Stuttgart
When temperatures soar, Stuttgarters head to Max-Eyth-See for pedalo fun on the lake and picnicking beside the Neckar River. Murky water rules out…
Must-see attractions in Germany
Berlin
Built for the 1936 Olympic Games, Berlin’s coliseum-style Olympiastadion was completely revamped for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and now sports a spidery oval…
Dokumentationsstätte Regierungsbunker
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
During the Cold War, there was no vast top-secret bunker complex bored into the Ahr Valley hillside – at least not officially. Now, however, you can see…
Trier
Anchored by a 1595 fountain dedicated to St Peter and the Four Virtues, Trier’s central market square is surrounded by medieval and Renaissance…
Nuremberg
Dürer, Germany’s most famous Renaissance draughtsperson, lived and worked at this site from 1509 until his death in 1528. Enjoy the slightly OTT…
Munich
The 1890s Justizpalast witnessed the Weisse Rose trial of Hans Scholl, Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst on 22 February 1943. They were condemned to…
Bremen City
Among Germany’s greatest sculptors, Gerhard Marcks (1889–1981) is the man responsible for Bremen’s famous Stadtmusikanten sculpture on Markt. Born in…
Cologne
A mecca of modern art, Museum Ludwig presents a tantalising mix of works from all major genres. Fans of German expressionism (Beckmann, Dix, Kirchner)…
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
One of the few places of worship in Bavaria to charge admission, Rothenburg's Lutheran parish church was begun in the 14th century and finished in the…
Koblenz
At the point of confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine, the ‘German Corner’ is dominated by a soaring statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I on horseback, in the…
Berlin
Geared towards the primary school set, this cute indoor amusement park counts a 4D cinema, a Lego space station and a slow-mo ride through the Dragon…
Fairy-Tale Road
Named for an amateur archaeologist who discovered Stone, Bronze and Iron Age relics in the area (the seeds of the current collection), the Vonderau has…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
Part of Brühl's park-and-palace ensemble, Jagdschloss Falkenlust is a petite rococo jewel designed by François Cuvilliés as a hunting palace. This is…
Kreuzberg
The Bergmannkiez in western Kreuzberg is one of Berlin’s most charismatic neighbourhoods, thanks to beautifully restored 19th-century houses and a bevy of…
Munich
Munich's massive Siegestor was modelled on the Arch of Constantine in Rome and looks like a miniature version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Built to…
Paula Modersohn-Becker Haus Museum
Bremen City
Showcasing the art of the eponymous artist Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876–1907), an early expressionist and member of the Worpswede artists colony, this is…
Berlin
This sunken neobaroque century-old garden comes with a secret: strolling past the flower beds and cascading fountain, you are actually standing in a…
Friedrichshain
This jumble of derelict buildings is one of the last subcultural compounds in central Berlin. Founded in 1867 as a train repair station ('Reichsbahn…
Würzburg
Würzburg's highly unusual cathedral has a Romanesque core that has been altered many times over the centuries. The elaborate stucco work of the chancel…
Lake Constance
No zoo-like cages, no circus antics, just happy Barbary macaques free to roam in a near-natural habitat: that's the concept behind conservation-oriented…
Museum Blindenwerkstatt Otto Weidt
Berlin
Standing up to the Nazi terror took unimaginable courage, but one man who did so was Otto Weidt. The broom and brush maker saved many of his deaf and…
Ulm
A nod to Ulm’s most famous son, this fiendishly funny bronze fountain by Jürgen Goertz shows a wild-haired, tongue-poking-out Albert Einstein, who was…
Trier
Adjoining the Porta Nigra, in the 11th-century priests' residence Simeon's College (retaining an original 1060-laid oak beam floor in the double-storey…
Nuremberg
The Historischer Kunstbunker is a climate-controlled bomb shelter deep under the Burgberg that was used to protect art treasures during WWII. Priceless…
Moselle Valley
The Grevenburg castle, built in the mid-1300s, sits high in the craggy hills above Trarbach, with incredible valley views. Because of its strategic…
Friedrichshain
The Holzmarkt urban village on the Spree is a perpetually evolving cultural open playground – and a nose-thumbing at the luxury lofts, hotels and office…
Cologne & Northern Rhineland
The 1913 Nibelungenhalle is a temple-like shrine to the composer Richard Wagner, decorated with scenes from his opera cycle Ring of the Nibelungen. Part…
Cologne
The square in front of Cologne's historical town hall has for years been ripped open as archaeologists unearthed fabulous finds from Roman times and the…
Frankfurt & Southern Rhineland
Darmstadt’s focal point is the 18th-century Luisenplatz, a veritable hive of activity thanks to the adjacent shopping precinct, which stretches south from…
Lake Constance
In summer the harbourside promenade has a happy-go-lucky air, with its palms, bobbing boats and folk sunning themselves in pavement cafes.
Trier
Magnificent St Matthias Abbey is thought to be Germany's oldest Christian church. Begun in 1127, when the relics of the Apostle Matthias (Judas' successor…
Frankfurt & Southern Rhineland
The most scenic spot along the Saar River is the Saarschleife, 60km northwest of Saarbrücken, where the river makes a spectacular, almost unbelievable…
The Black Forest
Heading south on the Freiburg–Feldberg road, you’ll glimpse the roaring Todtnauer Wasserfall. While the 97m falls are not as high as those in Triberg,…
Munich
Office workers catching some rays during their lunch break, stylish mothers pushing prams, seniors on bikes, a gaggle of chatty nuns – everybody comes to…
Ulm
With origins dating back to the early 14th century, the Zeughaus is one of Ulm's most impressive historical buildings. It underwent significant expansion…
Koblenz
A vision of crenellated towers, ornate gables and medieval-style fortifications, Schloss Stolzenfels rises above the Rhine’s left bank 5km south of the…
Ulm
This museum is a fascinating romp through ancient and modern art, history and archaeology. Standouts include the 20th-century Kurt Fried Collection,…
Rhine Valley
Two rival castles stand either side of the village of St Goarshausen. Burg Peterseck was built by the archbishop of Trier to counter the toll practices of…
Wiesbaden
If you're game to taste-test the hot spa waters for which the city is known (and named), which are said to have wonderful pharmacological powers, head to…
Dresden
Like its siblings in Leipzig and elsewhere in Germany, this old gasometer – a huge round-shaped building – has been transformed into a venue for German…
