Germany is a country that still surprises people. They think they know what it is. Theres more to it than beer halls and lederhosen. You can find art museums, a coastline on two seas ancient forests and cities rebuilt after World War II.
Many Americans have an idea of Germany based on Oktoberfest and fairy-tale castles.. Germany is bigger than it looks on a map. About the size of Montana. It has different cultures and landscapes from the north to Bavaria and from the Baltic coast to the Alps.
Here are ten places that show the variety of Germany. Some are famous while others are spots of Germans.
1. Berlin. The City That Keeps Changing
Berlin is a city with a lot of history. Its also very alive. Many cities with a lot of history feel like museums. Berlin is different. It's focused on its past. Also on whats happening now.
The history is everywhere. Its worth seeing. The Holocaust Memorial near the Brandenburg Gate is very effective. It's 2,711 slabs of different heights arranged in a grid. When you walk inside the slabs rise above your head. The city sounds disappear. The underground information center is also important.
The Berlin Wall doesn't exist anymore. You can see where it was. Some sections still exist, like the East Side Gallery on the Spree River. It's 1.3 kilometers of the wall covered in murals by artists. The murals are sometimes funny sometimes serious and sometimes moving.
The Museum Island in the Spree River has five museums. The Pergamon Museum has the Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Market Gate of Miletus. The Neues Museum has the bust of Nefertiti. You need to book tickets in advance.
Berlins culture is what draws people and international residents. The art galleries in Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, the street art in Kreuzberg and Neukölln and the food markets at Markthalle Neun are all great. The food scene has changed a lot in the decade. Berlin now has restaurants, coffee and many different cuisines.
Getting there: Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has flights from major US cities. The public transport is comprehensive and easy to use.
Recommended time: 4–5 days.
2. Munich. Bavaria Done Right
Munich is the city that Americans think of when they think of Germany. It has beer halls architecture and the Alps.. Munich is also a serious city with great museums and a high quality of life.
The Marienplatz is the center. It's a pedestrian square with the Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus and its famous Glockenspiel. The square is worth visiting. The Englischer Garten is one of the urban parks in the world. It's bigger than Central Park in New York. On days thousands of people gather along the river and the beer gardens fill up.
The Deutsches Museum is the worlds science and technology museum. It has aircraft, steam engines, mining equipment and more. It takes a day to visit. The Alte Pinakothek has European paintings from the 14th to 18th centuries. The Neue Pinakothek covers the century and the Pinakothek der Moderne has 20th and 21st-century art.
For beer: Hofbräuhaus is famous. Augustiner Stammhaus has better beer and a more authentic atmosphere. Oktoberfest is worth attending if you plan ahead.
Getting there: Munich Airport (MUC) has international flights. The S-Bahn runs directly from the airport to Munich.
Recommended time: 3–4 days.
3. Neuschwanstein and the Bavarian Alps
Neuschwanstein is a castle that inspired Disneylands Sleeping Beauty Castle. It was built as a fantasy retreat for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The exterior is extraordinary with white limestone towers rising from a forested crag. The interior is theatrical with throne rooms and murals depicting Wagnerian opera scenes.
The crowds are real so book tickets in advance. The surrounding area is worth visiting. Füssen is a town with good accommodation options. The Alpsee lake is clear and cold and good for swimming in summer.
The broader Bavarian Alps are accessible as day trips from Munich or Füssen. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is the base for Zugspitze, Germanys peak.
Getting there: 2 hours from Munich by train to Füssen then bus to the castles.
Recommended time: 1–2 days.
4. The Rhine Valley. Castles, Wine and River Geography
The stretch of the Rhine River between Koblenz and Bingen is one of the river landscapes in Europe. Over 40 medieval castles and fortress ruins line the cliffs above the river. There are vineyard terraces growing Riesling grapes on slopes so steep that harvesting is done by hand. The river itself is active, with barge traffic, passenger ferries and excursion boats.
The towns along the valley each have their character.
