937 Best Sights in Germany

This charming urban garden on the bustling Kreuzberg hub of Moritzplatz perfectly encapsulates the Berlin DIY spirit. Starting with little more than 100 wooden packing crates and an idea, the founders of the Prinzessinnengarten have created an entirely movable source of fruit, vegetables, flowers, and herbs. The café on the premises serves a daily menu of small dishes sourced directly from the garden, while a series of lectures and events facilitate interaction between gardening experts and local enthusiasts. Whether you come just to look, to taste, or to grab a bunch of gardening tools and dig in, the gardens offer a chance to stop, breathe, and enjoy a bit of open space in one of the city’s most densely packed quarters.

This is one of the finest beaches on Rügen, and there's probably not another place like it in the world—think fine white beach bordered by a dense pine forest sitting in the shadow of the ruins of a monstrous Nazi beach resort. Prora actually sits in the Prorer Wiek, a pleasant cove with shallow water and plentiful sandbanks. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: nudists; sunset; swimming; walking.

Since 1895 this narrow-gauge steam train has run across the island of Rügen connecting a number of sea resorts with each other. Trains run every two hours from Göhren to Putbus and back. From May to October the Rasender Roland runs every hour from Binz to Putbus, and beyond Putbus to Lauterbach Mole. The ride takes 75 minutes each way.

Dating from 1240, the Rathaus is among the buildings lining the arcaded Marktplatz, one of Europe's most striking medieval market squares.

Passau's looming 14th-century town hall sits like a vast Venetian merchant's house on a small square (called, logically, Rathausplatz) fronting the Danube. The building was once home to a wealthy German merchant, before being declared the seat of city government after a 1298 uprising. Today it holds two council chambers, home to wall paintings depicting scenes from local history and legend, though it's not currently possible to visit these interiors. Even if you don't see the Rathaus, you'll probably hear it, as the tower is home to Bavaria's largest glockenspiel, which plays daily at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm.

This town hall was built during the Renaissance and painted with vivid frescoes—swags of flowers and fruits, shields, and sturdy knights wielding immense swords. Walk into the courtyard to admire its Renaissance restraint.

Bautzen's main market square is actually two squares, the Hauptmarkt (Main Market) and the Fleischmarkt (Meat Market), separated by the yellow, baroque Rathaus. The current town hall dates from 1705, but there has been a town hall in this location since 1213. Bautzen's friendly tourist-information center, next door, has a great two-hour walking-tour map and an audio guide available through the SmartGuide travel guide and map app.

Inside the late-Gothic Rathaus is a high point of Gothic decoration, the Ratssaal, or council chamber, which is still in use today. Its most striking feature amid the riot of carving is the series of figures, created between 1492 and 1494, representing the states of the Holy Roman Empire. It's free to visit the interior at 11 AM Wednesday or Thursday, otherwise you'll need to be on a city tour to get in.

Begun in 1433, this building slowly expanded over the next 150 years, and served from around 1471 to 1805 as the seat of the court of Württemberg. Its ornate Renaissance facade is bright with colorful murals and a marvelous astronomical clock dating from 1511. The half-timber halls and reception rooms are adorned with paintings from the late 19th century.

Freiburg's famous Rathaus (Town Hall) is actually two 16th-century patrician houses joined together. Destroyed in the war, it was faithfully reconstructed in the 1950s. Among its attractive Renaissance features is an oriel, or bay window, clinging to a corner and bearing a bas-relief of the romantic medieval legend of the Maiden and the Unicorn.

The heart of the city is the city hall, where a car-free square has become a popular gathering point with a great view. Half of the town hall is Gothic, begun in 1240; the other half is neoclassical, started in 1572, and renovated after its original facade was destroyed by a fire 500 years ago. You can climb the 220 stairs of the tower to get a good view of the Franken countryside.

Work began on the town hall in 1701, a few years after the French destroyed the city. The massive coat of arms above the balcony is the work of Heinrich Charrasky, who also created the statue of Hercules atop the fountain in the middle of the square.

Naumburg's town hall, rebuilt in 1523, incorporates the remnants of the original building destroyed by fire.

The handsome, white High Renaissance town hall forms the backdrop for the Marktplatz's two statues.

