Germany, it is not the first place you think of for a family holiday, is it? Berlin for a weekend with your other half, perhaps. A lads’ weekend in Munich for Oktoberfest. Going skiing or visiting a Christmas market and binging on sausages and mulled wine, yes, lovely. But a family summer holiday? Hmm, don’t know about that, I hear you say.
But do you know what? You’d be surprised how great German holidays can be. It always seems to surprise people that here in Germany we get temperatures between 25°C and 40°C in the summer. There are small scale open air water parks in almost every town, plenty of campsites as well as Centre Parcs, excellent family friendly hotels, B&Bs and youth hostels adapted specially for families.
Then there’s the scenery. There are parts of Germany that are simply breath-taking – the Alps, the Black Forest, the vineyards along the Saar, Mosel and Rhein rivers, the lake districts of Bavaria, the coastline in the north. That’s only going on what I have seen personally.
When friends and family see the photos and hear about our German holidays, they are always surprised at how great it looks. If it were France, Spain, Italy or even Croatia we’d been in, their reactions wouldn’t be the same. Everyone knows they are great holiday destinations. Germany on the other hand rarely gets a look in.
So I’ve decided to take it upon myself to promote Germany a bit. It is not all beer, sausages and lederhosen, and isn’t quite as straight-laced as you might think. Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll be posting on Sundays about our holidays.
It should give you an idea of what is available – from budget trips like staying in a youth hostel in the Alps or airbnb-ing in a lakeside village to farm holidays and full-board stays in family-centered hotels complete with pool, childcare, pony riding and spa. I’ll also be looking at towns and cities (Dresden, Berlin, Heidelberg), amenities and sights.
If that’s got you interested, then take a look at the posts I wrote last year on Playmobil Fun Park, our camping trip , our visit to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and my account of summer as it is lived by my children.
Remember to pop back next Sunday to read all about our brilliant budget holiday, staying in a youth hostel with a family of five.
My husband was in Germany a good bit when he was younger and through his teenage years and he always says the same thing. It’s an underrated place to visit. Looking forward to seeing your posts and photographs.
It really is. Your husband is right. People have a completely different idea of how life here is. I was the same before I moved here.
Completely agree. I spent some time working around Germany years ago and thought it was definitely somewhere I’d come back to on holiday. Still haven’t quite managed it yet. But my OH’s grandmother was German, and we harbour plans to pack up the buggy, travel cot, etc. and take the little ones over to get in touch with a bit of their heritage and see some extended family. One day…
Oh do come back for a family holiday Pat. Germany has so much to offer and price-wise is quite reasonable too. Where are your husband’s relations, do you know?
I think Germany is getting popular as a place to visit. I have heard a few people go there lately! You point out a lot of lovey things to see & do! Thanks so much for linking up with us at #bloggerclubuk
In my experience it is popular for short breaks but not family holidays. There really is a lot to see and do here as well as a brilliant public transport infrastructure.
Thanks for stopping by Becky.