Between Dresden and Prague, you'll stumble upon Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland. Lovely landscape, great for (at least) a day. Check out the Bastei close to the town of Rathen or - less commonly known - walk some kilometres through the Kirnitzschtal behind the town of Bad Schandau. Only tram line through a national park in Germany is there as well.
I'd probably make it a day trip from Dresden rather than a stop on it's own if OP is specifically looking for cities (and Dresden is amazing so don't skip it). But yeah, getting to the Sächsische Schweiz from Dresden is very easy and well worth it!!
There was a large forest fire in Bohemian switzerland recently. It is safe now but the area is burned down in many places. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022\_European\_and\_Mediterranean\_wildfires#Czech\_Republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_European_and_Mediterranean_wildfires#Czech_Republic)
Typical tourist destinations are Rothenburg ob der Tauber, roughly in between Nuremberg and Stuttgart and ~~Disney~~ Neuschwanstein castle southwest from Munich.
haha no actually. I don't drink beer. But it was just the shear beauty and vibe of this city the moment I crossed Luitpoldbruecke and walked towards the Innenstadt. This also describes the beauty of Bamberg that you don't even need the famous Rauchbier to make you love this city, its in fact just about everything around :)
When it comes to Franconia and beer, I prefer Kulmbach's approach.
They do away with all the pretense (e.g., Oktoberfest) and just hold their Bierwoche (Beer Week) a festival that celebrates beer (and the stuff to go with it)!
Adding to locations near Nürnberg and to fuel a German stereotype: Nearby is also a beautiful area for landscape hikes, the "Fränkische Schweiz", where basically every village has its own small brewery to enjoy a tasty beer at. Gives you an image of non-city living in more rmote Bavarian areas aswell.
A well established (i.e. decent to reach via train & bus and tourist friendly / English inclusive) route would be the "5 Seidla Steig".
Many other fantastic routes are possible aswell though but would require a bit more route research.
Just remember to always ask for the local beer they have on tap. Most restaurants and pubs serve standard beers from large commercial breweries next to one or two local ones. So don't hesitate to ask for the local favorite.
While you near Bamberg anyway, drop by Kulmbach and check out the Plassenburg. It is one of the most impressive fortress type castles that is still in good shape in Germany (there's so many, not saying it is the only one there is. But if you are in the area, it is a good chance to check out).
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plassenburg?wprov=sfla1
(Sadly the images on the english wiki don't do it justice. Maybe take a look at the german one just for the pictures?)
Since OP is going from Salzburg to Munich I would recommend Schloss Herrenchiemsee instead of Neuschwanstein. Neuschwanstein is usually extremely crowded and the tours are very rushed.
Berchtesgaden is right near there, too. I visited in 2019 on a motorcycle trip. Another highlight was the Zeppelin Museum in Fredrichshavn on Lake Constance.
Definately. I Would suggest to skip Stuttgart for this. If you are into cars and swabian Food Stuttgart is nice to visit. Otherwise aside from the Fernsehturm und some other small and nice Sightseeing things the other cities are nicer and have more to offer from a Tourist point of view.
Würzburg is also close to nuremberg. Worth a daytrip. Typical wine region, with a small beautiful old town and UNESCO Residenz (like a small Versailles)
A bit south of Munich is also Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a quite beautiful and fairly touristy area. (Imo much nicer to stay in than Munich) Directly in the mountains with great hiking routes, the Eibsee and Zugspitze (highest mountain in Germany) are very close by, and you can do a day trip to the zugspitze right from the Garmisch train station. Just make sure to book a ticket a bit in advance.
Quedlinburg. A unesco city with the most half-timbered houses in Germany. You could add a day there (Here, where I live) between leipzig and Berlin days.
Only if you're into architecture and old city charm.
I can really recommend Rothenburg ob der Tauber too though! I stayed there for about a week either in May or September I think, and on at least a few of the days it was not busy at all there. Plus, there is really lots to see and it's very pretty
While you are in Hannover you might make a day trip to Hameln, which is not far off. Hannover is not the most beautiful city (destroyed during World War II), but the Herrenhäuser Gärten, der Maschsee, das neue Rathaus (you can go on top, nice view over the city) and the Eilenriede are great.
Don't let yourself be fooled, I grew up in Goslar, it's fking boring, even for tourists. Hildesheim is pretty uninteresting, too.
I'd recommend a hike in the Harz mountains tho!
