germany
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Hamburg City Guide: Top Attractions, Food & Things to Do
With three days to explore a world of culinary delights and top sightseeing spots in Hamburg I couldn’t wait to get off the plane! I’d travelled with KLM from Leeds/Bradford connecting via Amsterdam and with direct flights available from both London and Manchester, the city is easy to reach for a short break from all…
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Leonardo Royal Hotel, Nuremberg Review
Hotel Review Location: Nuremberg is situated in Bavaria, southern Germany and is a delightful place to enjoy a city break with its impressive old town, Imperial castle and wealth of museums. The Leonardo Royal Hotel is a newly opened hotel (2021) located in the city centre just a few steps from the railway station. As…
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Exploring History: Nuremberg Rally Grounds, Courtroom 600 & Afternoon in Fürth
Nuremberg’s history is complex with its symbols of power from the days of the Holy Roman Empire in Germany to its dark Third Reich history as the ‘City of the Nazi Party Rallies’. On our final morning in the city we took a tram to to the south east of the city to view the…
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Explore Nuremberg’s Castle and Old Town: Best Spots to See on Foot
A leisurely breakfast in the stylish restaurant of Nuremberg’s Leonardo Royal Hotel was a perfect way to start the day tucking into a varied buffet selection followed by omelettes freshly made to order. After downing two cappuccinos we were ready for the day ahead and utilised our Nuremberg Cards by taking the metro, followed by a tram…
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Top Highlights for a Weekend in Nuremberg
Nuremberg is the second largest city in Bavaria, southern Germany. It’s a city famous for its Imperial castle, half timbered houses and cobblestone squares, and somewhere I’d long wanted to visit. One Friday evening a few weeks ago my wish finally came true as we took a Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Nuremberg’s Albrecht…
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The Pullman Hotel, Cologne Review
Hotel Review Location: The hotel is located in a central yet peaceful location in the Innenstadt district of the city, just an easy 12 minute walk from the central railway station. Arrival and check-in: The spacious entrance lobby is bright and airy with modern furnishings. Check-in is from 3.00 p.m. and it was shortly after…
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Top Highlights of Cologne: Best Things to See and Do
The hotel’s restaurant appeared quieter than the previous morning but as breakfast is served between 7.00 and midday on Sundays, perhaps other guests were having a well earned lie in. We enjoyed tucking into a wide selection of healthy and perhaps not quite so healthy (but equally delicious) options to keep us going for most…
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Exploring Cologne: Top Things to See and Do
After enjoying a hearty breakfast in our hotel we popped on our coats and scarves and wandered along to Cologne Cathedral which had been closed the previous afternoon as a service was taking place. Fortunately, it was open and we were able to admire the majestic interior with its wonderful stained glass windows. This UNESCO…
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Arriving in Cologne: How to Get from the Airport and First Impressions of the City
After recently enjoying a winter break in Düsseldorf, we decided to turn our attention to neighbouring Cologne, another German city that we had yet to visit. Looking into airline schedules from Manchester we discovered that we could fly out at lunchtime on a Friday returning just before midnight on the Sunday allowing us plenty of…
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Düsseldorf’s Japanese Quarter: Exploring Little Tokyo in Germany
Our final day in Düsseldorf began with a leisurely buffet breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express, then after packing up our belongings we took the U Bahn along to Graf-Adolf-Platz to enjoy a morning stroll around MedienHafen (Media Harbour) near the Rhine Tower we had visited the previous morning. This former abandoned city docks located…
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Düsseldorf Highlights: Benrath Palace & the Rheinturm Tower
After enjoying a delicious breakfast in our hotel we wrapped up warm as a strong wind was blowing and took the U Bahn to Graf Adolf Platz so that we could take a ride up The Rheinturm, one of the city’s landmarks (admission €9 (£7.47) or €5 (£4.15) with the Dusseldorf Card. Designed by Horst H…
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Düsseldorf Altstadt & the Altbier Safari
I really enjoy visiting Germany and noting that Eurowings had flights departing from Manchester mid-evening on a Friday we decided to head there for a weekend break. It was just a short 65 minute hop over to Düsseldorf, the state capital of North Rhine Westphalia and our first experience of Eurowings, the low cost arm…
