Travel isn’t always about pleasure; occasionally a destination can be a gruelling and yet still a worthwhile experience. A visit to Dachau concentration camp (officially known as the KZ Gedenkstätte Dachau) falls into this category.

This camp, in an otherwise pleasant suburb in the north-western outskirts of Munich and easily reached on the S2 train, is without doubt one of the most educational and informative places you will ever visit, and yet each passing exhibit and story just adds to an unrelenting sense of gloom and misery, a hint of what the camp was like when it was operational.

The first concentration camp to open in March 1933, immediately after the Nazi Party took power, Dachau processed around 240,000 prisoners over the following 12 years, 41,000 of whom died. Unlike the death camps in occupied Poland, such as Auschwitz Birkenau, this was a prison and labour camp, initially designed to hold ideological opponents of the regime. Then once World War II was under way, it deployed a much wider spread of inmates as forced labour to contribute to the war effort. Thus the Dachau ovens were not weapons of extermination, but a means of disposal of bodies of those who died from overwork, starvation and disease.

The camp re-opened as a memorial in 1965 and expanded further with the conversion of the former maintenance building as a permanent exhibition in 2002. It is here that most of your time will be spent, learning the history of Germany between the wars, leading to the Nazi seizure of power. That is followed by a detailed history of the camp and its development from 1933 onwards, broken down into three periods (1933-39, 1939-41, 1942-1945), each representing a separate phase of operation.

During the course of this there are multiple very harrowing testimonies about life in Dachau, told by inmates of the camp. There is also considerable focus on all the different types of prisoners, not just  Jews, but those other minorities persecuted by the Nazi regime: homosexuals, Communists, Roma and Sinti gypsies, Czechs and Jehovah’s Witnesses among others.

For the defense of peace and freedom

Once through the permanent exhibition (and it is quite difficult to read and take in all the exhibits, such is the extent of the documented suffering and deprivation), there are further memorials outside, the most celebrated of which is the international monument bearing the following inscription, in four languages: “May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933 and 1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow men”.

Visitors also have the opportunity to walk through a reconstructed barracks, the security installations and the crematorium area, not to mention the infamous camp gates with the legend ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ (work will set you free) set into the ironwork. All told the visit will take two to three hours depending on how much you can take in.

A visit to Dachau cannot be recommended enough, if only to grasp the true scale of Nazi repression and the calculated planning that went into how to incarcerate and exploit opponents of the regime. It is impossible to come out unmoved by the suffering and the horrors that its inmates must have experienced.       – Mark Arrol

It’s been another good year for German tourism. Figures to June show a rise in British visitors of 7.5 percent over 2012, and while a good proportion of that is undoubtedly due to the upturn in business travel and the European economy, 55 percent is still leisure travel, particularly city breaks (Berlin accounts for a whopping 22 percent of all overnight stays). Looking back further, the number of British overnights in Germany has increased by a massive 30 percent in the decade since 2003, whilst the likes of France and Spain have been largely static over the same period.

The numbers break down as follows: The most popular city is Berlin, with more than twice as many overnights (1,002,175) as the secondmost popular, Munich. After Munich comes Frankfurt and then Hamburg. Berlin also counts as the most popular federal state, with Bavaria hard on its heels, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (Dusseldorf, Cologne and the Ruhr) and then by Hesse (Frankfurt and part of the Rhine valley). Germany also tops the worldwide league table when it comes to culture-related trips (ie classical concerts, opera festivals etc).

So why are British visitors picking up on Germany? The German tourist board ascribe some of the increase to the positive publicity emerging from the 2006 World Cup, staged in Germany. Positive leadership during the economic crisis has clearly helped, and Germany surprised everyone by emerging top in a ‘most popular country’ survey done by the BBC this year. Good air links have played their part, as have hotel prices which are considerably better value than elsewhere in Europe. For example the most expensive city in Germany, Munich, has an average price of €123, compared to the average in Paris of €256. And finally a small part of it has to be down to increased awareness of the range and diversity of what Germany has on offer, and a tiny part of the credit for that is due to websites like this one.