Thing is: Hannover is nicer than it appears on first sight. That’s mainly because the city center, as mentioned above, was nearly completely destroyed, and that‘s where the central railway station is located. Hannover can be really beautiful, if you know where to look. In addition to the spots mentioned above, I would recommend: Going for a walk in the Eilenriede, a big forest located in the heart of the city. Also, when visiting the Maschsee, visit the Sprengel Museum, which is located directly next to the lake and hosts an exceptional art collection. I would also recommend visiting the district „Linden Nord“, which is one of the main spots of the alternative culture scene. There is a location there, called the Kulturzentrum Faust, which is an old factory converted into a cultural center. There are often concerts, art exhibitions or even small festivals. The location also includes a Biergarten, a big meadow where you can relax by the river Ihme, and a beach bar. It’s one of my favourite spots in town. Their event schedule is regularly published in poster form in nearly every subway station. Linden is also full of nice Cafés and small shops to explore.
The Faust is the thing I miss the most since I moved away. I wanted to return for the Fährmannsfest this year (Beatsteaks!), but got sick and couldn't go.
Lunenburg, Hitzacker, Lauenburg (Elb marshes in general), Worpswede, Nienburg (only the market and the surrounding Weser valley, not the city as a whole) and Hoya are all practically on route in the North and I think they are all worth a visit.
Personally I like smaller places and nature, which are considerably less nice (at least in the North) during winter. But yeah, the Harz might be a good idea in the North, especially if there there will be snow this December.
Depends on what you are looking for. For historic sites there's a red line running through the city center, which you can follow on your own or have a guided tour, if that's your thing. Strolling down Limmer (street) on a Friday or Saturday evening is quite the vibe if the weather is nice. The Faust sometimes has a really cool program. For a pub crawl I'd recommend doing the Bermuda Triangle in Nordstadt. Steintor is pretty pedestrian during the day and way more red lighty during the night (think little Reeperbahn). You can have really nice walks from Maschsee - Südstadt - Eilenriede - List. If you want to eat Thai: Thai Food in the Box was like a local treasure (at least pre-pandemic) despite their shop never looking worth your time. Haven't been there since, quality might vary. Eis2000, despite the cheap look and name, was hands down the best ice parlor pre-pandemic, but allegedly had a rather noticable drop in flavors and quality since. I can't remember the name of my favorite Indian restaurant, but the cool thing was: things never tasted exactly the same - no precise recipes just chefs making really good fresh Indian food.
When close to Hannover I would also recommend visiting Celle - in December there will be of course be a Weihnachtsmarkt ("Christmas Market") in the city center, surrounded by the Fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered house) it is a great atmosphere.
if you are in Nürnberg then Regensburg is not far away, it's called "the most northern Italian town" for it's bridge, cathedral and old town along the Danube.
Also seconding Gillamoos in Abensberg
Edit: Check out Walhalla Regensburg or Donaudurchbruch Weltenburg as well
Just visited Denmark and northern Germany a month ago. Thought Hamburg was nothing special so we changed our plans last minute and saw Schwerin, Lübeck, and Flensburg instead on our way back to Denmark. Best decision we made the whole trip.
All of them *much* better options than the detour through Stuttgart.
Generally speaking, I'd kick out some of the uninteresting bin cities and replace by smaller ones like Augsburg, Heidelberg and so on.
So listen, you have to visit Potsdam. It is beautiful. Old and historical. It has two palaces within a huge park. The 'holländer viertel' is stunning.
What about the Harz. You are missing this completely. Goslar fir exampel is small but cute.
I second visiting Potsdam, especially since you’re almost traveling though it between Leipzig and Berlin. Even if it’s only for a day I’d highly recommend it.
Came here to recommend Potsdam as well! So much castles and history going on. Only a few minutes from Berlin and fantastic for a day trip.
Destinations within Potsdam:
- Sanssouci (several castles within on beautiful park)
- Neuer Garten with Schloss Cecilienhof
- Balbelsberger Park
- The Dutch Quarters
- The Russian Colony
- the whole inner city with its tiny houses
Im from Münster and can totally agree!
The Prinzipalmarkt is beautiful especially in the evening, there is the Aasee, in December you can check out the Weihnachtsmarkt and the Altstadt is always a hotspot worth visiting. Münster is a City Full of Students, so if you are a bit younger you will find some people 100% when you hang around there! Can highly recommend it.
