Not all 38 listings are exclusive to Germany—some are shared with other European countries. Many include multiple sites within one region of Germany or more widely across the country.

Protect and preserve

The GNTB Chief Executive Petra Hedorfer is busy telling the world about Germany’s “political obligation to protect and preserve” the World Heritage on its territory. “Looking after these World Heritage sites in a sustainable and responsible manner is therefore of great importance,” says Frau Hedorfer.

So GNTB staff are keen to play the UNESCO card. And rightly so, for Germany does have a fabulous range of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. They include historical town centers such as Lübeck, Quedlinburg and Bamberg; the cradle of German Classicism in Weimar; and many architectural sites such as the Bauhaus legacy (mainly in Dessau, but in a more limited way in Weimar too), the Fagus factory in Alfeld and the Modernist housing estates of Berlin.

Old town in Quedlinburg is a World Heritage Centre that dates back to the 900s. Photo: Stefan Munder

Castles and palaces, parks and gardens

There are castles and palaces such as those in Eisenach and Potsdam; cathedrals aplenty, among them those in Cologne, Aachen and Hildesheim; and a feast of wonderful garden landscapes including Muskauer Park (a cross-border landscape park in the Lausitz region that extends over the River Neisse into neighboring Poland).

Among Germany’s World Heritage sites are two very distinctive natural landscapes: the tidal flats of the Wadden Sea and several areas of ancient beech forests, mainly in eastern Germany. The country’s industrial heritage is also very well showcased on the UNESCO List with old mines in the Harz Mountains and the Ruhr region getting a mention. The Völklingen Ironworks in Saarland also feature on the list.

Download the app

Each of Germany’s 38 World Heritage sites is worth a journey in its own right. And you can discover all of them with one free app available on the iTunes site.

GNTB’s current campaign to foreground UNESCO World Heritage is truly impressive. But perhaps we should contextualize this development. Germany is the only country in Europe to have suffered the ignominy of having a site deleted from the UNESCO List. Dresden secured a place on the coveted list in 2004—but has since been deleted.

The Dresden affair

The inscription cited the cultural landscapes of the Elbe Valley which preserve key elements from Saxony’s early industrialization. But the Dresden authorities mightily annoyed UNESCO by building a new bridge over the Elbe through the very heart of the World Heritage site. This was probably not quite the sort of action that Petra Hedorfer has in mind when she talks of the “political obligation to protect and preserve.”

The intrusive bridge opened last year, shaming Dresden and indeed the whole of Germany. Yet tucked away in the debate over the rights and wrongs of the bridge were some intriguing issues about the nature of heritage and the responsibilities of communities that buy into the heritage agenda.

Back on track for 2014

So we certainly applaud the GNTB mission for 2014 in giving a boost to Germany’s World Heritage sites. It may include a touch of atonement for having fluffed the Dresden issue, but it certainly also sends out some very positive messages about the country’s renewed commitment to the heritage agenda.

The post Celebrating UNESCO World Heritage in Germany appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The Bernina option

But let’s say you are in St. Moritz. As one Cheapo, commenting on our post last week, nicely put it “the Bernina route is more amazing and a lot cheaper.”

Tirano (via the Bernina Pass) makes a superb day out from St. Moritz. Trains run hourly and a return ticket from St. Moritz to Tirano costs 58 Swiss Francs ($68). If you have a Eurail or InterRail Pass valid in Switzerland, you’ll ride for free. By contrast, a return run to Zermatt on the Glacier Express is 338 Swiss Francs ($398) and neither InterRail nor Eurail will get you a free ride.

If you do ride the Bernina route and it’s a fine day, opt for the 10:45 a.m. departure from St. Moritz which until August 31 carries open-top carriages. Allow a couple of hours for lunch in Tirano, where the Ristorante Sale e Pepe (right by the station) is a great choice, and take the 3:40 p.m. train back to St. Moritz.

Zürich to Lake Geneva

But let’s assume you are a real rail-hound, keen on long journeys and want to see a lot of Switzerland through the train window. If you are in any of the main cities, and are pressed for time, you could do better than the Glacier Express.

