Comment: The Museum Ludwig is one of those places in Germany well worth breaking up a train trip for. How often do we travel through cities without stopping, when it would only take a stay of an hour or so to get a quick but lasting impression? Here it’s really made easy for you. The train station is situated right beside the must see cathedral and Museum Ludwig. The museum houses an impressive collection of modern art and photographs from all periods. The collection was set up at a relatively early stage and bears testimony to extreme foresight. Prospective geniuses were spotted at a very early stage and their works acquired. The collection is truly of select quality, especially since Germany also tends to showcase lesser known painters. Before my visit I had no idea that in Russia for example there was once a very significant expressionism scene, which did not necessarily emulate the French one, but may inadvertently have been its precursor (many of the works were produced around the 1900’s). Here names crop up that one may never have heard of before, but in terms of quality could count as the contemporaries of the likes of famous names such as Chagall, Klee, Braque or Macke. As a citizen of Hamburg, when you see what is housed in this museum, you can only pale into insignificance. If anything this will give you all the more reason to come back some time, and even if you’re not really into the carnival…

Huge museum with many great modern offerings. Dedicate at least a half a day here. Lots of good pop art, tons of Picassos (mostly later period).