Germany attractions

Built in the 17th century as a royal summer residence, Berlin’s Charlottenburg Palace (Schloss Charlottenburg) combines rococo and baroque decor and architecture, as well as a formal garden modeled after the Gardens of Versailles. Other highlights include a belvedere building showcasing German porcelain, a theater, a mausoleum of royal marble tombs, and regular evening concerts.

Straddling the Germany–Czech Republic border, Saxon Switzerland National Park is one of Central Europe’s most spectacular natural landscapes. With its deep canyons, mountains, and dense forests spliced down the middle by the Elbe River, it’s a striking destination for adventurous travelers. Visitors come to hike, cycle, and rock climb, while taking in panoramic views of the park’s distinctive sandstone scenery.

A former hunting ground for Berlin’s aristocracy, Tiergarten Park is Berlin’s green heart. Measuring 0.8 square miles (2.1 square kilometers), it features shaded pathways, gardens, lakes and streams, and wide-open parkland. Locals and travelers alike come here for picnics and to run, walk, and cycle along the trails.

King’s Square is a square in Munich that dates back to the 19th century when King Ludwig I commissioned two temple-like museums inspired by the Acropolis in Athens. Notable sites include the Propylaea, the Glyptothek, and the State Collections of Antiquities. The area also holds significance as a site for Nazi rallies during World War II.

Berlin’s most famous shopping street, Kurfürstendamm is on par with New York’s Fifth Avenue and Champs-Elysees in Paris. Affectionately referred to as “Ku’damm” by locals, Kurfürstendamm is an elegant tree-lined boulevard running through the heart of West Berlin and crammed with shops, cafés, bars, restaurants, and hotels.

The Palace of Tears (Tränenpalast) is a museum that once served as a border crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War. It was erected at Friedrichstrasse station, when the city was divided by the Berlin Wall, and got its name due to the tearful goodbyes that occurred when people had to return home to West Berlin after visiting loved ones in East Berlin.

History buffs flock to the Cecilienhof Palace—the former home of Prince Wilhelm of Prussia—to see where the Potsdam Conference, a pivotal event in shaping the post-World War II era, took place. However, with its timber-framed edifices and beautiful English gardens, this palace is a delight for anyone fond of design or architecture.

Built in the 19th century, this historic opera house is one of Germany’s most celebrated performance venues. Although it was destroyed during World War II, it’s since been painstakingly rebuilt, restoring its spectacular architecture. The theater is home to the Saxon State Orchestra and the Saxon State Opera, drawing visitors for concerts, ballet performances, and operas.

Berliners are never too far from a reminder of World War II, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche) is one of the most obvious. The ruins of the Protestant church, left as a memorial and standing adjacent to a more modern belfry built in 1963, show the destruction that Allied bombers caused during the war.

A formal court garden built by Elector Maximilian I in the 17th century, the Hofgarten is one of Munich’s favorite parks. At its center lies an octagonal pavilion, known as the Diana Temple; covered arcades skirt the edges; and the landscaped grounds host games of boules and even tango dancing during summer.

Kreuzberg is the trendiest district in Berlin and makes up the western side of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg area. The neighborhood is comprised of many art galleries and museums, the infamous Checkpoint Charlie, and endless bars and restaurants that host the district’s diverse population of students, artists, and a large Turkish community.

Located on Berlin’s UNESCO-listed Museum Island, the Neues Museum is home to the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, the Museum of Pre- and Early History, and the Collection of Classical Antiquities. Restored and reopened in 2009 after having been left a ruin post World War II, the museum proudly displays the bust of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti.

A hundred years ago, Hamburg’s port dominated the city, a maze of waterways bustling with industry. But trade has now taken to the skies, and the port’s been redesigned into the largest inner-city development project in Europe: HafenCity (which translates to “Port City”). Today, in place of shipyards, you’ll find restaurants, hotels and shops, office and apartment buildings—even the Elbphilharmonie.

A vast tract of untended land southeast of Nuremberg's medieval city center, the Nazi Party Rally Grounds were once the stage for some of Adolf Hitler's most infamous and dangerous speeches during the rise of the Third Reich. The nearby Documentation Center museum chronicles the terrors inflicted by the Nazi party during World War II.

Explore many layers of German history at the Neue Wache memorial in Berlin. Originally built between 1816 and 1818, the memorial first commemorated those who lost their lives in the Napoleonic wars. Later it was a memorial to victims of World War I and was damaged by bombings in World War II. It was rebuilt in the 1960s.

