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COUNTRY GUIDE / 61 cities and places

Germany.
A little closer.

180 discovery ideas · 4 sourced stories. Choose a place, explore its details and find an experience to try.

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Cities and places

Aachen

  1. History

    See Charlemagne's throne at Aachen Cathedral (UNESCO)

    See Charlemagne's throne and the octagonal Carolingian chapel at Germany's first UNESCO site — and photograph it.

Augsburg

  1. History

    Tour the Fuggerei in Augsburg (world's oldest social housing)

    Walk the streets of the still-functioning social housing settlement, inhabited since 1521 for a symbolic annual rent — and photograph it.

Baden-Baden

  1. City discovery

    Bathe in a historic thermal spa in Baden-Baden

    Experience centuries-old spa culture at the Roman-Irish Friedrichsbad or the Caracalla thermal baths; see the casino — and photograph it.

Bamberg

  1. History

    Tour the old town of Bamberg (UNESCO)

    Tour the UNESCO city built on seven hills, famed for its river-spanning town hall and smoked beer — and photograph it.

Berchtesgaden

  1. Nature

    Underground slides in the Berchtesgaden salt mine

    Don miner's clothes and slide down wooden chutes; raft across the underground salt lake — and photograph it.

  2. History

    Ascend to the Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus)

    Take the brass elevator up to the historic mountaintop building for a panorama of the Berchtesgaden Alps — and photograph it.

Berlin

See discoveries (30) →

Bisingen

  1. History · Hechingen

    See Hohenzollern Castle above a sea of fog

    Tour the Prussian dynastic castle rising on a mountaintop, appearing to float above the morning fog — and photograph it.

Bornich

  1. Nature · Sankt Goarshausen

    Lorelei rock and castle tour in the Rhine Valley (UNESCO)

    Cruise the Upper Middle Rhine Valley among hillside vineyards and dozens of medieval castles; see the Lorelei rock — and photograph it.

Bremen

  1. History · Altstadt

    Town Musicians statue and Schnoor quarter in Bremen

    Touch the donkey's legs of the fairytale Town Musicians of Bremen statue; wander the narrow Schnoor lanes — and photograph it.

Bremerhaven

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Germany / BremerhavenCulture & art

Klimahaus 8° Ost

Travel the 8th meridian through nine climate zones inside this glass giant, from Sahara heat to Antarctic ice — and photograph it.

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Germany / BremerhavenHistory

Emigration Center

Follow a real emigrant's boarding card through the wharf, steamship berths and Ellis Island halls of Europe's largest emigration museum — and photograph it.

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Germany / BremerhavenHistory

Maritime Museum

Board the medieval Hanse cog and wander harbor halls of ships, figureheads and polar gear at Germany's national maritime museum — and photograph it.

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Dachau

  1. History

    Visit the Dachau Memorial

    Learn the dark chapter of history with respect at the memorial of the first Nazi concentration camp — and photograph it.

Dresden

  1. History · Altstadt

    See the art collection at the Zwinger Palace

    See Old Master paintings, including Raphael's Sistine Madonna, in the baroque palace complex — and photograph it.

  2. History · Altstadt

    Tour the Frauenkirche and old town in Dresden

    See the baroque church rebuilt after wartime destruction and the grandeur of the 'Florence on the Elbe' old town — and photograph it.

Düsseldorf

  1. Culture & art · Hafen

    Find the clock hidden in Rheinturm’s lights

    The lights on the Rheinturm are more than decoration: in Horst H. Baumann’s design, 39 illuminated portholes form a decimal clock. From a public spot along the Rhine, look for the rows of lights; if the clock is operating, compare it with your phone’s time and photograph the tower.

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  2. History · Altstadt

    Read Düsseldorf’s city story in bronze

    Düsseldorf received its town rights in 1288 after the Battle of Worringen. Bert Gerresheim’s Stadterhebungsmonument, made for the 700th anniversary in 1988, brings the battle and the sealing of the charter into one bronze narrative. At the monument on Müller-Schlösser-Gasse, find the battle and charter scenes and photograph a detail.

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Eisenach

  1. History

    Trace Luther at Wartburg Castle (UNESCO)

    See the room where Martin Luther translated the Bible into German; tour one of the grandest medieval German castles — and photograph it.

Erfurt

  1. History

    Cross the house-lined Krämerbrücke in Erfurt

    Walk among the shops on Europe's longest bridge that is continuously inhabited — and photograph it.

Essen

  1. History

    Tour industrial heritage at the Zollverein coal mine (UNESCO)

    Tour the museum and design center in the Bauhaus-style industrial complex called 'the world's most beautiful coal mine.' — and photograph it.

Ettal

  1. History

    Tour Linderhof Palace and its grotto

    See the gilded rooms and the artificial Venus grotto at King Ludwig's only completed palace — and photograph it.

Frankfurt am Main

  1. Culture & art · Altstadt

    Frankfurt's skyline and Römer square

    Stand among the skyscrapers of 'Mainhattan'; see the rebuilt medieval Römer square; drink apple wine (Apfelwein) — and photograph it.