Rüdesheim is the most visited and touristy.
The Drosselgasse alley is lined with wine bars and souvenir shops.
It's crowded but fun for an hour.
Bacharach is smaller, more intact and less visited.
It has a 13th-century town wall, a ruined chapel on the hillside and wine-focused restaurants.
Boppard has the bend in the Rhine and a chairlift up to a cliff-top viewpoint.
St. Goar sits below Rheinfels Castle, the valleys ruin.
You can explore it independently with a flashlight.
The best way to see the valley is by ferry.
Passenger boats stop at the towns.
You can combine river views with ground-level exploration.
The Loreley Rock is a 132-meter slate cliff.
Its associated with a legend about a siren.
Its better seen from the water.
Riesling is the wine.
Its taken seriously here.
The wines from the Rhine and Mosel Valley are world-class.
They're cheaper bought than abroad.
Most towns have wine shops and small producers offering tastings.
Getting there:
Trains run along both banks of the Rhine.
They go between Koblenz and Mainz.
Regional rail passes cover ferries on market days.
Recommended time: 2–3 days.
It's best to base in one town and take day trips.
## 5. Cologne. The Cathedral and Everything Around It
Colognes cathedral is one of the extraordinary Gothic buildings.
It survived World War IIs destruction.
The cathedral was hit by fourteen bombs.
It remained structurally intact.
The Kölner Dom took 632 years to complete.
Construction began in 1248.
It was halted for 300 years.
It was finished in 1880.
The south tower is climbable via 533 steps.
The view from the top is great.
You can see the Rhine and the rebuilt city.
The Romano-Germanic Museum is next to the cathedral.
It has one of the collections of Roman artifacts.
The Dionysus mosaic is exceptional.
The Museum Ludwig is one of the modern art museums.
It has a collection of Picasso.
It also has American Pop Art and German Expressionism.
Colognes old town was reconstructed.
It has a character.
Brewhouses serving Kölsch are the attraction.
Getting there:
Cologne Bonn Airport has connections.
Most transatlantic travelers arrive via Frankfurt or Düsseldorf.
Recommended time: 2 days.
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## 6. Hamburg. The Port City That Does Everything Well
Hamburg is Germanys city and largest port.
It's a bit rough-edged.
The Speicherstadt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It's a warehouse district.
It houses museums and design agencies.
The Elbphilharmonie concert hall is great.
It opened in 2017.
The public viewing plaza is free.
It has views over the Elbe estuary.
The Reeperbahn is Hamburgs red-light district.
The Beatles played there in the 1960s.
The fish market on Sunday mornings is an institution.
It's from 5am.
Getting there: Hamburg Airport has connections.
Transatlantic arrivals use Frankfurt or Amsterdam.
Recommended time: 2–3 days.
## 7. Dresden. Baroque Reconstruction and Honest History
Dresden was firebombed in 1945.
The historic center was largely destroyed.
The rebuilt Dresden is complicated.
The Frauenkirche was rebuilt.
It reopened in 2005.
The Zwinger Palace complex is one of the examples of Baroque architecture.
The Neustadt district has the citys restaurant and bar scene.
It's across the Elbe.
Dresden is the base for excursions into Saxon Switzerland.
It's a park with dramatic sandstone formations.
Getting there:
Dresden Airport has limited connections.
Most travelers come by train from Berlin or Munich.
Recommended time: 2–3 days.
Add 1 day for Saxon Switzerland.
## 8. The Black Forest. Where the Clichés Come From
The Schwarzwald gave the world cuckoo clocks and Black Forest cake.
The dense conifer forests are real.
The region covers about 6,000 kilometers.
Its traversed by hiking and cycling trails.
Freiburg im Breisgau is the regions city.
It's a university town, with a center.
The Bächle is a network of water channels.
It originally provided fire protection and livestock water.
Getting there:
No information provided.
Recommended time:
No information provided.
