Germany y’all! I’m just coming off my first proper trip to Germany (hosted by Germany Tourism), and a trip it was, visiting 6 cities in 9 days. In a word: Amazing. I don’t know if I’ve received hospitality in Europe like I did in Germany. And at every turn I found myself continuously surprised by culinary discoveries I had no idea about and fascinated by the depth of the country's history. Believe me, there’s more to Germany’s food scene than bratwursts and pilsners and far more to Germany’s culture and history than “The War,” as locals call it.

I intentionally wanted to experience Germany in a way that most Americans don’t. This meant not visiting many of Germany’s largest, most popular cities, like Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Berlin (I spent a total of just a couple hours in Berlin). Rather, it meant visiting some of the lesser-known cities, especially to Americans, like Würzburg and Siegburg. It included token German experiences, like visiting biergartens, but also meant more unique experiences like sleeping in a brewery that doubles as an inn, hiking on a long-distance hiking trail system, and even driving a tractor to a pub (yes, really).

I think what stood out the most was the diversity of landscapes, cultures, and experiences among cities that were all within a train ride of one another. This included things like the Japanese influence of Dusseldorf, home to the third-largest Japanese community in Europe, and the grandiose cathedrals of nearby Cologne that dominated every view in the city. Elsewhere, the beer culture of Bamberg, which has one of the highest concentration of breweries in the world, and just an hour away, the wineries of Wurzburg, which is home to three of Germany’s largest wineries.

But while I’ll be sharing more about my trip in the coming weeks, today I wanted to give a little taste of each of the main German cities I visited. See a few of my favorite photos from my trip to Germany below.

Dusseldorf

Cologne

Bamberg

Würzburg