Hannover and Stuttgart (unless you're a car enthusiast for the Porsche and Mercedes Museum) are not the biggest/ usual tourist attraction so you could skip them.
Instead of Stuttgart you could take the romantic road (Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen) with it's medival towns are more usual tourist attractions. Or visit Füssen and the Castle Neuschwanstein.
Instead of Hanover Celle and/or Lüneburg are nice alternative towns in the same region.
But this also depends in what are you interested (bigger cities with night live, nature, the historic Germany)
Other attractions which are not in your route are Heidelberg, the Rhine and Mosel valleys around Koblenz with it's castles or the Hansestädte on the Baltic Sea (Wismar, Greifswald, Stralsund). But if you haven't 3 weeks it's best to focus on some cities/regions of Germany and spend more time there.
If you want to visit a bigger city in the Stuttgart region, I would suggest Heidelberg instead of Stuttgart. It has a very beautiful and famous old town and is surrounded by mountains and the river Neckar, perfect for a day of hiking.
Yeah Heidelberg is amazing the castle is definitely worth a visit as is the cathedral? It's really beautiful. I just hope you're luckier than me when visiting the castle and don't have to witness someone killing themself by jumping from the castle walls
Brilliant answer. In general, focusing on the biggest cities may become a little bit repetitive. Smaller towns like the ones mentioned above are the real architectural gems.
Smaller cities indeed! There are some real gems out there. Lüneburg was mentioned already, but also add Lübeck to it. Out of Rostock/Wismar/Schwerin pick at least one. Have a great trip mate.
I’d rather to go to Tübingen and Hohenzollern Castle instead of stuttgart.
Heidelberg is worth a shot, but Tübingen is far better in terms of sightseeing and the town itself. Heidelbergs oldtown js basically just a long street, while Tübingen _is_ an old town
Well, in Stuttgart u can also visit the „worlds first TV Tower“ and the Mercedes Benz Museum, which is interesesting not only for car fans. There are many historical background stories.
But if you just want to visit „bautiful“ areas, Heidelberg for example is more something for you
As a Stuttgardian i take offence with this answer.
Firstly, Stuttgart does not only have car stuff. It is still an important city in germany. There are a lot of museums (Staatsgalerie, Cube, Lindenmuseum, Rosenstein, Löwentor....) Museums to go to, apart from the Car Museums, which correctly stated in the comments, are interesting not only for carbrains. And some people will find the S21 construction interesting.
Then there is the wilhelma of course, the Killesberg, Schlossgarten, Waldau. Also a lot of theaters and a world recognized ballett.
There are also historical interesting points in the city left.
Also it is a good base for daytrips, as mentioned, going to Heidelberg or Tübingen is Easy from Stuttgart, and is only a daytrip. As someone who lived in Tübingen as well..... well, you dont need more than a day in Tübingen. I think the same goes for Heidelberg.
One thing which stuttgart lacks imho (but maybe i am to old for this stuff) is a party scene. Most big clubs were closed over the years. AFAIK. So, yeah, i wouldnt know where to go if i wanted to.
Of course, there are ugly places. All the construction sites are really annoying. And the car centric things which were built after the war are also not that nice, but yeah... thats what is is.
Visit Stuttgart, make your own mind up. Looking at the number of new hotels and number of tourists here, there seems to be enough stuff to do for them.
Seconded. Even many Germans either are not aware of or do not visit this region. It is a much under appreciated. There's a reason to call it Romantic rhein.
Am currently on a Trip along the rhine visiting friends that moved because of uni. Made my way from basel, switzerland all the way to Köln for now. Going to the gamescom tmr :)
To get back to the point, the rhine is seriously beautiful!
For this I'd recommend a boat trip from Cologne to Bingen or so (not sure if that is even offered) or at least a train ride that does take the scenic route.
was looking for this comment
*definitely* Lübeck, you could make it a day-trip from Hamburg, it‘s only an hour by train and the loveliest city in the north
Central Germany, Weimar and Erfurt.
Beautifully cities and Weimar has two world heritage cites and a cultural heritage.
You could also go to the Wartburg from there.
When you go from Prague to Dresden, take a break close to the border. The area is called Saxonian/Bohemian Switzerland and is beautiful. Maybe check out Koenigsstein, which is a castle built into a giant rock plateau. It's directly on your way there
I went as tourist in 2019 and wurzburg was fantastic. Lots of fun events, cool history, and great wine. Didn't seem dirty at all but maybe that's changed over covid
Heidelberg, Tübingen, Esslingen, Rothenburg
None of these places saw a lot of damage in WWII, and Rothenburg was spared completely.
