Top 100 places to visit in Germany
100 must-see places and attractions in Germany, from famous landmarks to hidden gems, each with a map and photos.
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100 places
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1Castle & palace
Neuschwanstein Castle
Romantic 19th-century castle built for King Ludwig II on a crag above the Pöllat Gorge.
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2Landmark
Brandenburg Gate
Neoclassical 18th-century gate that became the symbol of Berlin's division and reunification.
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3Religious site
Cologne Cathedral
Gothic cathedral with twin spires, begun in 1248 and completed in 1880, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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4Museum & gallery
Museum Island
Island in the Spree holding five major museums of art and antiquities, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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5Landmark
Reichstag Building
Seat of the German parliament, crowned by a glass dome with a spiral walkway open to visitors.
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6Historic site
Berlin Wall Memorial
Preserved stretch of the Berlin Wall and death strip on Bernauer Strasse with a documentation centre.
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7Castle & palace
Heidelberg Castle
Red sandstone Renaissance castle ruins overlooking the Neckar and Heidelberg's old town.
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8Old town & city
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Walled Franconian town with a well-preserved medieval centre, towers and ramparts walk.
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9Mountain & viewpoint
Zugspitze
Germany's highest mountain at 2,962 m, reached by cable car and cogwheel railway.
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10Castle & palace
Sanssouci Palace
Rococo summer palace of Frederick the Great set in terraced vineyards and extensive parkland.
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11Religious site
Dresden Frauenkirche
Baroque Lutheran church destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt from its original stones, reopened in 2005.
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12Landmark
Marienplatz
Munich's central square, framed by the New Town Hall and its famous Glockenspiel.
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13Landmark
Elbphilharmonie
Concert hall with a wave-shaped glass top on a former warehouse, with a public viewing plaza.
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14Lake & river
Upper Middle Rhine Valley
Gorge of the Rhine lined with castles, vineyards and the Loreley rock, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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15Castle & palace
Eltz Castle
Medieval castle still owned by the same family after more than 800 years, hidden in a wooded valley.
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16Nature & national park
Black Forest
Wooded mountain range in the south-west known for its valleys, lakes, spa towns and traditional farms.
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17Lake & river
Königssee
Clear alpine lake beneath steep cliffs, crossed by electric boats to the chapel of St Bartholomä.
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18Historic site
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Field of 2,711 concrete slabs with an underground information centre on the Holocaust.
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19Castle & palace
Hohenschwangau Castle
Neo-Gothic castle where King Ludwig II spent his childhood, facing Neuschwanstein across the valley.
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20Castle & palace
Zwinger
Baroque palace complex with pavilions and courtyards housing the Old Masters Picture Gallery.
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21Castle & palace
Nymphenburg Palace
Baroque summer residence of the Bavarian rulers with a large landscaped park and pavilions.
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22Castle & palace
Munich Residenz
Former royal palace of the Wittelsbachs with lavish rooms, a treasury and the Cuvilliés Theatre.
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23Castle & palace
Hohenzollern Castle
Neo-Gothic hilltop castle, ancestral seat of the Prussian royal family, on a Swabian Jura peak.
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24Castle & palace
Nuremberg Castle
Medieval imperial castle on a sandstone ridge above Nuremberg's old town.
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25Castle & palace
Würzburg Residence
Baroque prince-bishops' palace with a Tiepolo ceiling fresco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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26Religious site
Aachen Cathedral
Cathedral built around Charlemagne's palace chapel, where German kings were crowned for 600 years.
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27Castle & palace
Linderhof Palace
The smallest of Ludwig II's palaces, with formal gardens, fountains and an artificial grotto.
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28Castle & palace
Herrenchiemsee Palace
Ludwig II's unfinished replica of Versailles on an island in Lake Chiemsee.
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29Landmark
East Side Gallery
Longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall, painted with murals by artists from around the world.
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30Neighbourhood & street
Speicherstadt
Historic warehouse district of red-brick buildings on canals, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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31Theme park & attraction
Miniatur Wunderland
Large model railway exhibition with detailed miniature landscapes, cities and an airport.
