German city breaks: From Berlin's nightlife to Leipzig's musical legacy

In the first of a three-part series on this European powerhouse, produced in association with Lonely Planet, Andrea Schulte-Peevers explores Berlin and beyond

HafenCity, a former docklands area turned fashionable waterfront district (Getty) (Getty)

The idea of visiting Germany often elicits visions of Lederhosen, beer and fairytale castles. Of course, you can encounter plenty of these amiably old-fashioned clichés, but if you want to connect with the zeitgeist of this thoroughly modern nation you need to set your sights on its dynamic cities.

From Berlin, with its hot-stepping nightlife, to Munich, with its historic grandeur, urban Germany wows with progressive cuisine, a cultural kaleidoscope that ranges from underground raves to opera, and a rich architectural tapestry encompassing Gothic cathedrals and cutting-edge designs by the likes of Norman Foster and Daniel Libeskind.

Being the land of "poets and thinkers", Germany's cities also offer plenty of opportunities to walk in the footsteps of famous folk who've left their mark on history. Bismarck and Marx, Einstein and Hitler, JFK and Bowie, they've all shaped – and been shaped by – Berlin, whose richly textured past stares you in the face at every turn. Leipzig is famous for its musical legacy, being not only the birthplace of Richard Wagner but also the city where Johann Sebastian Bach was buried after working as cantor for 27 years. And in Frankfurt, the house where Germany's literary lion Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born is now a museum.

Spring is a great time to visit, because warmer temperatures and longer days mean that much of life moves outdoors, beer gardens open and the festival season kicks into gear. Highlights include the Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures; karneval-berlin.de), Berlin's answer to Notting Hill Carnival, and the Hafengeburtstag Hamburg (hamburg.de/hafengeburtstag), the world's largest port festival, both in May. June brings the Bach Festival (bachfestleipzig.de) to Leipzig and the Fête de la Musique (fetedelamusique.de) to cities nation-wide.

Art aficionados can enjoy several high-profile exhibitions in springtime. Openings this month include Alibis: Sigmar Polke, a retrospective of 300 works by the late Postmodern German painter, at Cologne's Museum Ludwig (00 49 221 2212 6165; museum-ludwig.de; €14) until 5 July. Monet and the Birth of Impressionism at the Städel Museum (00 49 69 605 0980; staedelmuseum.de; €14) in Frankfurt runs until 21 June, while the newly renovated Deichtor- hallen (Hall of Contemporary Art; 00 49 40 3210 3200; deichtorhallen.de; €10) in Hamburg presents Picasso in Contemporary Art from 1 April to 12 July.

Germany's key cities are well linked to the UK. The airlines offering the most connections are easyJet (0330 365 5454; easyjet.com), Ryanair (0871 246 0000; ryanair.com), British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com), Air Berlin (0871 500 0737; airberlin.com), Lufthansa (0371 945 9747; lufthansa.com), CityJet (0871 221 2452; cityjet.com) and Germanwings (0330 365 1918; germanwings.com), with Jet2 (0800 408 1350; jet2.com) and Flybe (0371 700 2000; flybe.com) offering additional departures from regional airports.

It has also become a lot easier to go by train, with the process simplified since Eurostar (03432 186 186; eurostar.com) started selling fares from London to German cities in 2014. The tickets include travel aboard Eurostar to Brussels and an onward connection via high-speed intercity train operated by Deutsche Bahn. Currently, these fares cover six cities including Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich.

Operators offering breaks include Cities Direct (01242 536 900; citiesdirect.co.uk), Railbookers (020 3780 2222; railbookers.com) and Fred Holidays (0808 115 8538; fredholidays.co.uk).

Frankfurt

Germany's financial capital may appear straight-laced at first, but behind the corporate demeanour lurks a city brimming with cultural, culinary and retail diversions (frankfurt-tourismus.de). Head to the south bank of the Main River for stellar views of the high-rise skyline and you can pick your favourite from among the dozen museums lined up along Museumsufer.

