937 Best Sights in Germany

This impressive art museum lies at the northern extremity of the Hofgarten, close to the Rhine. The excellent permanent collection that is particularly strong in modern art (especially German Expressionism) reopened in November 2023 featuring 800 artifacts displayed in 49 rooms that range from the medieval period up to today.

The city is proud of eastern Germany's first museum exclusively devoted to contemporary art. The building, dating from 1869, houses an outstanding international collection of Realist, Impressionist, and Art Nouveau works. Early modernism is at home in Weimar, and the works of the Weimar School of Painting and the avant-garde promoted by Harry Graf Kessler, from Claude Monet to Max Beckmann, help explain the contradictory and glamorous period at the end of the 19th century. In addition, it regularly presents international modern-art exhibitions.

Every Berlin neighborhood has a Heimatmuseum, which literally translates as “homeland museum” and which acts as a repository for local lore and history. Most are dusty, ill-frequented places, but not the Museum Neukölln, which not only has gone above and beyond in terms of design and organization, but also might be Berlin’s most technologically advanced museum. Its permanent exhibition, “99 x Neukölln” is a wonderful grab bag of objects, both old and new, that represent the neighborhood, displayed in cases equipped with computer touch screens that tell each object's history, context, and connection to other objects in the room. The museum is on the grounds of Schloss Britz.

Located in part of the former Benedictine Monastery of St. Mang, this baroque masterpiece dates back to the 8th century, when city patron Magnus, who spent most of his life ministering in the area, founded it. The summer presence of the bishops of Augsburg ensured that Füssen would gain an impressive number of baroque and rococo churches, and after his death, the abbey was built at the site of his grave. The museum contains one of Germany's largest collections of 17th to 19th century lutes and violins, the baroque Annakapelle (chapel), which includes frescoes of the local legend, the Füssen Totentanz. A Romanesque crypt beneath the baroque abbey church has a partially preserved 10th-century fresco, the oldest in Bavaria. In summer, chamber concerts are held in the baroque splendor of the former abbey's soaring Fürstensaal (Princes' Hall). Program details are available from the tourist office.

Housed in the former grand hotel, this museum chronicles the history of the Wittelsbach kings and queens from the 11th century to the present day. Focusing primarily on King Maximilian II and his son Ludwig, it details the family's story and the fabled Wittelsbach family's influence in the region, from the development of Munich, their founding of the first Oktoberfest, and the family's role in the resistance to the Nazi regime and their eventual imprisonment during World War II. Interactive exhibits couple state-of-the-art technology with the gold and gilt belongings of the royal family, including an elegant fur robe worn by King Ludwig II, builder of the nearby castles. The adjacent Alpenrose-am-See café overlooking the lake is a good spot to relax.

Ravensburg is a familiar name to all jigsaw-puzzle fans, because the Ravensburger publishing house produces the world's largest selection of puzzles, as well as many other children's games. Here you can explore the history of the company, founded in 1883 by Otto Robert Maier. Be sure to try out new and classic games via the interactive game stations throughout the museum.

This museum of local history, in the Old Town Hall of Mittelzell, lends interesting insights into life on the island over the centuries.

A treasure house of medieval art from the Rhine region, the museum has an ideal setting in a 12th-century basilica. Don't miss the crucifix from the St. Georg Kirche or the original stained-glass windows and carved figures from the Dom. Other exhibits include intricately carved ivory book covers, rock-crystal reliquaries, and illuminated manuscripts.

Saxons drink coffee like it is a religion, and this museum and café-restaurant tells the fascinating history of coffee culture in Saxony and Europe. It is one of the oldest on the continent, and once proudly served coffee to such luminaries as Gotthold Lessing, Schumann, Goethe, and Liszt. Even Johann Sebastian Bach was guest at the famous coffee house. The museum features many paintings, Arabian coffee vessels, and coffeehouse games. It also explains the basic principles of roasting coffee. The café is divided into traditional Viennese, French, and Arabian coffeehouses, but no coffee is served in the Arabian section, which is only a display. The cake is better and the seating more comfortable in the Viennese part. There is an ongoing discussion in Leipzig that this building, with its Turkish imagery, needs to be put into its post-colonial context.