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32Museum & gallery
Deutsches Museum
Large museum of science and technology on an island in the Isar, with historic aircraft and machinery.
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33Old town & city
Lübeck Old Town
Medieval Hanseatic city centre on an island, entered through the Holsten Gate.
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34Old town & city
Bamberg Old Town
Medieval and baroque town on seven hills with a cathedral and a town hall built over the river.
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35Nature & national park
Saxon Switzerland National Park
Sandstone landscape of rock towers and gorges along the Elbe, popular for hiking and climbing.
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36Castle & palace
Wartburg Castle
Medieval castle where Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German.
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37Historic site
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
Memorial and museum at the site of the first Nazi concentration camp, opened in 1933.
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38Archaeological site
Porta Nigra
Large Roman city gate from the late 2nd century, part of Trier's Roman monuments.
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39Old town & city
Regensburg Old Town
Well-preserved medieval city on the Danube with a Gothic cathedral and 12th-century Stone Bridge.
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40Lake & river
Lake Constance
Large lake bordering Germany, Austria and Switzerland, ringed by historic towns and orchards.
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41Island
Mainau Island
Garden island on Lake Constance with a baroque palace, arboretum, rose gardens and butterfly house.
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42Nature & national park
Berchtesgaden National Park
Alpine national park around the Watzmann massif with lakes, gorges and mountain trails.
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43Historic site
Eagle's Nest
Mountaintop house built for Hitler on the Kehlstein, reached by a tunnel and brass lift.
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44Castle & palace
Schwerin Castle
Fairy-tale palace on an island in Lake Schwerin, seat of the state parliament and a museum.
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45Nature & national park
Jasmund National Park
Beech forests and white chalk cliffs on Rügen, including the Königsstuhl.
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46Religious site
Wieskirche
Rococo pilgrimage church in an alpine meadow, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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47Park & garden
English Garden
One of Europe's largest city parks, with beer gardens, a Chinese tower and river surfers.
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48Museum & gallery
Mercedes-Benz Museum
Museum tracing the history of the car through more than 160 Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
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49Castle & palace
Charlottenburg Palace
Largest palace in Berlin, a baroque Prussian royal residence with formal gardens.
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50Landmark
Berlin TV Tower
368-metre television tower on Alexanderplatz with an observation deck and revolving restaurant.
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51Museum & gallery
Jewish Museum Berlin
Museum of Jewish life in Germany housed partly in a zigzag building by Daniel Libeskind.
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52Historic site
Checkpoint Charlie
Site of the best-known Cold War crossing point between East and West Berlin.
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53Museum & gallery
Topography of Terror
Documentation centre on the former site of the Gestapo and SS headquarters.
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54Old town & city
Quedlinburg Old Town
Town of over 1,300 half-timbered houses below a castle hill and Romanesque collegiate church.
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55Religious site
Speyer Cathedral
Romanesque imperial cathedral and burial place of Salian emperors, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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56Historic site
Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex
Former colliery with Bauhaus-style buildings, now home to the Ruhr Museum and design centres.
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57Old town & city
Weimar Old Town
Town of Goethe and Schiller, with their houses, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library and palaces.
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58Historic site
Bauhaus Building Dessau
Walter Gropius's 1926 school building, a founding work of modernist architecture.
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59Museum & gallery
Städel Museum
Art museum spanning 700 years of European painting, from Old Masters to contemporary works.
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60Neighbourhood & street
Römerberg
Frankfurt's historic square with the Römer town hall and reconstructed half-timbered houses.
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61Castle & palace
Reichsburg Cochem
Rebuilt medieval castle on a hill above the Moselle and the town of Cochem.
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62Lake & river
Moselle Valley
Winding river valley with steep vineyards, wine villages and castles between Trier and Koblenz.
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63Religious site
Freiburg Minster
Gothic cathedral with an openwork stone spire, standing over a busy market square.