Our favorite Swiss rail route is the seven-hour journey from Zürich via Lucerne, Interlaken and Gstaad to Lausanne on Lake Geneva. The journey is often dubbed the GoldenPass route. It requires changes of train along the way (as the track gauge switches from standard to narrow and back again).

For a map and a table showing the main stages of the journey from Zürich to Lausanne, just follow this link. Distance-wise, this route is much the same length as the Glacier Express, though the overall journey time is about an hour shorter.

The one-way fare from Zürich to Lausanne by this route is 89 Swiss Francs ($104). The Swiss Pass, InterRail and Eurail Pass are all valid for the entire route. And there are no nasty supplements. Major agents such as Rail Europe UK or their US representative can give helpful advice on ticket deals and packages or simply buy your ticket on the Swiss Railways Web site and hop on the next train.

Route highlights

The first part of the ride south from Zürich is tame, but south from Lucerne the hills close in and the train climbs steeply to a summit station at Brünig-Hasliberg, which happens to have in the station building what must surely rate as one of Europe finest bric-a-brac shops. With trains running every hour, it is easy to break your journey.

From Brünig, it’s downhill all the way to Meiringen, a town that claims to be the birthplace of meringue (the confection rather than the Caribbean musical genre of the same name). Then west to Interlaken and Spiez — with fine views over the Thunersee — before climbing the Simmen Valley.

Hills roll into more hills and the train traverses several ridges, passing the resort town of Gstaad, before a spectacular descent down to Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva. The final part of the journey to Lausanne traverses the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, a wonderful sweep of ancient villages and vineyards that is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Options

From Lausanne, you can continue to Geneva, with five fast trains each hour taking about 40 minutes. Or you can return north on the main line with trains that run every 30 minutes to Berne (1 hr 10 mins travel time) and Zürich (2 hrs 10 mins travel time).

If you want to spread the journey over several days, obvious places for overnight stops are Lucerne, Interlaken, Gstaad and Montreux.

The post Switzerland by Train: Alternatives to the Glacier Express appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

UNESCO sights

I recently spent a week in Gironde, the French region that includes Bordeaux—and Emilie turned out to be right. Here are five Bordeaux activities that won’t have you “wining” at all:

1. UNESCO World Heritage walking tour

Nearly half of the entire city’s surface is declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s easy to see why. With over 350 buildings classified as historic monuments, Bordeaux has preserved its classical and neoclassical architecture.

Yet it doesn’t feel stuffy. The ornate stone mascarons may cast their austere gaze, but the mood on the street is decidedly lively. Take a quick stroll down Rue St. Catherine and you’ll see how classic architecture can provide a backdrop to vibrant urban life.

2. Transit fun

Fellow transit geeks rejoice! To keep the city’s gorgeous skyline free of cluttering electric lines, the streetcars are powered by an underground power strip—the first of its kind in the world!

VClub, the city’s public bike system, is also a marvel. With numerous locations around the city,  you can always find a bike when you need one, 24 hours a day—for €1. Not cheapo enough for you? The first 30 minutes are free. Read more on the VClub Web site.

3. Check out la Base Sous-Marine

Mussolini launched Italian naval crafts in an unsuccessful bid for world domination from this submarine base, built by the Germans in 1942. Today, its functions are far more benign. Converted into an exhibition hall, the cavernous space hosts large-scale installations.

4. Climb the “Dune de Pilat”

Flanked by the Atlantic Ocean and a pine forest one hour from Bordeaux, the crescent-shaped Dune de Pilat (or “Pyla”) is an imposing giant of nature. Reaching over 350 feet into the sky, the sand dune also happens to be the highest in Europe. (Read this site for practical info on getting to the Great Dune.)

I’m a city guy, but even I was blown away—literally, too, since it gets pretty gusty up there. So strong are the winds, in fact, that the dune continues to migrate eastward every year. Give yourself plenty of time to climb and explore the area, as the dune is about 3km long and 500m wide. You can spend a whole day marveling at its beauty—I did.

5. Visit Saint Emilion… on a weekday

The trouble with the medieval town of Saint Emilion is that it’s famous—too famous, in fact, for its wine trade. On weekends, the cobblestone alleys are packed with tipsy tourists.

