Comments on: Germany: the best of Europe without the crowds https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/ Travel stories that won't change the world Wed, 11 Jun 2014 06:07:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.2 By: Peter (bout to quit for long term travel) https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70113 Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:56:22 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70113 Totally wet my appetite for Germany now. Was planning on spending a little time in Germany and now it’s definitely locked in. Never thought of it as value for money but i guess compared to Australia EVERYWHERE is value for money!

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By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70103 Sun, 05 Aug 2012 12:44:42 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70103 Hello Marius and thanks for sharing your thoughts. My experiences are of course subjective but taken from two things – my conversations with friends, family and travel folks in the UK (where I live) about where they plan to travel. Germany is hardly mentioned. Secondly from my own limited experience in Germany, seeing how fantastic places had almost no tourists, and imagining how they would be crowded elsewhere.
Here in the UK (and I think elsewhere) Germany has an undeserved reputation as being an unexciting destination. I’m very surprised to see that Berlin is no. 3 in tourist numbers, ahead of Venice, Rome, Vienna and Prague. Do you have a source for this figure? I’d be very interested to see the other findings. Thanks again.

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By: Carl Hendy https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70101 Sun, 05 Aug 2012 03:43:57 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70101 Its nice to read such glowing reports of Germany….having visited there on many occasions to see friends…..i have fell in love with this country full of history and charm…the people are very friendly and put up with my lack of understanding of their language….as in other places in Europe your eyes and basic instincts get you by the language barrier….if i have to make a choice well Berlin is my favourite….been there a few times and just feel at home there………..cheers…..

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By: Marius Lenz https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70099 Sat, 04 Aug 2012 18:14:18 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70099 You wrote: “the best of Europe without the crowds
Yet despite being the most populous European country (excluding Russia) Germany hardly ever gets a mention.”

OK, most want to go to italy,spain,france.Yes Italy,Spain,France are tourist countries.The reason is the wether,the coast and maybe the signs, landscape and cities.The people are important to.You want to go to funny and open people.And germans are a little bit freeze and reservated to people they dont know. I think germans are funny.But friendships in germany are most friendships for life. Germans are not the worldchampions of smalltalking. And in holiday you want to have fun.

BUT GERMANY IS NOT WITHOUT CROWDS.Germany has the 8 most international tourists in the world.OK that is in europe no.6. I think that is not bad.Berlin has the 3 most numbers of tourists after london and paris.More than rome for example.Munich is in the top10 in europe too.It has more tourists than barcelona.and the people do not want to go to Czech Republic or England. They just want to london or prague.
Some festivals are overcrowded for example October festival or cologne carnival.Many german christmas markets are overcrowded of tourists.Maybe 10000,maybe 100000 a day.

My question
Andy Jarosz where are you from?
If you are from the USA? OK they have some destinations in europe for example venice,paris,london,rome. But on the other hand.They want to see german castles,they want to drink german beer in german beerhalls.and watch heidelberg,munich,rüdesheim or want to watch berlin. New york is not the USA.It is a very small part of USA: And England is not europe.It is a very small part of europe.

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By: Simon Varwell https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70096 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:44:57 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70096 Having just come back from Germany (admittedly only a day in Munich between trains, and then a sleeper to Paris), I’d agree. I’ve always found Germany a pleasant and easy to navigate place – the trains are cheap (especially in advance), the roads are fast, free and safe, and the cities are well-signposted.

The people, too, are tremendous. I’ve never understood the myth about the Germans having no sense of humour, they’re wonderful fun and though usually speak good English are always pleased to hear their language attempted.

The countryside is beautiful, the cities are well-ordered, pretty and very bike-friendly, and the climate is lovely.

I think, as other commenters have said, the country suffers from an unfair reputation, and that is to the benefit of the customers who do go. I’d agree with David above about Austria, though, it’s a similarly maligned place and I thoroughly enjoyed the week or so I just spent there.

Oh, and two final and definitive reasons why Germany rocks: beer and sausages. What more do you need?

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By: David Whitley https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70094 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:48:39 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70094 Thoroughly agree. I’m in Germany at the moment (in Berlin after a few days in Munich), and the thing that strikes most is how reasonably priced everything is, even in touristy areas. Berlin is arguably my favourite city in Europe, but the others all have their merits and I love the Bavarian Alps too.

It’s a place that doesn’t dumb down – the museums tend to be really well thought out. The transport and infrastructure is excellent too.

I’d say similar things apply to Austria, too – another underrated spot.

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By: Aude https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70090 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:39:12 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70090 So true!

Germany is such an amazing destination. I’ve had the chance to visit quite a few places there, all so different, yet all as beautiful. My favorite spots: Munich’s Marienplatz, especially at the hour, when the little characters on the big clock start dancing (super touristy, okay, but so nice!), and the Lorelei statue near Frankfurt.

Great post!

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By: Ana Mamic https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70089 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:39:00 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70089 Agree with Steve and Clare. Andy, as you well pointed out, Germany is terribly underrated as a tourist destination, but I think I actually like that precisely because it doesn’t get overcrowded. We’ve scoured all of Bavaria and the Black Forest, and the one thing that impressed me the most was how very good value for money Germany is. And the railway is to die for! When we stayed in the Black Forest, we were given free access to all regional trains, so we ditched the car for the most part. Accommodation is cheap and also excellent value, the food is great and inexpensive, the people are welcoming, lots of beautiful places to explore – what more could one ask for?

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By: Steve McKenna https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70088 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:41:42 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70088 Yes, of course, one of the massive bonuses of the Allies winning WWII (along with all the other obvious pluses!) is that German never became Europe’s dominant language. Even my German friends – and Germans I meet travelling – confess it’s an ‘ugly language’, though, naturally, it has its supporters. I was pleasantly surprised at how well (so many) Germans speak English. They’re almost as good as the Scandinavians. A bit of a shame, as a nation, that we seem to be so useless and/or disinterested in foreign languages – even the ‘nice’ ones, like Spanish and Italian. Guess that’s one problem with English being the ‘international’ lingo….

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By: Andy Jarosz https://www.501places.com/2012/08/germany-europe-without-crowds/#comment-70087 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:20:58 +0000 https://www.501places.com/?p=8619#comment-70087 Thank you Clare – my return to Berlin is long overdue (I spent a few days there when the wall was still very much in place) – you’ve given me some other places to explore too :)

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