By Train or Car to Great Hotels and Restaurants in the Lahn Cathedral Town

Fast trains and autobahns make Limburg an der Lahn with its Romanesque cathedral, magnificent medieval old town, and cheap hotels an interesting day trip or overnight stop from Cologne or Frankfurt Airport.

photo credit: Dittmeyer

Fast transportation links (autobahns and ICE trains) make Limburg an der Lahn an easy day trip from Frankfurt am Main or Cologne. The main sights are the colorful Romanesque St George’s cathedral and one of the best preserved medieval town centers in Germany. Cheap hotels and numerous restaurants make Limburg an der Lahn also a great overnight stop for travelers traveling via Frankfurt International Airport (FRA).

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Cathedral and Medieval, Half-Timbered Town Center in the Lahn Valley

The top sights in Limburg an der Lahn in Germany are its Romanesque-Gothic cathedral and magnificent medieval town center with half-timbered buildings. Limburg is an ideal day trip when on a Frankfurt Airport stopover.

photo credit: Dittmeyer

The old town of Limburg an der Lahn with narrow alleys and half-timbered houses is one of the best preserved medieval town centers in Germany. However, visitors will first see the colorful Romanesque cathedral that towers over Limburg and the Lahn Valley. Excellent transportation links (ICE trains and autobahns) make Limburg perfect for a half-day excursion trip from Frankfurt am Main or even from Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) when on a long stopover. »»»Continue reading…

Enjoy Kaffee & Sachertorte in Hotel Sacher Wien, Café Central, and Demel

Tradition-rich cafés such as Hotel Sacher Wien, Café Central, and Demel are top attractions in Vienna. These coffee shops serve strong, fresh coffee with top Austrian cakes, including the ever popular chocolate Sachertorte.

photo credit: hkxforce

Vienna is proud of its long coffee house tradition. Enjoying strong coffee in one of Vienna’s elegant cafés is a time-honored tradition. Amongst the best-known Wiener cafés are Café Sacher, Demel, and Café Central, which are top tourist sightseeing destinations in their own right.

• No Viennese cake is more famous than Sachertorte – a rich chocolate cake with a divine chocolate coating and a thin apricot jelly strip.

Sachertorte was first baked in 1832 by Hotel Sacher for the Imperial family. However, after a family member sold the original recipe to Sacher’s competitor Demel, Demel has also been using the original recipe to bake Sachertorte. A long court case was settled in Hotel Sacher’s favor allowing only Sacher to add “Das Original” (The Original) to each Sachertorte served. However, unlike Hotel Sacher, Demel correctly keeps the apricot strip at its original position below the chocolate cover and not in the middle of the cake, as is more commonly done nowadays.

• Closer inspection of the ingredients labels reveal that Demel uses more eggs than does Sacher to produce Sachertorte.

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Art Collections, Opening Hours, Admission Prices, and Cheap Passes

The Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (State Art Collections) in Saxony, Germany is magnificent collection of art spread over museums in the Zwinger, Schloss, and Albertinum.

photo credit: dierk schaefer

The eleven museums of the Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) are mainly housed in three buildings in Dresden’s old town: the Zwinger, Residenzschloss (Palace), and the Albertinum. The magnificent collections include not only paintings (old masters, impressionist, modern) and sculptures but also a huge collection of porcelain, prints, and coins. Scientific instruments and weaponry on display are as much art as practical instruments. »»»Continue reading…

Weihnachtsmärkte: Glühwein, Sausages, Music, and Food in Germany

Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte), Glühwein, sausages, Lebkuchen biscuits, potato cakes, sweets, wooden toys, and music are the highlights of Advent in Germany.

photo credit: foxypar4

German Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) are outdoor markets held in the month leading up to Christmas. The exact composition of Christmas markets vary from market to market. However, all Christmas markets have stalls selling food and Christmas related wares. Food at Christmas markets include Glühwein (warm, spiced wine), Kinderpunch (spiced fruit juice), Lebkuchen ginger bread cakes, sausages, potato cakes, and baked items. On sale are also Christmas tree decorations, candles, wooden toys, and sweets.  Larger markets usually have simple rides aimed at small children. Many markets also have life music.

