Jena, Germany

JENA, the next stop east from Weimar, is another university centre that was an intellectual hothouse for the flowering of Classicism under Goethe and Schiller. Thereafter the similarities end. Compared to its somewhat languid neighbour, Jena positively hums with the energy of its 23,000 students – one in four of the population is connected with the university. The university's history of research also gives the city a scientific bent – it was accredited as the National City of Science 2008 and its dominance in precision optics through names such as Carl Zeiss and Schott Jenaer Glasswerk inspired the moniker "Lichtstadt" (Light Town). Jena is also less precious about its looks – the Altstadt was pounded by the Allies, then GDR urban-planners embarked on some architectural vandalism of their own. Restoration has returned pockets of charm and the setting in a bowl of wooded hills appeals, but neither is the point. Anyone of a scientific mindset will enjoy its museums while the nightlife is only bettered in Thuringia by Erfurt. All Jena's sights are within easy walking distance from the centre. To attempt the lot in a day, however, you're best off renting bikes.