Dusseldorf

At first glance the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia appears to be just another affluent, sterile business hub. But dig deeper and you will be rewarded with a cutting-edge art scene, innovative architecture and a brilliant booze-fuelled nightlife. Given their proximity to The Netherlands, Dusseldorfers see themselves as the most broadminded of Germans.

The K20 on Kunstsammlung am Grabbeplatz is a must-see for its collection of works by Picasso, Matisse, Joseph Beuys and Paul Klee. If it is contemporary art you are after see K21 on Kunstsammlung in Standehaus. The NRW Forum Kultur und Wirschaft may have a clunky name but it has one of the loveliest gallery interiors you will ever see. 

The Rheinturm Tower makes a fantastic vantage point for panoramic views of the city. From its 168m high viewing deck you can get a bird's eye view of Frank Gehry's famous warped buildings and the Medienhafen, the revamped harbour area. This posh boulevard is home to Dusseldorf's designer boutiques and department stores. The Triton fountain is also worth a look. 

With the largest Japanese population in Europe, the city has no shortage of sushi bars. In fact, Dusseldorf's cosmopolitanism ensures a good range of other cuisines too. But when it comes to local food the usual meaty stodge of bratwurst, scnitznels and slabs of pork served with potatoes and sauerkraut is pretty much the norm here. But Dusseldorf does have a few local specialities worth seeking out. One of them is their delicious smoked herring served on slivers of rye bread while another is rhenish sauerbraten: pickled roast beef with stewed apple.

Dusseldorf has more bars and clubs than you can poke a stick at. These can be found in the Altstadt area, the perfect place to enjoy some of  Dusseldorf's local brews which include altbier (old beer) such as Schumaker, Fuchschen, Schlussel and Uerige. Make sure you also sample the local Killepitsch, a herb-based liqueur served in shot glasses which goes down a treat on freezing nights. What's more, most locally brewed drinks are organic so the subsequent hangovers are not too bad at all.

Cologne

From the airport

Train: every 10-15 minutes, trains leave for central Cologne.

Shop

At Teezeiten in the Sudstadt you can buy tea, high-class chocolate and stylish curios to take home. 
If you are a fan of design and writing, then visit Majesty Paper in Cologne: stationary, invitations and cards, it is heaven for all paper lovers.

The main Carnival event in Cologne is the Rose Monday Parade (February) but the underground highlight is the Geisterzug (ghost train) the night before. Drummers, brass bands, dancers, ghosts and ghouls come together to march through the city.

Belgisches Viertel, between the Ring and Westbahnhoff, is crammed full of fashionable but low-key boutiques, cool cafes and avant-garde restaurants. It is a great place to hand out.

Day trip

Phantasialand. With heart-stopping rides, waterslides and dinner shows, Phantasialand is the best adventure/fun park around. Don't miss the two latest rides, Aztec-themed Talocan and the thrilling African adventure Black Mamba.
Monschau. An unspoilt medieval village in a deep valley in the Eifel Nature Park. Packed with history and filled with gorgeous shops and restaurants, there is no better place to while away a winter day.

According to the Good Beer Guide, Germany boasts more than 1000 breweries and 7500 beers. Even if you drank a new beer everyday, it would take you 20 years to get through them.

But in Cologne, there is only one beer, Kolsch, and the only place you can get it is in the city. Unlike busy,  brashy Berlin, Cologne, which was heavily bombed during the Scond World War, has a distinct air of laid-back cool.

Sitting on the banks of the Rhine, the city also fairly easy to navigate, as all the roads lead back to its two-towered cathedral in the centre.

Sure, it may have a budding cultural and art scene, with more than 30 museums and galleries, but the rest of us, it is about chugging the Kolsch. A light and fruity pale ale, Kolsch is one of the few beers protected by its appellation of origin as if it were a wine.

By German law, only beers brewed in Cologne may be called Kolsch. Go to any of the traditional wooden taverns and you will be served by Kolsch waiters, known as Kobes, who are always clad in blue.

When the beer arrives in tall, cylindrical glasses, the Kobes will keep refilling, unless you put your beer mat on top of the glass. It works at 75p for 200ml.

For places to drink, the historic pub Gastatte Fruh am Dom, is the best place to begin. One of the city's oldest brauhouses (it survived the war), it features waiters running around at lightning speed, topping up glasses from a giant vat.

