Good evening. In June all eyes will be on Germany as it hosts the month-long Euro 2024 football tournament. Although Germany has played in more European Championship finals than any other nation, this will be the first time the country has staged the event since reunification. More than two million football fans are expected to descend on the 10 host cities between 14 June and 14 July.

Fortunately, Germany is a huge country with a good public transport network, so if football’s not your thing – or if you’d like some ideas for exploring beyond the main cities – there’s no shortage of opportunities to escape the crowds. We asked four writers with local knowledge to share their favourite easy escapes from the cities of Berlin, Munich, Leipzig and Hamburg. From paddling along tranquil canals in the Spree Forest to exploring the craggy sandstone outcrops and ravines of Saxon Switzerland, all of these wild places can be reached by public transport.