• Brandenburger Tor is a famous Berlin landmark.Berlin Brandenburger Tor image by pfannkuchen from Fotolia.com
  
  Germany combines vibrant cities with amazing Bauhaus architecture, fashionable shopping and lively nightlife, as well as medieval villages, castles, festivals and regional specialties.
  
  Fine dining at three-star Michelin restaurants or traditional German cuisine and beer will fortify the body for exploration and sightseeing that can be either modern and futuristic or romantically old-fashioned and nostalgic.
  
  Germany is a country of colorful contrasts, and in 2010, the Ruhr region is proving to be one of the European capitals of culture.
  
  

Berlin Ost Hoppegarten

• The Berlin Ost Hoppegarted hotel is 20 minutes from the center of Berlin and offers 73 rooms that sleep two adults and one child under 12. The cheapest room, as of October 2010, starts at around $40, which includes a buffet breakfast. A nearby attraction at 15 miles away is the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the symphony/concert hall, which stages such productions as "Tristan and Isolde" and "The Trojans."
  
  

A&O Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof

• The A&O Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof hotel/hostel offers budget accommodations in 154 rooms. The cheapest prices were around $40 for single occupancy in October 2010. Discounts of up to 76 percent may be available by booking online.
  
  The hotel benefits from multi-lingual staff and is a smoke-free property. Breakfast is served Mondays to Fridays. The hotel is approximately one-half mile from both the Dusseldorf City Museum and the Wilhelm Marx House. There is a surcharge for Wi-Fi Internet usage and the hotel requires photo ID at the time of check in.
  
  

Landhaus am See, Garbsen

• This 4-star lakeside hotel in Garbsen has a spa with steam room as well as a Finnish sauna, indoor swimming pool and an outdoor terrace overlooking Berenbostel Lake. A beer garden is enjoyed in warmer weather and regular wine tasting sessions are held in the wine cellar.
  
  Rooms are brightly furnished and all have a TV, mini bar and a bathroom. Dining is provided in the hotel restaurant or on the lakeside terrace overlooking the water. A buffet breakfast is included in the price, starting at $90 in October 2010. The hotel is 15 minutes by car from Hanover and the airport.