Holidays in Germany at Grüne Woche

Letting your gaze wander through the Sachsen-Halle feels like a holiday for the eyes. Large landscape photographs on all the walls create longings and draw attention to what is often forgotten: Beautiful destinations can be so close, for example the Markkleeberg Canoe Park for a whitewater rafting adventure, the nature park in the Zittau Mountains or the Elbe Cycle Path, which passes four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In Hall 21b, visitors to the Green Week can find out about the travel highlights from Saxony at various stands.

"Do you know your neighbouring country?" The Havelland Tourism Association is using this question to advertise in the Brandenburg Hall. "Nobody knows that the oldest aerodrome is here," says Managing Director Matthias Kühn. The association has launched a humorous campaign to draw attention to Otto Lilienthal, the Fontane Hiking Park, the most famous pear tree in Germany and the last cane weaving mill in Germany: With the slogan: "Come to Havelland", condoms are placed on pillows instead of the usual sweets in hotels. These are also available at Stand 115 in Hall 21a. There is a QR code on the packaging that provides information about the region. The Oder-Spree Lake District is also represented with a stand (Hall 21/118), and the fact that Berlin (Hall 22a) is always worth a visit has just been confirmed once again by the British Time Out magazine. It ranks the German capital as the third best city in the world in 2024.

Is your name Uta by any chance? Then your next trip should be to Naumburg an der Saale. For the ninth time, the cathedral city is organising a Uta meeting from 19 to 21 April 2024. It is dedicated to one of the twelve women who founded the chapel in the 13th century. "Many namesakes appear in medieval garb," reveals Nancy Hampel from Saale-Unstrut Tourismus. However, many guests also use the trip to Saxony-Anhalt (Hall 23b) for cycling or hiking tours. Ramona Wolf from Altmark Tourism Management has also noticed this. "Our district has eight inland Hanseatic towns and more than 500 churches," she advertises. At the same time, unspoilt nature awaits travellers, such as in the Drömling biosphere reserve.

Pleasure and scenic beauty are very close together at Lake Constance. "You can cycle through orchards and later stop off at a winegrower's," promises Maja Niemann from the Friedrichshafen tourist information centre. Together with a colleague, she represents the Lake Constance region in Baden-Württemberg (Hall 5.2a) and can also recommend "the Swabian Sea" as a holiday destination because of the many opportunities for water sports. The tourism expert also has a personal tip: from the Haldenberg with its chapel, the view sweeps over Friedrichshafen and Lake Constance. "On a clear day, you can even see the Alpine panorama," she enthuses.

A farm holiday is the perfect combination of tourism, agriculture and enjoyment. "It's a great experience, especially for children, when they can help feed the animals or collect the eggs in the henhouse," says Inge Bangel from the Giessen Regional Council in Hessen Hall 6.2a. A special website lists particularly family-friendly farms. She recommends canoeing on the Lahn as fun for all ages. On the website of the Lahntal Tourism Association, interested parties can find tour suggestions.

"Spring kisses asparagus" is the name of one of the cycle tours that the Lower Rhine pleasure region has put together for sporty and culinary enthusiasts in the North Rhine-Westphalia hall (Hall 5.2a). Those who don't want to wait until the first strawberry and asparagus harvests in May will also find plenty of other ideas for excursions here and on the website: Visits to farm cafés, herb tours in the twilight forest, seminars on the art of brewing beer in the Lower Rhine region (with tasting, of course), cow cuddling in Xanten or numerous guided tours through nature, villages and farms. "Many family businesses have joined forces in the Genussregion to show how diverse the products and leisure opportunities are in the Lower Rhine region," explains Ingeborg Deselaers-Pottgießer, who organises themed tours through Wesel.

Watch the video here to find out which of the travelling regions in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Thuringia, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria will inspire visitors to the Grüne Woche.