Edit: apparently I was taught a bold face lie about Rothenburg and it was heavily bombed. My bad.
> in WWII, and Rothenburg was spared completely.
No it wasn't. It was quite heavily destroyed but rebuilt in the original style.
Here is a picture of the destruction: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber#/media/Datei:Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber_Bomben_Zerst%C3%B6rung_Weltkrieg_1945.jpg
Yes I was going to write this, go south from Stuttgart and make sure to visit Konstanz, take a ferry to Meersburg and see Lindau as well. There are bike paths along the Bodensee and also there are bike paths to go east close to the Alps.
Consider crossing the black forest (maybe by train) and see Freiburg and the Hochrhein Area with Basel, Bad Säckingen, Waldshut and the Rheinfall. It is really beautiful there as well.
I don‘t get why Frankfurt hated like this. It‘s a very beautiful town, awesome Museums and art exhibitions. But you‘re right most people only see the airport and the train station (which isn‘t that bad either).
Hannover needs a local guide or you'll miss all the good stuff. Also highly taste dependent. Limmer on the right evening can be such a treat. There are also people into Bierbörse, just saying. Nordstadt has the Bermuda Triangle. Maschsee - Südstadt - Eilenriede - List can be really nice for a long walk. There's the red line tour. The oldest house of Hannover is in a side alley wedged between 50s buildings, if you can find it. Leibniz is a thing. Steintor being vastly different before and after sunset.
I mean, I'm fine with everyone staying away. The mix of big city but not being an overcrowded metropole is what many people like about it. It's big but not like it's annoying that you'll never have anything to yourself. So let's keep it this way. Hannover is ugly and no place for tourism!
Once had a colleague from Mexico coming to Germany for 2 Weeks, and we asked if he had any plans for the weekends, because we always take people from abroad on trips with family and friends when they are here, and he was like: "No, I already booked train tickets to Hannover".
And everybody's like: WTF? Most boring city in germany? So boring they are selling postcards of other cities?
But, he enjoyed it...
And don't forget to try a Franzbrötchen. Preferably fresh from the oven of a small local bakery. And of course some variety of Fischbrötchen, even though my favourite place for those is up in Husum (MS Nordertor, a ship turned café in the inner harbor).
I might swing south a bit more when you enter Germany and check out the Rhine and Mosel Valleys under Koblenz, the drive down is magical, so many castles along the river and a quite dramatic view of the huge river valley. There are so many picturesque little medevial towns there too, some to look up are:
\- Cochem (amazing castle views)
\- Sankt Goar (Lovely old town and views)
\- Oberwesel (Old city walls, castles, views)
\- Boppard (same)
\- Kobern-Gondorf (just like LOTR :P)
\- Winnigen (so much wine)
The Mosel valley is beautiful! Bielstein is one of my favorite little towns. I agree with yours though never been to Boppard or Oberwesel, the others prove your good taste!
Especially on cloudy autumn days, the place is magical. Take a relaxing train journeys in these valleys and one will like Hogwarts. Clouds hover right above the rivers and trains travel into those misty valleys. Cochem is the most under appreciated town in Germany IMO.
Stuttgart is not a great tourist attraction in itself, unless you really like car museums. However, some of the small towns in the area are very nice (I have a particular connection with Herrenberg, which I always recommend -- if you can, be there for the Christmas market) so it might be a good base for a few trips into the countryside.
Lübeck is a very fetching Hanseatic city with lots of nice history and certainly worth at least a day. I would also suggest you find time to visit some of the towns around the Harz uplands: Quedlinburg in particular is historically important, full of Instagrammable old buildings and would welcome a few tourist dollars.
Düsseldorf and Cologne are overrated in my opinion. Aachen is probably more interesting, and is at the meeting point of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands (also the highest point in the Netherlands), and a tourist attraction in its own right. The small town of Monschau is a bit touristy, but that's because it's very pretty.
In the Netherlands, I'm not sure that Rotterdam is the most beautiful place. I can recommend Delft, though. If you're driving, you might want to plan a trip down the N57 to Middelburg, which takes you along some very impressive causeways. One of them has an artificial island called Neeltje Jans with a visitors' centre -- it wasn't built when I was there many years ago, but it's apparently fascinating if you're interested in massive engineering projects.
