Germany - Simply Inspiring

Travel Talk with Ed Finn

Saturday, 29 March 2025 - 8 minutes

Today on Travel Talk, we are broadcasting from on board the stunning MS Grace, part of the luxurious Scylla river cruise fleet, as we gently cruise through the heart of Germany. It’s a magical setting — and the perfect place to talk about one of Germany’s most enchanting routes: the Grimms’ Fairy Tale Road, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

I’m joined by Harald Henning, the director of Tourism for UK and Ireland for the German National Tourist Office, who tells us all about this special celebration, to uncover the hidden villages, fairytale castles, and forest trails that inspired the stories we all grew up with — from Snow White, to Hansel and Gretel to Little Red Riding Hood. We’ll hear about the Brothers Grimm, the cultural legacy they left behind, and how visitors from around the world are rediscovering their tales in real life.

So, grab a coffee, settle in — and let us take you on a journey into the storybook heart of Germany.

The German Travel Market 2025 was onboard the stunning MS Grace, MS Inspire and MS Joy - we sailed from Frankfurt along the majestic River Rhine to Beethoven's Bonn passing the pretty towns of Boppard, Bad Zalzig, Koblenz and Rudesheim - I flew to Frankfurt with @aerlingus and was a guest on Scylla Line's MS Grace www.scylla.com - such a great way to discover the Rhine Valley - Bonn is a really great city and full of great things to see and do including Beethoven's Birthplace and Museum, we did a great tour with Gabriele Zöller, a really excellent tour guide in Bonn, the Path to Democracy and they have some world class museums and art galleries and beautiful tree lined streets and boulevards with a great café culture.

To this day, Bonn and the 'Bonn Republic' are symbolic of diplomacy, democracy and Germany's rise following World War II. Authentic sites of Germany's political past now open to visitors include Palais Schaumburg, the Chancellor's Bungalow and the former parliament chamber. The city also has many exhibits that rekindle memories and illustrate the historical and political background to events between the post-war period and reunification.

The Dorint Hotel Bonn is a great place to stay for a few nights. The Art Museum in Bonn is really stunning with some amazing German Artists on display there with their priceless collections. They have a really cool Videonale exhibition coming up from April 11th - https://verein.videonale.org/projekte/videonale-festival - Visit Bonn https://international.bonn.de/highlights/tourist-information/tourist-information.php - Also check out - Visit Bonn