Our guide to Frankfurt

Overview

‘Think Germany – now think again’ ran the slogan on the German National Tourist Office’s UK promotional campaign posters launched late in 2006 to encourage more British visitors to consider the country as a holiday destination.

It was appropriate, and topical. After 60 years of trying, Germany finally managed to shake off the guilty shadows of its past during the immensely successful football World Cup staged in the country during the summer of 2006.

Once again, it became ‘OK’ to wave the national flag with pride and without fear of being accused of inappropriate nationalism, and the whole country seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at its new-found ability to express its distinctive national character again.

Modern Germany has come of age, and while it is still suffering the economic consequences of reunification in October 1990, it is clearly a nation coming to terms with itself.

The country is the product of a long history of division, first as a loose collection of independent (and often warring) states before original unification during the 19th century, and latterly as West and communist East Germany following WWII.

For this reason alone, it is a country of remarkable diversity, with cultural differences clearly evident as one travels around the various states that make up the modern Federal Republic.

Germany is a heady mix of history and nature, fine arts and youthful rebellion. Its capital, Berlin, has a reputation gained from its decades as a divided city, as a hedonistic, ‘on the edge’ community where almost anything goes. In contrast, the quiet academic surroundings of historic university cities like Heidelberg, convey a quiet gentility quite at odds with the atmosphere of the capital.

One thing is certain: wherever one ventures in Germany, there is something interesting to see or do. It is a goldmine for the adventurous tourist in search of something different to the norm.

Author

Sylvia Huber

Weather & Climate

Climate

Temperate throughout the country with warm summers and cold winters, but prolonged periods of frost or snow are rare. Rain falls throughout the year. The average January daytime temperature is 3°C (38°F) and in July is 22°C (72°F). Extremes commonly reach -10°C (5°F) in winter and 35°C (95°F) in the summer months.

Required Clothing

European clothes with light- to mediumweight in summer, medium- to heavyweights in winter.