Regions, travel and season
The German active offering breaks down into four landscape types. The alpine region between the Allgäu, Chiemgau, Berchtesgadener Land and Werdenfelser Land is the most intense line, with mountain hiking, alpine multi-day tours, via-ferrata weeks and mountaineering. Arrival by rail via Sonthofen, Kempten, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Prien am Chiemsee or Berchtesgaden. The low-mountain region of the Black Forest, Sauerland, Eifel, Harz and Bavarian Forest is the gentler variant with shorter stages, smaller altitude differences and a dense trail network; good for returners and families.
The coastal and lake region includes the North Sea, Baltic, Lake Constance and the Müritz. Cycling and walking paths along water dominate here, complemented by surfing, swimming and stand-up paddling. Arrival via Hamburg, Lübeck, Rostock, Konstanz or Friedrichshafen. The heath and hill country region with the Lüneburg Heath, the Spreewald, the Schorfheide and the rolling country in Brandenburg is the calmest variant, often combining cycling and walking paths, less touristic, especially attractive for guests from Berlin and Hamburg.
Seasons differ. Hiking in the Alps runs from May to October with June to September as the core. Low-mountain programs in the Black Forest, Harz and Sauerland often start as early as April and run until late October. River cycle paths are rideable from April to October, with May and September as the calmest stretches. Coastal programs on the North and Baltic Seas are strongest in summer but often most pleasant in spring and autumn, when beaches are emptier and houses are not overbooked. In winter, clearly framed winter sports programs in the Black Forest and the Alps keep running.