Once everything goes quiet, when the stars twinkle and streets empty, there is always something exceptional about the atmosphere. No matter if it’s an alpine meadow or a boulevard, when you are out at night under lanterns and stars, even the familiar suddenly seems entirely different. Below, we introduce you to cool activities you shouldn’t miss at nighttime at our Green Pearls® partners.

Falls ihr davon noch nie gehört habt, erklären wir euch kurz was man unter der Earth Hour versteht. Ins Leben gerufen wurde die weltweite Klima- und Umweltschutzaktion 2007 vom WWF Australien. Sämtliche öffentlichen Lichter, die nicht nötig sind – zum Beispiel Leuchtreklamen oder die Beleuchtung von Gebäuden und Wahrzeichen – werden in dieser Zeit ausgeschaltet. Seither findet die Earth Hour jedes Jahr im März statt. Ziel der Aktion ist es, die Aufmerksamkeit der Öffentlichkeit auf den Klimaschutz zu lenken.

Eine Studie, die 2007 von der deutschen Zeitung taz in Auftrag gegeben wurde, fand heraus, dass man alleine in Deutschland rund 343 Tonnen CO2 einsparen könnte, wenn 50 Prozent aller deutschen Haushalte für gerade einmal fünf Minuten das Licht ausschaltet. Stellt euch mal vor, was das weltweit und für 60 Minuten für Auswirkungen haben kann!But first: we can’t talk about nights and sustainability without talking about Earth Hour. In case you haven’t heard of it, we will explain briefly about what Earth Hour is all about. The worldwide climate and environmental protection campaign was launched in 2007 by WWF Australia. All unnecessary public lights—for example illuminated signs or the illumination of buildings and landmarks—are turned off during this time. Since then, Earth Hour has taken place every year in March. The goal of the campaign is to draw the public’s attention to climate protection. A 2007 study commissioned by the German newspaper TAZ revealed that if 50 percent of all German households turned off their lights for just five minutes, some 343 tons of CO2 would be saved for Germany alone. Just imagine the global impact this can have for 60 minutes!

Dinner under the stars

So Gili Lankanfushi in the Maldives has taken inspiration from Earth Hour and turns off the lights completely not only one night a year, but every month—on the full moon.” Each month during the night of the full moon, we will host a special 4-6 course full dinner in a pop-up venue where guests can dine under the full moon accompanied by live music in our one-of-a-kind Palm Beach.”” Then, enchanting lanterns and flares will provide the proper illumination. By the way, this magical atmosphere is also the setting for movie nights and romantic dinners. Planning a cinematic marriage proposal under the stars? Here, too, the luxury resort will support you! Surrounded by flaming hearts and torches, you can have dinner together directly on the beach and share your dreams of your future together. Do you feel more like wellness under the sky?

Stary Zermatt 

You can have it at CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt! Since the light exposure in the Swiss Alps is so low, here the stars will look twice as bright as you probably know them from your everyday life. The hotel’s monthly starry night experience is particularly impressive. Here you can enjoy the sparkling sea of lights in complete relaxation from the open-air Mountain Ashram Spa. If you rather spend the night in Zermatt a little more actively: Each Thursday night from January to March, you can set off on the Gornergrat railways for a guided star tour of the Gornergrat. A local star guide will explain the constellations and the Greek legends associated with them. If the weather is good, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the night sky from the observatory’s terrace. Even the dome with the telescope, you can visit and—if you are favored by the weather gods—cast an impressive glance into the starry sky through the lens.

Torch hikes in the Leutasch ghost gorge 

Mythical and mystical is also the theme of our next Green Pearls® partner. The Naturhotel Aufatmen offers regular torchlight hikes in the Leutascher Geisterklamm gorge. Among other things, the 3000-meter-long Klammgeistweg trail runs along a spectacular walkway that is 800 meters long. Near the gorge exit at Mittenwald, the 200-meter-long waterfall trail goes deep into the Leutascher Geisterklamm gorge, ending at the 23-meter-high waterfall. As the local legend says, the ravine ghost rarely shows himself. But if you move through the Geisterklamm with the appropriate respect and keep both your eyes and ears expansive open, you might catch a glimpse of the Klammgeist or one of his companions. Its companions? These are water fairies and water dwarves assisting him in his pranks in the Ghostly Gorge. They celebrate together at night wild parties with raging water music. Thereby, they perform their veil dance or ride over the water with a fire tail.

Nocturnal watchman in Bad Herrenalb

Learn even more about legends on the next tour that we would like to recommend to you—the Night Watchman’s Walk in Bad Herrenalb. We start in the immediate vicinity of the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA. The night guard profession originated in the Middle Ages, namely when the first bigger cities were founded. The job of the chamberlain was to walk through the streets and alleys of the town at night and ensure peace and order—and safety. He also warned the sleeping townspeople about dangers, such as fire, predators, and thieves. During the night tour, the popular and well-known guard of the Black Forest will therefore take you past the busy squares of the town to the dark corners of Bad Herrenalb, where he will tell you stories, legends, and tales from long forgotten days. If you prefer nature, you should join the guided tour of the treetop path in Bad Wildbad at full moon. On this walk in the silvery light of the full moon, you can see the northern Black Forest with entirely different eyes.

The Long Night of Science in Erlangen

Inquisitive and science-minded guests of the Creativhotel Luise might want to plan a visit to Erlangen in May and include a side trip to the “Long Night of Science” in Nuremberg. The long night of science and research offers one of the biggest events of science communication in the metropolitan region of Nuremberg, only half an hour away from Erlangen, and is the biggest “long night” of its kind in Germany. From 6 p.m., you can take a tour of the laboratories and institutes to learn what researchers at FAU, Max Planck & Co. are currently working on.

Are you on vacation at night to discover the area, and do you have an especial tip?

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