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Germany Travel |
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Year after year Deutschland, regarded as one of the crown jewels of world
travel, is rated among the world's most visited countries . Scenic
landscapes, beautiful villages, quaint castles and a profound sense of
history are just a few of the reasons travelers are attracted to this
delightful country. Germany's culture, which is both industrious and
fun loving, mixes the old with the new, the common with the technologically
innovative and, in the process, manages to create a society that is both
unique and impressive.
Be sure to see our
road map of Germany, based on Google Maps, if you are planning a trip to
Germany. Note, also, that we provide suggested
itineraries near the bottom of this page. |
Neuschwanstein Castle near
Hohenschwangau, Germany |
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Best Places to Visit
in Germany - Page 1 |
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Places shown in teal are regions or interesting
areas of the country. |
Bavaria
Munich
- München, although known as a large and sophisticated business
center, is a city that carries a warmth and charm unlike many other of
Germany's major urban areas. It appears that the Prussian
formalism ingrained in much of country's north missed Bavaria and
Munich. The inhabitants of Munich genuinely like to party (e.g.
Oktoberfest) and the feeling is infectious.
- München offers numerous galleries, exceptional museums, wonderful
opera and a world-class symphony orchestra. History is on display
in the delightful Old Town, which is a charming area to walk.
- The
city is a delight: compact and park-like, it offers much to see and do.
In the nearby aareas of Bavaria, you will find some of the best castles
in Germany and other interesting attractions. You can visit the famous
Neuschwanstein Castle on a day trip from Munich (several
companies run tours to southern Bavaria) or as part of an exploration of
the Romantic Road, which we describe below.
- Click here to view the best places to visit in Munich, Germany in
our
Munich City Guide
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- Crossing idyllic countryside and winding its way through
quintessential "tourist Germany", the Romantic Road, wanders from
Würzburg to Füssen. The towns along the "Road" provide an atmosphere of
times long past and are among the most visited in Germany.
- Contrary to the name, the attraction of the Romantic Road is not the
road, but the towns that are loosely linked to it. We recommend
that you s take the Autobahn between towns along the Romantic Road
whenever you can do so.
- We cover the best places to visit along the Romantic Road in our
multi-page guide, which includes:
- If you are just looking for an overview of the most interesting of
the towns on the Romantic Road, continue reading below. Click the links
above for more detail on the leading attractions in each of these
delightful towns.
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Augsburg
- Offering fine churches, good food, and a pleasant location,
Augsburg is one of the best-known towns on the Romantic Road.
As one of Bavaria's larger cities, it provides a broader range of
lodging opportunities than you will find in most other towns in this
section of Bavaria.
- Founded in 15 B.C., as an outpost of the Roman Empire, and named
in honor of the emperor Augustus, Augsburg is the oldest city in
Bavaria. The city was an important center of trade in the Middle
Ages and its wealth helped create its important historic buildings.
- Today, Augsburg offers interesting museums (including the Roman
Museum and the Maximillian Museum), as well as several attractive,
historical buildings.
- Be sure the visit the Rathaus (City Hall). Although severely
damaged in World War II, this beautiful building has now been
restored to its former glory and its Golden Hall is worth seeing.
- Click here for our detailed guide to visiting
Augsburg.
Rothenburg
- Considered by many to be the most desirable and authentic
medieval town on the "Romantik Strasse" (the Romantic Road),
Rothenburg is the prototypical walled-town with dramatic
architecture, ancient buildings, an interesting history, good food,
and great trinket shopping.
- Many reviewers deride Rothenburg as too touristy, but we
disagree. Rothenburg is universally acclaimed the best example of a
medieval town in Germany and we think it would be a shame to miss
this glorious village.
- The town is known for its "Christmas Market" but you will
find Christmas decorations for sale here year round.
- Click here to read our detailed guide to visiting
Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
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Würzburg
- Once an important medieval center and an historic university
town, the city is located in a noted grape growing region of
Germany. Wurzburg offers a number of notable historic attractions,
good food, interesting shopping and fine wine. We consider
Wurzburg a pleasant, but short stop for tourists.
