If you could teleport to Germany but could only visit 3 attractions, cities or Towns, where would you go ?
What were the best 3 places you visited and why would you recommend these places to a friend.
Bonus Question. Was there a place you would recommend a first time visitor to SKIP ? What place wasn’t worthy in your mind ?
I’m so curious. Thank you all who participate.
Winter, summer or free of choice?
btw: we liked the burger restaurant in Moncton.
Berlin There is so much to see and do there. We constantly return to this city and enjoy the sights, museums,etc. as well as day trips near Berlin.
Wurzburg- It is such a vibrant place to be for us. Every time we have been there, there are events going on at street corners and all over town. It is an easy city to navigate and very walkable.
Freiburg- It is in the southwestern part of the country and close to France,Switzerland, and my husbands family.
BONUS: Its difficult to identify a place to skip,but Cologne is probably the city I enjoyed the least. There are several worthwhile things to see and do in Cologne,but I just felt less connection to the city. I'm sure there are others who will disagree and Im sure it depends on what things you enjoy. I even feel guilty saying that about any area.
Berlin, Munich area and Bavarian Alps. From Munich you can take direct trains to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial and Salzburg. You can also rent a car in the alps and drive to Salzburg.
My choices are based on the fact I don’t like going to cities.
1) Berchtesgaden area. Have stayed 6 times and can’t wait to go back. Beautiful Alpine scenery, scenic drives (Rossfeld Panorama Road being one), Konigsee boat trip, Salt mines, Sommerrodelbahn (luge ride), Jennerbahn cable car trip, love strolling Berchtesgaden in the evening, love staying in Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden (small quiet village stunning scenery). Plus there are so many easy day trips from here. Salzburg is 40 min away by car. Herrenchiemsee is an hour away. Zell am See is about 1:30 away. The Wolfgangsee is an hour away. We even easily visited Hallstatt based here.
2) Mittenwald. Simply the postcard perfect Bavarian village with an alpine backdrop. Karwendelbahn trip. Plenty of walks. Garmisch is 20 minutes away. Oberammergau is also nearby. You can visit Linderhof easily also.
3) Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Commercial but awesome. I had to see Tilman Riemenschneider’s 500 year old wood carved masterpiece of an alter here in St. Jacobs church. There’s another one nearby in Creglingen plus loved the Nightwatchman tour and walking the streets before and after the tour crowds had left.
4) Cochem on the Mosel. I had to see Burg Eltz in person and it didn’t disappoint. We stayed in Valwig across the Mosel from Cochem.
MarkK im going to say Autumn like October.
Cool that you found a good burger place in Moncton.
If it's October, then I don't go. I avoid going over " shoulder season " as the latest time in the year for me is mid-Sept.
If it's only 3 places in Germany, the trip has to be in the summer.
My top 3 choices are Berlin (obviously) including Potsdam, 2. Weimar, and 3. Lüneburg
Berlin (Potsdam), Munich, and one of the Rhine towns (Bacharach, Boppard, St Goar). Loved my stay in Bacharach and the boat trip on the Rhine to Boppard, stopped at St Goar to explore Rheinfels castle. Berlin is great because it has so much to see and so much history. Can't go to Berlin without visiting Potsdam. Munich because it has much to see but also wonderfully located for day trips to other towns. It's hard to narrow it to 3 because I also loved Heidelberg, Regensburg, Cologne, and Wurzburg.
Oberammergau -- the painted buildings, Munich -- the history, and Wurzburg -- history and the Prince Bishop's Residence -- plus I lived there for a while.
We’ve been many times in early to late October wouldn’t go any other time of year. Bavaria, Austria and the Dolomites. Quieter yet enough is still open.
Berlin, Gengenbach (in the Black Forest) and Würzburg or Rothenburg o.d.T.
Berlin for all the reasons named above.
Gengenbach because I stayed there for 4 nights in 2022 and absolutely loved it. The town is very charming with beautiful half-timbered houses (it's frequently called a "chocolate box" village) and has a beautiful Altstadt, with quite a few restaurants and cafes to choose from. Gengenbach makes a good base as it is right on the main train line, and gives you the options of some interesting day trips, including taking a day trip to Strasbourg, France, which is a quick 40 minute train ride away.
One nice benefit if you stay there is that you receive a KONUS card, which entitles you to free public transport throughout the Black Forest region. There are many charming villages in the region that you can visit along the Black Forest Railway, and there is also the Vogtsbauernhof (open-air museum) that is a joy to visit and easily accessible by train.
