Discover Germany by Bus

Touring Germany by bus: a comfortable way of travelling. Enjoy your trip in comfortable seats without having to care about the traffic. Conscientious and well trained drivers will do the driving for you. Whether you choose a package tour, a long distance tour on a public service bus or an intercity trip by public transportation: a journey by bus will guarantee comfortable travelling. Enjoy and experience towns and landscapes in a relaxing way. Lean back and enjoy the view of diverse landscapes from large bus windows or visit one of Germany´s famous towns.

Get on and relax - once you are comfortably seated, your well-earned holidays will begin. Besides, you have chosen an environmentally friendly way of travelling.

Internationaler Bustouristik Verband e.V. (RDA), the international federation of bus tour operators, has set up a list of operators offering bus journeys. The list is set up according to the Lands of the Federal Republik of Germany and is available here. Here you will find numerous journeys based on particular themes, sightseeing tours and club tours. It is also possible to set up your own journey in cooperation with the operator. Deutsche Touring GmbH offers attractive journeys on public service buses along Germany´s touristic holiday routes.

Regional and urban public transportation operators and associations offer a rich network of short distance bus trips.

Air travel

Over 100 international airlines offer flights into Germany. Deutsche Lufthansa offers the most frequent and most versatile flights together with their Star Alliance partners. They have coordinated a global route network and flight plans which connect Germany with 700 destinations worldwide.

International travel

Lufthansa is one of the world's leading airlines and provides connections to Germany from more than 300 airports in 100 countries. Thanks to the Star Alliance, the world's first multilateral airline cooperation, passengers can travel to Germany from more than 800 airports worldwide. Coordinated flight schedules guarantee your comfort and help keep waiting times short. In Germany, Lufthansa flies to 28 airports: Cologne Cathedral is just 40 minutes by air from the Frankfurt Messeturm, and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is 65 minutes away. As well as eighteen international airports, Germany also has numerous domestic airports, such as Münster and Augsburg. This means you can travel quickly between any of Germany's larger towns - from Westerland on the North Sea island of Sylt to Munich in the South, and from Cologne in the West to Dresden in the East.

Travel by train

The railway system enables everyone to travel comfortably to their destination. There are good connections to both distant and local areas. Airports (Berlin Schönefeld, Düsseldorf, Munich and Stuttgart) are also merged into this system. There are 60 different connections to the neighboring European countries that originate daily in Germany. The customs clearance usually takes place on the train once it has left the station. Information regarding the Deutsche Bahn AG can be obtained in all travel agencies as well as by calling the federal German phone number: +49 (0) 18 05-99 66 33. A European bus service completes the railway system. It offers special connections on particularly interesting routes to tourists. Information regarding the bus system is also available in each travel agency.

2.5 Castles & Palaces

Although the walls of Germany´s castles are centuries old, they are nowhere near to being withdrawn from the public gaze. Set high above adjacent towns dating back to the Middle Ages and often in romantic landscapes, they make an extremely dynamic impression as tourist attractions. Sustained by the enormous interest shown in their mostly turbulent histories, colourful festivities and feasts are re-enacted within their ruins, which stunningly and authentically revive and recreate the Middle Ages. You can experience the spectacle of jousting, minerals and real banquets. Country markets with traditional skills and crafts, fancy-dress pursuits and street theatre are popular, and form a link to the myths and legends which every castle accumulates.

Castles and palaces in Germany stage these festivities all year round. In spring you can choose between Spring festivals, May markets, Pentecost markets and historic pastoral dances. Or you can visit a traditional cake and waters festival of the salt workers, enjoy a Kaiserburg (imperial castle) concert in the knights´ hall and then plunge into a mediaeval spectacle with the small traders´ market. After the midsummer night festival you can welcome in the new season at a "Musical summer " in the "Serenadenhof". The long days become even longer with castles illuminated with brilliant fireworks, and blues nights in the palace courtyard, and if your ears are still not ringing after the wine festival, we can recommend the open air concerts in the castle courtyard or serenades at the "gunpowder" tower. However, there are also alternatives in the ruins, e.g. a samba festival, rock in the castle moat, a Dracula piece or real Baroque fireworks. Autumn is varied with harvest festivities, wine festivals, oven festivals, garland festivals and many music and theater festivals. In November and December there is only the one widespread event, and that is the unforgettable Christmas Markets with centuries old traditions.

A single mediaeval banquet is a fantastic time-travel experience to a different world. Fresh bread, for example, is baked in the castle courtyard, and home-made cream cheese and butter is produced. Gourmets expect delicacies like a Burgundy roast, grilled Camembert and excellent wines and new wines. In addition they expect home-made fare, which has been baked and brewed according to old recipes. Minstrels and jugglers, knights, noblemen and women, monks and quacks in original costumes, colorful flags and big colorful coat-of-arms provide the historic atmosphere.

In the evening when the firework display is in progress, the entire castle mound is illuminated like a volcano, and the Catherine-wheels let the Middle Ages culminate with a festive finale.

Metropolises

Become fascinated by Germany´s big cities pulsating with life. Besides Berlin, the capital, Germany offers many regional metropolises. The unique character of each of these cities bear the imprint of German history and culture. The cosmopolitain flair of these cities make every visitor feel welcome.

However, you cannot only experience most modern architecture and art treasures in Germany´s towns but also different ways of living. Various traditions and mentalities have left an imprint on each town´s cultural life and night life, variety of events, shopping and gastronomy.