Heidelberg, Germany

Germany was once the dividing line between Western and Eastern Europe, but now sits at the heart of the new Europe.

November 2009 is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. When East Germany was reunified, five new regions in the north-east became part of Germany.

We have added German vacation rentals to Slow Europe. We searched to find agencies with vacation rentals in Germany and good directory sites with rent-by-owner listings for Germany.

New Section: Find Vacation Rentals in Germany

I found only a few agencies based in the US offering vacation rentals in Germany. This is surprising when you think of the hundreds of agencies for Italy and France. I found a few local apartments and some good directory sites with rent-by-owner listings.

If you know of any good resources for vacation rentals in Germany please post here or email me. I am going to continue searching and will be adding to our database.

More About Traveling in Germany

Bamberg, Germany

Too often we get distracted by national stereotypes and the recent history of the area and forget what an incredible country Germany is and how much it has to offer to the tourist – historic towns, beautiful countryside and exciting cities. A few things to do: explore the many rivers including the Rhine River which goes through some of the most historic areas, take the “Romantic Road” along the western edge of Bavaria, explore the National Parks. The Bavarian Forest is a popular destination for walkers and you can easily go into the Czech Republic from there.

Steve and I have been to Germany a few times. We loved the town of Constance (Konstanz) on Lake Constance in southern Germany on the border with Switzerland. We have friends near Stuttgart and have visited that area a few times. We love the historic towns and the walking trails. For me, because I am a vegetarian, the food can be too meat-centered and heavy, but we always find something good in restaurants. I still remember the incredible fresh salads served in Constance.

Read more about traveling in Germany on Slow Europe:

• The Bavarian Forest – Margaret who offers vacation rentals in Bayerisch Eisenstein (Bavarian Forest Holidays) tells us about this area.
• Alpine Adventures – Kathy Wood who offers small group tours of Germany and Austria (European Experiences) show us things to see and do when based in the German and Austrian Alps.

Resources

• Wikipedia – German Reunification
• Wikipedia – New Länder: The five new states in Germany, after East Germany reunification with Germany.

Photos are from my friend Joan who took a river cruise through Germany this summer.