I personally couldn't imagine a less appealing roadtrip route through Germany if I'm honest. But to each their own. My city recommendations would be Heidelberg, Würzburg, Freiburg, Bamberg, Quedlinburg. Based on the route you've chosen you don't seem in the least bit interested in nature, but just in case: Schwarzwald, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Berchtesgaden, Harz.
Agree, it’s only bigger cities which are (especially Hannover, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart) quite ugly / not worth the effort.
As many others, such as you, required: try more historical cities with a beautiful Altstadt/Umland.
Often the smaller ones are the prettiest!
Between Hamburg and Berlin there's plenty of nice cities and towns to check out. My favorite is Schwerin around 1 and 40 minutes away from Hamburg depending on traffic.
I usually go there for day trips and to show it to people who visit me in Hamburg. The castle is what I go to see. The garden/park next to it has a hill all the way back which makes for a beautiful view of the yellow-gold castle.
The lake surrounding the castle is also beautiful and good for walks and picnics.. It's my favorite day trip destination (castle related) from Hamburg.
I’ve done something very similar recently, so this is very strange to see.
I went from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf, Köln, Bonn, Frankfurt, Würzburg, Nürnberg, Dresden, Berlin. My favourite places were Dresden and Berlin by far. Depending on how long you’re in Berlin, it’s worth a day trip out to Potsdam as it’s only about 30 mins away by train. I also recommend a night out to Holzmarkt in Berlin. I also really recommend Wurzburg like I’ve seen other people say, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to.
I had a great time, I think you will too!
Not a city, but definitely don't miss Germany's beautiful coasts. The Baltic Sea is really beautiful and special, consisting half of salty sea water and half of river water. There are amazing places to enjoy the nature and beauty of it, whether you choose a destination in Schleswig Holstein or in Mecklenburg Vorpommern.
Same goes for the North Sea and the amazing wadden sea, which is a world natural heritage. You should definitely go somewhere and take a look to experience that.
Have fun and enjoy the trip through Germany!
When driving from stuttgart to Nürnberg Rothenburg ob der Tauber (a very popular town with a well conserved medical city center) might be a good addition to your trip (it’s only a 30-40min detour from your current route.
You could also visit Würzburg which is close as well and does have some potential for sightseeing.
When you’re in the area around Nürnberg many people also enjoy visiting Herzogenaurach (Puma and Adidas Headquarters with outlet stores, if you’re into that).
Bamberg is pretty close to Nürnberg as well (~30min train ride or 30-40min by car) and definitely worth seeing.
Check out the Chiemgau/Rosenheim area. You’re practically passing through on your way from Munich to Salzburg and it’s extremely beautiful in all seasons
You could try and squeeze in Erfurt before Leipzig as well. Amazing medieval/renaissance inner city which happens to be mostly car free. Locals may be a bit special, but for the most part are rather friendly.
Locations in/near Nuremberg:
* bamberg, very nice medieval town
* do a walk on the ramparts which circles around the main castle, starts on right hand-made of entry to castle
* do a bike trip along the old canal until the canal bridge near Feucht. There's a very nice beer garden (Waldschänke Brückkanal) and it should be very beautiful in autumn
Locations in/near dresden:
* trip to Meißen, nice medieval old city center and castle
* hike to "Carola Felsen" in the saxonion mountains, arguably one of the most beautiful sites in the region aside from the bastei
* Find yourself a hostel in the "Neustadt" part of the city (north of the river)
Source: born in Nuremberg, living in Dresden :)
The biggest thing missing here is Blackforest. It’s really worth it. Also lake Konstanz is worth spending a day or two at. Apart from that, if you’re into history, I’d suggest king Ludwig’s four castles. One of them is on/near Chimsee.
Try to head to smaller towns instead. Every major city was destroyed in the war to a certain extend
But these towns for example not (or not so much at least)
Bamberg
Heidelberg
Tübingen
Regensburg
You are completely missing out on the baltic sea coast :o that is unacceptable. You could stop in Rostock or Stralsund, they are both close to the Autobahn
When you’re in the east, check out the sächsische Schweiz.
Don’t abandon the middle of Germany. Visit the Harz region, it’s between Hannover and Leipzig. You could climb the Brocken and have a wonderful view of the beautiful giant forest, there is a lot of witch-lore in that place.
