Germany

The German people enjoy a reputation for accuracy, precision and efficiency – words often used to describe their excellent cars – although an equally enduring image is of lederhosen-clad Bavarians hoisting beer steins at Munich's famous Oktoberfest. Neither of these stereotypes reflects the diversity of Germany's towns and cities. From romantic Heidelberg, the medieval Nuremberg of Dürer and the Weimar of Goethe and the Bauhaus, to the lively port cities of Bremen and Hamburg, the financial centre of Frankfurt and revitalised cities of the former east like Dresden. Overshadowing them all is the cosmopolitan decadence of Berlin, where bureaucrats of the new capital rub shoulders with artists and techno club-goers.