Climate

Located at the heart of Europe, Germany has a temperate climate with regional variations. The best weather is from May to October. Winter is freezing and wet.

Berlin:finally in from the cold

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 ushered in a new era for this city, long cloak and dagger capital of the cold war. The Berlin of today is a dynamic and creative city with abundant theatre and music with imposing public buildings, splendid museums, sophisticated restaurants, and a host of pubs and clubs.

Transport:getting there and getting around

Berlin is not well served with direct flights. Connections are usually made through hubs like Frankfurt or Amsterdam. You can reach Berlin by bus from most European cities and German trains run like clockwork.

Berlin is walker and cyclist friendly and its underground system, the U/S Bahn is efficient. There's a new tram system in the eastern parts of the city.

Climate

Rain is possible in any month. The winter months from November to early March, tend to be gloomy with temperatures often dropping below freezing.

Accommodation:from cheap stays to luxury resorts

Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Berlin hotels

Events:what's on and what's hot

Berlin's calendar is loaded with annual fairs, festivals, concerts and parties.

*The Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival), the world's second largest, is held in February.

*April sees Festage (Festival Days) a host of gala concerts and operas held over 10 days.

*Christopher Street Day in June is Berlin's big gay event.

*August features JazzFest Berlin.

*In November Christmas markets are held throughout the city.

Munich: Bavarian good living

Capital of the southern province of Bavaria, Munich brings to mind images of ledehosen and raised foaming steins of beer. In fact Munich is a sophisticated city that's home to a multitude of cultural offerings including museums and a lively arts scene.

transport:getting there and getting around

Munich's Franz-Josef-Strauss Flughafen serves flights bound for Europe, New York and Sydney, either direct or via Frankfurt. It also connects with many German cities daily. Rapid trains connect with all the major German cities as well as Vienna, Prague, Zurich, Rome and Paris.

Getting around Munich is easy via an excellent public transport network which includes an underground and buses. You can also cycle.

climate

May to September are the finest months. April-May and September-October offer sunny weather too. November to March is a time of sub-zero temperatures and sunless skies.

Accommodation:from cheap stays to luxury resorts

Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Munich hotels

Events:what's on and what's hot

Munich features events and festivals all year round.

*Fasching in January is a bawdy six-week-long extravaganza of street parties and balls.

*Lent comes to an end in March with Starkbierzeit, a time for quaffing strong brews

*April is the time for a mini Oktoberfest known as Fruhlingsfest.

*June features the Munich Film Festival.

*Christopher Street Day in July is a three day gay fest, celebrated with street parties.

*Oktoberfest, the world's premier pub bash, is held, surprisingly, in September.

Frankfurt:big city with a heart

Frankfurt is often seen as a neat and tidy business city with no real soul. In fact Frankfurt spends more on the arts than other city in Europe and there's always something on at one of its many museums.

transport:getting there and getting around

Frankfurt is the major European rail and air transport hub. Flughafen Frankfurt-am-Main receives flights from all over the world and Hauptbahnhof is Germany's busiest main train station. Long-distance buses connect Frankfurt with almost all countries in easter and western Europe.

Frankfurt is not a practical city for walking. Luckily, it has a first-class public transport system composed of the city's bus, tram, S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines. Cycling is also an attractive option as most streets have designated bike lanes.

climate

Typical for Germany with freezing winters with frequent storms. The summer months of June to August are hot and prone to afternoon thunderstorms.

Accommodation:from cheap stays to luxury resorts

Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Frankfurt hotels

events:what's on and what's hot

*February in Frankfurt is marked with the pre-Lent Fastnacht parades.

*In March, there's the International Music Trade Fair.

*Summer has many events to celebrate Frankfurt's famed apple wine.

*In July, the riverside springs to life for Museumsuferfest with art, music and exhibitions.

*September/October is the time for the world's largest Book Fair, and the International Jazz Festival.