Coastal Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania
The Meeresmuseum aquarium is set in a 13th-century convent building. Exhibits include a very popular sea turtle tank and polychromatic tropical fish.
Must-see attractions in Northern Germany
Northern Germany
First opened in 1721, this 14-hectare zoo has lynx, puma, European wildcats, kookaburras and numerous deer species, and is terrific for families.
Northern Germany
The bustling Markt is home to the Rathaus. It's quite a sober affair, something that the castle-like crenellations do little to alter.
Coastal Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania
A beautiful 15th-century town house named after an old mayor, the turreted step gable imitates the Rathaus facade across the square.
Rostock
Red-brick and pastel-coloured buildings on this large market square hark back to the 14th- and 15th-century Hanseatic era.
Lübeck
Among Lübeck's famous Höfe (courtyards), this is one of the most beautiful, although it's not always open.
Lübeck
The Glandorps Gang is one of Lübeck's most stunning centuries-old gänge (walkways).
Lübeck
Sheds light on the history of the gate and on Lübeck's medieval mercantile glory days.
Schleswig-Holstein
The days before tourism are recalled in this 1739 house made from brick and thatch.
Coastal Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania
Don't miss the lovely ivy-covered face of this baroque 14th-century church.
Kiel Region
Hundreds of subs like this one once called Kiel home; Wolfgang Petersen’s seminal film Das Boot (1981) was set on a similar U-boat. You can climb through…
Schleswig-Holstein
Northern Germany has its own version of the Great Wall of China: the Dannewerk, a 30km-long earth-and-stone wall that stretched across today's Schleswig…
Rostock
Gloriously hokey, Karls is a roadside attraction in the cheesiest tradition. The schtick here is fruit, strawberries to be exact. In this sprawling hodge…
Hamburg
North of the Altstadt, the much-updated Museum für Völkerkunde demonstrates seafaring Hamburg’s acute awareness of the outside world. Modern artefacts…
St Pauli & Reeperbahn
Rising up from the northern reaches of St Pauli, this brooding concrete structure was built during WWII as an anti-aircraft defence position but doubled…
Hamburg
The 2500 animals that live in Hamburg's zoo have open enclosures over 27 hectares. In addition to elephants, tigers, orang-utans, toucans and other…
Kiel Region
Nearly 100m tall, this memorial was opened in 1936 to commemorate German seamen killed in WWI. After WWII it became a memorial for sailors killed in both…
Hamburg
This moderately interesting collection is devoted to the art and culture of northern Germany since the 18th century. An unusual aspect is the focus on…
Rügen Island
Göhren has a collection of four historic sites, which together make up the Monchgüter Museen, including the historical Heimatsmuseum, the Museumshof farm,…
Coastal Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania
The 100m onion-domed tower of 14th-century Dom St Nikolai rises above a row of historic facades, giving the cathedral the nickname ‘Long Nicholas’. The…
Schleswig-Holstein
Glücksburg is renowned for this horseshoe-shaped, blindingly white Renaissance palace, which appears to float in the middle of a large lake. Brooding when…
Northern Germany
Built between 1226 and 1335, the richly ornamented Gothic Dom contains a copy of Ernst Barlach's Hovering Angel, a memorial for the fallen soldiers of WWI…
Kiel
Atmospherically located in an imposing former fish market, Kiel's maritime museum tells the story of the city's maritime heritage. Newly redone, it's a…
Schleswig-Holstein
Effectively an extension to the Schleswig-Holstein Landesmuseum, the Archäologische Landesmuseum boasts the Nydam-Boot, a reconstructed and preserved 28…
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig’s city museum incorporates a treacly (and kid-friendly) Teddy Bear Haus in a half-timbered building off the courtyard. More sober displays…
Schleswig-Holstein
Kids – and kids at heart – will be enchanted by the puppets on display at the Poppenspäler Museum, in Husum's Schloss. In summer, it presents a series of…
Hamburg
The centerpiece of Hansaplatz square. Completed in 1878, the fountain shows important figures in Hamburg's past, including Emperor Constantine the Great…
Kulturhistorisches Museum Rostock
Rostock
The city's cultural history museum has an interesting collection including Victorian furniture and a few sculptures by Ernst Barlach. It's housed in the…
St Pauli & Reeperbahn
If wax museums are your thing, Hamburg has a decent version with more than 120 figures spread over four floors. Everyone gets a run, from Queen Elizabeth…
St Pauli & Reeperbahn
Hamburg's maritime tableau spreads out before this park created by local residents and overlooking the Elbe. Pick up some beer and have your own sunset…
Northern Germany
Somewhat incongruous but with good views from the vicinity, this Greek-style temple, built in 1891, houses the tomb of Queen Louise of Prussia; among her…
Hamburg
A beautiful 1961 freighter, the 10,000-tonne Cap San Diego is open to tours that give a good feel for when sea voyages were a relaxing and low-key way to…
Northern Germany
The Deutsches Salzmuseum explains (in German only) how Lüneburg’s precious food preservative made the town such an important player in the Hanseatic…
St Pauli & Reeperbahn
Along Davidstrasse, a painted tin wall bars views into Herbertstrasse, a block-long bordello that’s off-limits to men under 18 and to women of all ages…
Hamburg
This camped-up chamber of horrors is brought to life by actors, incorporating various thrill rides, and is housed in an old warehouse. It's pricey and not…
Hamburg
The elegant Renaissance-style arcades of the Alsterarkaden shelter upscale shops and cafes alongside the Alsterfleet canal. This is ground zero for…
Altstadt
Founded in 1821, privately run Galerie Commeter is Hamburg's oldest gallery, with a reliable offering of contemporary painting, graphics, sculpture and…
Hamburg
This weekly eco-market (think organic farmers' produce) adds a little life to Friday afternoons in the heart of St Georg. It sometimes shifts to Friday…
Coastal Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania
This fine example of a restored gabled facade is notable for the fact that a small reconstruction of the original has been left exposed high on the wall.
St Pauli & Reeperbahn
The seminal venue for the Beatles opened in 1962. It has since burnt down and there is a sad historical marker. Thai karaoke now echoes off the walls.
