Cologne, Berlin, Munich: Germany’s Heartland

You will pass Mainz, an ancient Roman city with a magnificent medieval cathedral. The most famous stretch of the Rhine with terraced vineyards, castle ruins and picture-book villages begins at Bingen, where the Rhine enters a deep valley.

You will follow the Rhine Valley to Koblenz, where the Moselle River flows into the Rhine. Shortly before reaching 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.

The route leads to the east around the edge of the Upper Rhine Valley. Near Wuppertal you will enter the Ruhr Valley. This heavily populated region was Germany's industrial centre during the 19th and 20th centuries.

You will pass the town of Hildesheim with its beautifully restored medieval market square and surviving city walls. The "seven hills" of the Hildesheim region were the setting of the most famous German fairy tale: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

This stretch will take you to Wittenberg, the cradle of the Reformation. It was here that Martin Luther spent must of his adult years teaching and preaching. We recommend taking a walk to the Lutherhaus museum, the Rathaus (city hall) and All Saints' Church (known as the Castle Church or Schlosskirche), where Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door.

After passing through the forests of Thuringia you will reach Bayreuth, the site of the annual Richard Wagner festival, and Nuremberg. The latter city crowned by the Imperial Castle is particularly worth a visit.

Much of this journey follows a scenic stretch of road that connects some of the most enchanting villages, churches and landscapes in southern Germany. A few places worth noting along the way are the towns of Hohenfurch, Schongau, Peiting, Rottenbuch and Wildsteig and the Pilgrimage Church of Wies, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After crossing the Danube and the Alpine pastures of Swabia you will reach scenic Stuttgart, the capital of Swabia and Mecca for lovers of luxury automobiles. The Mercedes Benz Museum provides a comprehensive documentation of automotive history from its earliest beginnings to the present.

This leg will take you around the edge of the Odenwald forest through the heavily populated Rhine-Main Valley.