Discover the history of the Holocaust on a half-day tour from Munich to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. Travel by train and bus to the memorial site, and take a guided tour of the compound, a place of memorial and education dedicated to the thousands who were imprisoned and lost their lives there between 1933 and 1945. Learn about Dachau's role as a model for Nazi camps and explore the exhibitions, memorials, and reconstructed barracks with informative commentary from your guide.

Right next to the headquarters of the European Southern Observatory in Garching, the ESO Supernova Planetarium is an interactive learning centre for all age groups. The highlight is the ultra-modern planetarium with its 360-degree dome. A total of ten different guided tours are offered in German and English, on which visitors can find out more about science and the nature of the universe.

An ensemble of backyards became a heaven for creative expression in Dresden's Neustadt ("new town"). Each courtyard of the district explores a different theme through various form of art, and the quarter is peppered with small boutiques and galleries. Most eye-catching is the odd-looking cascade of pipes and funnels running down the blue house, which plays music as rain water runs through it.

The Western Mountains (also referred to as "hills") make for an excellent day trip into nature. You can take a 20-minute cable car trip to the top; the 'Dragon Gate' carved into the side of the hill is an unmissable highlight, which also affords spectacular views of Kunming and Dianchi Lake. The tomb of Nie Er, the composer of the national anthem of China, rests on the hill.