Baden-Baden is a spa town from the century. It is located at the end of the Black Forest. European royalty and wealthy people visited here for two centuries.
* The thermal baths are an attraction.
* Caracalla Therme is for modern bathing.
* Friedrichsbad is for the Roman-Irish bath circuit.
The casino in the Kurhaus is still operating. Dostoevsky lost his money here. It is worth seeing even if you don't gamble.
Triberg has Germanys waterfall. It also has cuckoo clock shops.
* The waterfall is a feature. It is worth the hike.
* The cuckoo clocks are a matter of taste.
The Gutach Valley has open-air museum farmhouses. They show Black Forest architecture.
* The roofs are enormous. Slope almost to the ground.
Getting there:
* Fly to Basel, Strasbourg or Stuttgart.
* They are all within 1–2 hours of Freiburg.
* Frankfurt is 2 hours by train.
Recommended time: 3–4 days.
9. Heidelberg. The University Town on the Neckar
Heidelberg is a town. Romantic poets wrote about it.
* It has a ruined castle on a hillside.
* There is an old town below.
* A bridge has a bronze monkey statue.
The Heidelberg Castle is a ruin.
* It is a Renaissance palace complex.
* French forces removed the roof in 1693.
* The interior has the worlds wine barrel.
The Alte Brücke is a pedestrian bridge.
* It connects the town to the far bank.
* There is a bronze monkey at one end.
Heidelbergs Hauptstrasse is a pedestrian street.
* It is one of the preserved historic streets in Germany.
* The crowds are significant in season.
Germanys oldest university is here.
* It was founded in 1386.
* The Student Prison has walls covered in graffiti.
Getting there:
* 1 hour from Frankfurt by train.
* 15 Minutes from Mannheim.
Recommended time: 1–2 days.
10. Leipzig. The City That Changed Germany
Leipzig is a significant city.
* It is the famous destination on this list for American travelers.
* In October 1989 demonstrations centered on the Nikolaikirche.
* The demonstrations demanded reform in East Germany.
The Nikolaikirche is still a church.
* It holds Monday peace prayers.
* Its Baroque interior is calm and beautiful.
Leipzig was also Bachs city.
* Johann Sebastian Bach worked here for 27 years.
* The Bach-Museum covers his life and work.
The Spinnerei complex is an art district.
* It is a cotton spinning mill.
* The New Leipzig School of painters still have studios here.
Leipzigs Mädlerpassage is a shopping arcade.
* It contains Auerbachs Keller, a restaurant where Goethe drank.
The city is cheaper than Munich, Hamburg or Berlin.
* It feels genuinely ungentrified.
Getting there:
* Leipzig/Halle Airport has connections.
* Most transatlantic travelers arrive via Frankfurt or Berlin train.
Recommended time: 2 days.
Practical Notes for American Travelers
Getting to Germany:
* Frankfurt Airport is the transatlantic hub.
* Direct flights from major US cities on Lufthansa, United, American and Delta.
Getting around:
* The Deutsche Bahn rail network connects every destination on this list.
* ICE high-speed trains link cities quickly.
Currency:
* Euro.
* Germany is more cash-reliant than American travelers expect.
Language:
* German is the language.
* English is widely spoken in cities and tourist areas.
Tipping:
* Less formalized than in the US.
* Rounding up the bill or adding % for good service is standard.
Safety:
* Germany is one of the countries in Europe.
* Standard urban precautions apply.
Best time to visit:
* May through September for the weather.
* June and July are peak season.
Accommodation:
* Munich is the expensive.
* Berlin and Leipzig are the affordable major cities.
The Honest Summary
Germany rewards travelers who explore beyond the postcard version.
* Munich and Neuschwanstein are worth visiting.
* Leipzig in 1989 changed history.
The countrys geography covers range than most Americans expect.
* The food is better than its reputation.
* The beer is good.
* The transport infrastructure makes it easy to move through without a car.
Germany is rarely the first European country Americans visit.
* It is often the one they go back, to most.