The most significant is the 200-year-old Städel Museum (l00 49 69 605 0980; staedelmuseum.de), a showcase of 700 years of European art. From here, it's a quick stroll to the charming Sachsenhausen district, home to indie boutiques, galleries, sleek bars and traditional apple wine taverns, with their long, polished tables and old-world décor.

Meanwhile, the former red-light district around the main train station has become gentrified, and now hosts a growing number of in-demand restaurants and designer hotels such as the 25Hours Hotel Frankfurt by Levi's (00 49 69 256 6770; 25hours-hotels.com) whose eclectic décor was inspired by the American jeans brand. Doubles from €84, room only.

In the pulsating East End, the Lindberg is a 19th-century mansion-turned-playful suite hotel (00 49 69 430 591 530; das-lindenberg.de). Doubles from €99, room only.

Berlin

Visitors to Germany's charismatic capital are spoilt for choice (visitberlin.de). You could visit the sites of milestones in history – the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie among them – or spend time in some of the city's 175 museums.

Top picks include the Pergamon Museum (00 49 30 266 424 242; smb.museum; admission €12), home to monumental antiquities such as the Babylonian Ishtar Gate, and the adjacent Neues Museum (00 49 30 266 424 242; smb.museum; €12) whose star exhibit is the 3,500-year-old bust of Egypt's Queen Nefertiti.

Follow up with a spin around the charismatic Hackescher Markt area, Berlin's historic Jewish quarter, which teems with trendy cafés, boutiques and restaurants serving everything from such classics as Eisbein (boiled pork hock) to Michelin-starred fare. After dark, go bar-hopping here or head to Kreuzberg, the city's nightlife hub, for more alternative flair around Kottbusser Tor and along Schlesische Strasse.

With 270 shops, the elegant Mall of Berlin (00 49 30 2062 1770; mallofberlin.de), which opened last September, is the city's largest retail centre, home to scores of fashion and food outlets, from Aldi to Zara.

Also drawing punters is the snazzy Bikini Berlin (00 49 30 5549 6454; bikiniberlin.de), a beehive of concept stores in a restored 1950s complex overlooking the zoo, in the western end of the city centre. This area is also home to stylish new accommodation such as the Hotel am Steinplatz (00 49 30 554 4440; hotelsteinplatz.com; doubles from €125) and the Hotel Zoo Berlin (00 49 30 884 370; hotelzoo.de; from €167).

Munich

It is celebrated for Oktoberfest (oktoberfest.de) and BMW, but Munich is no slouch when it comes to culture. It's easy to spend days revelling in European art at its three Pinakothek museums (00 49 89 2380 5360; pinakothek.de; €12) or at the recently re-opened Lenbachhaus (00 49 89 2333 2000; lenbachhaus.de; €12), with a new wing by Norman Foster.

History buffs, meanwhile, should make a note of the opening of the Nazi Documentation Centre (0049 89 233 67011; ns-dokumentationszentrum-muenchen.de) on 30 April on the site of the party's former headquarters. The permanent exhibit will address the ramifications of Nazi dictatorship, with a focus on Munich's role.

FC Bayern Munich, Germany's top premier league football team, plays at the spectacular Allianz Arena (00 49 89 6993 1222; allianz-arena.de; stadium tour €10), but you can see the team free of charge at public training sessions at the FC Bayern Training Facility (00 49 89 699 310; bit.ly/BayernTrain).

Glockenbachviertel is a great neighbourhood to go local. Check out the cafés and boutiques along Fraunhoferstrasse and its side streets, or bed down in style at the new Flushing Meadows design hotel (00 49 89 5527 9170; flushingmeadowshotel.com; doubles from €218, room only). Even if you're not staying, pay a visit to the rooftop bar in summer, for cocktails with leafy, sunset views.