Built in 1370, the city hall maintains its original, opulently painted Renaissance facade despite its interior having been gutted by World War II bombs. Paintings depicting virtues, commandments, and vices dating back to the 1500s adorn the exterior and an astronomical clock to rival that in Prague was added in 1520. Still in official use, most of the interior is closed to tourists; however, inside hangs a reproduction of the local tailor Ludwig Berblinger's flying machine. In 1811 Berblinger, a local eccentric, cobbled together a pair of wings and made a big splash by trying to fly across the river. He didn't make it, but he grabbed a place in German history books for his efforts.

Bad Karlshafen's baroque beauty, the town's best example of the stunning architectural style, stands in surprising contrast to the abundance of half-timber houses found along the rest of the Weser. Inside, the building is still used for administrative purposes, so it is not accessible to the public.

A 15th-century statue of Charlemagne, together with seven princes, adorns the Gothic town hall, the only European town hall built in the late Middle Ages that has not been destroyed or altered, managing to survive in its original form over the centuries. It was Charlemagne who established a diocese here in the 9th century. The Rathaus acquired a Weser Renaissance facade during the early 17th century. Tours, given when no official functions are taking place, are in German and English and take you into the upper hall as well as the Golden Chamber, a magnificent plenary hall. Inside, the model ships that hang from the ceiling bear witness to the importance of commerce and maritime trade for the city. Their miniature cannons can even be fired if the occasion demands.

Stuttgart's town hall has been called one of the ugliest in all of Germany. That may be true, but the sweeping interior houses a nice cafe, where you can have a coffee or cake in the afternoon. The true highlight, however, are the Paternoster lifts, constantly moving, doorless elevators that you hop on and off. These may be the most accessible lifts in Germany, and if you are interested in the concept (or just want to have a look), they are definitely worth the trouble. The experience is one of the most Insta-worthy experiences in Stuttgart.

The old Rathaus, whose doorway is crowned by a baldachin and baroque dome, is at the Marktplatz. The attractive open staircase leading up to the entrance is the site of the festive Geissbock-Versteigerung (billy-goat auction) every Pentecost Tuesday, followed by a parade and folk dancing. The goat is the tribute neighboring Lambrecht has paid Deidesheim since 1404 for grazing rights. Inside, in addition to a richly appointed Ratssaal (council chamber) is a museum of wine culture, which examines the importance of wine throughout history.

Cologne's only ethnography museum displays a collection of over 3,500 items that belonged to Wilhelm Joest, a 19th-century German ethnographer and traveler. The permanent exhibition looks at, among other things, the practicality of life in a Native American teepee, explains the importance of tattoos to Maori people, and reveals European perceptions of other cultures in the world as portrayed in travel reports and art. The largest—and perhaps most popular—item in the collection is a 7.5 meter-tall rice granary from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

Bautzen's city walls have a number of gates and towers. This one, at the end of Reichenstrasse, is the most impressive. Although the tower base dates from 1490, it was damaged in four city fires (in 1620, 1639, 1686, and 1747) and rebuilt, hence its baroque cupola. The reconstruction caused the tower to lean, however, and its foundation was further damaged in 1837. The \"Leaning Tower of Bautzen\" currently sits about 5 feet off center. The view from the top is a spectacular vista of Bautzen and the surrounding countryside.

The 15-minute walk to this 1,000-year-old castle overlooking the town will reward you with great views of the area. English guided tours lasting 40 minutes take place on the hour between 11:30 am and 4:30 pm; it's not possible to visit the castle and courtyards without a tour. During the first week of August, there's a medieval festival including colorful tournaments. Regular medieval banquets are available with advance booking only. These take place in German but with English translation sheets to accompany the feasting and merriment; the price includes a castle tour.

The Renaissance facade of this Baroque building hides the former royal palace, much of which was built between 1709 and 1722. Some of the finished rooms in the Georgenbau (Count George Wing) hold historical exhibits, among them an excellent one on the reconstruction of the palace itself. The palace's main gateway, the Georgentor, has an enormous statue of the fully armed Saxon count George. From April through October, the palace's old Hausmannsturm (Hausmann Tower) offers a wonderful view of the city and the Elbe River.

The main attraction in the Royal Palace, though, is the world-famous Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault). Named after a green room in the palace of Augustus the Strong, the collection is divided into two sections. The section of the castle most reflects Augustus the Strong's obsession with art as a symbol of power is the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe. The intricately restored baroque interior is an integral part of the presentation, highlighting the objects in the collection. The last section of the museum houses the Jewel Room, which displays the ceremonial crown jewels of Augustus the Strong and his son. Access to the Historic Green Vault is limited to 100 visitors per hour and is by appointment only, reserved in person, by phone, or online.  Due to a daring robbery in 2019, where 37 objects that could be worth over $1 billion were taken (some have since been recovered), expect heightened security.