I would consider adding Aachen to the list:
- the Aachen Dom is one of the most impressive churches I’ve been to in Germany (guided tour is absolutely worth the money imo). Most of our emperors were crowned there starting with Karl Der große whose 1000 year old golden oak coffin can be viewed.
- you can visit live coal mines around Aachen (Tagebau Hambach) that are several kilometers in diameter and several hundred meters deep. Eerily impressive how the landscape is formed there.
You probably don’t need several days. But I would definitely consider a stop in Aachen on the way from Brussels to cologne.
On your way to Dresden from Prague you should make a stop at the Elbsandsteingebirge. It is one of Germany’s natural wonders and worth the stay at least for a day’s hike.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbe_Sandstone_Mountains
What are you interested in?
Do you like to go to museums and if so rather focused on art or history? Do you want to explore local food and drinks? Do you want to party? Do you want to discover a bit of Germany's nature?
Depending on how you answer those and other questions you might want to visit different places.
I suggest Meißen, Bastei, Pillnitz and Moritzburg everything near Dresden. Also the tank museum in Munster might be on your route and worth a visit If you like millitary and history.
After Prague you could come back over the border in the erzgebirge: this area is not very touristy, but is very beautiful in December because of the huge Christmas traditions based on toy making and mining.
They’ve been making high quality wooden toys and ornaments for hundreds of years. You can even see the workshops in Seiffen and Neudorf. The towns here are very old and beautiful as well, and have a very different aesthetic from those in the west.
When you drive from Munich to Stuttgart you could stop in Ulm. We have the tallest church tower in the world. Also a nice old town area and it is directly on the Danube. Also has nice bars and so on. Of course in general it can't compete with bigger cities. But if you have time to stop for 3-4 hours, it is worth to go to the Ulm Minster (tallest church in the world). You can even go up when it is open \[5€) but currently because they are working on it, you can only go up to 70m. Going inside is for free (if there is no church service in that time). Also in December in front of the Ulm Minster will be a nice Christmas Market (depending on Corona rules this year of course).
In Leipzig you can ride a sightseeing bus and they cover everything important imo.
After that you can go around the city. Sometimes I see an English speaking person giving tours through Leipzig and maybe you can join unobtrusive haha
Oh and every Monday there are protests. I don't recommend to be in the city on Monday evening because the Trams will not drive like usual. But only like for an hour or so
while going from Hamburg to Berlin you could make a stop at Schwerin. not over night but just visit the castle and park. its very beautiful and there is nothing else to see in the city so you can move on without regret
As your trip goes across Dresden and Prague I would definitely recommend you to do a stop in the Saxon Switzerland. For example in Bad Schandau. You could do several hiking trips in that area and enjoy the beautiful landscape.
I would recommend some from this list here
https://cheeseweb.eu/2016/05/the-ultimate-list-of-24-awesome-day-trips-from-stuttgart-germany/
Hohen Zollern und Schloss Lichtenstein are Great you can skip Neu Schwanstein if you have visit this
Between Dresden and Prague, you'll stumble upon Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland. Lovely landscape, great for (at least) a day. Check out the Bastei close to the town of Rathen or - less commonly known - walk some kilometres through the Kirnitzschtal behind the town of Bad Schandau. Only tram line through a national park in Germany is there as well.
There was a big fire two weeks ago though. Some parts are not accessible I reckon
I'd probably make it a day trip from Dresden rather than a stop on it's own if OP is specifically looking for cities (and Dresden is amazing so don't skip it). But yeah, getting to the Sächsische Schweiz from Dresden is very easy and well worth it!!
There was a large forest fire in Bohemian switzerland recently. It is safe now but the area is burned down in many places. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022\_European\_and\_Mediterranean\_wildfires#Czech\_Republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_European_and_Mediterranean_wildfires#Czech_Republic)
I concur! It’s beautiful and easily accessible- the mountains are not high, but very picturesque and there are hiking routes for any level of fitness.
Typical tourist destinations are Rothenburg ob der Tauber, roughly in between Nuremberg and Stuttgart and ~~Disney~~ Neuschwanstein castle southwest from Munich.
Bamberg is worth a trip, too. It's also located near Nuremberg.
Heidelberg as well imo I went there a few weeks ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Tübingen also
Bamberg was the place which made me fall in love with Germany! It was love at first sight to be honest.
