Sergio Mattarella visits Germany ahead of 80th anniversary of Marzabotto massacre

Oct 8, 2024 • 7 min read

This year, it felt like everyone I knew was visiting Portugal — which makes sense, considering the country saw a record-breaking number of tourists between January and June.

After Norway was added to China's visa-free list earlier in September, five more European countries have made the cut.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Celia Robbins, an American who relocated to Berlin with her family. She works at the Embassy of the United States of America in Berlin. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

The cost of Germany's Deutschland-Ticket - a cheap transport pass - is set to rise by about 18 per cent next year, a senior official said on Monday.

In addition to its four world-class theme parks, Walt Disney World is home to two water parks of the same caliber. Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park and Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park have the same level of theming and the exciting blend of thrilling and family-friendly attractions as Disney's other parks. Besides jumping into the pool at your Disney World hotel, there's no better way to cool off on a hot Florida day.

Germany’s got a big secret: It’s got islands. And not the rocky, desolate, and uninhabited kind, but islands with miles of sandy beaches, picturesque cliffs, peaceful, protected forests, and seaside luxury hotels. The Germans obviously are in the know, and because of their geographical locations, the Dutch and Danes are, too. But nobody else in in the world seems to remember that Germany has a coastline on both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, let alone that this coastline is peppered with dozens of islands. The biggest of all the German islands is Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, itself a wildly underrated area. While Rügen takes a little effort to get to, the trip is hardly insurmountable, and travelers who want to see Germany away from the big urban centers, internationally known beer festivals, and packed tourist attractions would be remiss to pass on it.

My recent week-long trip to Northern Germany didn’t have just one theme — it was a hodgepodge of activities and destinations. I had several guided cultural visits planned, as well as a couple of hikes and nature-focused outings, a city tour, two nights in a luxurious seaside hotel, some beach lounging, a lot of time spent on buses and trains, and loads of walking — all of which had to be done while working. Not only that, but I was scheduled to spend several days on the beautiful island of Rügen, where the summers are usually sunny and warm, before making my way to Hamburg, where it rains so much that my tour guide called it “Umbrella City.” Needless to say that having to cover all of my bases for this trip made for some difficult decisions when it was time to pack my bags. While I needed a couple of short-sleeved dressy blouses for the museum visits, I also couldn’t go without a rain jacket, comfortable walking shoes, or sunscreen. Of course, I ended up packing too much, but I was never caught without something I desperately needed and, in the end, that’s what matters.

I think of myself as a well-traveled individual with a very solid knowledge of geography and tourist sights. Most of the people at Matador Network see themselves in the same way. After all, we live and breathe travel day in, day out. Yet, apparently, none of us know much about Germany.

Update: September 24, 2024, at 8:05 a.m. ET

On season four of Netflix's "Emily in Paris," the titular character flies to Rome for a date. But to throw her boss off her trail while requesting time off, she tells the office she's actually going to Kraków.

Waiheke Island, off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand, is known to attract a wealthy crowd.