Across the parking lot from the Philharmonie, the Kulturforum's Musikinstrumenten-Museum has a fascinating collection of keyboard, string, wind, and percussion instruments. These are demonstrated during an 11 am tour on Saturday, which closes with a 35-minute Wurlitzer organ concert for an extra fee; there's also a 6 pm tour (with no concert) on Thursday.

After a trip out to Pfaueninsel or a long walk around the Wannsee lake, refuel at this café, which is also a garden and gourmet foods shop and an event space. In warm weather, grab a table in the courtyard.

Built in 1890, this is said to be the narrowest house in eastern Germany. Its width is just over 6 feet, 8 inches; its height, 24½ feet; and its depth, 34 feet. The house is interesting to see from the outside, but it is privately owned and not open to the public.

Bavaria's original National Theater at Max-Joseph-Platz didn't last long. Opened in 1818, it burned to the ground in 1823 before it was completely finished. By 1825 it was rebuilt with its eight-column portico, and went on to premiere Richard Wagner's world-famous Tristan und Isolde (1865), Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868), Rheingold (1869), and Walküre (1870). Allied bombs destroyed much of the interior in 1943, and its facade and elements of its interior were rebuilt as it was prewar. It finally reopened in 1963. Today, it is one of Europe's largest opera houses and contains some of the world's most advanced stage technologies. As the principal home to the Bavarian State Opera, it is considered one of the world's outstanding opera houses. Family opera is also available for children under 18 with an accompanying adult. The Munich Opera Festival takes place in late June and July, including performances, free open-air Opera for All events, and live streaming opera online with Staatsoper TV.

Producing fine still and sparkling wines on the bank of the Saale River, this winery in a 200-year-old monastery is a pleasant 2-km (1-mile) walk or bike ride from Naumburg's city center. Tours of the production rooms and the vaulted cellar, with wine tastings, take place whenever a group forms and last about an hour. The wine garden is a pleasant place to relax on the bank of the river and the restaurant serves small snacks. Larger appetites find relief across the street at the Gasthaus Henne.

Just outside Düsseldorf, the Düssel River forms a valley, called the Neanderthal, where the bones of a Stone Age relative of modern man were found. The impressive museum, built at the site of the discovery in the suburb of Mettmann, includes models of the original discovery, replicas of cave drawings, and life-size models of Neanderthal Man. A new highlight, the Höhlenblick tower, affords a view onto the spot where Neanderthal bones were found.

This collection contains over 10,000 works of art, ranging from 19th-century landscape paintings to 20th-century abstracts, as well as more contemporary art, including sculptures, installations, and multimedia pieces. There is also a permanent exhibition called \"about: documenta,\" which looks at the history of the contemporary art exhibition that happens in Kassel every five years and shows original works from past documenta exhibitions.

This glittering baroque palace was once the home of the prince-electors after they moved here from the Alten Hofhaltung. In the 18th century Lothar Franz von Schönborn—called der Quadratischer (the Cube) by Bambergers as he was reportedly as wide as he was tall—planned to extend the immense palace even further. On the corner of Obere Karolinenstrasse, the timbered bonding was intentionally left unfinished so that another wing could be added. Financial difficulties and the eventual secularization of Bavarian religious building cut short these plans. The most memorable room in the palace is the Kaisersaal (Throne Room), complete with elaborate stucco work. The impressive over-dimensional ceiling frescoes of German Emperors give the impression of looking into heaven. The rose garden behind the Neue Residenz provides an aromatic and romantic spot for a stroll with a view of Bamberg's roofscape. You have to take a German-language tour to see the Residenz itself and this is the only way to see the actual apartments. You can visit the rose garden and the Staatsbibliothek (library) at any time during opening hours; there's a lovely café here too.

Germany's southernmost lighthouse stands sentinel with the Bavarian Lion across the inner harbor's passageway. A viewing platform at the top is open in good weather from April until the end of October. Climb the 139 steps for views over the harbor.

Neuer Markt (New Market) square has baroque-style architecture similar to that of the Alter Markt square and a handful of the city’s best-preserved buildings, some of which date back to the 18th century.

A refreshingly modern attraction in the heart of town, the Neues Museum is devoted to international design since the mid-20th century. The building itself is a work of art, with its mix of traditional pink-sandstone ashlars and flowing glass edifice achieving the perfect synthesis between old and new, while its interior is all cool stone floors and white walls, with a ramp that slowly spirals up through the gallery. Inside, extraordinary things await, including an extensive collection of Gerhardt Richter's eclectic works, along with thought-provoking temporary exhibits. English language information can be a little patchy, but the expressive paintings, sculptures, photography, and video installations usually speak for themselves.

