Property in eastern Germany can cater for a variety of different reasons for visiting the country, from city breaks to ski trips and Christmas getaways.

While Germany may look fairly square-shaped at first glance, its geography is rather more complex than that. Capital city Berlin is actually located towards the top-right of the country on a map, with the eastern border of Germany seemingly bulging around it.

That means that, if you’re heading to the easternmost parts of the country, you’re probably going to find yourself in the north of the country – and potentially quite close to Berlin itself.

Property in Germany’s capital city, Berlin

Property in Berlin itself – or in its surrounding area – could be one option for people keen to get a taste of life in the capital city of a European country. It is, of course, impossible to ignore the events of the past 100 years that have shaped Berlin and continue to change its appearance and culture.

The German National Tourist Board argues that this helps to add to the vibrancy of Berlin, whose Brandenburg Gate in the Mitte district is among the continent’s most recognisable architectural features.

Potsdamer Platz and the Reichstag offer further architectural variety to take in during a city break, with property in Berlin separated into 12 administrative districts that have their own character and cosmopolitan atmosphere to share with visitors.

Treptow-Koepenick is among the larger of these, offering an ice age landscape with hills, lakes and green spaces extending to the south-east of the city, while its northern neighbour, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, offers architectural delights from 19th-century structures to modern concrete-slab apartments from Berlin’s divided days.

At the western perimeter of the city, Spandau contains the Zitadelle, dating back to the late 16th century in its present form but on a site where a fortress has stood since five centuries before that; Reinickendorf, to the north-west, mirrors Treptow-Koepenick as a natural wonderland, more than one-quarter of which is accounted for by the Tegel forest and Tegeler See lake.

Eastern Germany for a summer break

With UK visitor numbers to Germany expected to rise by about three per cent in 2010, the German National Tourist Board revealed at the start of the year that Britain ranked third behind Switzerland and the Netherlands as Germany’s greatest tourism markets.

For the summer months, eastern Germany in particular offers the nature park Usedom Island, close to the Polish border and home to some varied landscapes including lakes, moorland, beech forests and sandy beaches.

Activities available to be enjoyed here include cycling, walking and riding, with signposted trails helping to guide participants around the stunning landscape of the region.

Further south, the Saxon Switzerland national park and Altmuehl Valley nature park are just two of the ten or so regions of beauty that lie close to Germany’s eastern border.

Altmuehl Valley in particular could be ideal for an activity break, with the tourism organisation suggesting that its sights can be enjoyed on foot, as part of a cycling tour or from a boat.

Eastern Germany in the colder months

Much of the increase seen in British visitors to property in Germany in 2009 was towards the end of the year, indicating that skiing and Christmas are driving forces behind UK residents’ decision to head to the country.

In the east of the country in particular, the Christmas markets promise to add some continental festive spirit to a stay in Germany, with gluhwein a perennial favourite among Britons. A visit to Potsdam, Rostock or Erfurt could allow holidaymakers to try a delicacy peculiar to the east of the country, however.

Stollen is popular throughout the east, but Erfurter Schnittchen is believed to be the oldest stollen recipe of all, with recorded mentions as far back as 1329. Where better could there be to try the 700-year-old recipe than Erfurt itself, where the Christmas market stands in front of St Severi church and the cathedral.

In Potsdam, mid-December provides the opportunity to see Father Christmas – locally known as Dutch Sinterklaas – lead a procession through the town’s Dutch quarter, famed for its red-brick houses.

For skiers, the Harz mountain range extends across eastern Germany, with the Brocken marking an overlap between the east and the north of the country. At 1,141 m tall, it is northern Germany’s highest peak – and its most easterly.

As the winter snows begin to fall, the Harz region opens its 500 km of cross-country ski tracks, toboggan runs, ski slopes, ice sheets and husky trails, providing a comprehensive taste of how to make the most of a high-altitude climate.