Travel & Leisure

Osnabrück

Established as a settlement by Charlemagne, Osnabrück was a major trading post as part of the Hanseatic League. Also nicknamed the City of Peace, Osnabrück was one of two cities in Germany’s Westphalia region where negotiations happened to end the irty Years’ War.

Inside Osnabrück’s (Rathaus) town hall, at the old town’s Market, the Peace Hall has a portrait gallery of the delegates in these talks. e building’s exterior has impressive details. Its entrance door has a handle adorned with a dove and is engraved with the German word for peace, ‘friede,’ and 1648, the last year of the war. A statue of Charlemagne is positioned above, alongside ones of eight other rulers.

While in the old town, walk by the Romanesque St. Peter’s Cathedral, gabled townhouses and halftimbered homes, the Heger Tor gate and the Gothic church, Marienkirche. e Felix Nussbaum Haus honours the Osnabrückborn Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum who perished in the Holocaust. e museum, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind and an extension of the Cultural History Museum, shows Nussbaum’s paintings before World War II and while in hiding before being captured by the Nazis.

For dining, the Weinkrüger is a traditional German restaurant serving large lunches and dinners. Cafes are common throughout Osnabrück; among them, Café Sophies prepares classic German cakes amid their co ee selection. Fontanella is a popular ice cream parlour, and Gross Stra e is a main shopping street.

Romantik Hotel Walhalla Münster is a good place to stay.

Münster

Münster’s side of the peace negotiations for ending the irty Years’ War occurred at their historic town hall; the Hall of Peace showcases the room where their negotiations happened. is Gothic building is located within Münster’s Prinzipalmarkt, a thoroughfare aligned with gabled houses now occupied by upscale stores and cafes.

Prinzipalmarkt leads to St Lambert’s Church, which is known for two lengthy traditions. ree iron baskets hang from its tower, as a reminder of the public execution of those who led the Münster rebellion. en, a tower keeper looks over the city at night and blows a horn from di erent directions from the tower and at certain time increments.

As Germany’s friendliest city for cyclists, Münster has a system of bike paths and parking stations. Among them, the car-free Promenade is a green belt around the city centre, sharing space with pedestrians and passing by where city forti cations once stood.

Altes Gasthaus Leve, an inn dating back to 1607, keeps Westphalian cuisine (a regional gastronomy involving hearty meals from eggs, ham and sausages, stews, vegetable medleys and pumpernickel) on the table. Similar dishes are served at Pinkus Müller, a family-based brewery established in 1816 that still produces a variety of beers; some comply with Germany’s beer purity law. e Wochenmarkt operates on Wednesdays and Saturdays on the Domplatz, located in front of the Münster Cathedral, or St Paulus Dom. Vendors at this impressive farmers’ market sell mustards, spices, baked goods, honey, breads, meats, owers and seasonal produce. e Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso Münster features the Spanish artist’s portraits and prints alongside temporary exhibitions of other artists, while the LWL Museum für Kunst und Kultur holds art from the Middle Ages to modern day. Stadtmuseum Münster tells of the city’s chronology through model displays.

An ideal place to satay is Feldmann Hotel & Restaurant

Aachen, noted for its hot springs and as the residence of Charlemagne.

Achen

rough the discovery of its hot springs, Aachen was founded by the Romans as a resort destination, yet Charlemagne, as the Holy Roman Emperor, made the city his royal residence. He is buried at Aachen Cathedral. is World UNESCO Heritage site is also noted for its cupola and octagon and was where many German kings were crowned.

Tours of the cathedral are available, but also visit the Aachen Cathedral Treasury. It stores silver and gold jewelled relics and other artifacts relating to Charlemagne or medieval church art. Rathaus Aachen, the Gothic-Baroque style town hall, was a seat of power and a coronation site. e Route Charlemagne links these and other places in Aachen’s city centre; the Centre Charlemagne tells his story and more through illustrations, photos and videos.

Elisenbrunnen, a neoclassical pavilion, draws water from the hot springs (be careful if touching), but experience the bene ts of the springs rsthand at Carolus ermen Bad Aachen’s indoor and outdoor thermal pools. Meanwhile, an archaeological site at the park Elisengarten shows layers of settlements in Aachen, starting with Roman times.

Aachen is known for Printen, a spicy [rm and dark-colored gingerbread; buy some from one of Nobis Printen’s bakeries. Taste a slice of reis aden, a rice pudding cake at Café van den Daele, or order a dessert with co ee at Aachener Café Haus or Leni Liebt Ka ee. At Postwagen, a circa 1902 wooden restaurant, try the Aachen-style sauerbraten (a pot roast).

Germany: go beyond Berlin and Munich

HeyDisocunt.Co.UK has analysed the top shopping destinations by allocating points out of 10 on the basis of number of shopping locations, number of shops within a mile, number of centres within a mile, number of boutiques within a mile, and number of top designers/ retailers in the city.

1. Paris

Paris, the fashion capital of the world, scores 7.42 on this study. Just walking along Champs Elysees and peeping into shopfronts is a thrilling experience. e French city thrives on sophisticated fashion and it can be very expensive to shop for haute couture, but you will nd treasures at ea markets (remember the names Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen and Les Puces de Montreuil). favourite destination with a score of 6.33. e vertical city has tons of ashy shopping centres and busy street markets, and it’s a tax haven so the chances of nding good deals are high. surprise that Tokyo tops this list with a shopping score of 9 out of 10. It has the most shopping locations and the most number of boutiques and stores, so you can nd anything from clothes to anime products to stationery to electronics. e city is peppered with shopping districts, department stores, malls with brand stores, and specialty areas for niche items.

The 9 Best Cities for shopping

4. London

Another usual suspect for shoppers with a score of 8 out of 10. London is a mecca of high-end boutiques, agship stores, classic brands, bookstores, and art galleries. From elegant hats and fancy shoes to tailored suits and modern jewellry, the British city is mushrooming with the new and the old.

5. Singapore

e second Asian city on the list is the little dot of Singapore. e famous Orchard Road shines with its luxury brands, the newlyrenovated Funan has retail stores, dining venues, theatre, and even cycling tracks, and the 24-hour open Mustafa Centre has a stockpile of everything. Even Singapore’s Changi Airport is a shopping destination, so you can start the moment your plane touches down.

6. Sydney

From e Rocks to the Queen Victoria Building to the chic neighbourhood of Surry Hills to the souvenir shops and weekend markets, Sydney is also a great contender if you’re looking for a shoppingforward holiday. It has made it to the list with a score of 6.17. Pro tip: buy jewellry with opals — Australia produces a lion share of the precious stone and it’s the national gemstone of the country.

7. New York

Is it surprising that New York, the city of the famous Fifth Avenue and the host of the head-turning fashion week, is number seven on this list? e Big Apple has big chain brands, independent stores, luxury designer boutiques, and everything in between you can possibly imagine.

8. Toronto

Luxury boutiques, vintage stores, and art galleries give shoppers the best of glam and hip – that’s why Toronto made it to this list.

9. Madrid

e 1916 Mercado de San Miguel is a favorite attraction in Madrid. ere are more places for shoppers to explore — El Corte Inglés department store, shopping outlets at Las Rozas Village, and the vibrant Gran Via street. Don’t forget to stop at the largest Zara store in the world in the city’s nancial district.