I was lucky enough to see the town anew on a Monday morning, as the school kids marched up the steep streets and shop owners were sweeping the ground. The town is in the middle of vine-covered hills that stretch for miles all around. Whether you indulge in wine or not, the verdant fields that surround the town are worth exploring on foot.

The post Bordeaux: 5 Activities You Won’t “Wine” About appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

UNESCO honors

The two cities share a common history, both having been part of the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. And both have that same Italianate flair in their central squares and some of the surrounding courtyards. The center of Kraków was the very first place in Poland to be inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites. That was back in 1978. Lviv had to wait another 20 years to receive the same accolade.

What to see

The main square of Lviv

Lviv boasts a galaxy of fine churches and civic buildings. Must-sees include the Armenian Cathedral and the over-the-top baroque St. George’s Cathedral. The latter has served as the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which dominates religious affairs in western Ukraine. Its followers, often called Uniates, use Orthodox liturgies but are in union with Rome. It’s a detail that underlines the west European orientation of this part of Ukraine.

Above all, Lviv is a fine place just to wander. The Italian Yard, a sublime piece of Renaissance architecture with its balconies, is a spot to linger over coffee. Or head to Vysoky Zamok (Castle Hill) for sunset, when the view of the city takes on a dreamy quality. For a more macabre take on life (or death), don’t miss Lychakivsky Cemetery, a magnificent wooded parkland east of the city full of crumbling memorials to poets, philosophers and soldiers.

Where to stay

Lviv is happily very cheap. Get a place in a six-bed dorm at the Central Hostel, in a plum spot on the main square, for just 120 Ukrainian hryvnia. That’s about €12. Off-season is much cheaper. Or trade up to the George Hotel where the cheapest rooms are just €35 (including breakfast). The best of the hotels is definitely the Zamek Lewa (Lion’s Castle) in a leafy compound a 20-minute walk south of the center, which has doubles for €70 (including breakfast).

Beyond Lviv

The city is blessed with a great hinterland that is well worth exploring. Lviv Ecotour organizes day trips and longer tours for English-speaking visitors. Apart from nearby spots like the handsome town of Zhovka, the Carpathian wilderness beckons.

Ukraine is open for business. Holders of passports from CIS or EU States need no visa. Nor do US, Swiss, Canadian or Japanese citizens. You can fly directly into Lviv airport from Vienna, Venice, Warsaw, Munich and Dortmund. Or take the daily overnight train from Kraków.

The post Ukraine’s Sleeping Lion: The City of Lviv appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Candidates for the 2010 UNESCO List

The historic center of Amsterdam is in the running this year for one of the cherished spots on the UNESCO List. Heritage is of course more than merely Gothic cathedrals and Tuscan gardens and this year’s applications from Europe include a pitch from Slovenia that focuses on the history and legacy of the mercury industry around Idrija. Belgium also picks up a mining theme with a plea for a new UNESCO designation for old mining communities in Wallonia. Other candidates for 2010 are the old Episcopal city of Albi in southwest France and the Augustów Canal that spans the border of Poland and Belarus.

Downe: Evolution in the spotlight

Our favorite bid in this year’s palette of applications is that from the UK. The Brits are plugging Downe, a nomination that seems a little improbable at first sight. But Downe, on London’s southern boundary, is more than just one more anonymous community on the rural-urban fringe. Charles Darwin lived in Downe for forty years and the country immediately around Downe was the setting for many of Darwin’s investigations into evolution. The UK proposal for Charles Darwin’s Living Landscape Laboratory must surely be a front runner for 2010.

When things go wrong

Getting a place on the UNESCO list is not easy, and once secured means that the city or site stays in the limelight, as the Taliban found to their cost when they dynamited the famous Afghan buddhas that had long featured on the list.

The German city of Dresden fell from favour as city officials pushed ahead with plans for a new road bridge over the Elbe, so slicing through a World Heritage Site. UNESCO was not amused and last year stripped Dresden of its World Heritage status. The Elbe valley at Dresden is the only World Heritage Site in Europe ever to have been delisted.

The post Pitching for 2010 World Heritage Status appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Journeying to Moravia, the eastern half of the country, is an excellent way to do this in the Czech Republic. Here you’ll find beautiful landscapes full of vineyards and fabulous wine towns waiting to be discovered.