• German Christmas markets generally do not sell cheap plastic imports or clothing.

The names of German Christmas markets vary from region to region. Weihnachtsmarkt (plural Weihnachtsmärkte) is Christmas market in High German but in Dresden it is the Striezelmarkt, in Rothenburg the Reiterlesmarkt, while in most of Bavaria (and Austria) Christkindlmarkt (spelled in various forms) is more common.

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Best German Weihnachtsmärkte in Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Dresden, Rothenburg

Every German city has a Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt). The best ones include Frankfurt am Main, Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Dresden, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Lübeck, Berlin, and Munich (München).

photo credit: Paleontour

Germany is famous for its romantic Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) held all over the country in the advent period preceding Christmas. Christmas markets differ from region to region but for the average foreign visitor, these differences are of minor importance. When picking which German Christmas market to visit, more relevant considerations are the costs and time required to get to the market town, hotel accommodation, and what other entertainment are available. Visitors are unlikely to spend a full day, never mind a whole weekend, at the market itself. It is more common to spend most of the day doing shopping or sightseeing and visit the Christmas market in the late afternoon / early evening.  Berlin and Munich may not have the best Christmas markets in Germany but remain by far the most interesting cities in Germany to visit. »»»Continue reading…

Cheap Flights and Low Airfares from London, UK, & Ireland to Germany

Low-cost airlines have cheap airfares and discount tickets on flights from airports in London, the UK, and Ireland to visit advent Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) in Germany.

photo credit: heldr

Cheap flights are a major consideration for travelers from Britain and Ireland when flying to Germany to visit a Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt). Nürnberg (Nuremberg) is probably the most famous German Christmas market but most German cities have large Weihnachtsmärkte.

If cheap flights are not available on low-cost airlines, also compare deals with regular full-service airlines such as Lufthansa and British Airways bearing in mind that luggage and other surcharges are already included in the advertised prices. German Christmas markets vary in size and flavor but to most foreign visitors the differences will not be that significant, making it quite sensible to pick the market accordig to the lowest price flights available to whatever German airport.

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Low Airfares and Bargains on Budget Airlines Flying to HAM in Northern Germany

Low-cost airlines including Air Berlin, Easyjet, Germanwings, OLT, and Lufthansa offer cheap tickets and low airfares on direct, non-stop flights to Hamburg Airport (HAM) in Northern Germany.

photo credit: dmytrok

From Hamburg Airport, over a hundred destinations can be reached on non-stop flights on both full-service and low-cost airlines. Low-cost airlines and charter flights allow for cheap flights to Hamburg although even traditional full-service airlines, including Lufthansa, often have special cheap tickets and deals during quiet periods. »»»Continue reading…

Low Airfares to Hamburg Lübeck (LBC) on Ryanair and Wizz Air

Lübeck Airport (LBC) in Northern Germany is an alternative for cheap flights with low airfares to Hamburg on low-cost budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air.

photo credit: jphintze

Lübeck Blankensee Airport (LBC) is a small regional airport near the Baltic Sea town Lübeck. Flughafen Lübeck Blankensee is mostly used bylow-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air as an alternative airport to Hamburg (HAM). Although most passengers on cheap flights to Lübeck-Blankensee are probably heading towards Hamburg, many travelers would also enjoy the beautiful old town of Lübeck, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. »»»Continue reading…

Low Airfares to Flughafen Hanover HAJ on Low-Cost Carriers and East European Airlines

Hanover Airport (HAJ) has cheap flights and discount airfares on low-cost airlines to German, Mediterranean, East European, and Central Asian destinations.

photo credit: treehouse1977

Hannover (Hanover in English) Airport (HAJ) is in Lower Saxony in Northern Germany. Most flights are on low-cost and charter airlines to holiday destination in the Mediterranean region but Hannover Airport (HAJ) is also a very popular departure airport for flights to over a hundren destinations in East European and Central Asia.

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