Step into the sensory world of Giovanni Maria Farina, the legendary Italian perfumer who created the original eau de cologne in 1709. The Farina Fragrance Museum chronicles the rise of the family’s perfume dynasty in Cologne and offers a fascinating insight into perfume-making throughout the centuries.
Towering a dizzying 955 feet (291 meters) over the surrounding Olympic Park; Munich’s Olympic Tower is one of the city’s tallest buildings and boasts its highest observation deck. Built for the 1972 Olympic Games, it’s more than just a Munich landmark—it’s also a TV broadcasting tower and home to a museum and restaurant.
Stately Munich may have a fairly conservative reputation, but bohemian Schwabing is where the city lets its hair down. North of the city center, Schwabing features some of Munich’s most prominent universities and prettiest green spaces, plus shops, restaurants and buzzing bars aplenty.
Tempelhof Airport, a remnant of the World War II and Cold War eras, was once used to transport Nazi forces and bring in much-needed supplies to residents in West Berlin. Now the massive airport has been repurposed into a public park where visitors spend time jogging, cycling, skating, picnicking, flying kites, and barbecuing.
A tributary of the Rhine that originates in the Vosges Mountains and flows through France, Luxembourg, and Germany, the Moselle River—known as the “Mosel” in German—snakes through some of Europe’s finest scenery. Its steep slopes make it one of Germany’s highlight wine regions, celebrated in particular for its world-class riesling.
Located in the heart of Berlin’s theater district, the magnificent Friedrichstadt-Palast is Europe’s largest revue theater. With one hundred years of putting on big show entertainment, it’s a must-visit for glitzy Vegas-style shows with high-kicking showgirls, death-defying acrobats, a 60-person ballet troupe, and high-tech special effects.
A large grassy square in front of the Reichstag building, the Platz der Republik is a popular gathering spot for locals, particularly during the picnic-friendly summer months. It’s also a great place to snap photos of the Reichstag building without the crowds that gather closer by.
The Jewish Museum (Jüdisches Museum) provides insight into the history and cultural traditions of Jewish people in Munich. Through a mix of permanent and temporary exhibits, the museum covers topics such as life after World War II, religious practices, and the contribution of Munich’s Jewish community to science and modern thought.
Officially named the Loschwitz Bridge, the Blue Wonder Bridge in Dresden stretches across the Elbe River. The bridge was painted a bright blue color and earned the nickname it’s known by today. While much of Dresden was destroyed during bombings in World War II, the Blue Wonder Bridge survived.
Glance over the Hamburg Harbor, and that three-masted, green-and-red beauty is the Rickmer Rickmers, a sailing ship from 1896 that’s now a museum—and one of the city’s most popular attractions. Visitors can explore 100 years of maritime history inside and on deck, dine at the onboard restaurant, and climb the masts for an epic view of the city.
Berlin’s extensive Jewish Museum (Jüdisches Museum) explores the history of Jewish people in Germany. By telling stories through personal objects, the museum closely examines the events of the past, including the persecution of Jews throughout Europe and the Holocaust.
Located along the Upper Rhine—35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Frankfurt—Worms (pronounced “Vohrms”) is one of Germany’s most history-saturated cities with origins dating to ancient times. Visit to see its religious landmarks, including the Romanesque Worms Cathedral, Jewish Cemetery, and Luther Monument.
Among the most beautiful and best-preserved of all Rhine River castles, Burg Eltz is a storybook in stone, with Gothic towers and turrets rising dramatically from a rocky, forested crag. Owned by three branches of the same aristocratic family since the 13th century, it was one of the few Rhine castles to survive World War II unscathed.
Housed in a former gas storage tank, the Leipzig Panometer was created in 2003 to display the artworks of panorama artist Yadegar Asisi. Today there are two Panometers showcasing his unique, immersive work (the other is in Dresden), and Asisi’s pieces can be seen on display around the world.
A Prussian fortification built between 1815 and 1834, the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (Festung Ehrenbreitstein) is one of Germany’s best-known historic military landmarks. Poised some 387 feet (118 meters) above the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, the fortress is part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Palmengarten is considered one of Germany’s best botanical gardens. In the late 19th century, architect Heinrich Siesmayer built the gardens to house the Duke of Nassau’s exotic plant collection. Today, the gardens showcase thousands of specimens that range from local flowers to rare tropical varieties.
