Springtime Escapes
Apple blossoms, white asparagus and lots of fresh spring air
Welcome to Germany Travel Picks! This collection of travel tips, inspiration, news and events will (usually) land in your inbox every other Tuesday. If you have any suggestions for places to go and things to do in Germany at this time of year, please do share them in the comments.
In this edition…
Where to find the last of the fruit blossoms • Exploring wine country • Organic hotel by the Wadden Sea • Boutique hotel on a white asparagus farm • Würzburg Mozart festival • Tobias Rehberger exhibition in Stuttgart • and much more…
Destination Picks: Spring explorations
Please check individual sites and destinations for up-to-date COVID-19 regulations.
Enjoy Germany’s spring bounty
At this time of year, you’ll find it hard to avoid Spargel (white asparagus) in Germany. If you’re new to the fat white spears, you might like to try them at their simplest, served with boiled potatoes and butter or Hollandaise - just don’t expect them to taste like the green stuff. In southern Germany, white asparagus is popular with pancakes; head to North Rhine Westphalia to enjoy it with local Westphalian acorn-fed ham. The states of North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony both offer scenic Asparagus Routes, along which you can walk, drive and cycle through picturesque asparagus-growing country and take the opportunity to visit festivals, markets, and various special events. Be sure to make a pit stop at a white asparagus farm for lunch.
Hunt for blossoms
It’s impossible to accurately predict when fruit trees will blossom, but though some parts of Germany have already seen spring blossoms come and go, you can still find a few areas to enjoy them. Some local tourism boards and popular spring destinations offer the current flowering status of their fruit trees on their websites: the Altes Land region, Northern Europe's largest fruit-growing region, which is home to literally millions of fruit trees, offers cherry and apple blossom barometers on theirs. Cycle at your own pace right between the fruit trees, wind through orchards and idyllic villages on a double decker bus, or time your visit to coincide with the Altland Blossom Festival, which this year takes place on 7-8 May.
The start of wine season
The best time to visit any of Germany’s 13 winemaking regions is arguably during the summer months, when the vineyards are lush and green and you can’t move for wine festivals. However, wine season runs from early May through till early autumn, during which time there are countless other ways experience German wine culture. Hop on the back of a covered trailer and enjoy a glass or two as you’re driven around the vineyards; join tastings of the new 2021 vintages (check individual wineries or wine region websites for details); or hike one of Germany’s wine trails, stopping for refreshment at a seasonal pop-up winery restaurant along the way. Take a look at the German Wine Institute website for more inspiration.
Accommodation Picks: Spring vibes
Active holiday on the North Sea coast
The BE BIO Hotel be active is a certified organic hotel in the picturesque harbour town of Tönning on Germany’s North Sea coast. Located just 400m from the Eider River, it’s close to both the Katinger Watt nature reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea and offers plentiful opportunities for fishing, hiking, horseback riding and cycling. Rooms are bright and friendly doubles, some with seating area and balcony or terrace. The Frühlingsvergnügen (Springtime Treat) package includes a breakfast buffet, full-body relaxation massage, a ticket for the Multimar-Wattforum (the main visitor centre for the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park) and afternoon coffee and cake. The property is dog friendly and also offers a charging station for electric cars.
From 393€ per person from 5 nights, not including spa tax (1-2€ per person). Offer valid until 15 May 2022. Further information and booking (in German) at be-bio-hotels.de, or reserve your room via booking.com.
Boutique hotel on a white asparagus farm
There’s surely no better place to stay during white asparagus season than on a white asparagus farm. Some 20km southwest of Münster, the rurally-located Hof Grothues-Potthoff* (Grothues-Potthoff Farm) is also home to boutique hotel plus a farm shop, bakery and café. The hotel, which has a small spa area, two restaurants for enjoying the farm’s produce (in season), and a stylish bar, has 71 elegantly-furnished rooms include several family rooms, two accessible rooms and a total of seven suites. The region is extremely flat, so perfect for leisurely bicycle rides to nearby castles and manor houses, of which there are many. Back at base, you’ll find a giant chess set, Pétanque terrain and even a miniature golf course.
Double rooms from 118€. Further information and booking at hof-grothues-potthoff.de or make your reservation via booking.com.
Tranquil Allgäu escape
The charming family-run Biohotel Vogter Adler occupies a listed half-timbered house built in 1777. Located in the green and peaceful Allgäu region, some 30km north of Lake Constance, the property is climate-neutral and offers ten rooms furnished with sustainably-sourced wood and bedding made from natural materials. The hotel is also home to one of Germany’s very few Demeter-certified (biodynamic) restaurants, paying extremely close attention to the sourcing of its ingredients and serving the likes of Allgäu cheese rösti with mushrooms, and spinach and ricotta Maultaschen. Wander off and enjoy the surrounding Alpine scenery on hikes, bike rides or boat trips; back at the hotel, wellness offerings include yoga, massages and personalised Nordic walking tours. The hotel also provides a charging station for electric cars.
Double rooms from 140€ including breakfast, dogs 10€ a night on request. For further information and booking, visit vogter-adler.de.
Spring festivals and events
• Across the Rheingau wine region, some 100 winegrowers, wine taverns and restaurants are currently opening their cellars and courtyards for musical events, special menus and tastings of their 2021 vintages. Rheingauer Schlemmerwochen, various locations until 8 May
• For its 101st annual Mozart Festival, the baroque city of Würzburg will play host to some 80 or so classical concerts featuring symphonic, vocal and chamber music. 20 May-19 June
• Between 1933 and 1945, the National Socialist regime controlled artistic work in Germany. ART FOR NO ONE. 1933–1945 sheds light on the diversity of sculptures, drawings, and photographs that existed outside of the official regime art, without an audience. Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, until 6 June
• Tobias Rehberger »I do if I donʼt« features the German sculptor’s central work groups from the last three decades, from 3D-printed sculptures to the colourful light installation on museum’s façade. Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, until 8 August.
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