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Stuttgart’s Rack Railway
We allowed ourselves an extra hour in bed and then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. The IBIS had a good selection of hot and cold dishes and in one corner a waffle station where guests could make their own fresh waffles. As we had arranged a late check out we left our…
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Guide to Stuttgart’s Motor Museums: Mercedes-Benz & Porsche Experiences
After enjoying a varied selection of dishes for breakfast in our hotel’s restaurant we were ready to set off exploring. If cars are your thing then Stuttgart is definitely the place to visit as the city is the home of Mercedes and Porsche. Both of these motor manufacturers have museums on the outskirts of the…
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Stuttgart City Break: How to Get There, What to See, Do, and Eat
It was a wet and windy start to the day as we travelled by train to Manchester Airport for our lunch-time Ryanair flight to the German city of Stuttgart. There was ample time to pop into Costa for some pre-flight sandwiches and cups of coffee before boarding our Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Luckily I had been…
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Frankfurt’s Hidden Gem: The Deutsche Bundesbank Museum Guide
Our short break in Frankfurt was sadly drawing to a close as we enjoyed breakfast on our final morning at the IBIS Styles Frankfurt City. The hotel had been very pleasant ticking all the boxes for us with its modern stylish decor, good breakfast selection and quiet yet convenient location between the city’s central railway…
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Frankfurt Transport Museum: A Must for Transport Lovers
After a leisurely hotel breakfast, we wrapped up warm and set off to the nearby U Bahn station at Hauptbahnhof from where we travelled the short distance to Willy-Brandt-Platz. From there, we transferred to a No.12 tram which had conveniently just arrived as we were approaching the tram stop. It was then a 20 minute…
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Exploring Frankfurt – Top Things to See, Do and Eat in Germany’s Financial Capital
The bed was so comfortable we had both slept like logs and didn’t stir until our alarm went off at 8.00 a.m. Complimentary breakfast is served in the restaurant located just behind the reception area on the ground floor. As well as the usual array of fresh fruit, yoghurt, cheese and cooked meats I was…
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Frankfurt Travel Guide – Airport Arrival and where to stay
It had been awhile since our last visit to Germany and the idea of a short break in Frankfurt appealed as it was a city we were unfamiliar with. Our flight with Ryanair was from Manchester airport and we stayed overnight at the Ancoats Travelodge, getting the holiday off to a good start. The hotel…
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A short break in Hamburg – Day 1
After taking a connecting flight to Heathrow from Leeds/Bradford Airport we had a second short BA flight into Hamburg. I had not visited Germany for many years and it was to be my first visit to this northern city. Transferring into the city centre was very easy as trains connect the airport with Hamburg Hof…
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Exploring Hamburg
Breakfast in our hotel was excellent, as well as the usual cooked dishes, fruit and pastries, a chef was on hand to prepare waffles for us topped with fruit and whipped cream. I couldn’t resist the temptation of returning for more as they tasted delicious, so a brisk walk was necessary to walk off these…
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A walk along the Alster in Hamburg
After being tempted to eating rather too many waffles for breakfast, a long walk seemed to be the answer so we headed to the lake front in the centre of town. This is the Alster, the central point alongside the harbour pier and main shopping centre. We had walked along there the previous day so…
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A weekend in Berlin – Day 1
We had spent the night at the Travelodge, Heathrow Central as our flight was one of the first of the morning to depart Heathrow. We had originally booked our outbound flight with Germanwings, however, with less than 48 hours prior to departure, we received an email from Germanwings informing us that our flight had been…
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Reichstag Dome and the Brandenburg Tor, Berlin
We had breakfast at 7.45 am as we had pre-booked a visit on-line to the Dome of the Reichstag building at 10.30 am. The hotel’s restaurant was attractively decorated and smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and pastries set us up for our morning sightseeing. We walked to the nearby U Bahn station and, like the previous day…