Travemünde Week is a series of sailing regattas that is taking place this year from 19 to 28 July at Lübeck Bay off the coast of Travemünde. Organised by Lübeck Yacht Club and other sailing clubs in northern Germany, it is the second-largest international regatta in the world.

The high-calibre programme of entertainment, the Festival Mile with culinary specialities and the thrilling close-up action of the sailing competitions is a unique combination offered only at Travemünde Week. Around a million visitors are expected to attend this top maritime event to see the impressive sailing ships from all around the world.

And if this sporting spectacle is not enough, you can set out on a breathtaking walking tour from Travemünde along the E9 European long-distance walking route.

'Dreamcatcher' is the theme for this year's Cologne Lights, which is taking place on the banks of the river Rhine between Hohenzollern Bridge and Zoo Bridge on Saturday 13 July. Fireworks, Bengal fire, waterfalls and hundreds of thousands of sparklers will transform Cologne into a dazzling sea of colour. The spectacle will be accompanied by a convoy of fifty illuminated riverboats that will play music all along this section of the Rhine.

The highlight of the evening will be several grand firework displays along the river. Held annually since 2001, this fireworks event set to music is expected to attract thousands of visitors again this year.

The Parkscout Award is voted for by the general public and is therefore considered the most important independent award for the theme park industry. In this year's Parkscout readers' poll, Europa-Park in Rust was nominated in 14 categories and collected 13 of the coveted awards for 2012/2013. Europa-Park, which is hugely popular among the 40,000 or so theme park fans who took part in the survey, took the prize for 'best theme park' and 'best value for money'. According to the poll, visitors also found Europa-Park to have the 'best new theme park attraction' and 'best website'. Thanks to its excellent range of facilities for families with children, the park came second in the 'most child-friendly theme park' category.

The new Magnetic Festival of electronic music took the UNESCO World Heritage Völklingen Ironworks by storm in 2012 and received the prize for 'best new festival' at the European Festival Awards. It aims to bring electronic music back to the Saarland and gets under way for the second year on 6 July 2013. Music from Germany and around the world is supported by video, pyrotechnic and lighting performances, with live acts, DJs, light artists and special effect maestros gathering together at one of the most exciting venues associated with Germany's industrial heritage to inject new life into the electronic music scene.

The fishmongers of northern Germany have been bringing the Hamburg Fish Market to Karlsplatz square in Stuttgart for over twenty years now. From 11 to 21 July 2013, visitors can sample fresh fish in every conceivable variety from eels and pike-perch to fried fish and scampi – washed down with an ice-cold Holsten beer, 'Alster water' shandy or Küstennebel liqueur.

As well as delicious Nordic delicacies, the fish market of course brings unique Hamburg characters to Stuttgart such as 'Eel-Dieter' and other larger-than-life individuals – a wonderful opportunity to enjoy Hanseatic humour outside Hamburg. To help bring authentic maritime flair to inland Germany, the culinary delights of the sea are served against a musical backdrop of jazz, shanties and popular port songs.

Picturesque villages, old harbours and fascinating marshland scenery are the hallmarks of the 250-kilometre German Ferries Route. For the tenth anniversary of this popular scenic route, which runs from Kiel to Bremervörde along the Oste and Elbe rivers and the Kiel Canal, there is lots to discover particularly for families and a great combination of nature and culture by the water. Germany's youngest scenic route is already an established feature in the holiday landscape of northern Germany. Whether you're travelling by ferry, bike or on foot, this is a place where you can enjoy idyllic scenery and captivating days out.

One of the most beautiful squares in Munich is being turned into an open-air concert venue for the Klassik am Odeonsplatz on 6 and 7 July 2013. This concert event has taken place on Odeonsplatz, which is framed by the Residenz Palace, the Feldherrnhalle and the Theatinerkirche church, since 2000 and attracts around 16,000 concert-goers every year.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra playing alongside global stars of the classical music scene. On the opening evening, the two top singers Rolando Villazón and Thomas Hampson will be performing works by Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, both of whom would be celebrating their two-hundredth birthday in 2013.

The annual Summer Jam music festival, one of the biggest reggae events in Europe, has taken place on the shores of Lake Fühling in Cologne since 1986. The 2013 edition of the event, on from 5 to 7 July, features a host of artists from the international reggae and dancehall scene and now attracts up to 30,000 festival-goers a year from all over the world.

'Free your mind' is the motto of this year's event and calls on to people to live their everyday lives as a 'free spirit'. The more people free their minds, the more it is possible to avoid prejudices and to do away with outdated modes of thinking. There is an extensive line-up of acts, and the event will be broadcast on German television.

From 5 to 21 July 2013, for a period of just over two weeks, the town of Worms in the Rheinhessen region plays host to the famous Nibelung Festival that recounts the tale of Siegfried. Stars of stage and screen in Germany will be bringing to life this Germanic heroic saga in the very place where the story is set, helped along by traditional costumes, stunning stage sets and breathtaking effects featuring fire and magic. Every year, audiences are captivated by this spectacle, which plays out against the backdrop of the mighty imperial theatre and gives you the feeling of being at the heart of the action.

A visit to the festival can be combined with the enjoyment of fine wine from the nearby wine region or a hike on the Nibelung-Siegfried Route.

Seit 1986 findet das alljährliche Summer Jam Musik-Festival, eine der größten Reggae Veranstaltungen in Europa, am Fühlinger See in Köln statt. Vom 05. bis 07. Juli 2013 treten eine Vielzahl von Künstlern aus der weltweiten Reggae- und Dancehallszene auf und bringen inzwischen jährlich bis zu 30.000 Reggae-Fans aus aller Welt mit sich.

„Free your mind“ lautet das Motto der diesjährigen Veranstaltung und dieser „freie Geist“ soll den Gästen als Grundeinstellung für ihr tägliches Leben übermittelt werden. Durch eine unabhängige Sichtweise sollen Vorurteile vermieden und antiquierte Denkweisen abgeschafft werden. Neben einem umfangreichen Programm erfolgt auch eine Übertragung im deutschen Fernsehen.