Before its unification in 1871, Germany was a loose confederation of states, the largest of which was Prussia. And although all of the states adopted one national identity after unification, to this day they are aware of their individual traditions and histories.

Germany is now divided into 16 states, the boundaries of which were largely determined after the Second World War. Each of the states has its own capital and regional government. In some areas, people speak regional dialects of German that non-locals find difficult to understand: Plattdeutsch in the North, Sächsisch in parts of the East and Bayerisch in the South, to name a few.

Travelling between Bavaria in the South, Lower Saxony in the North and Rhineland in the West, you will see many differences in food, attitudes and culture and to really get the most out of a trip to Germany, it is well worth getting to know these variations.

Southern Germany, for instance, is predominantly rural and Catholic and feeds the touristic stereotype of fairytale castles and timber-framed houses in quaint old towns. The north of the country, on the other hand, is more urbanised and mainly Protestant.

Even stronger than the North-South division is the East-West division which grew up over 40 years of separate history. Here, the differences are less folksy and more social, political and economic.