The second part of the Green Vault, called the Neues Grünes Gewölbe, contains an exquisite collection of objets d'art fashioned from gold, silver, ivory, amber, and other precious and semiprecious materials. Among the crown jewels are the world's largest \"green\" diamond, 41 carats in weight, and a dazzling group of tiny gem-studded figures called Hofstaat zu Delhi am Geburtstag des Grossmoguls Aureng-Zeb (the Court at Delhi during the Birthday of the Great Mogul Aureng-Zeb). The unwieldy name gives a false idea of the size of the work, dating from 1708; some parts of the tableau are so small they can be admired only through a magnifying glass. Somewhat larger and less delicate is the drinking bowl of Ivan the Terrible, perhaps the most sensational artifact in this extraordinary museum.

The palace also houses the Münzkabinett (Coin Museum) and the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings), with more than 500,000 pieces of art spanning several centuries. Changing exhibits at the Kupferstichkabinett have presented masterworks by Albrecht Dürer, Peter Paul Rubens, and Jan van Eyck; 20th-century art by Otto Dix, Edvard Munch, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner; East European art; and some Southeast Asian prints. The Türckische Cammer (Turkish Chamber) comprises a huge number of Ottoman artifacts collected by Saxon dukes over centuries. It's worth going just to see the Ottoman War Tent, the only gilded leather tent of its type in Europe.

The Teutonic Knights' former castle, at the eastern end of the town, had its peak from 1527 to 1809, when the highly influential and resident Deutschmeister received guests, including the Kaiser, here. The powerful Hohenlohe family joined the Teutonic Order, founded in 1190, and gifted them this property in 1219. Although it lost its luster after the Napoleonic wars, the medieval castle has remarkable architectural features: originally, a moated castle, the building was expanded beginning in 1568 and converted to a palace. Baroque features, including an intricately carved wooden staircase, were added in the late 18th century. Post–World War II restoration work has converted the buildings into a museum that follows the history of the Teutonic Order. The castle also hosts classical concerts, lectures, and events for families and children.

Composer Richard Wagner gets his due at this museum, which has the most comprehensive exhibition on Wagner's life and work outside Bayreuth. Monthly concerts take place in the old Teezimmer (tearoom), a hall with wonderfully restored French wallpaper. The Erard piano, dating from the late 19th century, is occasionally rolled out.

Traffic is routed away from the river and underneath this mile-long pedestrian strip, which stretches from the Altstadt south to MedienHafen. The shady upper level is popular with joggers, cyclists, and casual strollers, while the lower level along the Rhine's banks is packed with buzzy cafés.

On the eastern edge of Garmisch, en route to Partenkirchen, stands the home of composer Richard Strauss, the town's most famous son. Although born in Munich, he settled in Garmisch in 1908 and lived in this house until his death in 1949. The property itself, which is still owned by the composer's family, is not open to visitors, but the attached institute and research center offers a popular exhibition dedicated to Strauss's life. Regularly symphony and chamber concerts are held here, and it becomes the center of activity during the Richard Strauss Tage, an annual music festival held in mid-June.

Back when this part of Neukölln was a Bohemian village, Richardplatz was its center, and today the square appears virtually untouched by time. Half-timber houses line one side, and some of the grandest turn-of-the-century apartment buildings face them on the other. It's worth exploring the lanes and alleyways running off the square and its extension, Richardstrasse; you’ll turn up some secret gardens and hidden buildings along the way. This square is the location of one of the city’s most charming Christmas markets, which takes place annually on the second weekend of Advent (usually either the first or second weekend in December): craftsmen and churches sell knitwear, candles, and all sorts of edible goodies under the light of old-fashioned gas lamps.

This majestic 19th-century sailing ship once traveled as far as Cape Town. Now it's permanently docked at Hamburg's piers, where it serves as a museum and site for painting and photography exhibitions.

From Schloss Villa Ludwigshöhe you can hike (30 minutes) or ride the Rietburgbahn chairlift (10 minutes) up to the Rietburg ruins for a sweeping view of the Pfalz. During a festive Lampionfahrt in July and August (dates vary each year), the chairlift operates until midnight on Saturday, and the route is lit by dozens of Chinese lanterns. A restaurant, game park, and playground are on the grounds.