A trip around all 16 federal states

Bavaria is the most popular travel destination in Germany - every year around 8.5 million foreign guests visit the state. Bavaria is especially renowned for its traditions and beautiful landscapes. Around 12.9 million people live here. The capital is Munich.

Bavaria's neighboring state in the southwest of Germany is Baden-Württemberg. Germany's third largest state is definitely as diverse as the local dialects in terms of landscape, cuisine and sights. Baden-Württemberg is home to 10.9 million people. The capital is Stuttgart.

Among the 16 federal states, there are three city states: Berlin is one of them. The German capital, seat of government and cultural metropolis has 3.7 million inhabitants. Above all, Berlin is an exciting city that is constantly changing. That's probably why tourists love it so much.

The Hanseatic City of Hamburg also belongs to the three city states and has around 1.9 million inhabitants. "Große Freiheit" - or great freedom - is more than merely the name of a street in the city's popular red light district. It is a unique approach to life in Hamburg.

From the urban heart of Bremen to the maritime center of Bremerhaven, it's Germany's smallest state, with only 671,000 inhabitants - yet it offers a wide range of attractions. Life in the city state is shaped by Hanseatic traditions and an openness to the world.

Few cities and lots of countryside - that's what Lower Saxony is all about. From the North Sea mudflats to the hills of the Weser Uplands, Germany's second-largest state in terms of area boasts a variety of landscapes. Around 8 million people live here. The capital is Hanover.

As Germany's most populous state, with 17.9 million inhabitants, North Rhine-Westphalia is known for its cultural diversity as well as for its cheerful and hard-working people. The biggest city is Cologne, but the capital is the nearby city of Düsseldorf.

Rhineland-Palatinate is a wine, woods and walking country. Its nature is enhanced by different rivers - the Rhine, Moselle, Nahe and Ahr - while the rich culture of the state also offers guaranteed pleasure. Over 4.1 million people live in Rhineland-Palatinate. The capital is Mainz.

The state of Hessen offers highlights for anyone traveling through Germany. It is the home of the Brothers Grimm's fairytale landscapes as well as the banking metropolis of Frankfurt on the river Main. Hessen has 6.2 million inhabitants. Wiesbaden is the capital.

The Saarland in western Germany is a small state with an interesting past. It borders on both France and Luxembourg. European lifestyle is part of everyday life here. The state has just over one million inhabitants. The capital is Saarbrücken.

Overlooking the Baltic and the North Sea, this state is strongly influenced by maritime life. The fabulous beaches, islands and port towns are more than convincing reasons to visit Schleswig-Holstein. Around 2.8 million people live here. The capital is Kiel.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also has its share of the Baltic Sea coasts. The state was once part of East Germany and now belongs to the five German states formed after the reunification of the country in 1990. Around 1.6 million people live here, and the capital is Schwerin.

Brandenburg neighbors the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Berliners love to go out to Brandenburg on day trips to enjoy its natural beauty, as it is within easy reach. The region has just 2.5 million inhabitants. The capital of Brandenburg is Potsdam.

Saxony, in the East of Germany, has about four million inhabitants and covers 18,400 square kilometers, placing it somewhere in the middle of the list of German states. There is so much to see: The beautiful baroque architecture of its capital, Dresden, is just one example.

Saxony-Anhalt attracts visitors with its famous Bauhaus architecture, as well as with its beautiful landscaped gardens like the Dessau-Wörlitz Gardens, which date back to the 18th century. The region has around 2.2 million inhabitants. The capital is Magdeburg.

Thuringia is located right in the middle of the country. This state has around 2.2 million inhabitants, and its capital is Erfurt. "Germany - state by state" gives an overview of all the German federal states.