Next year’s themes the tourist board will be promoting are: 25 years since the Fall of the Wall (yes, it really is 25 years!), all the German UNESCO World Heritage sites, a big barrier-free travel initiative, and a celebration of 300 years since the first of the House of Hanover acceded to the British throne (being marked with the launch of the new Royal Heritage Route and website http://www.germany.travel/en/ms/royal-heritage/start/royal-heritage.html)

Onwards and upwards!

OK, so we’ve had one rather big event this summer, but now it’s time to think about another, and this one happens every year, not every four years, and yet it still manages to attract twice as many visitors as the Olympic Games. Yes, it’s time to bring out the Dirndls and the Lederhosen.

These days there are hundreds of Oktoberfests all around the world (see below), but there’s nothing quite like the real thing (22nd September to 7th October, in Munich). It’s massive. Huge, elaborately decorated marquee-hangars packed to the rafters with ravishingly pretty girls, extremely ugly guys, and everything in-between, surrounded by an enormous funfair.

The beers are mass-ive, too (aficionados will get the joke) and the noise level is such that it is impossible to talk, so you might as well sing. Ein Prosit, ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit, etc etc, although just Ein Prosit will do. It comes round often enough. If you tried to have a similar alcohol-fuelled event anywhere in the UK, it would end up as a riot, especially at turfing-out time (surprisingly early, at 10.30 onwards) but here it remains incredibly good-humoured. You start the evening thinking ‘what a strange thing is the human race’, and end it thinking ‘what a wonderful thing is the human race’. There’ll come a stage when a pair of pink bunny ears, preferably flashing, becomes essential. How you get home afterwards is a miracle.

Some essential information: Lufthansa operates to Munich from Heathrow, London City, Birmingham and Manchester, flights from £89 return. Reserving a seat in one of the tents may still be possible, and although reservation is free you will have to purchase vouchers for beers and food. You can get into the tents on the day, but you will probably have to queue. Beer costs around €9-9.50 for a Maß, and is at least 6 percent proof. You can, of course, drink wine, or soft drinks. For an account of the lighter side of the fest, see Barbara’s blog.

Oktoberfests around the world: Meanwhile the mother ship has spawned all kinds of Oktoberfests, some far, some near. In the UK, there’s one in London, of course, and a rather wacky one in Devon.

In Canada, there’s a particularly big one in Kitchener-Waterloo, and unsurprisingly there’s also one at America’s most Bavarian town, Leavenworth. But one of the most unusual must be the massive festival down in Blumenau, Brazil, where salsa and oompah come together in glorious harmony.

It always faintly annoys me when I’m confronted with the perception of German food abroad, i.e. that it’s not the country’s forte. It simply doesn’t mirror my own German food reality. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I was born in the 1970s and therefore lucky enough to bypass grimmer times in the nation’s food history.

In general, I’ve always eaten well in Germany and am used to a wide variety of dishes that go far beyond the Bratwurst and Sauerkraut myth. (Although I like both!) German contemporary cooking is a completely different affair, lighter and betraying the influence of different types of cuisine, from Mediterranean to Asian. Similar to their British counterparts, Germans have become a nation of foodies where you can’t switch on the TV without finding some kind of cooking programme on one of the channels, and publicity-minded chefs are happy to show their faces on the screen.

Eating, food and restaurants are topics du jour. People like to talk about food, to spend money on cookery items and books, and you should see what they cook up on ‘Das perfekte Dinner” (‘The perfect dinner’), the German equivalent of ‘Come Dine with Me’. It’s more sophisticated than what the British contestants come up with, if I may say so, and the German participants take the whole thing very seriously. Maybe a bit too seriously sometimes, the Brits are far more entertaining.

But then again this is probably how you achieve excellence in the end, by really committing yourself to accomplishing the best, as exemplified in the latest German Michelin guide which puts the country at number two behind France when it comes to three-star restaurants. There are nine three-star chefs, and 32 two-star restaurants as compared to just 18 two years ago. Berlin is not only the country’s capital but also its culinary centre with 16 stars, followed by Munich with 13 and Hamburg with 11.

