Germany’s such a beautiful country with lots and lots of historical places – history from different eras, times and reasons. Thus, it might be difficult for you to decide where you want to go if you’re looking to visit my wonderful [Vaterland]¹. I can only recommend going multiple times, of course, such as with lots of places you visit – but for a first time city break or holiday, picking on of the big cities we have might be the best idea. Which one depends on what you want to see and what you’re interested in.

1. Berlin, of course

Well, I have to start with the capital, don’t I. And for good reasons. It’s vibrant, wild and stunning and combines nearly anything you could think of – history, culture and lawlessness. Well, not literally, of course there are laws in Berlin. But because the city’s been through so much and has seen everything, the city always had a very special feel to it when I visited. It’s an eclectic hub for all sorts of arts and music and innovation while at the same time honouring and celebrating the old.

If you’re interested in the history of Germany as well as both World Wars, Berlin is obviously your first choice. The entire city is basically an entire museum and you’ve got highlights such as the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburger Gate), the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall) with its East Side Gallery (a marvellous, marvellous thing to visit), the Reichstag, an island only dedicated to museums, the famous and intimidating but hauntingly beautiful Holocaust Memorial – and so much more. If you are interested in our not-that-long-ago history, Berlin’s your friend. Definitely check beforehand what you want to do, as it’s a buuuusy and big city.

It’s also in very close vicinity to Potsdam (it literally takes you 15 minutes from Berlin City Centre with the S-Bahn, and it’s an entirely different city). Here, you’ll find lots and lots of palaces and gardens of historical significance. Sanssouci is called the “Versailles of Germany”, an UNESCO World Heritage site, and definitely worth the trip!

2. München (Munich)

Probably the second most famous city in Germany – ah, actually, maybe that’s Frankfurt? Either way, München, as is its German name, is the capital of Bavaria (Germany has 16 states, each has its own capital – or is both at the same time. I, uh, will explain this in a different post) and very expensive. I probably shouldn’t lead with this, but the few times I visited, I really just remember this the most vivid, haha. This, and how absolutely stunning it is. It’s got a beautiful mix of tradition and cosmopolitan flair and you could just spend hours looking at the buildings. I know I did.

If you choose to visit Munich, be prepared for a treat. And I mean this in a literal sense, as Bavaria is the origin of most of the German stereotypes. Think pretzel, sausages, beer, apple cake – you get the idea. You’ll find a beer garden at every corner and the most beautiful nature around accompanying it. The city’s clean, tidy, people are polite – and of course you’ll find history here as well. You are, for example, relatively close to castle Neuschwanstein, one of the must stunning locations you could find in Germany! I’d also recommend the Marienplatz and its Glockenspiel, Nymphenburg Palace – and of course the English Garden. Oh, if you’re into cars, do check out the BMW Museum.

Of course if you’re going in September or October, you’ll be able to see the famous Oktoberfest, too!

3. Hamburg!

Hamburg got an exclamation mark, I am clearly more excited about this coastal city than I was about Munich. But there’s a reason for that! Reason being that I grew up in the North and Hamburg is still, to me, one of the most beautiful cities you could ever see in Germany. It’s our second-largest city after Berlin and its one that absolutely embraces its maritime charm and its music and food scene.

Now technically, Hamburg isn’t at the coast. But it’s build around the river Elbe and has the biggest harbour in Germany – and the Elbe eventually, just a few kilometres further, ends in the Northern Sea – so it’s all fair games, if you ask me. And there are lots of seagulls. And we all know that seagulls means it’s a maritime city. Right? Either way – lots of history to be found here, too. I can especially recommend the old Speicherstadt, another UNESCO World Heritage site with stunning warehouses. Do book a boat tour of it and/or the harbour!

Oh and by the way, Hamburg is called the “Venice of the North” – want to know why? Because it has more bridges than Venice, Amsterdam and London combined; almost 2.500!

4. Köln (Cologne)

You won’t find a more colourful city in Germany. Another city just overflowing with history and an incredibly laid-back vibe. In this city, you’ll find lots of Gothic architecture – and the cherry on top is of course the Kölner Dom, the Cologne Catherdral (and yet another UNESCO site!)). It’s mind-blowing, honestly. Describing it just doesn’t do it justice. It took seven centuries to build. SEVEN.

Köln is also home of the German Carnival and can only recommend going at a time when that’s on. It sets of next month and lasts all the way until November, but if you’re looking at visiting Cologne, you might want to check the important dates of the session, if you want to get a great portion of confetti added to your holiday.

Cologne also has beautiful Christmas markets, if you want to visit it later into the year – which I, again, can only recommend!

5. Heidelberg

Heidelberg is a bit more difficult to reach than the other cities on this list, simply because it doesn’t come with its own airport (but Frankfurt am Main is relatively close by and connections are great!). But it’s absolutely worth it. It might be, hands down, one of the most picturesque and romantic cities we have in Germany and features a wonderful and well-preserved old town and castle ruins. Everything in the city is very traditional and just, well, pretty! As Heidelberg has Germany’s oldest university, the city’s quite youthful though, so you can find lots of entertainment here, too.

That’s of course just a small selection, but if you want to hop over the little pond we call the Northern Sea, one of these locations is probably a really good start. [Gute Reise!]²

[Picture by Adrian Degner – thank you! (that’s Hamburg, by the way. Not playing favourites, I promise!)]

1. Das Vaterland – we don’t say mother country, we say father country! ↩︎
2. Gute Reise – literally translated to “Great travels!”, our way of wishing you lots of fun during your holidays! ↩︎