Germany 🇩🇪
Frankfurt
Tips
- Deutschland Ticket - €50 for all regional transport (RE trains, buses, trams, some ferries, subways) in Germany for a calendar month (ex: all of May)! So it doesn’t cover travel between cities (used the Interrail Pass for this), but if you’re taking 2-3 regional trains for day trips, it’s well worth it
Attractions
This tower had the best aerial view of Frankfurt! It’s a 350 step climb, but it’s the perfect height. I found the MAIN TOWER Observation Deck to be too high to appreciate the surroundings
Food
This chain had the best currywurst (hot dog covered with sauce) I tried in all of Germany! The B+ sauce was more than spicy enough for me
Coffee House to the Golden Scale
Awesome place for frankfurter kranz, a speciality of the city! Light sponge cake with almonds, incredible
This isn’t German food, but this shop had some of the best falafel sandwiches I’ve ever eaten!
Apfelweingaststätte Klaane Sachsehäuser
Traditional Frankfurt restaurant specialising in apfelwein (a tart wine made of apples). The schnitzel with this green sauce is also iconic
Day Trips
Rheinsteig
Beautiful trail along the wine country of Rhein, we walked 21km from Kaub toLorelei. There’s quite steep parts, but nothing dangerous. I recommend bringing lunch and a lot of water!
Beautiful, free UNESCO World Heritage park that spans 590 acres. The main attraction is the water features - impressive back in the 17th century, still impressive now! Check the water features timetable when you visit to make sure that you’re in the right place when it begins.
Berlin
Tips
- You can drink alcohol nearly anywhere in Berlin - once it’s 4pm, you’ll see lots of people drinking while walking or taking the subway.
- Public recycling bins are rare, most just leave their bottles near the base of a trash bin for others to collect and return.
- The first Sunday of every month is Museum Day, free admission to most museums.
Attractions
An underrated monument that features beautiful statues of Greek and Germanic icons.
Ausstellung “Grenz- und Geisterbahnhöfe im geteilten Berlin”
Secret museum about how subway stations were divided by the Berlin Wall, nice ending to the Berlin Wall Memorial walk.
The view at the top is just alright (it’s mainly of the surrounding park), but the museum at the base level and getting close to the central mural is worth it! Provides an overview of the history of monuments across Germany and around the world.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
I almost missed that there was an additional museum underground, but it ended up being one of the best museums I’ve been to. Contextualises the Holocaust from a very personal standpoint.
Great indoor and outdoor exhibits, recommend listening to the free audio guide with your phone
Food
An incredible bakery! The savoury croissant (simple cheese and whole grain mustard layer) and the morning bun (lemon sugar) were incredible. Ciabatta is skippable imo
Iconic Berlin dish of kebab and vegetables! My local friend recommended to pair it with Uludǎg Gazoz, a Turkish carbonated citrus drink. Nice substitute if you don’t want to queue for hours at K’Ups or Mustafa’s
Another famous Berlin bakery, liked both the huge cinnamon and white chocolate + raspberry buns!
Hamburg
Attractions
Beautiful park!
You can go to the view by paying directly, but, if you’re under 30, you can purchase a REDTicket for €12 and see a world-class concert in one of the beautiful concert halls with the view included.
Ferry Line 62
Round-trip ferry route for tourists to see iconic Hamburg sights from the water, included in the Deutschland Ticket. I caught it from Landungsbrücken Brücke 3
1:87 scale models of iconic cities, complete with day / night cycles, interactive controls, live F1 races, and real tide patterns. Entertained me thoroughly, I ended up spending 5 hours here. Note that there’s a second building accessible by bridge!
Food
Incredible fish sandwiches at incredible prices. So good that I almost missed my bus to Copenhagen to eat it again! The fischfrikadelle mit remoulade (left) is the typical fried fish sandwich, but the matjes (more sour) and bismarck (more sweet) were more memorable! They’re both pickled herrings, and are with onion (“mit zwiebelu”) in a crispy bun
Fairly priced lunch special (€14 w drink), awesome vegan options (Magic Mushroom featured below)
Drink
Cheapest place I could find for Astra’s (local Hamburg beer), at €0.92 each! Walk around the harbour with one :)
