Vacation Rentals in Germany
Germany (Deutschland) sits in the center of northern Europe, stretching from the North Sea to the Alps. You can visit historic towns along the Rhine River, castles in the Bavarian Alps or have an outdoors vacation in the National Parks. Germans like to vacation in their own country and there is a good system of vacation rentals in the cities and rural areas. November 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, followed by the reunification of East and West Germany.
Note the German terms for vacation rentals are ferienwohnung (holiday apartment) or ferienhaus (holiday house). For more rural rentals, you will also see the term bauernhof (farmhouse).
Websites for local agencies or owners may be in German. Use Google Translate or Bing Translator in your browser to get an English version of the website.
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Click the map or links below to see our recommended vacation rentals, by area, in Germany.
Find Vacation Rentals in Germany
Germany consists of 16 states (in German they are Länder - Länd in the singular - or Bundesländer). Of these 16 states, three are city states - the cities of Berlin and Hamburg, plus Bremen which consists of the two cities Bremen and Bremerhaven.
East Germany: After German Reunification in October 1990, the previous East Germany states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), Saxony (Sachsen) and Thuringia (Thüringen) joined Germany. East Berlin joined with West Berlin.
Cities in Germany
Berlin: Berlin has always been a cultural center, from the days when it was the capital of Prussia, to the pre-war times of the 1920s and 30s, during the years when it was divided into east and west, and now with its museums, art gallerys and exciting night-life.
Munich (München): Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is known for Oktoberfest, the beer drinking festival in October. There are wonderful art museums, the BMW museum, beautiful historic areas, great restaurants.
Areas of Germany
Baden-Württemberg: The south-western part of Germany, bordering on France and Switzerland has popular destinations such as The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) and Lake Constance (Bodensee).
Bavaria (Bayern): Bavaria, in the south-east corner, is Germany's top tourist area, with the famous "Romantic Road", the Bavarian Alps and their fairytale castles, and the Bavarian Forest National Park.
Rhine Valley & Central Europe: Central west Germany with the Rhine River valley, wine growing regions and the cities of Frankfurt, Cologne (Köln), Wiesbaden and Düsseldorf. States - Hesse (Hessen), North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), Saarland.
Northern Germany: In the north Germany has both North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts. Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany, is on the River Elbe and is a major port. States - Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Schleswig-Holstein.
Eastern Germany: The five states of the former East Germany in the north east of Germany, including the cities of Leipzig and Dresden. States - Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Saxony (Sachsen), Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), Thuringia (Thüringen).
Resources
- Wikipedia - States of Germany | Wikipedia - List of Cities in Germany
- Germany Tourism - Romantic Road | About.com - Romantic Road: A charming drive (or bike ride) along the western edge of Bavaria in southern Germany, 350 km from Würzburg (in the Franken wine producing region) to Füssen. Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles, famous fairytale castles dating from the 19th century, are at the end of the Romantic Road in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps.
- Hamburg Vacation Rentals with reviews and photos, TripAdvisor can help you find a beautiful vacation rental in Hamburg.
Travel Articles on Slow Europe
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Alpine Adventures: Kathy Wood of European Experiences writes about her favorite mountain areas in the Bavarian Alps (southern Germany) and the Salzkammergut (Austria).
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The Bavarian Forest: Margaret Leach of Bavarian Forest Holidays writes about her corner of Germany, in the Bavarian Forest on the border with the Czech Republic.
Slow Europe shows you how to find vacation rentals in Europe - villas, houses, cottages or apartments that you rent by the week.