Germany or Deutschland is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by Denmark, to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland, and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.

High-speed vehicular traffic has a long tradition in Germany given that the first motorway (Autobahn) in the world, the AVUS, and the world’s first automobile were developed and built in Germany. Germany possesses one of the most dense road systems of the world. German motorways have no blanket speed limit. However, posted limits are in place on many dangerous or congested stretches as well as where traffic noise or pollution poses a problem.

The national roads in Germany are called Bundesstraßen (federal road). Their numbers are usually well known to the road users, as they appear (written in black digits on a yellow rectangle with black border) on direction traffic signs and in street maps. A Bundesstraße is often referred to as “B” followed by its number, for example “B 1″, one of the main east-west routes. More important routes have lower numbers. Odd numbers are usually applied to east-west oriented roads, and even numbers for north-south routes. Bypass routes are referred to with an appended “a” (alternative) or “n” (new alignment), as in “B 56n”.

Germany has numerous cities of interest to tourists; these are the top nine travel destinations.

• Berlin — the reunified and reinvigorated capital of Germany; known for its division during the Cold War — and the Berlin Wall. Today its a metropolis of diversity with elegant clubs, Berlin Hotels and galleries and traditional restaurants. It is also a haven for shoppers.
• Cologne (Köln) — Germany’s fourth-largest city. Cologne was founded by the Romans and is 2000 years old with its huge cathedral, Romanesque churches, and archaeological sites. Cologne also well known for its carnival, Köln Hotels and its Christopher-Street-Day parade. Don’t forget to try the local cuisine and of course the beer—called “Kölsch”.
• Dresden – World-famous for its Frauenkirche and historic center, the city offers more than the average traveller knows. Great festivals, all kinds of cultural entertainment, vibrant night life, and surrounded by beautiful natural vistas. Dresden hosts the Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections) which is one of the world’s most important museums and collections. The art collections consist of eleven museums, of which the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister and the Grünes Gewölbe are the best known. There is a reason it was once called ‘Florence-on-the-Elb’.
• Dusseldorf (Düsseldorf, Duesseldorf) — the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia is famous as Germany’s capital of fashion, offers a wide scale of fascinating new architecture. Right along the shores of river Rhine, the “Altstadt” and the “Medienhafen” are among the most decent places in Germany to enjoy a vibrant nightlife! Being one of the country’s wealthiest cities, the atmosphere for the tourist is very pleasant. Germans call it “the only metropolis ending with -dorf (German for village)”.
• Frankfurt — Germany’s leading financial center, transportation hub, seat of the European Central Bank (ECB), international trade fair center (Book Fair, Motor Show), hub of multicultural activity (30% Immigrants), and site of numerous world-class museums, elegant Frankfurt Hotels and theaters. It is also Germany’s only city with enough skyscrapers to have a skyline.
  Hamburg — Germany’s second-largest city, famous for its harbour as well as its liberal and tolerant culture. Don’t miss the Reeperbahn with its night clubs and casinos. Hamburg is also popular for its many musicals.
• Munich (München) — Bavaria’s beautiful capital city and Southern Germany’s leading city. Third largest city in Germany, Munich is the site of the famous Oktoberfest, the gateway to the Alps and home of elegantly designed Munich Hotels.
• Bremen – One of the most important cities in northern Germany, its old town will be of interest to travellers who want a slice of history.
  Hannover – One of Germany’s newer “tourist cities”, having hosted various international events in recent times.

Other main public roads are maintained by the Bundesländer (states), called Landesstraße (country road) or Staatsstraße (state road). The numbers of these roads are prefixed with “L”, “S” or “St”, but are usually not seen on direction signs or written in maps. They appear on the kilometre posts on the roadside. Numbers are unique only within one state.

Hotelsdeutsche has thousands of hotels conveniently located for last minute travellers by road.

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