Article: Germany's Smaller, Hidden Gems

I'd never designate Regensburg or Bamberg as hidden. Slightly less touristed; maybe. Meersburg is also pretty touristy, but more as a secondary place of interest around the Bodensee. Monschau is off the beaten path and quite nice.

Nothing hidden about them. Bamberg is mentioned here very frequently. Meersburg is a main town on the Bodensee. Regensburg is popular and is the sister city of Tempe, AZ where I lived for 25 years.

There are so many towns in Germany that are infrequently visited by Americans. Altho there are a handful here on the forum that mention Gengenbach, it is rarely visited by Americans. The only English speakers I have heard in over 10 days there was one English couple.

I enjoyed 4 nights in Lichtenfels - the basket city. Anyone here on the forum ever been thete. From there I visited Bamberg, Coburg, and Kulmbach. Not many mentions of the later two on any forum I visit, yet they have a lot to offer.

Check your history for actual bomb damage in Regensburg and civilian casualties. It was part of some of the double strike Schweinfurt–Regensburg raids. The outlying Messerschmitt factories were hit but most of the old city left untouched. Regensburg civilian casualties in these raids were @400 to include forced laborers. Regensburg's churches, narrow streets and towers remain. It's a UNESCO City.

Just off the top of my head in Bayern is Landshut, Murnau am Staffelsee, Spitzingsee, Reit im Winkl and Traunstein. Obertsdorf and the surrounding Allgäu area. The Franken Main River wine region, Niederbayern Bavarian Forest and the Franken Schweitz east of Forchheim.

Monschau is extremely charming and virtually unknown to travelers from outside of Europe. We spent 2 nights there about 2 decades ago when we traveled with our extended family. We rarely ever use the car in Germany, but partly because we had Monschau in our sights, we went with a van rental for our travel in this corner of Europe. Getting to Monschau and back from places like Aachen or Cologne would be extremely time-consuming and inconvenient, so IMO calling it "off the beaten path" doesn't do justice to Monschau's remoteness. Maybe "buried treasure" applies here.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

Most American travelers don't know of these cities. I knew of only Bamberg, which I have visited, and Regensburg, which on my last trip I was thinking about visiting.

And mchpp, thanks for the information you provided. However, I did know that Regensburg's historical center largely escaped bomb damage in the war because the targeted factories were located on its outskirts (although daylight bombing was often not terribly accurate). The August 1943 Regensburg-Schweinfurt mission was the subject of episode 3 of the Masters of the Air miniseries, which appeared a few years ago on Apple.

Koblenz
…visit-koblenz.de/en

Gorlitz is magnificent ! I spent a week there several years ago after a stay in Dresden before going on to Berlin . The architecture was the main draw for me , and Gorlitz did not disappoint . The motivation to make a visit there was , frankly , the fine Wes Anderson film " The Grand Budapest Hotel " , largely filmed there . ( Other major parts of the film were shot in Dresden and Karlovy Vary )

Have been to Regensburg and Bamberg.
My top favorite small towns are Büdingen, Gelnhausen, Limburg, Marburg, Idstein, Seligenstadt, Eltville, Kronberg, Bad Homburg, Michelstadt.

Been to 4/5. Bamberg when I was in the service for a short stay and 5 or 6 times lately. Last summer we spent the day shopping and enjoying the smoke beer. Monschau for the Christmas Markets. We were in Aachen and spent the night there. You could not ask for a more beautiful village at night. Come on it is less then 30 minutes from Aachen. Rent a car. Germany is a great place to drive. Regensburg a number of times. No more though we think it is over hyped. Been there twice for the Christmas markets. OK. Gorlitz well we think it is a jewel. The walk over the bridge and eating and shopping in Poland is just outstanding. If you get a chance swing by the Passion of Jesus. I wish I could think what the name of it is. Goggle it.

As mentioned, Coburg is beautiful and (except for the weekend of the Samba Festival) has very little tourist traffic. It is more historically significant than most of the towns mentioned. Its medieval fortress is almost unparalleled and I would put it ahead of Wartburg. The nearby tiny restored medieval village of Sesslach is neat. Bayreuth and the neighboring Eremitage are very nice. Schmalkalden is very cute and gets comparatively little American tourist traffic. Bad Langensalza is also pretty but it is quite small. The old town of Gotha and its Friedenstein Palace are nice but I would favor Coburg or Schmalkalden over it. Kulmbach is nice. I haven’t yet been to Kronach (which is a neighbor to both Coburg and Kulmbach) but I’ve heard it’s nice. As others have pointed out, there is no shortage of picturesque villages in Germany. Most regions have a tourist website that will list information on many towns. I’ve found that a good way to find the many towns that don’t get love from the guidebooks.

Also, in hotels in major cities, you can find free regional guides (though they will probably be in German) that give much love to the surrounding region and list the many wonderful towns nearby. At the moment, I am holding one titled "die burgenstrasse" (I added the double s) that I picked up in either Nuremberg or Bamberg. Its website is www.burgenstrasse.de.

Regensberg and Bamberg are ultra touristy so don’t go there thinking they are hidden. They are cute though.

A quick note: To my knowledge, the RS Germany guidebook does not mention Bamberg or Regensburg. They are not "hidden" like the smaller towns listed. But does either one really get a huge number of American tourists?

If you go to Görlitz, I highly recommend a side trip to Bad Muskau and perhaps also the Rakotzbrücke.

These are lovely places, though not exactly hidden. It is also important to remember that Markovich also has a travel agency and assists clients in booking these types of places; it is helpful to her to recommend places far enough off to feel different and still touristy enough to be appealing to her clients. These are also not in the north or central regions of Germany. I am surprised at how many people miss cities like Quedlinburg or Schwerin or Lüneburg or even Lübeck. They rarely pop up in articles despite being amazing places. Perhaps more on this forum, but in things the average Joe reads about travel to Europe or in magazines or the NYT, you never see them. And then there are the myriad small towns (again, people have never heard of Glückstadt despite its having a harbor that looks very similar to Copenhagen's Nyhavn and a cobbled downtown square and neat alleys to rival almost any little town in Europe) that of course are everywhere and absolutely unknown.

These are lovely places, but not hidden.