The top destinations in Germany are nothing short of inspiring.
In a country with more castles than we can count, you’ll find everything from medieval villages to ultra-modern neighborhoods. For every visit to Berlin, you should see Bremen; for every moment spent in Munich, there’s much more to explore nearby in Füssen.
Visit these top cities in Germany that are on your must-see list and add a day trip or two to other Deutschland destinations that are down-right easy to get to — thanks to the German rail network.
Brandenberg Gate in Berlin, Germany. Image Credit: Getty Images, Sylvain Sonnet
1. Berlin
🚉 Station: Berlin Hauptbahnhof
📸 See: East Side Gallery | Museum Island | Charlottenburg Palace
🏨 Stay: Château Royal Berlin | Hüttenpalast | Eastern Comfort Hostel Boat
Berlin had a decades-long reputation as a convergence of cool once the Wall came down — and today’s Berlin has evolved even more. Berlin has 22 Michelin starred restaurants, hosts global sporting events like UEFA Euro 24, and is stacked with festivals Lollapalooza, the Christopher Street Day Parade, and the Cherry Blossom Festival. If you think you know Berlin, we guarantee you’ll find something new in Germany’s capital city — starting with Berlin’s new international airport.
2. Munich
🚉 Station: München Hbf
📸 See: Marienplatz | English Garden | Hofbräuhaus München
🏨 Stay: The Charles Hotel | Sofitel Munich Bayerpost | The 4You Hostel
Munich by no means represents all of Bavaria, but it’s certainly a great place to begin exploring the region. Many will wander the Marienplatz before hitting the Hofbräuhaus for beer and Bavarian plates. There’s nothing wrong with spending your first visit to Munich in the Altstadt (Old Town) but use the U-bahn to explore other districts like the nightlife in Gärtnerplatz and Glockenbach. FC Bayern Munich is Germany’s best football club; the U6 runs straight to the Allianz Arena.
3. Hamburg
🚉 Station: Hamburg Hbf
📸 See: St. Nikolai Memorial | Alter Elbtunnel | Miniatur Wunderland
🏨 Stay: Hotel Atlantic Hamburg, Autograph Collection | St. Joseph Hotel | The Fontenay
If you think Hamburg is not a sleeper pick for a top destination in Germany, then you need to look closer. Zoom in and you’ll find more than the largest model railway system in the world at Miniatur Wunderland and the largest warehouse district in the world at Speicherstadt. Drunken revelry fills the Reeperbahn while a short tunnel runs beneath the Elbe River. Boutique and antique shopping awaits in Karoviertel while Hemmerbrook has unique attractions like the German Additive Substance Museum, the Deichtorhallen modern art museum, and a place for Potterheads: live performances of Harry Potter und das Verwunschene Kind (“and the Cursed Child”).
Old Town Frankfurt, Germany. Image Credit: Getty Images, joe daniel price
4. Frankfurt
🚉 Station: Frankfurt (Main) HBF
📸 See: Kleinmarkthalle | Goethe House | Römerberg
🏨 Stay: Sofitel Frankfurt Opera | Metropolitan Hotel by Flemings | Lume Boutique Hotel
Calling all castle hunters: Germany has 26,000 of them and dozens of them are in or around Frankfurt. You can bank on a good time in the home of the European Central Bank if you’re all castled-out; it’s a fantastic museum city, too. The Dialog Museum offers interactive insight into the struggles the visually-impaired face, the Museum for Communication transcribes the history of the written work all the way back to the Mesopotamian period, and the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum charts history from the Neolithic period — a great visit to couple with a stop at the Senckenberg Nature Museum.
5. Leipzig
🚉 Station: Leipzig
📸 See: St. Thomas Church | Monument to the Battle of the Nations | Gewandhaus
🏨 Stay: Hotel Michaelis GmbH | Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Handelshof | Park Hotel
The classical music fan will already have Leipzig on their list: Bach was a cantor at St. Thomas and St. Nicholas Churches, which is why this city is home to the Bach Museum and annual Bach Fest. Mendelssohn also lived and died here; you can hear their best work performed at venues like Schumann-Hhaus and Oper Leipzig. Check out Gohlis Palace as well, where you can combine a castle visit with a musical tour.
6. Nuremberg
🚉 Station: Nürnberg Hbf
📸 See: Kaiserburg Nürnberg | Germanisches Nationalmuseum | St. Lawrence Church
🏨 Stay: Sheraton Carlton Hotel Nuernberg | Hotel Burgschmiet | Hotel Prinzregent
Nuremberg’s Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Kongresshalle, and Memorium Nuremberg Trials have loads of details to pour over but your visit to this Franconian city does not need to orbit WWII history. You’ll find us at the German Railway Museum, but we’d just as easily be coaxed into a visit to Albrecht Dürer's House, the handicraft markets at Handwerkerhof, and the Toy Museum.