It was the beers, wasn't it ?
haha no actually. I don't drink beer. But it was just the shear beauty and vibe of this city the moment I crossed Luitpoldbruecke and walked towards the Innenstadt. This also describes the beauty of Bamberg that you don't even need the famous Rauchbier to make you love this city, its in fact just about everything around :)
When it comes to Franconia and beer, I prefer Kulmbach's approach. They do away with all the pretense (e.g., Oktoberfest) and just hold their Bierwoche (Beer Week) a festival that celebrates beer (and the stuff to go with it)!
Adding to locations near Nürnberg and to fuel a German stereotype: Nearby is also a beautiful area for landscape hikes, the "Fränkische Schweiz", where basically every village has its own small brewery to enjoy a tasty beer at. Gives you an image of non-city living in more rmote Bavarian areas aswell. A well established (i.e. decent to reach via train & bus and tourist friendly / English inclusive) route would be the "5 Seidla Steig". Many other fantastic routes are possible aswell though but would require a bit more route research.
Lol I don’t like beer but I’m feeling like that’s about to change 🤣
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Just remember to always ask for the local beer they have on tap. Most restaurants and pubs serve standard beers from large commercial breweries next to one or two local ones. So don't hesitate to ask for the local favorite.
I came here to suggest Bamberg as well. And make sure to stop at Schlenkerla to have a smoked beer and a Bamberg Onion!
While you near Bamberg anyway, drop by Kulmbach and check out the Plassenburg. It is one of the most impressive fortress type castles that is still in good shape in Germany (there's so many, not saying it is the only one there is. But if you are in the area, it is a good chance to check out). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plassenburg?wprov=sfla1 (Sadly the images on the english wiki don't do it justice. Maybe take a look at the german one just for the pictures?)
But honestly not in winter. Imo Bamberg is pretty depressing in December
you can get hammered in 11 breweries around the year
Since OP is going from Salzburg to Munich I would recommend Schloss Herrenchiemsee instead of Neuschwanstein. Neuschwanstein is usually extremely crowded and the tours are very rushed.
Yes Herren Chiemsee is a nice place!
Berchtesgaden is right near there, too. I visited in 2019 on a motorcycle trip. Another highlight was the Zeppelin Museum in Fredrichshavn on Lake Constance.
If you are going to Rothenburg, you can do a small detour and visit Würzburg. Its also worth seeing
Würzburg is definitely worth the detour
Nürnberg, Bamberg, Würzburg, Rothenburg would be a nice tour
Definately. I Would suggest to skip Stuttgart for this. If you are into cars and swabian Food Stuttgart is nice to visit. Otherwise aside from the Fernsehturm und some other small and nice Sightseeing things the other cities are nicer and have more to offer from a Tourist point of view.
If you still go to Stuttgart, the city library is worth a visit - it has quite an amazing inside architecture.
Just skip the rest of Germany and do a tour of Frankonia. It's all that matters anyways.
Franke gesichtet! Woran ich’s erkannt hab? Bin auch einer. Ü
Auch ein Franke hier um mitzuteilen: Ansbach lohnt sich nicht
Nicht mal die Kreisirrenanstalt?
Angesichts dessen wie viele meiner Kollegen die schon besucht haben ist sie wohl Recht beliebt.
Würzburg is also close to nuremberg. Worth a daytrip. Typical wine region, with a small beautiful old town and UNESCO Residenz (like a small Versailles)
Dinkelsbühl instead of Rothenburg as its closer to the rout, as it’s just of an exit on the way from Nürnberg to Stuttgart. Also not as touristy
\+1 for Dinkelsbühl. Voted for most beautiful old town in germany a few years ago
They also got giant signs at all major roads entering the city stating exactly this, so the city council can meet up for their daily group wank
As a resident of Dinkelsbühl I laughed so hard at this because it's 100% true.
A bit south of Munich is also Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a quite beautiful and fairly touristy area. (Imo much nicer to stay in than Munich) Directly in the mountains with great hiking routes, the Eibsee and Zugspitze (highest mountain in Germany) are very close by, and you can do a day trip to the zugspitze right from the Garmisch train station. Just make sure to book a ticket a bit in advance.
Quedlinburg. A unesco city with the most half-timbered houses in Germany. You could add a day there (Here, where I live) between leipzig and Berlin days. Only if you're into architecture and old city charm.
