Many of the most popular countries in Europe are divided into regions. Germany is divided into 16 states or Bundesländer . Two of the states you see on the map are what might be known as city-states. They are Berlin and Hamburg. Bremen and Bremerhaven combine to become a third city-state. The rest are Flächenländer or area states.
See also: Interactive railway map of Germany Find out travel times and costs to move between major cities in Germany
The largest state is well known to tourists. The Free State of Bavaria ( Freistaat Bayern ) is a popular tourist destination. Its size represents almost a fifth of the total land mass of Germany. The capital is the third largest city in Germany and the popular tourist destination of Munich. Head out of town to see Ludwig’s romantic castle, Neuschwanstein.
The state with the highest wine production (and some wonderful castles) is Rheinland-Pfalz. You can experience the best wines on the German wine route in Pfalz.
Wealth? The state of Baden Wurttemberg is the richest in Germany and is home to the largest German company Daimler Chrysler.
Germany borders 9 countries, which can be easily reached by train: Austria, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Poland. Germany has a coastline on the North Sea and the Baltic.
List of German states
- Baden – Wurttemberg Map
- Map of Bavaria (Bayern)
- Sedan
- Brandenburg
- Bremen
- Hamburg
- Hesse (Hesse)
- Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- North Rhine-Westphalia (North Rhine-Westphalia)
- Rhineland-Palatinate (Rhineland-Palatinate)
- Saar
- Saxony (Sachsen)
- Saxony – Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Thuringia (Thueringen)
Population of major cities in Germany
- Berlin 4,101,213
- Hamburg 2,515,468
- Munich 1,893,715
- Frankfurt 1,896,741
- Nuremberg (Nuremberg) 1,018,211
- Cologne (Cologne) 1,823,475
- Karlsruhe 590,718
- Leipzig 568,200
Historical weather and climate
Germany is visited throughout the year. Unlike Mediterranean countries that see little rain in summer, Germany’s mild climate produces hot summers and cold winters. Much of the rain comes in the summer in most places; only the southwest sees a little Mediterranean climate, and this is where vines thrive.
Winter is actually a bit of the peak season in Germany, due to the popularity of Christmas markets and the need to provide them with tourist access in any weather.
Cities like Berlin are visited all year round. The city receives about 33 inches of precipitation, about a quarter of snow.
For historical weather maps, current weather and city maps, see Germany Travel Weather.
German states: tourist popularity
Bavaria is the most popular German state for tourists. In 2008, tourists spend 76.91 million nights there. Baden – Wurttemberg was a distant second, with 43.62 visitor nights. On the north coast, the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has the highest density of tourists.
Visitors from the Netherlands made the most visits, followed by tourists from the United States.
Other travel maps for Germany
Germany Travel and Tourism Map (German city map showing essential travel information for Germany)
Clickable Map of Germany (Find information on selected German destinations)
Germany driving distance map and calculator
Germany rail map and essential travel information
