Erlangen

Nestled in the middle of Franconia, Erlangen is a typical German city with plenty of natural beauty and historic charm. A destination for all seasons, there is plenty to do throughout the year, including the country's oldest beer festival in the spring and a magical Christmas market in winter.

After Margrave Christian Ernst built a new town to house thousands of French Huguenot refugees in the 17th century, Erlangen existed as two separate towns for more than 120 years. However, in 1812, the old and new towns were merged to create the city as we know it today. It is still very easy to see the difference between the two areas though. The Medieval old quarter, with its cobbled streets, can easily be differentiated from the newer Baroque quarter and its sweeping squares.

Thanks to its brilliant location within Bavaria, Erlangen can serve as a great base for visiting some of the fantastic towns and cities in the surrounding area. Nuremberg and Bamberg are less than half an hour away and Regensburg can be reached in just over an hour.

• Flight time from London: 1hr 40min (flying into Nuremberg)
• Albrecht Dürer Airport Nurnberg: 16km from the city centre; transfer time about 20min
• Nearest railway station: Erlangen (Easily reached via ICE train from Nuremberg)
• Currency: Euro