Brauhaus zur Schreckenskammer, overlooking the Rhine, is very social, with large communal tables. They serve uncarbonated Kolsch from oak barrels as well as Kolsch from the tap.

Afterwards, for variations on taste, check out the less hectic Brauhaus Sion around the corner. If you find that most of the patrons are 93-plus, check out the younger, hipper crowd at Scheinbar, a cool lounge in the upscale Belgisches district.

Of course, in Germany, beer and food are inseparable, and you will need something to soak up all that Kolsch.

And while German cuisine may begin and end in most people's mind as bratwurst and sauerkraut, in Cologne, the heartland of traditional Rhine cuisine, it is a different story.

The best place for local delicacies is undoubtedly Gastatte Fruh am Dom. Check out the dish called himmel und aed (heaven and earth) which is mashed potato with black pudding and apple sauce. For the real gastro-brave, try rheinischer soorbrode, beef marinated in wine, vinegar and spices.

Elsewhere, try hearty Rhineland dishes at Em Krutzche where highlights such as the boiled beef with horseradish have drawn luminaries such as Clinton and Blair.

If you are really down to your last euro, grab a bite at the Dom market where delights such as sausage or grilled steak are available at the stands.

But by the time, standing may be the one thing that proves at bit problematic.

Dortmund

From the airport

Bus: a shuttle bus travels non-stop between the airport and Central station (a 25-minute journey)

Shop

Heimatdesign showcases the creative power of Dortmund's young designers. Fashion accessories, clothes, books and more can all be purchased in this ambitious shop/exhibition space.
Heinz Wenk Galerie is a private art gallery selling contemporary paintings and sculptures.

Take a trip to Besucherbergwerk, Graf Wittekind, which dates back to the pre-industrial age and can be explored with professional mining scouts.

Fredenbaum Park is in the densely populated north of the city. Head there on a sunny Sunday afternoon when it looks like half the locals are out enjoying a little stroll.

Throughout the week, a number of stalls sell fresh fruit and vegetables on the main pedestrian shopping street, the Hellweg. Although the prices are high, so is the quality.

Arntstressa is one of the city's leafier boulevards. Located near vibrant Kaiserstrasse, it offers inquisitive visitors an interesting selection of small secluded cafes and bars.

Dortmund had 74 breweries in the mid 19th century and was known as the 'Beer Capital of Europe'. These days the total is a rather more subdued six.

Day trip

Bielefeld. University city Bielefeld boats some interesting historical landmarks, including Sparrenburg Castle which dates from 1240. Trains run regularly from Dortmund and take about an hour.
Arnhem. Visit the historic city with its famous bridge crossing the River Rhine. This interesting town in the Netherlands is only 110 kilometres away from Dortmund.

Lubeck

Lubeck was an important Hanseatic town. The imposing and very decorative Holstentorwas built in 1477. Behind it are the Salzspeicher warehouses dating from the 16th and 17th century where the salt from Leneburg was stored. To the North, Burgtor is an excellent example of a medieval fortification with a trefoil ogival arch. It was built in the 15th century. 

Bonn

Along the Bonngasse stands the pink-painted house of Beethoven where the famous composer was born on 16 December 1770 into a family originally from Malines (Belgium). At 16, the young Beethoven already enjoyed much fame as a musician in the service of the court chapel of the Elector. Six years later, he was to leave Bonn for good to live in Vienna. Ludwig van Beethoven composed the 9th Symphonie (Ode to Joy), which has been chosen as the European anthem in 1985.

Shop
For chocolate fans in Bonn, do not miss the Schokoladen for hundreds of types of chocolate and some amazing hot and cold beverages. 

Berlin

Airport
The efficient S-Bahn train leaves roughly every 10 minutes from Berlin-Schonefeld airport.

No other "noble pile" could so symbolise the ups and downs of German history. The Brandenburger Tur has been designed by C.G. Langhaus, 6 August 1791 saw its inauguration at the west-end of the fine boulevard "Unter den Linden". The stage of the 1918 revolution and the Nazi marches, it was destroyed in 1945. The gate was to be marked  by the construction of the wall in 1961 and its fall on the 9th of November 1989, thus becoming the symbol of the democratisation of the east and German reunification. The Brandenburg Gate was modelled on the Acropolis in Athens, with its six Doric columns.