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64Religious site
Ulm Minster
Gothic church with the world's tallest church steeple, which can be climbed.
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65Old town & city
Goslar Old Town
Medieval mining town with an imperial palace and half-timbered houses, near the Rammelsberg mine.
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66Mountain & viewpoint
Brocken
Highest peak of the Harz mountains, reached on foot or by narrow-gauge steam railway.
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67Historic site
Bremen Town Hall and Roland
Gothic town hall with a Renaissance facade and the stone Roland statue on the market square.
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68Religious site
St Michael's Church, Hildesheim
Early Romanesque church with a painted wooden ceiling, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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69Religious site
Naumburg Cathedral
Romanesque and Gothic cathedral famed for its 13th-century sculptures of the founders.
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70Religious site
Castle Church, Wittenberg
Church where Martin Luther is said to have posted his 95 Theses in 1517, and where he is buried.
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71Castle & palace
Albrechtsburg
Late Gothic castle above the Elbe, the birthplace of Meissen porcelain manufacture.
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72Castle & palace
Moritzburg Castle
Baroque hunting lodge of Augustus the Strong set on an artificial lake.
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73Castle & palace
Dresden Royal Palace
Former residence of the Saxon rulers, home to the Green Vault treasure collections.
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74
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75
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76Old town & city
Görlitz Old Town
Border town with Gothic, Renaissance and baroque buildings that survived the Second World War.
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77Old town & city
Erfurt Old Town
Medieval centre with a cathedral hill and the inhabited Krämerbrücke merchants' bridge.
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78Religious site
Maulbronn Monastery
Well-preserved Cistercian monastery complex from the Middle Ages, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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79Island
Reichenau Island
Lake Constance island with three Romanesque churches from its medieval monastery.
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80Historic site
Völklingen Ironworks
Preserved blast-furnace ironworks turned industrial monument and exhibition venue.
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81Park & garden
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
Hillside baroque park with a Hercules monument, water cascades and a palace art collection.
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82Park & garden
Muskau Park
English-style landscape park laid out by Prince Pückler, spanning the German-Polish border.
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83Park & garden
Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm
18th-century landscaped gardens with lakes, temples and palaces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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84Nature & national park
Partnach Gorge
Narrow limestone gorge with a path cut into the rock beside a rushing mountain stream.
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85Nature & national park
Triberg Waterfalls
Series of cascades dropping 163 metres through Black Forest woodland.
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86Old town & city
Baden-Baden
Historic spa town with thermal baths, a casino and the Lichtentaler Allee park.
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87Old town & city
Stralsund Old Town
Hanseatic port with brick Gothic churches and a town hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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88
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89Island
Heligoland
Remote North Sea island with red sandstone cliffs, seabird colonies and grey seals.
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90Nature & national park
Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park
Tidal mudflats and barrier islands where visitors can walk across the seabed at low tide.
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91Nature & national park
Spreewald
Network of river channels and forests explored by punt, known for its Sorbian culture.
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92Theme park & attraction
Europa-Park
Large theme park with areas themed on European countries and many roller coasters.
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93Landmark
Hermann Monument
Colossal statue commemorating the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, with views over the forest.
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94Old town & city
Lindau Island
Old town on an island in Lake Constance with a harbour guarded by a lion statue and lighthouse.
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95Nature & national park
Bavarian Forest National Park
Germany's oldest national park, with wild forest, a treetop walk and animal enclosures.
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96Old town & city
Nördlingen
Circular walled town built inside a meteorite crater, with a walkable medieval wall.
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97Castle & palace
Ludwigsburg Palace
One of Germany's largest baroque palaces, with extensive gardens and several museums.
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98Museum & gallery
Beethoven House
Birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, now a museum with manuscripts and his instruments.
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99Museum & gallery
Alte Pinakothek
Gallery of European Old Master paintings, with major works by Dürer, Rubens and Rembrandt.
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100Market & shopping
Viktualienmarkt
Daily open-air food market in central Munich with stalls, a maypole and a beer garden.
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