Freiburg

  1. Food

    Eat Black Forest gateau

    Eat Black Forest gateau — cherry, cream and chocolate — where it comes from, and photograph it.

  2. Nature

    Sunny old town and Minster in Freiburg

    Walk among the water channels (Bächle) running through the streets of the Black Forest gateway city; climb the Gothic Minster tower — and photograph it.

Gablenz

  1. Nature · Kromlau

    See the reflection of the Devil's Bridge (Rakotzbrücke) in Kromlau

    Photograph the fairytale basalt arch bridge that forms a perfect circle when reflected in the water.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

  1. Nature · Garmisch

    Walk through the Partnach Gorge (Partnachklamm)

    Walk the gorge where icy water rushes between narrow rock walls, hung with icicles in winter — and photograph it.

  2. Nature · Garmisch

    Ascend the Zugspitze (Germany's rooftop)

    Take the cog railway and cable car to Germany's highest peak at 2,962 m for the Alpine panorama — and photograph it.

Hamburg

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Heidelberg

  1. History · Altstadt

    Tour Heidelberg Castle and old town

    Tour the ruined red-sandstone castle overlooking the Neckar Valley and the streets of Germany's oldest university town — and photograph it.

Helgoland

  1. Nature

    See the red rock 'Lange Anna' on the offshore island of Helgoland

    Ferry to Germany's only offshore island; see the red-sandstone sea stack and the seabird colonies — and photograph it.

Horn-Bad Meinberg

  1. Nature · Horn

    See the mysterious rock pillars of the Externsteine

    Climb the dramatic sandstone pillars in the Teutoburg Forest, bearing reliefs and traces of ancient cults — and photograph it.

Konstanz

  1. Nature

    Tour Mainau flower island on Lake Constance

    Tour Mainau, the 'Flower Island' with palms and flower beds, on the lake where three countries meet; stop in Lindau — and photograph it.

Köln

  1. History · Altstadt

    Hohenzollern Bridge love locks and Museum Ludwig in Cologne

    See thousands of love locks on the bridge beside the cathedral; tour pop art and modern art at Museum Ludwig — and photograph it.

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  2. History · Altstadt

    Climb the tower of Cologne Cathedral

    Climb the 533 steps of the giant Gothic masterpiece cathedral for views of the city over the Rhine — and photograph it.

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Leipzig

  1. Culture & art

    Music and museums in the footsteps of Bach in Leipzig

    See the Thomaskirche where Bach worked; climb the Monument to the Battle of the Nations; explore the lively arts-and-music scene — and photograph it.

Lohmen

  1. Nature · Saxon Switzerland

    See the Bastei rock bridge in Saxon Switzerland

    Take in the view from the historic stone bridge over the deep valley among the sandstone pillars above the Elbe — and photograph it.

Lübbenau/Spreewald

  1. Nature · Lübbenau

    Canoe or punt through the canals of the Spreewald

    Paddle the canal network among cucumber gardens and forest in the UNESCO biosphere reserve near Berlin — and photograph it.

Lübeck

  1. History · Altstadt

    Holstentor and marzipan in Lübeck (UNESCO)

    See the twin-towered gate that symbolizes the brick-Gothic old town; taste the city's signature Lübeck marzipan — and photograph it.

Mainz

  1. History

    Tour the Gutenberg Museum and cathedral in Mainz

    See an original Gutenberg Bible and the 1,000-year-old Romanesque cathedral in the city of the printing press inventor — and photograph it.

Mettlach

  1. Nature

    See the great Saar River bend at the Saarschleife

    View the river's dramatic horseshoe bend from above on the treetop walkway (Baumwipfelpfad) — and photograph it.

München

See discoveries (9) →

Neuschönau

  1. Nature

    Treetop walk in the Bavarian Forest National Park

    See the forest from above on the treetop walkway in Germany's first national park — and photograph it.

Nürnberg

  1. History · Nuremberg

    Tour Nuremberg's old town and Imperial Castle

    See the castle in the walled medieval town; learn the history of the Nazi rally grounds and the trials; catch the winter Christmas market — and photograph it.

Potsdam

  1. History

    See the Potsdam Conference room at Cecilienhof

    Tour the palace with the Truman-Stalin-Churchill table where the post-WWII world order was drawn — and photograph it.

  2. History

    Tour Sanssouci Palace and gardens in Potsdam (UNESCO)

    Tour Frederick the Great's 'carefree' rococo summer palace and its terraced vineyard gardens — and photograph it.

  3. Culture & art

    Stroll Potsdam's Dutch Quarter

    Wander the cafés and boutiques of the quarter lined with red-brick Dutch-style houses — and photograph it.

Quedlinburg

  1. History

    Wander the half-timbered old town of Quedlinburg (UNESCO)

    See one of Germany's most intact medieval towns, with 1,300 half-timbered houses and a hilltop collegiate church — and photograph it.

Ramsau

  1. Nature

    Walk Hintersee and the Magic Forest in Berchtesgaden

    Walk among mossy boulders and along the mirror-like lake in the painters' 'Magic Forest' (Zauberwald) — and photograph it.