The town church (Saint Marion) is quite beautiful, and the medieval gates to the city are really interesting. The Benedictine Abbey is also worth a visit, and behind it are some cloistered gardens that were a joy to wander through. This was one of my favorite places. It was peaceful and inviting and I could have stayed for hours. There were little signs of inspiration scattered around, and some children from a nearby kindergarten playing on one side.
Also don't miss a walk through Engelgasse and Höllengasse streets (near the TIC). Here you will find cobblestones and half-timbered houses, flower pots and cats resting on doormats and quaint dolls in the window. I felt like I had walked back in time when I strolled through these quaint and narrow streets. There is also a nice hike you can take that will get you above the town with some absolutely beautiful views of below. The hike ends up at a church called St. Jakob auf dem Bergle that sits above town. The TIC in town will have maps showing you how to get there. it was a really nice hike and as I said, the views are just lovely!
Würzburg or Rothenburg because of the Tilman Riemenschneider sculptures in both places (he was actually from Würzburg).
Berlin as already mentioned.... Simply great sights, food, museums, art, etc. Nice place too.
Bamberg which is pretty well preserved "historical" Germany and a World Heritage site.
Garmish-Partenkirchen/Mittenwald for a small town/Alpine perspective. (And a train up to the Zugspitze).
In October I would visit the Festival of Lights in Berlin, at days near sights the Berlin Food Week, also a Saturday weekly market on a hopefully sunny morning. Or a day trip to Potsdam's palaces of Sanssouci park can be very impressive and enjoyable. n mid to late October you might see first colored trees around the Reichstag building.
Lübeck is definitely always worth a travel, especially in autumn light the often used red bricks of buildings have a warm character. If there is a sunny day with an autumn storm on top I would visit a beach at the Baltic coast when the sand is blown across it (e. g. one of the beaches of Heiligenhafen or Grossenbrode). A warm tea or coffee closes the afternoon. Remark: the Baltic Sea is much less affected to tides, so travelers do not have to care for when the sea is there or not.
To keep distances comfortable my third place would b the Harz mountain area with nice towns such as Goslar and a visit to Mt. Brocken with the steam train. Mid to end October you might see also first yellow trees although some woods there had massive problems with bark beetles. For foodie fans the chocolART fair is a sweet tasteful opportunity.
So far my - in this case 3 cents.
MarkK, the Harz mountain area is high on my list of destinations for my next trip. I wanted to try and fit it in on my last one but just didn’t have the time. But definitely next time!
This is awesome people. Great answers. Loving the variety and reasons.
Mardee, do that and I will too - maybe in autumn?
One little background: Harz had a little outmoded image in the 90s but now it is partly so outmoded that it seems to be back in. One contribution was a German TV crime series with 20% market share of viewers. Main village of play was and will be Sankt Andreasberg. This contributed that domestic tourism is back again in the Harz mountains. The whole area is known for its mystical stories and the small hidden details.
Bonus question first: Munich. At the top of Rick's list for Germany... and yes, there are a few good things to see there that you might not find elsewhere. But IME Munich is way overhyped and overtouristed. And it's spread out broadly such that too much time and effort on public transport is required to get around within the city. Just getting to central Munich from its own airport takes close to an hour. Reasonable lodging choices are in short supply much of the time and/or inconveniently located. Big-time trade fairs spike room prices into the stratosphere and overcrcowd the public spaces. And Munich is NOT a good travel base IMHO for taking day trips to the places that rank high on Rick Steves' list... Neuschwanstein = 4.7 hrs. round trip on public transport + some walking time. Salzburg is better at 3.2 hours round trip, but a town as nice as Salzburg - considering also what's just outside Salzburg - demands much more time than a single day permits anyway. Rothenburg is absurdly far from Munich, yet based on its dubious reputation as a great train hub, someone is always trying to day trip there from Munich, it seems... Munich works alright for certain less-popular destinations... Augsburg, Landshut, Regensburg, Andechs Monastery, Herrenchiemsee... but only if you have pinned down a hotel location that works well for the combination you have in mind.
My favorite destinations are regions. I like museums to some extent, but there is much you can learn about a country's people, its past and its culture just by wandering around in these places with a spirit of exploration. These regions represent "old-world" Germany in their own distinct ways and are full of small and medium-sized towns that are navigable on foot. The regions are large enough - and their people proud enough of their heritage - that with some online guidance and a little help from the TI office folks, you can have your own independent adventure, mostly without tourist crowds, long lines, overpriced ticket reservations, etc.. And return trips to places within these regions that escaped you on your first visit will always be on your mind.