Valtice and Lednice

Valtice and Lednice are towns near the border of Austria, which makes them convenient destinations  if you will be visiting Vienna as well. Large chateaus dominate each of the villages. The two towns, along with a lovely park, comprise the Lednice-Valtice Complex, a 200-kilometer area with UNESCO World Heritage distinction. Bikers can explore the area via the excellent marked trails—including one dedicated to grapes—which wind through the vineyards and into the villages.

The Minaret in Lednice.

In Lednice, the gorgeous complex is better preserved and extensive: Members of the Lichtenstein family lived in the English Tudor Neo-Gothic building until the end of World War II. The park, complete with ponds and canals,  is designed for a lovely wander or a leisurely boat ride. And don’t miss the minaret on the other side of the pond. It’s the tallest of this type of structure in a non-Islamist country. The medieval ruin? It’s actually a hunting lodge and was designed to look that way.

Valtice’s chateau is a bit more rundown, and the surroundings aren’t as impressive. It has two special things going for it, though: a brand new herb garden showcasing hundreds of different herbs and their uses and the National Wine Center. Yep, this is wine country, and in the basement of Valtice’s chateau, you can sample each of the country’s 100 best wines (the selection changes annually). Pace yourself, please.

Both towns offer restaurants and accommodation, although Valtice may be the more pleasant of the two towns if you are over-nighting. A local bus will sprint you between the two towns in less than 10 minutes, but take the more exploratory way and walk.

An easy 11-kilometer marked trail will lead you from near the Valtice train station to the center of Lednice. Along the way, you’ll pass the Temple to the Three Graces and St. Hubert Chapel, a Gothic column dedicated to the patron saint of hunting.

Getting there

From Prague, Valtice and Lednice are best reached by train. The journey time is approximately four hours. Visit IDOS, the official transportation site, for more information.

Moravia is famous for its warmth; both in the people and the weather. The wine here is a bit fresher, and the vibe more laid-back than Prague.  Whether you explore Valtice and Lednice on bike or foot, you will encounter a peaceful corner of the Czech Republic and a new appreciation for the country.

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Capital cities have their charms, but also their limitations. Does America really reveal its soul in Washington or might one more properly feel the pulse of the nation in a smaller city? So, too, in Europe.

Rock around Roskilde

Of course Copenhagen is a very fine city, but nearby Roskilde, which is merely twenty-five minutes from the capital by fast train, somehow reveals more about Denmark. The name Roskilde should ring a bell, for every year the fjord-side city hosts one of Europe’s premier open air rock festivals. Yet, Roskilde deserves a visit for more than its festival.

The Roskilde cathedral and palace. Photo by hidden europe.

The town’s stunning brick cathedral is a twelfth-century gem, recognized by UNESCO as deserving inclusion on its World Heritage List. Throw in a beautiful baroque palace, a fabulous museum of Viking boats salvaged from the muddy waters of Roskilde Fjord, and a rural hinterland of sleepy villages that ooze history and you have a place that could well cut a dash in the tourism premier league.

But the canny Danish know a good thing, and Roskilde remains (apart from during the festival week) a city that, while feted by the locals, is no big puller on the tourist circuit.

Spring flowers, fjord-side walks and bike rides, and a galaxy of good cafés (with a micro-brewery or two for good measure) combine to make Roskilde seem like the most relaxed place on earth. The 2009 festival runs from July 2-5, but the all-inclusive festival ticket gives access to the campground from Sunday June 28– a chance to catch the musical warm-up but also to see something of Roskilde and its region.

Capital Conundrum

Avoiding capital cities makes sound economic sense, but also gives a better insight into what a country is really like. And to catch the feel of trends in European art and culture, capital cities are sometimes not the best place to start.

Hip Glasgow knocks spots off staid Edinburgh. And take, for example, historical movements like art nouveau. As so often with new departures, it was a movement fostered in the periphery rather than in great capital cities. Towns like Nancy, Weimar, and Glasgow boast some of the finest art nouveau around.

And what of Zamosc? Well no art nouveau, but simply Poland at its best. Just as Roskilde is Denmark, pure and simple.

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