Cologne

Cologne is a city defined by water, most notably by the invention of eau de cologne (literally "water from Cologne") in 1709 and by the mighty Rhine, which slices through it. KD River Cruises (00 49 221 2088 318; k-d.com; €9.50) operates one-hour boat tours taking in the splendid historic skyline that's dominated by the lacy twin turrets of the Cologne Cathedral (00 49 221 1794 0555; koelner-dom.de; free entry). Views from the top of this treasure-filled Gothic landmark are breathtaking indeed.

The people of Cologne are known for their joie de vivre, a trait that's in evidence during February's Carnival season (koelnerkarneval.de) when costumed revellers take to the streets.

At other times, you can still catch the vibe over local Kölsch beer in a traditional brewpub.

Apparently, the Romans, who founded Cologne in the 1st century, also knew how to party, if the Dionysus mosaic, featuring the god of wine, at the Romano-Germanic Museum (00 49 221 24438; museenkoeln.de; entry €9) is any indication.

Cologne also has several high-calibre art galleries, including the Museum Ludwig (00 49 221 2212 6165; museum-ludwig.de; admission €14) with its superb 20th-century works by the likes of Warhol and Lichtenstein.

To stay the night in a work of art, Hotel im Wasserturm (00 49 221 200 80; hotel-im -wasserturm.de) is a stylishly adapted 19th-century water tower, where doubles – some with views of the cathedral – start at €178, room only.

Hamburg

Germany's bid for host city of the 2024 Olympics, Hamburg (english.hamburg.de) has plenty of irons in the fire.

It'll be a couple of years before the first musical sounds ring through the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Elbphilharmonie (elbphilharmonie.de), but the concert hall is already cutting a spectacular presence as the gateway to the HafenCity, a former docklands area-turned-fashionable waterfront district. Drop by the Kesselhaus InfoCenter (00 49 40 3690 1799; hafencity.com) for the low-down on this futuristic project.

Alternatively, try the fascinating Beatles Tour (00 49 40 3003 3790; hempels-music tour.com; €25) which takes fans to venues where the Fab Four cut their teeth in the 1960s. Most of them are in St Pauli, the spruced-up red-light district whose clubs, bars and theatres now draw people from all walks of life.

North of St Pauli, the Schanzenviertel and Karolinenviertel quarters attract a bohemian crowd and teem with cool bars, boutiques and eateries.

The retro-looking Ameron Hotel Speicherstadt (00 49 40 638 5890; hotel-speicherstadt.de) is a newcomer to the redbrick warehouse district by the port. Doubles in this former coffee exchange start at €149, room only.

Leipzig

One of eastern Germany's most charismatic cities, Leipzig (leipzig.travel) owes its nickname, "City of Heroes", to its leading role in the downfall of the Berlin Wall.

A key place of protest was the Neoclassical Nikolaikirche (00 49 341 124 5380; nikolaikirche- leipzig.de; free entry), a church that started hosting peace prayers in 1982. To find out what life in East Germany was like before 1989, visit the Zeitgeschichtliches Forum (00 49 341 222 00; hdg.de/leipzig; free).

Since then, Leipzig has resumed its historic role as one of Germany's economic and cultural powerhouses. Catch a concert by the Gewandhaus Orchestra (00 49 341 127 0280; gewandhaus.de) or the Thomanerchor Thomanerchor (00 49 341 2222 4200; thomanerchor.de), a boys' choir once led by Johann Sebastian Bach. You can visit the composer's grave at St Thomas's Church, where the choir performs (00 49 341 2222 4200; thomaskirche.org) and mug up on the man at the nearby Bach Museum (00 49 341 913 7202; bachmuseumleipzig.de; €8).

For contemporary sounds, hit the bars and clubs in the Connewitz and Südvorstadt boroughs, near the main university campus.

A handy base of operation is the Motel One Leipzig Nikolaikirche (00 49 341 3374 370; motel-one.com), a new city-centre budget designer hotel in the city centre, where doubles start at €79, room only.

Lonely Planet’s Germany guide is priced £16.99 shop.lonelyplanet.com.