Amsterdam to Berlin via Castle Road

After leaving the heavily populated regions around Amsterdam and Utrecht behind, you will travel through the Dutch lowlands to the border with Germany just past Arnhem, then follow the course of the Rhine River to Cologne.Prices for a 2nd class seat start at around € 55. Unless otherwise requested, Umfulana will book a train that departs late in the morning.

Just south of Cologne you will pass Bonn, the former capital of the Federal Republic of Germany and the birthplace of Beethoven. Important sites include the 11th century cathedral and Beethoven-Haus, which contains the largest Beethoven collection in the world, including the last piano owned by the composer. At Boppard south of Koblenz you should leave the motorway and take a scenic drive along the Rhine to St. Goar.

You will pass by the city of Worms, where Martin Luther was threatened with excommunication in 1521 unless he retracted his teachings. He refused and was declared an outlaw by Emperor Charles V. Important sites in Worms include the Romanesque cathedral from the 11th and 12th centuries and the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe.

The stretch from Heidelberg to Heilbronn is the most scenic section of the Neckar Valley and an important wine-producing region. If you have time you should take the "Castle Road" (Burgenstraße), a route dotted with charming villages, vineyards and medieval castles.

The route leads past Nuremberg, the 2nd largest city in Bavaria and the cultural centre of northern Bavaria. The settlement grew up around the castle, which played a major role in the administration of the Holy Roman Empire: The assembly that governed the empire, called the Imperial Diet, was held there every year.

Near Hof you will leave Bavaria and cross the now invisible border into the former East Germany. Travelling northeast through Saxony you will pass along a low mountain range called the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains), which forms the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. The city of Chemnitz was named "Karl-Marx-Stadt" from 1953 to German reunification in 1990.

The stretch will take you through the forests of northern Saxony into Brandenburg, an ancient German state that was re-established after reunification in 1990. Bordered by the Elbe River to the west and the Oder River to the east, Brandenburg is known for its intact natural environment and its many protected areas. The state surrounds - but does not include - the nation's capital.