Germany's sightseeing is defined by the confrontation with 20th-century history at every turn, and the institutions that manage that encounter are among the best in the world. Museum Island carries five major museums within a single UNESCO island. The Jewish Museum and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe are architecturally designed to produce an emotional and spatial experience rather than merely document facts. The Checkpoint Charlie Museum, the Stasi Museum, and the Topography of Terror complete a sightseeing circuit through German totalitarianism that has no parallel in depth and honesty. The Bavarian castles, the Rhine valley, and the Black Forest extend the sightseeing into older and more picturesque registers. Tours by locals often show the softer side — the details that stay with you longer. That's where the magic happens.