View of Schlachte boardwalk and Saint Martin's Church in Bremen, Germany. Image Credit: Getty Images, Olena Malik
7. Bremen
🚉 Station: Bremen Hbf
📸 See: Beck’s Brewery | Weserburg Museum of Modern Art | Kunsthalle Bremen
🏨 Stay: Atlantic Grand Hotel Bremen | Steigenberger Hotel Bremen | HafenTraum Hostel
The home of Becks beer and the setting of the Town Musicians of Bremen written by the Brothers Grimm, Bremen is a bike-friendly city that is brewing up much more than you’d imagine. From the medieval Schnoor Quarter to the contemporary coffee culture, or kaffeesieren, there’s a lot to love about this Hanseatic city, not least of which are the Roland statue, Rhododendron park, and Overseas Museum.
8. Stuttgart
🚉 Station: Stuttgart Hbf
📸 See: Mercedes-Benz Museum | Kunstmuseum Stuttgart | Schlossplatz
🏨 Stay: Waldhotel Stuttgart | Schiff Ahoy | Kronenhotel Stuttgart
Okay, so you’ve got the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Porsche Museum, and Kunstmuseum in Stuttgart as the elevated attractions. No need to lower your expectations for other things to do, though; you’ll actually be overwhelmed by the amazing Wilhelma zoo, thermal baths near the Natural History Museum, and the Schloss Solitude you’ll find on a relaxed hike.
9. Cologne
🚉 Station: Köln
📸 See: Cologne Cathedral | Museum Ludwig | Cologne Triangle
🏨 Stay: Excelsior Hotel Ernst | Wasserturm Hotel | Hotel Lyskirchen
Cologne is one of those cities that travelers already “know” but rarely know beyond its Gothic architecture. Twelve Michelin-starred restaurants. One of the biggest LGBTQ+ Pride Parades in Europe. A rich urban art scene and a Carnival celebration as good as its Christmas markets. Cologne is way more than its famous cathedral and will give you countless reasons to stay.
10. Kassel
🚉 Station: Kassel Hbf
📸 See: GRIMMWELT Kassel | Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe | Fridericianum
🏨 Stay: Schlosshotel Bad Wilhelmshöhe | Renthof Kassel | Stadthotel Kassel
There’s a soft buzz about Kassel and we’re not talking about the apiary atop the city’s rooftops. The Brothers Grimm called this fairy-tale-like city home and attractions like the cascading waters of the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe mountain park are just as fantastic as the Grimm’s fiction.
Statue in Herrenhäuser Gärten in Hanover, Germany. Image Credit: Getty Images, Westend61
More top destinations in Germany:
Hanover
Main train station: Hannover
Those who use Hanover as a mere transfer station are missing out on one of Germany’s most underrated cities. The Herrenhäuser Gärten, blossoming before the royal summer house, rivals the tranquility of famous French palace lawns. An old-world opera venue, a war-torn 12th-century church still standing after WWII, and a black marble clock are among the gems in the center of town.
Füssen
Main train station: Füssen
You don’t realize that you’re going to Füssen until you’re there. As the closest city to Neuschwanstein Castle, aka the “Disney” castle, Füssen is surely on your Bavarian itinerary. That’s great: you can see the highlights in a day trip from Munich.
Saarbrücken
Main train station: Saarbrücken Hbf
Whereas Strasbourg is a great French city on the German border, we think the German city Saarbrücken an overlooked border destination. Consider it a more modern vacation: a dinner show at the Alexander Kunz Theater, contemporary art at the Saarland Museum, and a night tour of Saarbrücken Zoo offer a nice change of pace from the typical itinerary.
Flensburg
Main train station: Flensburg
So far north that you could swim to Denmark, Flensburg shows you a side of Germany you might not know much about: its seafaring side. Flensburger Schifffahrtsmuseum is the town’s maritime museum, and as you walk there, you’ll see a cool mix of German-Danish culture. Take a ferry ride to Glücksburg if you need to check-off that “classic German schloss” on your to-do list.
View of Dresden, Germany. Image Credit: Getty Images, Vladimir Vins
Dresden
Main train station: Dresden Hbf
For the second-generation traveler whose parents suggested skipping “dreary Dresden”, we have news for you: Dresden is much different from what your folks remember. Small town vibes with big city attractions, you can’t go wrong spending time in Old Town seeing the Frauenkirche or hanging out on the Elbe with countless other families, couples, and solo travelers.
Würzburg
Main train station: Würzburg
Stand on the Old Main Bridge, gazing at the Marienberg Fortress to the west and Grafeneckart to the east, and you’ll need not wonder why Würzburg is a must-visit destination in Germany. Splitting the distance between Nuremberg and Frankfurt, this city in the Franconia region has wonderful wine bars, riverside cafés, and an amazing staircase beneath an equally stunning tapestry in the Würzburg Residence.
Baden-Baden
Main train station: Baden-Baden
The Black Forest is its own adventure and Baden-Baden is an appropriately popular place to start. More than just a spa town full of thermal baths, you may be surprised to find Germany’s largest opera house and the Panoramic Trail with the country’s best views.
Now that you know where to go in Germany, let events like Oktoberfest and Christmas markets give you more reasons when and why to visit Deutschland. Download the Trainline app and get around Germany on Deutsche Bahn’s railways.
Frauenkirche Cathedral in Munich, Germany. Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Thomas Rieger
