Germany : Weimar

Wandering around Weimar's enchanting old streets, you can sense the presence of such notables as Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Liszt and Nietzsche, who once made their home here. There are plenty of statues, plaques and museums to remind you of their legacy, along with parks and gardens to take a break from the intellectual onslaught.

Goethe-NationalmuseumMUSEUM

This museum has the most comprehensive and insightful exhibit about Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who is to the Germans what Shakespeare is to the British. It incorporates his home of 50 years, left pretty much as it was upon his death in 1832. This is where Goethe worked, studied, researched and penned Faust and other immortal works. In a modern annex, documents and objects shed light on the man and his achievements, not only in literature but also in art, science and politics.
If you’re a Goethe fan, you’ll get the chills when seeing his study and the bedroom where he died, both preserved in their original state. To get the most from your visit, use the audioguide (free).

Schillers WohnhausMUSEUM

The dramatist Friedrich von Schiller (and close friend of Goethe's) lived in Weimar from 1799 until his early death in 1805. Study up on the man, his family and life in Thuringia in a recently revamped exhibit before plunging on to the private quarters, including the study with his deathbed and the desk where he wrote Wilhelm Tell and other famous works.

Bauhaus MuseumMUSEUM

Considering that Weimar is the 1919 birthplace of the influential Bauhaus school of art, design and architecture, this museum is a rather modest affair. A new, representative museum is expected to open in 2018.

Park an der IlmPARK

The sprawling Park an der Ilm provides a buccolic backdrop to the town and is also home to a trio of historic houses, most notably the Goethe Gartenhaus (where Goethe lived from 1776 to 1782), the Römisches Haus (the local duke's summer retreat, with period rooms and an exhibit on the park) and the Liszt-Haus (where the composer resided in 1848 and again from 1869 to 1886, and wrote the Faust Symphony).