Germany

Europe’s hippest capital boasts non-stop nightlife, cutting-edge fashion, cosmopolitan eats and museum treasures galore. At the centre of the World and Cold Wars, it also oozes history, much of it sobering.

This jewel box of splendid architecture has it all, from fascinating history to haute couture and world-class art, and a beguiling, endearing culture enriched by cavernous beer halls, traditional Bavarian garb and incomparable oompah bands. In October it hosts the world-famous, irrepressible and irresistible Oktoberfest.

Explore the castles, vineyards and vestiges of the Roman empire from the comfort of a cruise ship on Europe’s busiest river.

Remarkable and fantastical Disney-esque castle built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig, complete with Gothic turrets, drawbridges and ridiculously extravagant interiors. Featured in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The world’s biggest collective drink-up sees roughly seven million visitors drink 7.5 million litres of beer, mostly in enormous tents, egged on by traditional Bavarian oompah bands.

Munich’s Kunstareal (art district) is one of the world’s great cultural hubs, home to over 40 art galleries, 18 museums and three world-class art museums.

An extraordinary UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site home to five world-class museums, covering 6,000 years of cultural and art history. An essential stop on any Berlin itinerary.

A tour de force of treasures amassed by German archaeologists. The superb site pulls together three previous museums covering Islamic art, classical antiquities and the ancient Near East.

Impressive, history-laden 18th-century triumphal arch that today stands as the great symbol of reunified Germany.

The first museum to be built on Museum Island set in a stunning neoclassical building, houses exhibits from the Collection of Classical Antiquities. The permanent Greek collection is displayed on the ground floor, with special exhibitions on the second.