Germany city breaks

Families: Marvel at Miniatur Wunderland, the world’s largest model railway, in Hamburg. Nearly 900 trains pass through models of the Alps, America, Scandinavia and other locales.
 
Football fans: Watch FC Bayern München, one of Europe’s top football teams, play a home match in Munich’s Allianz Arena.
 
Festive Shoppers: Starting in November, explore Germany’s traditional Christmas markets for unique handmade gifts and mulled wine.

Language: The language spoken in Germany is German.

Currency: The currency used in Germany is the Euro (€).

Local time: Germany is one hour ahead of UK time.

Fly: Berlin Brandenburg (BER), Bremen (BRE), Cologne Bonn (CGN), Dortmund (DTM), Düsseldorf (DUS), Frankfurt (FRA), Hamburg (HAM), Leipzig (LEJ), Munich (MUC) and Stuttgart (STR).

Flight time from UK: Around 2 hours.

Tourist information: Click through to the German National Tourist Board for lots of insider tips!

Visa / health / security etc: Check out all the latest Germany travel advice from the FCDO before your trip.

By train: The country has a sophisticated and affordable rail network that includes high-speed trains.
 
By public transport: All major cities have extensive light rail, underground metro and bus networks.
 
By bicycle: Most German cities have a traffic layout designed to be bicycle-friendly, and Cologne and Berlin have multiple cycle lanes.

Munich Oktoberfest: The 17-day festival opens with a parade in late September. More than six million people arrive for the Oktoberfest beer, Bavarian delicacies and fairground amusements.
 
Gay pride: Cologne hosts one of Europe’s largest LGBT events each year. A week of festivals, parties and political forums ends with a Sunday parade across the city.
 
Cinema spectacular: The film industry’s elite gather every February for the Berlinale International Film Festival, the world's largest, which shows more than 400 films and sells 300,000 tickets.