Keeping in mind that I'm mostly familiar with Germany south of Koln, and I've lived here for more than 6 years now, my choices are probably going to be different. But the issue's more a question of what do you want to see, as that can help to choose an area you'd more likely enjoy. For example, last year i had family over and we specifically visited Munich and Heidelberg because the oldest boy was interested in seeing the universities for possible attendance. Both are very good cities that draw large numbers of tourists, and I enjoy visiting them for multiple reasons, but if I had to choose 3 they wouldn't be my choices.
For cities I like:
Trier, the largest city outside of Rome until 400ad. Roman ruins, great churches, great art, nice parks, WWII is still visible if you know where to look, nice old town, good fests, the river, the castle, etc. Most visitors never scratch the surface.
Nuremburg, huge castle, great oldtown, nice markets all year round and especially come Christmas time, fantastic museums (history, trains, toys, etc), great churches, food, beer, old bookstores, historical sites, all easily accessible. Plus it's one of the best cities I know to walk at night.
For regions I prefer:
Southern Bavaria (centered around Garmisch-Partenkirchen), where you have the Alps, all the neat touristy towns, the castles, the outdoor sports, and the easy access to Austria and Switzerland. I always try to take visitors there. I go on my own.
Lake Konstanz, which has castles, dinosaurs, the lake, the Alps on the south end, the Rhine Falls on the north, Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein, really good food, zeppelin rides, museums, Lindau, and the cherry on top; Mainau, This is one of my favorite places to vacation, and I'll spend a week there in the next two months.
The Mosel Valley, longer, and prettier than the "scenic" Rhine, it has more castles, nicer river towns, and better wine. (Sacrilege, I know). This is where I go on weekends, when I'm not in France. From Trier to Koblenz it's fantastic, and this is much more a tourist area for Europeans than Americans.
One last recommendation, for anyone who's ever thought Napa Valley was nice, visit a little place called Bad Durkheim. Multiple Michelin restaurants, top notch accommodations, surrounded by vineyards, quiet, off the main roads, attractive, with over a dozen small towns of the same nature surrounding it, this is one of the places American tourists just don't know. I've lived in Napa, I looking to buy a home here.
I'm currenrly in Franconian Switzerland (Pottenstein) for hiking - fantastic.
https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/region/day-trips/franconian-switzerland/
But my 3 favorite right now would be:
- Ahrenshoop (Fischland-Darss-Zingst)
- Lübeck
- Sitting in Munich in some nice Café outside and watch the world go by
Mardee, do that and I will too - maybe in autumn?
Mark, that would be wonderful! It sounds like such a lovely area!
Mignon, enjoy your hiking holiday—that sounds pretty wonderful, too!
KGC that was an awesome response. I took notes. So many great answers here. Just what I was hoping for. Thanks. I really appreciate you all answering.
I’m sorry to say that I have been to Germany 9 times and have not yet been to Berlin. In my defense I have family there, in Cologne and Hannover, so I work around them. I do hope to incorporate Berlin soon, though it won’t be this year. We will be at the Bodensee/Lake Constance in September, and I can’t wait. We first saw it in 2006 as we drove from our stay in the Black Forest (family reunion) to Bavaria. We stopped there for lunch and the view captivated us. We swore we would go back to stay for awhile and it is finally going to happen this year. Fingers crossed. I have been to Germany in October 3 or 4 times and it was preferable to my first time, in July, when we had the misfortune of being there during an extreme heatwave.
Narrowing it to 3 places is hard. We really like Bravia as a whole, where you can experience cities, smaller towns and nature. It is possible to do a day trip to Salzburg from there. I like the middle Rhine region. The Black Forest is interesting and I particularly enjoyed Gengenbach, which I visited as a day trip when I was in the Alsace.
I wouldn’t bother with Cologne. If it wasn’t for family I would never go there.
Happy planning!
Schallstadt convenient to my favourite Therme, storks, Black Forest, Baselland.
Oberursel - in the beautiful Taunus Mountains - family history, Frankfurt and surrounds, great hotel, friends, good air, central
Feldkirchen - east of Munich, convenient to Munich without the crowds, Salzburg, Bavarian Alps and much more including the biggest Therme in Germany (probably the world) and everything Bavarian.
number 4 - Schwabach - south of Nuremberg and north of Roth - for everything Franconian, and convenient to all
and honourable mention to Deidesheim, on the wine route south of Bad Dürkheim, for its goat and other wonderful things....
BONUS - there is good everywhere, including Köln where I spent the summer of 1972 associated by friendship with the Great Apes at the Tierpark.
And Munich is NOT a good travel base IMHO for taking day trips to the places that rank high on Rick Steves' list..
