Western Germany, includes four German states: North Rhine-Westphalia on the northern third, Rhineland-Palinate and Saarland, to its south, and Hesse on the eastern third of the region. The west, the most productive, most industrial and wealthiest of all the country’s regions has the variety of castles, cathedrals, spas; as well as the dynamic  financial center of Frankfurt. Tourists flock to this region for its festivals, and it is also well known for its vineyards along three rivers: The Mosel, the Saar, and the Ruwer where Reislings are produced. Henry and I have been to three of the four states with the exception of Saarlan over the years; but on this odyssey, we concentrated on North-Rhine-Westphalia where we revisited Düsseldorf and Köln. We did, however pass through many beautiful lands in the southern state of Rhineland-Palinate and Saarland as we traveled to Strasbourg, France from Köln by train.

MAIN CITIES & TOWNS OF EACH WESTERN STATE:

Nord Rhine Westphalia:  Düsseldorf, Bonn, Köln

Hesse:  Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden, Kassel

Rhineland-Palatinate: Trier, Mainz, Kolenz

Saarland: Saarbrücken, Völklingen, Homburg, Ottweiler. This state borders Luxembourg and France.

MAPS:  Top Two:  1. Map of Germany. Dark Green: The state of  Nord Rhine-Westphalia. 2. Map of Germany. Dark Green: The state of Hesse. Bottom Two: 1. Map of Germany. Dark Green: The state of Rhineland-Palatinate. 2. Map of Germany. Dark Green: The state of Saarland.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                   BACK TO MAP  PAGE