"Go a-Viking in Flensburg!" Top 5 Page for this destination Flensburg by CatherineReichardt

Flensburg is nestled on the far northern tip of German, just inside the Danish border, and its culture reflects its location. The town is located on a fjord and has a distinctly Nordic feel about it which I liked very much. Even by German standards, it is staggeringly clean and tidy, and despite the fact that it was midsummer and the rest of Germany was sweltering in the grip of a heatwave, the place felt fresh and envigorating (which probably means that it's abominably cold in any other season)!

We visited Flensburg because it's one of my in-laws' home towns, and also because we wanted to visit the Haithabu Viking museum, which is located about 40km south of town (see my travel tip). I was also prepared to selflessly undertake some quality control on the local Flensburger brew with no thought for my own personal enjoyment ... such is the arduous field testing that one is obligated to undertake in search of the Reichardts' Beer of the Year!

What you will probably not pick up from the map when you're planning your trip is that parts of Flensburg are unexpectedly hilly - I speak from bitter experience because I had a toddler in tow at the time, and having to manhandle a pushchair up the steep, cobbled streets came as an unpleasant surprise!

We visited Flensburg as a day trip from Hamburg. One of the highlights of the journey was crossing the Kiel ship canal, which is an awesome bit of engineering. If you're not expecting it, it's quite unnerving to be leadfooting it up the autobahn and suddenly see an enormous seagoing vessel straight ahead of you!

• Pros:The best possible combination of German and Scandinavian influences
• Cons:Probably unmercifully cold in winter!
• In a nutshell:The sort of charming off the beaten track' sort of place you always hope to stumble over, but seldom are lucky enough to find