A popular destination since Roman times, the spa town of Wiesbaden has long attracted visitors to its thermal waters. Today, a trip to the provincial capital—located between Mainz and Frankfurt along the Upper Rhine—reveals heritage architecture, glitzy shopping streets, and numerous wellness facilities.
The German National Museum dates back to 1852 when it was founded to showcase the art, history, and culture of German-speaking areas from prehistoric times to today. It is home to more than 1 million objects, with around 25,000 exhibited at any time. These items range from Stone Age tools to jewelry, armor, and artwork by notable German painters.
One of Hamburg’s most gorgeous architectural scenes, the UNESCO-protected Speicherstadt marks the largest historic warehouse district in the world—and it miraculously survived the bombings of World War II. To learn all about this globally famous district, visit the Warehouse District Museum (Speicherstadtmuseum), set inside an actual 1888 warehouse. You’ll get to explore, first-hand, the story of this historic ‘hood.
One of Berlin’s most unusual attractions, Teufelsberg once hosted a Cold War–era American spy station. Today, the man-made hill located on the edge of the Grunewald forest is a popular destination for day-trippers. Some 262 feet (80 meters) high, Teufelsberg is crowned by the abandoned station, now covered in street art.
Germany’s soccer legacy takes center stage at the German Football Museum (Deutsches Fussballmuseum) in Dortmund—a fitting tribute to the highs, lows, and cultural importance of the sport. Opened in 2015, the museum is packed with memorabilia, multimedia displays, and fun interactive exhibitions, making it a must for soccer fans.
Once known as the “gateway to the world,” the 9th-century fort of Hammaburg would grow into one of Europe’s foremost cities. Visitors can learn all about this meteoric rise at the Museum for Hamburg History (Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte), which contains the largest permanent city exhibition in Germany. You’ll also get to step inside an architectural masterpiece—this beautiful spot also doubles as a photo-worthy backdrop and event venue.
Cologne’s EL-DE Haus—home to the NS-Documentation Center (NS-Dokumentationszentrum)—was a jewelry business until it was taken over by the Nazis in 1934. Transformed into a headquarters for the Gestapo secret police, it was used for interrogation and torture during World War II. Today, it stands as a monument to the victims of fascism.
Dating to 1887, Wintergarten Varieté is one of Berlin’s most legendary entertainment venues, hosting some of Europe’s best variety shows. Come to see an ever-changing lineup, often a combination of live music and dance, acrobats and circus acts, magicians, and comedy sketches.
Hamburg’s Speicherstadt—the UNESCO-protected warehouse district that managed to escape the bombs of World War II—has been largely converted into office buildings and museums. One brick behemoth, however, houses The Speicherstadt Coffee Roastery (Speicherstadt Kaffeerösterei). It’s sort of like a museum if museums focused on the taste and smell: Visitors line up for high-quality coffees as the roasting coffee beans put on a show.
On the banks of the River Spree, the Märkisches Museum is the flagship site of Stadtmuseum Berlin (Berlin City Museum complex. Here you’ll find a wide range of artifacts and displays examining life in Berlin from as far back as the Ice Age to the present day, all displayed in a purpose-built, light-filled space.
Museum Berlin-Karlshorst opened in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of the German surrender in World War II. The museum sits on the exact location where the German Army gave its unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945. It serves as a memorial to the war between German and Russian forces and also documents pre-war history plus the Cold War.
A playground for vintage vehicle enthusiasts, Classic Remise Berlin is a classic car center housed in an atmospheric shell—a renovated tram depot initially constructed in 1899. Visitors come here for all their classic car needs, from visiting dealer showrooms and garages to shopping for spare parts, clothing, and accessories.
Located at the confluence of the Danube and Wornitz rivers, the Bavarian beauty of Donauworth is famous for its colorful townhouses, which were carefully restored after World War II. It’s also home to the quirky Käthe-Kruse-Puppen-Museum, dedicated to the life and creations of dollmaker Käthe Kruse.
Munich’s Paulaner Brewery (Paulaner Brauerei) dates back to 1634, when monks first started brewing beer on the Nockherberg hill by the River Isar. While commercial production has moved outside of the city, the small brewery still boasts a restaurant and beer garden, and hosts an annual beer festival.
