The original pillars still support the internal arches, which have been enhanced over the centuries. The beautiful striped arches almost have a Moorish feel about them.
 
Aachen Cathedral was extended for the 600th anniversary of Charlamagne’s death, and in 1414 a Gothic Chancel was added. I think it just adds to its magnificence.
 
Charlemagne died in 814 and rests within the chapel in the golden Karlsschrein.

During our visit to Aachen, we stayed at the Mercure Hotel Aachen Europaplatz. Set in a peaceful location, slightly out of the city centre, which was ideal for us, as there were ample parking and only a 10 minutes bus journey into town. The room was very comfortable, clean and there was a wide variety of food and drinks for breakfast.

Our next UNESCO location is the Old town of Regensburg; this beautiful Bavarian city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006.
 
Regensburg is nestled along the banks of the River Danube in a beautiful part of the world. Street after street or strasse für strasse attractive, colourful Medieval buildings are immaculately maintained.

Within the narrow-cobbled lanes of the Old Town, there are so many historical dwellings dating back centuries. The combination of Roman, Gothic and Romanesque architecture makes Regensburg a delightful city to visit and has around 1,500 listed buildings.

For the iconic backdrop of Regensburg city and its striking cathedral, head north over the old Stone Bridge, towards Stadtamhof.

The 12th-century bridge spans the Danube River with 16 arches; due to years of wear and tear and maintenance, the bridge is only accessible by pedestrians, which is perfect.

Once over the bridge, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Stadtamhof, the vibrant island in the middle of the Danube. This is a delightful place to stroll around and has a real feel of mixing with the locals.

If you’d like to find out more about the Old Town of Regensburg’s and its historical past, why not jump on a 45-minute audio guide train tour?

During our visit to Regensburg, we stayed at the Eurostars Park Hotel Maximilian.

It was perfect for us, not only was it short walk to the old town but it also had an underground car park, which was suitable for the larger car. The bedroom was clean and very comfortable.

Heading north in Germany, we visit the Hanseatic port city of Hamburg with its historical and characteristic warehouse district.
 
Speicherstadt is a fascinating area to stroll around during the day, especially in the evening as dusk is drawing in. The charming canal-side warehouses illuminate.

Woven amongst Hamburg’s ‘warehouse city’ between the striking neo-gothic red brick buildings are deep canals and sturdy iron bridges straddling the waterways. The warehouses were erected into the Elbe River on oak poles between 1883 and the 1920s, covering 260,000 square metres, making it the world largest complex of warehouses.
 
During its maritime heyday, this district of HafenCity would have been a bustling part of Hamburg, with its dockworkers coming and going, loading and unloading their goods.
 
The Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 and became Germany’s 40th UNESCO site.
 
While in the HafenCity neighbourhood, take a visit to Miniatur Wunderland, an amazing model railway. Now, this wouldn’t usually be my cup-of-tea, but I came away loving it; the detail and passion involved were incredible.

Our accommodation while we were in Hamburg, was at the Adina Apartment Hotel Hamburg Speicherstadt. It is only about a 5-minute walk to the centre of town in one direction and then around 5 minutes the other way to Speicherstadt, a fantastic location.

It also had onsite parking, which was one of the reasons we chose it. I would highly recommend this hotel, and the staff were extremely helpful.

Throughout the historical museums are incredible works of art, sculptures, antiquities and artefacts, there’s something for everyone.

The ensemble of Museumsinsel (Museum Island) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.

If you’d like to give your feet a rest after visiting the museums, hop on this 2.5-hour boat cruise along the River Spree and around Museum Island. You’ll get a lovely perspective of the museums in comfort.

During our visit to Berlin we stayed at the Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Checkpoint Charlie. A nice hotel with friendly staff. A short stroll from the Gendarmenmarkt and of course, Checkpoint Charlie.

Heading to the north-west of Germany and we are in the charming Hanseatic City of Bremen. Such an attractive city it is too.
 
The UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bremen is the Town Hall and the statue of Roland on the Marketplace and was inscribed onto the list in 2004.
 
The magnificent façade of Bremen Old Town Hall was built as a Gothic hall structure in the early 15th century and is the centrepiece of Bremen. The two-storey rectangular Rathaus is created in the Weser-Renaissance-style and believed to be one of Germany's finest civic buildings.

The ancient Roland statute standing in Rathausplatz and adjacent to Bremen Old Town Hall symbolises ‘freedom and trading rights’. This is an important image to many German towns and cities, particularly Bremen.

The Roland statue was built in 1404 of stone and measured five and a half metres tall, and with the baldachin (canopy), it brings the total height up to just over ten metres. It’s pretty impressive.

The imposing statue replaces its wooden predecessor, which was destroyed in 1366.

We journeyed to Bremen on a road trip in 2018 to visit their enchanting Christmas Markets, and they were magical. I would highly recommend a yuletide trip. You could even include a Christmas visit to Hamburg.

Our accommodation for the two nights, we stayed in Bremen was at ACHAT Hotel Bremen City. Which is only about 8 minutes’ walk from the Altstadt so an ideal location.

It also had onsite parking, which was one of the reasons we chose it. I would highly recommend this hotel, and the staff were extremely helpful.

We’re now off to Cologne to visit the magnificent Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, also known as Cologne Dom.

Cologne Cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture. This grand icon of Cologne can be seen from miles around. Its construction began in 1248 and continued over seven centuries until it was completed in 1880.

Cologne Cathedral is free to visit; however, if you wish to climb the 533 stone steps to the viewing platform, which is around 330 ft above the ground, then there is a small charge.

If you can, hang around in Cologne until dusk and witness the beautiful cathedral illuminated in the evening. You can always pass the time with a cheeky glass of Kölsch beer.

If you're visiting Cologne we can highly recommend staying at the Eden Hotel Früh am Dom. Located in the heart of the city with an incredible view of Cologne Cathedral. We've stayed at Eden Hotel on many occasions and this central hotel never disappoints. It is owned by the Früh Brewery and has a bustling restaurant in its cellar.

Back to Bavaria in the south of Germany and mores specifically the Upper Franconian region.
 
Bamberg is an extremely picturesque town in Bavaria and full of so much character and charm all through its medieval streets. It’s regarded as one of Germany’s most beautiful towns.
 
Bamberg had played an important role in history, dating from the 10th century when Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, became King of Germany in 1007 and made Bamberg a bishopric seat.

The historic cathedral that holds the tombs of Emperor Henry II and Pope Clement II forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which unsurprisingly includes the whole of Bamberg’s Old Town.
 
Bamberg’s Altstadt is flowing with striking medieval architecture and so devotedly preserved. The building that I especially loved was the Rathaus (the Old Town Hall), which was constructed in the middle of the Regnitz River.

The Rathaus was built in 1386 and is linked by two bridges with an attractive ornate archway to stroll through. Initially, your eye catches the timber-framed section of the town hall teetering over the river; however, it’s the magnificent frescoes that adorn the truly impressive facades.

Also within Bamberg's ancient town is Altenburg, its castle which sits high on one of Bamberg’s seven hills, Michaelsberg Abbey and Alte Hofhaltung (the Old Palace).

I imagine that if Gary had known that they brewed smoked beer in Bamberg, that we would have stayed overnight.

The accommodation that we will be considering for our return visit to Bamberg is Le Baldinger Boutique Hotel. It's very centrally located, with a buffet and parking nearby.