The massive New Town Hall was built at the start of the 20th century in Wilhelmine style (named for Kaiser Wilhelm). The pomp and circumstance were important ingredients of the German bureaucracy of the time. Four scale models on the ground floor depict Hannover in various stages of development and destruction: as a medieval walled city, in the years before World War II, immediately following World War II, and in its present-day form. An elevator rises diagonally to the dome for a splendid view. Public tours are conducted twice-monthly from March to October (book online at  www.visit-hannover.com) but don't include the ascent to the dome (those tickets are purchased separately).

The spacious and elegant \"New Castle\" is directly across from its predecessor. Designed by Christoph Gessinger at the beginning of the 18th century, it took nearly 50 years to complete. The grand double staircase, with its intricate grillwork and heroic statues, was the work of Balthasar Neumann. The interior's other standout is the glittering Spiegelsaal (Hall of Mirrors).

Like many of the most impressive sights in Bayreuth, this glamorous 18th-century palace was built by the Margravine Wilhelmine, a woman of enormous energy and decided tastes. Her distinctive touch is evident throughout the palace, which was rebuilt when a mysterious fire conveniently destroyed parts of the original one. Anyone with a taste for the wilder flights of rococo decoration will love it. Some rooms have been given over to one of Europe's finest collections of faience pottery. Most of the state rooms can be visited freely, but you'll need to join the guided tour (German-language only) to see the Italian Palace.

One of Berlin’s heavy hitters, this Mitte gallery with a seemingly unpronounceable name (it’s actually the names of the two founders combined), has either represented or hosted shows by such art world luminaries as Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Billy Childish, and Keith Edmier.

Prior to 1519, this oversized square was once the heart of the Jewish ghetto. The Neupfarrkirche (New Parish Church) here, built as a pilgrimage church, was given to the Protestants, hence its bare-bones interior. In the late 1990s, excavation work on the square uncovered well-kept cellars and, to the west of the church, the old synagogue, including the foundations of its Romanesque predecessor. Archaeologists salvaged the few items they could from the old stones. Recovered items were carefully restored and are on exhibit in the Historisches Museum. Only one small underground area to the south of the church, the Document, accommodates viewing of the foundations. In a former cellar, surrounded by the original walls, visitors can watch a short video reconstructing life in the old Jewish ghetto. Over the old synagogue, the Israeli artist Dani Karavan designed a stylized plaza where people can sit and meet.

The solid bulk of Hanau's 18th-century Rathaus stands behind the Grimm brothers statue. Every day at noon its bells play tribute to another of the city's famous sons, the composer Paul Hindemith (1895–1963), by chiming out one of his canons. Every Wednesday and Saturday, a farmer's market fills the square in front of the baroque building.

Niederburg, the oldest part of Konstanz, is a car-free tangle of twisting streets leading to the Rhine. From the river take a look at two of the city's old towers: the Rheintorturm (Rhine Gate Tower), the one nearer the lake, and the aptly named Pulverturm (Powder Tower), the former city arsenal.

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's family lived in Naumburg from 1858 to 1897, in a small classical house in the Weingarten. The Nietzsche Haus Museum documents the life and times of one of Naumburg's most controversial residents. The exhibition does not delve too deeply into Nietzsche's philosophy, but focuses a great deal on his bizarre relationship with his sister and her manipulation of his manuscripts.

Near the porcelain works commemorating the fallen sons and fathers of Meissen in the First World War, this church holds the largest set of porcelain figures ever crafted (8¼ feet tall) as well as the remains of early Gothic frescoes.

This church, with its rough undistinguished facade, was center stage during the demonstrations that helped bring down the Communist regime. Every Monday for months before the government collapsed, thousands of citizens gathered in front of the church chanting \"Wir sind das Volk\" (We are the people). There is a lingering spiritual power inside, with a soaring Gothic choir and nave. Note the unusual patterned ceiling supported by classical pillars that end in palm-tree-like flourishes. Martin Luther is said to have preached from the ornate 16th-century pulpit. The prayers for peace that began the revolution in 1989 are still held Monday at 5 pm.