One of three memorials dedicated to Soviet soldiers who fell during the Battle of Berlin in World War II, the memorial in Tiergarten was the first built and is probably the most known due to its location near the Brandenburg Gate. The site lies near the Holocaust Memorial and other memorials dedicated to groups persecuted by the Nazis in Berlin.

One of Munich’s architectural landmarks, the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) encloses the city's central square, Marienplatz, and today serves as the center for city council activity. The building’s tower is now home to the Toy Museum, a childhood collection by filmmaker Ivan Steiger.

The clock tower of the Church of St. Michaelis (Michaeliskirche) has soared above the rooftops of Hamburg since the 1680s. This baroque Protestant church stood as a beacon for sailors for centuries; today, visitors enjoy panoramic views out to the Port of Hamburg from the tower's observation deck.

Frankfurt’s most important public square, Römerberg is a highlight of the city’s Old Town (Altstadt) and one of its top tourist destinations. A major gathering place since the 15th century, and host to bustling markets and festivals, Römerberg Square is known for its heritage architecture and for being the seat of the local government.

The St. Pauli Piers (St. Pauli Landungsbrucken) have nearly become their own ‘hood. One of Hamburg's most popular attractions, the once transport-heavy piers—a network of connected “landing bridges,” hence the German name—are now a bustling promenade. Visitors come here to people-watch, catch ferries and catamarans, visit the docked museum ships, stroll the onsite restaurants and gift shops, and more.

Set in the Black Forest region near the border between France and Germany, Baden-Baden offers a charming blend of cultures with grand art nouveau villas, modern boutiques, and chic cafés. The town’s thermal waters and ancient Roman baths are its main attractions—including the historic Friedrichsbad spa and Trinkhalle (pump room)—and the town is ideal for pairing sightseeing with a long, relaxing soak at the local spas.

Glienicke Bridge is better known by its Cold War-era monikers, “the Bridge of Spies” or “the Bridge of Unity.” Dating back to the 17th century, the bridge became notorious during the Cold War, when it served as the official border between East and West Berlin. Today, it’s an important historic landmark, marking the boundary of the Brandenburg and Berlin regions.

If there’s one thing that the town of Harburg is known for, it's the magnificent 11th-century Harburg Castle—one of southern Germany’s oldest, biggest, and best-preserved fortifications. This sleepy Romantic Road town is loved for its fairy tale location in the Bavarian countryside, surrounded by forests and next to the River Wornitz.

Established in 1907, KaDeWe is Berlin’s most famous (and Europe’s largest) department store. In this extravagant mecca of shopping, high-end designer clothing and beauty products are the focus, with appetites further indulged at the store’s fanatically popular “Delicatessen” and glass-walled top-floor restaurant.

Built in 1664, Nymphenburg Palace (Schloss Nymphenburg) was once the summer residence of Bavarian kings. One of the largest royal palaces in Europe and located on the outskirts of Munich, this magnificent complex boasts a dramatic baroque facade, lavishly decorated interiors, and an expanse of stunning gardens and lakes.

The Amalienburg palace is the former hunting lodge of Emperor Charles VII. Located on the expansive, scenic grounds of Nymphenburg Palace (Schloss Nymphenburg), it is considered a fine example of European Rococo style.

The Oberbaum Bridge crosses the Spree River, connecting the two Berlin districts of Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg. Prominent in the city’s history, it was one of the only crossing points between East and West Berlin during The Cold War, and so, fiercely guarded. Today it is widely regarded as a symbol of reunification.

Approximately 12,000 ships per year deliver and pick up goods at the sprawling Port of Hamburg. The port takes up about an eighth of the city and is easiest to see on a river cruise. Learn about Hamburg’s maritime history during a visit to the MS Cap San Diego, a museum ship that travelers can step aboard and explore.

One of Berlin’s most historically significant and symbolic locations, Friedrichstrasse runs straight through the center of the city. This buzzing shopping street and cultural hub was the site of part of the Berlin Wall, and today it still bears reminders of that turbulent period in Germany’s past. In fact, Checkpoint Charlie stands at one end.

Note: Pergamon Museum is temporarily closed. One of Germany’s most visited museums, Berlin’s Pergamon Museum is renowned for its impressive collection of art and antiquities from Turkey and the Middle East. Located on Berlin’s UNESCO-listed Museum Island, the Pergamon is split into three permanent exhibitions—the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Museum of Islamic Art—which together chronicle over 2,000 years of history.