Perhaps, what I love most about visiting Germany, all throughout its vast landscapes, is the fact that Germany is not only a great travel destination with a variety of things to see and do, but it’s also incredibly focused on sustainability. In fact, it’s a very sustainable, eco-friendly, and advanced destination focused on the future of our planet. To the VIVA GLAM team, sustainability is very important and should definitely be something you consider as you pin down your travel plans.
Specifically, every time we’ve worked with the German Tourism Board, they’ve always ensured we only visit places fully focused on sustainability. In fact, Germany, itself, is listed in the top ten of all European Countries in the YouGov Travel & Tourism Sustainability Ranking, it was named one of the countries dealing the best with climate change by the NVI, it ranks fifth out of 117 countries by the The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index in sustainability, and it’s listed as sixth by the SDG Index. So, needless to say, Germany both focuses on and prides itself on its suitability, and we just love that.
While I could recommend a variety of places to see and stay at from Baden-Baden up to Heidelberg through Bonn up to Cologne, I’ll instead focus this time on Northern Germany. I think the north of Germany gets regularly overlooked thanks to the bright sun and classic charm of many places down south; however, Northern Germany holds an elemental, occasionally rustic, and beautiful charm all its own, and I’d like to encourage everyone to head up, specifically, to Bremerhaven, Bremen, and the Lüneburg Heath in Northern Germany and to stay at the following places when you do.
Atlantic Hotel Sail City
The Atlantic Hotel Sail City is a beautifully chic and modern hotel that overlooks the North Sea up in Bremerhaven. Not only is its architecture fully unique and sea-inspired, but many of the rooms overlook the peaceful ambience of the water. With access to the roof to overlook all the surroundings of Bremerhaven, a shopping mall and the famous Klimahaus museum next door, and beautiful views of the boats around the harbor, it’s a peaceful and wonderful place to either getaway or to travel to for work. There’s a large meeting space attached to the building and a modern restaurant fully focused on sustainability down below. Each morning, there is an ornately laid out breakfast complete with your choice of coffee, and we were told nothing gets wasted from the breakfast, in the name of sustainability. They have a packaging-neutral breakfast buffet and work mostly with regional supply partners. And the hotel makes an effort to have fewer cleaning agents and towels. They really enact sustainable and green practices when it comes to cleaning and daily functions. Since 2013, they have implemented more than 500 individual measures to conserve resources from saving energy to food. They conduct regular “green site inspections” to ensure all is functioning as green as possible on the property.
All in all, if you’re looking for a place to get away or even a place to travel for work that encompasses the peaceful element of the sea, then the Atlantic Hotel Sail City is for you.
Hotel Camp Reinsehlen
Hotel Camp Reinsehlen is a fully-immersive nature hotel that allows you to enjoy the beauty of the Lüneburg Heath and surrounding land from the comfort of a rustic hotel room with amenities. It takes glamping to the next level. In fact, staying here gives a nice mix of the comfort of a hotel room with the beauty of the natural landscape of Northern Germany, and with a delicious breakfast and restaurant for the evening on the property, it feels like a true ‘glamping’ experience. If you’re lucky enough, a local shepherd may even bring his flock of sheep nearby to say hello. This is a great opportunity to celebrate sustainability in nature!
And if exploring the heath is something you’re excited to do, think about venturing across the local small towns all over the Lüneburg Heath and find smaller family-owned hotels to stay in, something that is great for the local economy!
All in all, if you’re looking for a trip to Germany in 2023 (which you definitely should be!), shake things up and venture out into the natural landscape and beauty of Northern Germany for a sustainable, eco-friendly, and unique experience like you’ve never had before. Celebrate sustainability, and visit Germany!
