Its historical and political importance attracts mainstream visitors, while its trendy alternative culture and heady nightlife makes it appealing for the younger traveller.

I was in the city this weekend for the first time in three years, and can report that it is jammed with people and humming with energy. It is, however, still very much a work in progress, still a city in a state of change. It doesn’t feel like it has finally made up its mind quite what to be, and for who.

Sure, there’s the heavyweight government stuff, the Reichstag, the embassies, and the Berlin state buildings (more of which are being re-created with the project to rebuild the Berlin palace).

Then there are the trendy, dishevelled quarters taken over by artists and ethnic minorities, although I thought those had either started to look either a bit tired, or a bit mainstream, on this visit.

Then there’s the historical side, the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie (appealingly scruffy) and all the Jewish history, the Jewish museum and the Jewish memorial.

But the city lacks any real centre, with Unter den Linden frankly dull and the newly rebuilt Potsdamer Platz pretty dismal as a focus. Architecturally, Berlin is lacking any real elegance or grace; its buildings are, for the most part, brutal and ugly. Moreover its transport system is pretty backward if you compare it to other German cities.

But it is hard to feel critical with all the outpouring of energy that it generates.  In the course of just two days I attended a choral concert outside the Bode museum and listened to a Serb string quartet playing on the steps of the Friedrichstrasse station, both excellent and both free of charge. And then after the Bode concert I watched a clown in Hackescher Markt shadowing and imitating couples and groups of friends walking through, with moments of real hilarity. He didn’t seem to want any reward other than approval for those looking on.

Then there was the food. The yoghurt and blackberry ice-cream I had at half time in the choral concert by the Bode was the best half-time ice cream I’ve ever had, and the kebab from the stall on Oranienburgerstrasse was truly first class for only €3. I didn’t get the currywurst thing, though. But then I guess lots of people don’t ‘get’ our fish and chips.

Overall, though, while Berlin may not know quite where it is going, it remains a great place to go.

Compact, neat and proudly Swabian, Baden-Württemberg’s capital Stuttgart is a peculiar mix of the traditional and ultra-modern, both in look and feel. The city provides a high quality of life for its more than 570,000 inhabitants and is a worthwhile weekend break destination for international visitors interested in an eclectic mix of culture, cars and wine.

To explore Stuttgart, it’s best to go on a walk through the city centre. Königstraße, the main shopping mile, is Germany’s longest pedestrianised street, so no cars and leisurely browsing guaranteed. The covered Markthalle is great for international delicatessen, and the up-market Breuninger is as good a department store as they come. Nearby Schlossplatz is the square right in the city centre where everyone meets, with the Neues Schloss (New Palace), where the state’s ministries have their offices, on one side, the Altes Schloss (Old Palace), now home of the State Museum, on the other and lots of al fresco eating and drinking opportunities all around.

Not joining the locals and enjoying a coffee or lunch on the Schlossplatz – weather permitting, obviously – would be missing out on a major city asset: its great outdoor spaces and green lung. The Schlossgarten is a massive area of green right in the heart of the city, which has a huge influence on de-stressing city life. Stuttgarters are rightly proud of this, just as they are of their first-rate museums, such as James Stirling’s Neue Staatsgalerie (New State Art Gallery), with a wide range of masters all the way from Rembrandt to Picasso and into the modern era, and the new Kunstmuseum (Art Museum) Stuttgart, a giant glass cube of a building that is home to the city’s art collection, including a range of important works by Otto Dix, the German expressionist. The Kunstmuseum also has a top floor restaurant with a fabulous view out over the Schlossplatz.

Futuristic structures and a taste for the good life

Two of the city’s most remarkable architectural structures are related to what Stuttgart is most famous for – the car. The Mercedes-Benz Museum and the Porsche Museum are major attractions, and you don’t necessarily have to be a petrolhead to get something out of them. The Merc Museum has a wide appeal, tackling automotive history and philosophical issues of locomotion, problems of engineering and research. It is in a stunning building, a spiral structure reminiscent of the Guggenheim in New York. Its architecture leads visitors effortlessly through the development of the company, via the merging of the firms started by the two pioneers, Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz. The Porsche Museum is more for the hardcore car aficionado but should not be missed either since it is housed in a very futuristic structure which put Stuttgart firmly on the map for anyone interested in architecture. In 2011, Germany celebrated the 125^th anniversary of the automobile and since everything started here in the south of the country with Carl Benz’s invention of the motor car, Stuttgart and the surrounding area hosted a number of special events.

Last but not least, we should mention Stuttgart’s taste for the good life. The city is surrounded by vineyards and is the only state capital with its own municipal wine-growing estate. Stuttgart’s people like to socialise in combination with good food and wine and a good opportunity to join in is the Stuttgart Wine Village, one of the biggest wine festivals in Germany, taking place at the end of August and beginning of September. For wine lovers preferring a more individual approach, the Untertürkheim neighbourhood is the right spot, for a walk in the vineyards on the sign-posted ‘wine hiking trails’ or a tasting session of award-winning wines at the cooperative of local vintners.

More information on Stuttgart sights and events: www.stuttgart-tourist.de; Germanwings flies from London Stansted to Stuttgart, www.germanwings.com

More Wunderbar links: Read our blog for an insight view on the current and controversial ‘Stuttgart 21’ project, the redevelopment of the train station, and don’t miss our page on Esslingen, Stuttgart’s medieval suburb

You’ll find Motel One hotels all over Germany in every major city and some smaller ones as well.  Same standard, same design, same price range. When the Motel One group was founded in 2000, they had a clear strategy to offer “viel Design für wenig Geld” (lots of design for little money) and fill a gap in the market by creating a chain of low budget design hotels. Accommodation at a low price without being grotty.

For stylish travellers on a budget

The plan has worked well. There are now dozens of Motel One hotels, with properties in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Potsdam, Ratingen, Saarbrücken, Schweinfurt and Stuttgart. Depending on which hotel and city you choose, single rooms start from €59, locations are central, near airports or train stations, rooms are modern and furnished in trademark turquoise and brown colours. Hotels are clean and offer everything you could need for a city break or short business trip. Breakfast is booked extra and served in the so-called “One Lounge” which also functions as a bar, snack room and general meeting place. There’s also free W-Lan Internet access in the lounge.

If you’re travelling on a budget and don’t fancy spending too much on accommodation, Motel One is a great option. The management has figured out how to provide inexpensive, stylish and modern accommodation in major city centres (something that is certainly missing in cities like London or Paris) and garnered a number of industry awards on the way, the last one for best budget hotel in Germany in 2010, selected by the German Institute for Service Quality.

Berlin alone has nine locations, and there seems to be no stopping the brown-and-turquoise budget revolution in Germany. Travellers all over the country are certainly benefitting from it.

www.motel-one.com