Karl Baedeker   The Rhineland, Northern Germany, Southern Germany, Berlin (Baedeker). The old Baedekers, all long out of print, are still indispensible classics. They covered a Germany which was considerably more extensive than today, stretching all across Poland into Lithuania and Russia. Look out for the editions dating from the early years of the twentieth century, immensely learned and full of now-untenable opinions. The glossy, modern successors to these (Automobile Association) are not in the same class.

 

Grant Bourne and Sabine Kröner-Bourne   Walking in the Bavarian Alps (Cicerone). A recommendable hiking guide to Germany's most spectacular scenic region.

Jack Holland and John Gawthrop   The Rough Guide to Berlin (Rough Guides). Companion volume to The Rough Guide to Germany , this gives the full lowdown on the sights, culture and nightlife of one of Europe's most exciting cities.

Graham Lees   Good Beer Guide to Munich and Bavaria (CAMRA). Impressively wide-ranging guide to the myriad brews of the world's premier beer region, and to the best places to sample them.

Gordon McLachlan   Berlin (Odyssey). Recently updated, this is predominantly a cultural guide, lavishly illustrated with both archive and commissioned photographs. The main text is accompanied by a wide selection of literary excerpts. Germany's Romantic Road (Cicerone) is a detailed guide, with special reference to walkers and cyclists, to the country's most popular tourist route.

Fleur and Colin Speakman   Walking in the Black Forest, King Ludwig Way, Walking in the Harz Mountains (all Cicerone). Three guides for specific hikes in Germany.