Actually when I said that Munich was a good base for day trips I was not referring to places high on RS' list. I believe the OP was asking for our opinions, not RS' recommendations. I had four places on my llist for day trips from Munich (Regensberg, Passau, Augsburg, and Ulm) but only got to two of them - Regensberg and Passau. When I went I had no interest in Neuschwanstein or Rothenburg OdT and I agree that Salzburg is much more derserving of time than a day trip from Munich.
Nurnburg - I have kept going back there. Its just the right size, city walls, good food, a certain amouunt of charm, and close to the train station. You can do a day trip from there to Regensburg, Wurzburg, or Rothenburg Au Tauber.
Cologne has the largest cathedral in all of Germany which survived WWII. It has a very nice riverside park with cafes. They have a Roman museum, and it was once one of the main Roman outposts. The name Cologne comes from Colonia Agrippina where Agrippina was the granddauther I think of Agrippa who built the Pantheon in Rome under the first emperor Augustus. There is also a gestapo museum. It was a gestapo prison right in the midst of the city, and people were crowded in and executed. And they turned it into a museum. There was also some Thai massage. And I didn't visit it, but on the trainride in, there was a five story place ... use your imagination.
Berlin - not impressed or enjoyable
Bamburg - ok, so so. Small
Hamburg was so-so, but day trips are decent.
Frankfurt ... super sleazy area near train station but the city itself if pretty modern and nice.
Stuttgard a good size and nice Mercedes Benz museum there.
Heidelberg is a nice small town. Had a great experience there is a 200 year old restaurant with communal dining and got to know a bunch of people.
Baden Baden - don't bother
Frieburg - ok, so so. The French towns on the other side of the river are much nicer
Munich - ok, but really big and lacking in feeling
Dresden - they rebuilt what was destroyed in the firebombing of WWII, but it has a Disneyland feel. People in E.Germany seem kinda harsha and humorless.
and honourable mention to Deidesheim, on the wine route south of Bad Dürkheim, for its goat and other wonderful things....
Nigel, when I read that, I wondered whether the goat was wandering around or served for dinner, so had to look it up. And that is such a fun story! Now I definitely have to add that in to my next trip so I can see the Billy Goat March. :-)
Regarding Cologne, I like the city, and if you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit, if just to see the cathedral. There are good restaurants there as well, and it's very walkable. You also have easy access (30 min. by train) to Aachen, which also has a cathedral that is quite beautiful (especially the interior, which is drop-dead gorgeous) and houses the remains of Charlemagne, leader of the Holy Roman Empire. Aachen is charming and has a lovely vibe to it. It's smaller than Cologne and you it's easy to just walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. Don't miss the Granus tower, which is next to the Rathaus (town hall) and is one of the few pieces remaining from Charlemagne’s palace. It dates back to the 8th century, making it over 1200 years old.
we were there the night of the Goat auction and kick back shindig. Little town. Big party. Lots of grilled wurst and many (not us) were drinking..... We were directly across the street, staying in an old folks home with a good brekkie next day and amazing quiet considering the night before.
That eastern Germany seems harsher and :"humorless" or even cold (here not in regards to the temperature) appears to be its image / reputation / stereotype , or anything else one wants to label it. If so, then does that serve as a deterrent to avoid the place? With the exception (relatively) of Dresden, international and anglophone tourism are not going to found in teeming numbers..
I've heard all these types of descriptions but then so what? I've been to numerous cities and towns in the former "East" and I like visiting these places, such as Dresden, Neuruppin, Rheinsberg/Brandenburg, Potsdam, Weimar, Frankfurt an der Oder, Meissen, Babelsberg, Neustrelitz and so on. The focus on eastern Germany continues as part of the travel destinations.
What a fun question! Also a hard question :) We really like getting off the beaten trail (I know Berchtesgaden is the exception to the rule)
Extra Credit: I know I will anger the Travel gurus, but we had a really really bad experience in Rothenburg OdT, so it would take a lot of arm twisting to go back.
I really liked Potsdam and wouldn't mind living there. Combined with Berlin and all the things to see there too.
Büdingen, with its' 100s of half-timbered buildings and its massive stone walls and towers. I would live here too. Close to Gelnhausen and Ronneburg Castle for extra things to see and do.
Frankfurt. I really do not want to live anyplace else but here. Surrounded by history and surprisingly, discovering new things daily about this place I have lived in for 38 years. Not sure why it gets such a bad rap, but when I step into one of the many medieval churches that survived the war and see how beautiful they are, or delve deeper into the 1000 years of Jewish history here, then what others think doesn't really matter.
what others think dosn't really matter
I fully agree on that.