- See the Princebishops Palace (The Residence (Residenz)) and its
Court Garden. The Fortress (Festung) Marienberg, across the
river and up the hill from the center of the city, is worth a stop.
- Finally, the city has an amazing collection of historic churches
that exhibit dramatic architecture. Click here for our
detailed guide to exploring
Wurzburg.
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- Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, was known for his castle building.
His interest in architecture, however, was an attempt to recreate an
earlier time when knights were heroes and chivalry was in bloom.
- Ludwig's foremost creation was Neuschwanstein Castle in the town
of Hohenschwangau. The castle was never fully completed, but
what does exist is amazing and very popular with visitors.
- We cover
Neuschwanstein Castle in detail in our Guide to the Romantic
Road.
- In addition, the town of Hohenschwangau hosts
Hohenschwangau Castle, which was Ludwig's summer home when he
was a boy. He later inherited his family's home and stayed at
this castle when he visited the construction site of the
Neuschwanstein Castle on hill, across a the valley.
- If you want to see more of Ludwig and his whimsies, Linderhoff
Castle is about 30 miles to the northeast of Fussen.
Linderhoff was Ludwig's modest attempt to bring the grandeur
of Versailles to the German countryside. For more information,
visit Linderhoff Castle's official
website.
Click to continue to the Next Page of our
Germany Guide
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Or select a destination in Germany from the link menu at the right.
The official tourism website for Germany is "Germany
- the Travel Destination ." The site includes information on the best
places to visit in Germany that we describe here, as well as locations that did
not make our list.
Links to the official tourism websites for the locations we mention are
usually included in the detailed tour guides we produce, or on the page in which
the locations are mentioned if we do not publish a detailed guide for these
attractions.
For country facts and tourism information (driving rules, medical care,
personal safety, etc) see this page on
Germany from the U.S. State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs.
We think you will find it a good tool for planning a trip to Germany.
If you need information about another travel destination, try our
Destination Guide Index
or Googling ThereArePlaces.
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Munich's Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) and its musical clock are
outstanding
The Rathausplatz in Augsburg is focused on the town's impressive Rathaus
(City Hall)
View of Rothenburg from a tower on the city wall.
The Residenz Palace and gardens in Wurzburg
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Itineraries |
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Germany provides a wide range of destinations some of which are best seen
while cruising Germany's scenic waterways. If you have the time (and
the budget) consider taking a river cruise on one of the many tour lines
that ply the Rhine. The country offers an incomparable travel experience
laced with good food, exciting festivals, and hidden treasures along most
every road.
If a river cruise is not for you, rest easy as most of Germany is best
seen by automobile: set out on a relaxed schedule that lets you experience
the wonders of the countryside. Lodging is easy to find, but during summers
reservations are a must at Germany's best places to visit.
Many of the attractions in Germany's cities were seriously damaged towards
the end of Word War II. Most of the historic building that were
damaged have been extensively renovated or completely rebuillt. The
effort has produced amazing results and the historic glories of Germany,
once again look like new.
If you are planning your first trip to Germany, we suggest you head for
Munich
and tour the city and its surroundings. Next take some time to explore the
Romantic Road
(Bavaria).
While you can see some of these towns as long day trips from Munich, we
advise renting a car and creating your own itinerary (be sure to visit
Rothenburg ob der Tauber,
Neuschwanstein Castle
and
Wurzburg.
Follow this with a jaunt over to the
Rhine Valley (perhaps stopping at
Heidelberg along the way ) and be sure to take a Rhine River cruise,
even if just for a day.
If you only have a week to see Germany, focus on
Munich and the Romantic Road. If you have ten days, add in the
Rhine Valley for a spectacular tour. Of course, while you are in
Munich, you might want to cross the border to visit the delightful Salzburg,
Austria. |
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Second Trip |
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If you are planning a second trip to Germany, consider visiting
If you have seen these areas before, consider driving the
Castle Road.
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Editor's Choice |
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Our editor's list of favorite places in Germany includes:
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Salzburg and Lake District Day Tour from Munich
From Viator Tours
Royal Castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Day Tour from
Munich
From Viator Tours
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