And there’s still this curious little corner in the Black Forest, called Baiersbronn, where seven Michelin stars are divided between three chefs. One of them, Harald Wohlfahrt, is exceptional in the sense that not only is he an extremely modest individual (Gordon Ramsay must be his idea of hell), but he has also held his three stars for 20 years now without interruption. No mean feat. Interestingly, Thomas Bühner, Klaus Erfort and Christian Bau –  three-star chefs themselves and names to remember –all trained with Wohlfarth, as have another three two-star chefs now cooking in Sylt, Lübeck and Hamburg.

Wohlfahrt’s ‘Schwarzwaldstube’ restaurant seems to have become something of a talent factory which is good for German cuisine. Maybe one day the word will spread abroad as well.

More information on Baiersbonn

We know that you have a bit of a soft spot for Bavaria. Why is that?

Well, my grandmother lived in Munich in the 1930s, and I am writing a book partly set in Bavaria, so I’ve been several times in the last couple of years and always loved it. The Germans are so hospitable. I love the mountains, the wooded slopes, the tidiness – they are so proud of their country, and take care of it.

What has been your most memorable Germany travel experience so far?

I went to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and I was shown the old wooden bobsleigh hut that dates back to 1936 or even earlier, which was used during the Winter Olympics 1936, and was allowed to sit in all the old bobsleighs. It was absolutely charming and like going back in time 70 years.

Any particular cities or places in Germany that you’d still like to explore and why?

I’d like to spend more time in Berlin. I went there in my twenties after the Wall came down. The food was pretty basic, but the atmosphere was incredible.

Why do you think Germany still has the reputation in the UK of not being a country for holidays?

History. It’s just not marketed as a destination, but that is changing. The Brits love city breaks and Munich is a natural – it’s got food, culture, skiing, the lot. I’d also love to spend time in the Black Forest, and see what German skiing is like.

Your ultimate Germany travel suggestion for UK travellers?

A weekend in the Kempinski Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich, a trip to the Opera, the Hofbräuhaus, some shopping, the museums, the English Garden.

Please complete: Germany is Wunderbar because …

… no one knows how wonderful it is and it will be like your own special secret place.

Rachel is interested in the Black Forest, Berlin and Skiing in Germany, so here are some Wunderlinks for her:

• Skiing in Germany
• Black Forest
• Berlin lifestyle tours

German life is not complete without a piece of good cake, accompanied by a cup of coffee. The endearing tradition of sitting down for Kaffee & Kuchen in the afternoon simply needs to be explored by every visitor. No matter where you go, be it big city or small town, you’ll find an abundance of cafés.

They come in different styles to suit all kinds of tastes. The proper old-fashioned ones where you’re bound to end up sitting amidst a collection of female pensioners having their Kaffeeklatsch (get-together for a gossip over coffee and cake). These ones often have the best cakes, by the way. Or the more contemporary version for younger crowd who are still not too cool to appreciate some lovely sweets. Fact is, Germans need their cafés. It’s part of their life and a social fixture just like the pubs in Britain. By the way, every café is also a good lunch or dinner option if you’re not after a proper restaurant experience. They all feature a selection of either snacks or more elaborate dishes.

Here are a few café suggestions in the south:

Café Glockenspiel, Munich

One of the best locations in Munich on top of a building with great views on Marienplatz. Try to get a table with views on the town hall but beware – very busy. Nice roof terrace.

Café Glockenspiel, Marienplatz 28, 80331 Munich, www.cafe-glockenspiel.de

Café Kreutzkamm, Munich

Originally founded in Dresden in 1825. Famous for its Baumkuchen (try it!), Stollen, cakes and other sweet delicacies. Tends to get crowded with tourists and locals alike. Very central location.

Café Kreutzkamm, Maffeistraße 4, 80333 Munich, www.kreutzkamm.de

Dallmayr, Munich

Munich’s famous delicatessen Dallmayr (since 1700) has a café on site, well worth visiting for sampling a cup of Dallmayr coffee and some delicious cake. The surrounding Dallmayr “food halls” are very tempting with amazing products in particular for anyone furnished with a sweet tooth.

Dallmayr, Dienerstraße 14-15, 80331 Munich, www.dallmayr.de

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