The German Wine Institute is hosting its wine and walking weekend (WeinWanderWochenende) on 27 and 28 April 2013, offering a range of activities across the winegrowing regions. The marked trails lead walkers through magnificent, ever-changing landscapes – where they can stop off at wine festivals and wine tastings along the way. There will also be guided tours of the vineyards, and the charming winegrowing villages are perfect for families wanting to relax or explore. Twelve wine regions are taking part in the event, providing plenty of local wines and culinary specialities for visitors to enjoy.

Outlet City Metzingen is a top shopping destination situated in the home town of Hugo Boss in southern Germany. Shoppers can take advantage of huge discounts on international brands at various events such as the late night shopping specials on 10 and 31 May 2013. From Thursday to Saturday the Shopping Shuttle provides convenient transport links to local hotels, the airport, the exhibition centre and the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart.

But international shopping is not all that Metzingen offers. The town is also worth a visit for its historical architecture, its centuries-old winegrowing tradition and the Swabian Alb biosphere reserve.

A major exhibition entitled 'Power of Faith – 450 Years of the Heidelberg Catechism' opens at the Palatinate Museum and Heidelberg Castle on 12 May 2013. The exhibition celebrating the appearance of this important confessional document of the Reformed Church will run until 15 September 2013. Accompanying events will shed light on the impact of the Heidelberg Catechism both at the time when it was written and in the present day.

Heidelberg Castle is of great significance both historically and architecturally and is one of the top visitor attractions in Germany. At the foot of the castle is the historical old quarter that captivates visitors with its narrow winding lanes and charming atmosphere.

The excitement is mounting: after a six-year break, the long-awaited Skyscraper Festival is back in Frankfurt on 25 and 26 May 2013. There will be a whole host of things to see and do up in the skyscrapers of 'Mainhattan' and on the streets below. The rare opportunity to climb to the top of the city's high-rise buildings attracted more than 1.2 million people to the last festival in 2007 – not only from Hessen and Germany but from all over the world. The skyline in Frankfurt, the highest in Europe, symbolises the financial strength and vitality of the city and is celebrated in spectacular style at the festival.

In addition to this infrequently held event, Frankfurt hosts many annual highlights such as the Museum Embankment Festival and Museums Night.

Experienced pairs of walkers in the 50+ age group have until 17 May 2013 to register for this year's 'Best of Wandern' tour, taking place from 26 to 30 June. The competition, which offers participants a varied programme, is organised by destinations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in collaboration with outdoor equipment manufacturers. As well as exploring scenic countryside and testing new walking equipment, the pairs of walkers evaluate recommended excursions and tours. The walking is made all the more enjoyable by accompanying events such as cooking a regional meal.

Music will take centre stage in Saxon Switzerland when the region hosts the 2013 Sandstone & Music Festival from March to December. Concerts are held at picturesque locations and offer a wonderful combination of music, culture and beautiful scenery. Venues include Grosssedlitz baroque gardens and Weesenstein Castle. The opening concert takes place on 16 March 2013 in Neustadt and features works by Bach, Vivaldi and other master composers of the baroque era.

Saxon Switzerland National Park is also well worth a visit and offers something for everyone. Visitors can go on a journey of discovery back to the Cretaceous period and enjoy a romantic trip on the Elbe on one of the oldest paddle steamers in the world.

The 6th Bamberg World Heritage Run is being held on 5 May 2013. It is a sporting and cultural event rolled into one, taking runners past some of the most beautiful sights in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Bamberg. There is a particular challenge in store for participants of the half marathon as their route passes over Bamberg's seven hills. The Bambini Children's Run, meanwhile, enables younger runners to take an active part in the event.

Bamberg's old quarter has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. It is a prime example of a central European town that has retained much of its layout and architecture from the early Middle Ages. The townscape is dominated by the four towers of the imperial cathedral – only one of the many attractions to be found in Bamberg.

The 39th Germany Travel Mart™ in Stuttgart is being hosted from 5 to 7 May 2013 by the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in collaboration with Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH. The GTM platform gives German tourism providers an opportunity to showcase their products and services to travel trade professionals from around the world. Industry experts from around 45 countries are expected to attend this year, giving tourism providers from Germany the chance to talk in person to representatives from their individual source markets. The GTM is hosted by a different German city every year and, along with the ITB in Berlin, is the leading event for the German travel trade.

Stuttgart Exhibition Centre, which reopened in 2007, is now the most modern and architecturally ambitious exhibition and conference centre in Europe.

The MMK Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt is showing an exhibition by Carsten Nicolai until 5 May 2013. The 'unidisplay' installation presents the findings of Nicolai's research on the psychology of perception and explores time, the language of signs and optical illusions. The second part of the exhibition is the 'uni(psycho)acoustic' sound chamber which Nicolai developed in collaboration with students from the Städel Art Academy and augments the 'unidisplay' installation on an auditory level.

Though still relatively young, the MMK Museum of Modern Art has established itself as one of the world's foremost museums for contemporary art. Its collection comprises more than 4,500 works of international art and it regularly presents works by young aspiring artists in the Zollamt, a satellite exhibition site.

The Association of German Nature Parks celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2013. Nature parks and nature reserves are among the most beautiful and precious landscapes in Germany. They promote sustainability, protect nature and teach us about the environment and are valuable recreational areas for locals and tourists alike, offering wonderful unspoilt scenery. Cycling and walking tours are the best ways to explore the nature parks.

The 104 nature parks in Germany account for around 25 per cent of the country's total land mass and consist primarily of conservation areas. Among the largest are the Eifel hills in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate and the Bavarian Forest.