After more than a decade of putting itself back together again, Germany and its visitors are reaping the rewards of unity. Huge investments in infrastructure and services are not only erasing the Cold War dividing lines, scars caused by World War II are also finally disappearing. In real terms, this means that travelers are likely to move around the country faster, dine better and experience new attractions, such as the Reichstag's glass dome. A lot has changed, yet chances are that repeat visitors will still find the things they always liked: the restaurant serving huge helpings of sauerbraten or the
biergarten with liter upon liter of lager and wheat beer.
Once you stop looking at Germany strictly in terms of east and west, you'll start to see it as the Germans do: as regions sharply defined by dialect, food, traditions and history. For the best perspective, sample as many regions as possible. Booming Berlin, now the No. 1 tourist magnet, is the clearest benefactor of reunification. Visitors to the cultural centers of Dresden, Leipzig and Weimar in eastern Germany will finRead More ... d improved amenities there as well. The north has the delightful old seafaring cities of Hamburg and Bremen. Along the Rhine and Moselle rivers are picturesque castles and steep, terraced vineyards. The Grimm Brothers collected the tales they heard in a trail of villages from Hanau to Bremen. In the south are snowcapped Alps, the alluring Black Forest, Munich, and Bavaria's boisterous beer halls and rococo palaces and churches.Although it has plenty of fairy-tale sights and picturesque scenery that is reminiscent of medieval times, Germany is without a doubt a postindustrial, multicultural country with all the inherent advantages and conflicts. Reunification is a huge social and economic undertaking, and it comes on top of an already heavy and, at times, troubling history. Travelers to Germany will probably not be affected by much of this, but on the other hand, visitors shouldn't expect all parts of the country, at all times, to be an Oktoberfest.
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