Regensburg

  1. History

    Tour Regensburg's medieval center and Stone Bridge (UNESCO)

    Cross the 12th-century Stone Bridge over the Danube; pause in the well-preserved medieval city and at the historic sausage kitchen — and photograph it.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

  1. Culture & art · Rothenburg

    Wander the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

    Walk the walled, fairytale medieval town that is the gem of the Romantic Road; see the year-round Christmas shop — and photograph it.

  2. City discovery · Romantic Road

    Road trip the Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse)

    Drive the classic German route from Würzburg to Füssen, taking in medieval towns and Neuschwanstein — and photograph it.

Rust

  1. Nature

    Spend a day at Europa-Park amusement park (Rust)

    Ride world-class roller coasters at Germany's largest and Europe's most-loved theme park — and photograph it.

Sassnitz

  1. Nature

    See the chalk cliffs on Rügen Island

    See the white chalk cliffs painted by Caspar David Friedrich from the Königsstuhl viewpoint — and photograph it.

Schönau am Königssee

  1. Nature · Berchtesgaden

    Emerald-lake boat tour on Königssee (Berchtesgaden)

    Take an electric boat to St. Bartholomä church on the emerald lake framed by Alpine walls; hear the echo trumpet — and photograph it.

Schwangau

  1. History · Füssen

    See Neuschwanstein Castle

    Photograph the fairytale King Ludwig castle on the mountainside — the inspiration for the Disney castle — from the Marienbrücke bridge.

Schwerin

  1. History

    See Schwerin Palace on its lake island

    Tour the romantic palace called 'the Neuschwanstein of the North,' rising on an island in the middle of a lake — and photograph it.

Speyer

  1. History

    See the Romanesque grandeur of Speyer Cathedral (UNESCO)

    Descend into the crypt where German emperors are buried, in the world's largest Romanesque church — and photograph it.

Stralsund

  1. History

    Tour Stralsund's old town and the Ozeaneum (UNESCO)

    Tour the brick-Gothic UNESCO town; see the modern Ozeaneum aquarium of the Baltic and polar seas — and photograph it.

Stuttgart

  1. Culture & art

    Tour the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums in Stuttgart

    Tour automotive history in the architectural museums of the two iconic brands, in the city where the car was born — and photograph it.

Sylt

  1. Nature · Westerland

    Walk the North Sea dunes on Sylt Island

    Walk the dune beaches and Wadden Sea (UNESCO) tidal flats on Germany's northernmost island — and photograph it.

Titisee-Neustadt

  1. Nature · Titisee

    Stop at panoramic roads and lakes in the Black Forest

    Drive the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse; pause at the Titisee and Mummelsee lakes — and photograph it.

Triberg

  1. Nature

    Triberg Waterfalls and cuckoo clocks in the Black Forest

    See one of Germany's highest waterfalls; visit cuckoo-clock makers and try Black Forest cake — and photograph it.

Trier

  1. History

    See the Roman Porta Nigra in Trier (UNESCO)

    See the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps in Germany's oldest city — and photograph it.

Tübingen

  1. Culture & art

    Punt on the Neckar in Tübingen (Stocherkahn)

    Glide past the colorful old houses on the river in a traditional flat punt pushed by pole — and photograph it.

Ulm

  1. History

    Climb the world's tallest church spire at Ulm Minster

    Climb 768 steps to the 161 m spire for views reaching to the Alps on a clear day — and photograph it.

Völklingen

  1. History

    Tour the Völklingen Ironworks (UNESCO)

    Experience the industrial revolution among giant furnaces in the only fully preserved 19th-century ironworks — and photograph it.

Weimar

  1. History

    Goethe, Bauhaus and Buchenwald in Weimar

    See Goethe's house and the birthplace of the Bauhaus in the heart of German culture; visit the nearby Buchenwald memorial — and photograph it.

Wernigerode

  1. Nature

    Ascend the Brocken summit by steam train in the Harz

    Ride the historic narrow-gauge steam train up to 1,141 m on the mountain of the witches' legend (Walpurgisnacht) — and photograph it.

Wierschem

  1. History

    See Eltz Castle (Burg Eltz) hidden in the forest

    Tour the fairytale medieval castle rising on a rock in a forested valley, owned by the same family for 800 years — and photograph it.

Wurster Nordseeküste

  1. City discovery

    Walk out onto the seabed of the Wadden Sea

    North of the city the tide pulls back for kilometres and leaves a UNESCO mudflat you can walk across with a guide, over lugworm casts and running channels. Go out with the tide — and photograph it.

  2. City discovery · Wremen

    Find the little wooden lighthouse at Wremen

    Up the coast a small red-and-white wooden light stands out on the dyke with the mudflats behind it, one of the most photographed markers on this stretch of the North Sea. Reach it — and photograph it.

Würzburg

  1. History

    See the ceiling fresco of the Würzburg Residence (UNESCO)

    Tour the baroque palace that holds Tiepolo's largest single-piece ceiling fresco in the world — and photograph it.