Postdamer Platz is the city's new glass and steel epicentre linking East and West. Home to the Berlinale Film festival, cinemas, museums and restaurants. The world-famous Berlin Philharmonic is just down the road.

Prater Garten in Prenzlauer Berg is Berlin's oldest biergarten dating back to the mid-1800s and is still thronged with lcal beer lovers every evening.

Prenzlauer Berg is Berlin's most picturesque neighbourhood which houses many of the city's students and artists. The tree-lined streets are punctuated with buildings and roads being refurbished and re-laid, updated, modernised, nipped, tucked and styled. It is like the district is constantly shedding its skin. Prenzlberg is at Eberswalderstrasse U-Bahn. Prenzlauer Berg has three main streets: Eberswalderstrasse, Kastanienalle and Schonhauserallee. Down Eberswalderstrasse, for about five minutes, there is Mauerpark which was formerly part of the Berlin Wall. There is a flea market on Sundays. Oderberggerstrasse is one of the loveliest streets in Prenzlauer Berg: ice cream cafes, restaurants, bars and vintage boutiques.  This street intersects Prenzlauer Berg's most happening street, Kastanienallee: art supply shops, international restaurants, cinema, retro and vintage shops, lively bars at night. Kollwitzplatz is a cute green square with table tennis tables and an excellent eco-market on Saturdays.

The Badeschiff is one of Europe's most unusual swimming pools: it floats in the Spree River and is the perfect place to relax after a night out. 

Shop
Cover your head with one of the hundreds of original hats at stylish Heimat ( 13-14 Kastanienallee, Prenzlauer Berg)

Looking for a chandellier for a chandelier, Samurai sword or particular type of wig? The Komische Oper Fundusverkauf sells unwanted props ans costumes from the Comic Oper on the other side of the street. Unmissable (corner of Glinkastrasse and Behnrenstrasse)

The Optiking store sells only original vintage sunglasses and frames dating back to the 60s, 70s and 80s. It doesn't get funkier than this (34 Eberswalder Strasse, Prenzlauer Berg)



Day trip
Treptow. Venture out to Preptow to relax in the Badeschiff, a futuristic bubble on the Spree River containing a heated pool and two saunas.

Potsdam. The town of Postdam, once the summer residence of Prussian kings, is bursting with parks, palaces and charm. A highlight is Alexandrowka, a colony of traditional Russian houses. Potsdam is a 40-minute S-Bahn ride from Berlin main station.

Munich

From the airport
Train: The S1 and S8 run from 3.30am to midnight to Munich's central station (Hauptbanhof)


Shop: After a great holiday read? Head to the Hugendubel English bookshop, in the heart of the Old Town, for books, English magazines and city guides.
If there is one thing Munich is more famous for than beer, it is the city's car manufacturer, BMW. Fans should not miss the very cool BMW shop for everything from sleek sledges to kids' cars.

Dance: Die Registratur. Club-goers need only remember one name in Munich, die Registratur. Attracting a wealth of big-name DJs, this is a hotspot for the city's beautiful people. 

On a hot summer's day, nothing beats a dip in the Bad Maria Einsiedel outdoor pool. Part of the River Isar has been channelled off for swimming-giving you the chance to plunge into icy water, straight from the Alps.

Fancy trying your hand at skiing? Instead of trekking to the Alps, check out Munich's city slope, Skiarena Munchen, where two hours' fun costs 10 euros.

February in Munich  is one long month of partying during the annual Fasching celebrations (Carnival). Check out the processions, open-air events and fancy-dress balls. Lehel is one of Munich's classiest districts. Just a short hop from the city centre, you will find swish bars, restaurants and boutiques.

Munich's eye-catching Allianz Arena football stadium is made of transparent "cushions" filled with thousands of lights. These change colour, either red, white or blue, to mirror the colours of the team playing.

Day trip
Andechs. For the perfect combination of countryside, exercise and beer, head to the Andechs Monastery, a 50-minute S-Bahn ride. After a short hike from the station, you will arrive to the welcome of a litre of freshly brewed beer.
Blombergbahn. If hurtling down a hillside is your idea of fun, do not miss the Blombergbahn, one of Germany's longest sled runs. South of Munic, at Bad Tolz, the 5.5 kilometre run provides sledges for hire.