Best Things To Do in Germany

Dive right into Berlin’s allure by visiting one of Germany’s best-known landmarks: the Brandenburg Gate – King Frederick William II’s neoclassical monument. Built in the 18th century, the Brandenburg Gate stands as an iconic symbol of peace and unity.

The East Side Gallery is a remarkable open-air museum made up of a series of murals painted onto a remaining 1,300 meter stretch of the Berlin Wall. In dedication to the fall of the wall in 1989 and the reunification of Germany as a whole, artists from all over the world have contributed to these 105 colorful works.

Munich is the beating heart of football and beer enthusiasm in Germany. The two go hand in hand when one considers this is the city with the highest density of beer gardens anywhere in the world. Sit back, relax and enjoy your Maß, as the locals call their beer.

The Viktualienmarkt was once a simple farmer’s market. Now it has expanded to cover all your gourmet desires across 240,000 square feet, with 140 stalls offering everything from flowers and trinkets to cheeses, drinks, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables. For six days every week, this market is the perfect place for a casual stroll and a spontaneous bite to eat. 

Oktoberfest, the biggest annual beer festival in the world, is synonymous with Munich and attending is one of the most traditional things to do in Germany. From September 21, this celebration of Bavarian culture welcomes some six million visitors who dine on traditional food and crisp cold beers amidst parades, music and costumed performances.

Dresden is the state capital of Saxony and a cultural and educational hub. It is renowned for its esteemed university, its place as a City of Literature and for its resplendent rococo and baroque architecture (much of which was restored after the bombing during WWII).

The Frauenkirche Dresden or the Church of our Lady is one of the city’s most impressive architectural triumphs. Restored after the war, this 91 meter baroque Lutheran monument is capped with one of Europe’s largest domes and since reopening has become Dresden’s biggest tourist attraction.

Cast yourself back to a time of knights and castles with turrets and flags. The old town of Nuremberg is a beautifully reserved picturesque medieval gem of Germany. There are mazes of little lanes and faded red and brown brickwork. There are timber houses and rock-cut cellars. You can also enjoy traditional Franconian food and drink. 

At the center of this medieval wonderland sits a 1000-year-old castle. Built as a stronghold for the Holy Roman Empire, it was a formidable fortress in its day. Every section of the compound is open to visitors including the watchtower, the courtyard, stables, chapel and museum.

Nestled along the banks of the Neckar River and connected by its beautiful 230-year-old Old Bridge, lies the city of Heidelberg. Home to only 160,000 people, it is famed for its eponymous university and tag as a City of Literature. Heidelberg has an air of romanticism about it thanks to its baroque architecture and mountainous location. The sprawling Heidelberg castle is a fitting example of this romanticism and has become the city’s centerpiece. Since the 13th century this castle has been plundered and burnt and partially restored, yet the remaining redbrick ruins still exude enough charm to attract one million visitors every year keen to soak in the ambiance and history.

Hundreds of years ago, this was Germany’s second largest city, but these days this small town in Bavaria is renowned for its well-preserved and untouched medieval old town. It’s colorful, picturesque architecture–a mix of renaissance and gothic–along with its windings lanes and cobblestone streets draw an incredible 2.5 million visitors a year and have turned it into one of the best souvenir shopping spots in Germany. Buyer beware!

Flowing between Bingen and Koblenz, this upper section of the middle Rhine snakes through a 40 mile valley of lush green hills with a number of towns, cities, castles and fortresses on each side of its banks. The gorge is a natural wonder as it produces its own microclimate (where the slopes bordering this tract of land away from the flatlands have restricted the area and enabled it to create its own climate) and therefore shelters a unique selection of flora and fauna not found anywhere else.

Because of this climate and its sloping terraces, the Rhine Valley is also the home of Germany’s thriving Riesling and Pinot Noir wine industry. Some vineyards are hundreds of years old and if you’re looking for things to do in Germany, nothing could be better than settling into this sun-drenched pocket of the country and tasting the local brew.

The name sounds ominous but the Black Forest is a spectacular mountainous region of southwest Germany and is well known for its dense forestation and quaint villages. Well connected with multiple transport routes, the Black Forest region thrives on the relaxation industry with several spas and hotels centered on the town of Baden-Baden. It also caters to outdoor adventure tourism with many hiking, biking and skiing trails.

The city of Hamburg developed around its port harbor that opens out onto the North Sea. As the city expanded, it grew as a collection of canals and waterways, with the Elbe River running through the city, and rightfully earned its moniker; The Venice of the North.

The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg is perhaps the most distinct and impressive piece of modern architecture in Hamburg. Building on top of an old eight-storey brick warehouse, a Swiss architecture firm constructed another eighteen floors from curved glass. The result is unlike anything else in the city and, as well as being one of the largest concert halls in the world, it is one of the most acoustically advanced.

Hamburg doesn’t do things by halves. The Speicherstadt, or Warehouse District, is the largest of its kind anywhere in the world. There are seventeen warehouses in all, with many renovated and home to several museums, hotels and shops.

Natural beauty and splendor flourish along the southeast organic border with Austria that makes up the Bavarian (Eastern) Alps. There are several steep, dramatic mountain ranges, peaking at almost 3,000 meters. Home to breathtaking scenery, magnificent views, fresh air, and alpine scent; this is also home to the valleys of the vast Berchtesgaden National Park and the rustic charm of skier’s paradise Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Our destination experts are happy to share more inspiration about the top highlights of Germany, Berlin travel tips and help you plan your private and completely customized Germany tour. Get in touch with us today!