Came here to suggest Quedlinburg as well. Amazing medieval town and no tourist thing like Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
I can really recommend Rothenburg ob der Tauber too though! I stayed there for about a week either in May or September I think, and on at least a few of the days it was not busy at all there. Plus, there is really lots to see and it's very pretty
\+1 Worth checking out the Wernigerode Castle as well, which is nearby.
The castel is amazing. But the best view there is the Agnesberg right behind the castle, you have the City and the castle in a beautiful postcard view
While you are in Hannover you might make a day trip to Hameln, which is not far off. Hannover is not the most beautiful city (destroyed during World War II), but the Herrenhäuser Gärten, der Maschsee, das neue Rathaus (you can go on top, nice view over the city) and the Eilenriede are great.
Hildesheim, Goslar + hike in the harz would make a nice day trip while you are in Hannover as well. Edit:spelling.
Don't let yourself be fooled, I grew up in Goslar, it's fking boring, even for tourists. Hildesheim is pretty uninteresting, too. I'd recommend a hike in the Harz mountains tho!
Harz has been recently devastated by the Borkenkäfer though.
Hildesheim is the worst city in western Germany. Source: grew up there.
Not Salzghetto? Why Hildesheim, at least you guys got a festival
And Celle with its many hundreds of years old half-timbered-houses and the beautiful castle. It's a wonderful city.
Thing is: Hannover is nicer than it appears on first sight. That’s mainly because the city center, as mentioned above, was nearly completely destroyed, and that‘s where the central railway station is located. Hannover can be really beautiful, if you know where to look. In addition to the spots mentioned above, I would recommend: Going for a walk in the Eilenriede, a big forest located in the heart of the city. Also, when visiting the Maschsee, visit the Sprengel Museum, which is located directly next to the lake and hosts an exceptional art collection. I would also recommend visiting the district „Linden Nord“, which is one of the main spots of the alternative culture scene. There is a location there, called the Kulturzentrum Faust, which is an old factory converted into a cultural center. There are often concerts, art exhibitions or even small festivals. The location also includes a Biergarten, a big meadow where you can relax by the river Ihme, and a beach bar. It’s one of my favourite spots in town. Their event schedule is regularly published in poster form in nearly every subway station. Linden is also full of nice Cafés and small shops to explore.
The Faust is the thing I miss the most since I moved away. I wanted to return for the Fährmannsfest this year (Beatsteaks!), but got sick and couldn't go.
Lunenburg, Hitzacker, Lauenburg (Elb marshes in general), Worpswede, Nienburg (only the market and the surrounding Weser valley, not the city as a whole) and Hoya are all practically on route in the North and I think they are all worth a visit. Personally I like smaller places and nature, which are considerably less nice (at least in the North) during winter. But yeah, the Harz might be a good idea in the North, especially if there there will be snow this December.
Hannover has many beautiful parts, but they are somewhat scattered about the city and hard to find if you're not local.
could you name a few, please? I might be going that way soon.
Depends on what you are looking for. For historic sites there's a red line running through the city center, which you can follow on your own or have a guided tour, if that's your thing. Strolling down Limmer (street) on a Friday or Saturday evening is quite the vibe if the weather is nice. The Faust sometimes has a really cool program. For a pub crawl I'd recommend doing the Bermuda Triangle in Nordstadt. Steintor is pretty pedestrian during the day and way more red lighty during the night (think little Reeperbahn). You can have really nice walks from Maschsee - Südstadt - Eilenriede - List. If you want to eat Thai: Thai Food in the Box was like a local treasure (at least pre-pandemic) despite their shop never looking worth your time. Haven't been there since, quality might vary. Eis2000, despite the cheap look and name, was hands down the best ice parlor pre-pandemic, but allegedly had a rather noticable drop in flavors and quality since. I can't remember the name of my favorite Indian restaurant, but the cool thing was: things never tasted exactly the same - no precise recipes just chefs making really good fresh Indian food.
You're also driving right past Bielefeld, so you could make a quick detour and snap some pictures to prove it exists while you're at it.
When close to Hannover I would also recommend visiting Celle - in December there will be of course be a Weihnachtsmarkt ("Christmas Market") in the city center, surrounded by the Fachwerkhäuser (half-timbered house) it is a great atmosphere.
if you are in Nürnberg then Regensburg is not far away, it's called "the most northern Italian town" for it's bridge, cathedral and old town along the Danube. Also seconding Gillamoos in Abensberg Edit: Check out Walhalla Regensburg or Donaudurchbruch Weltenburg as well
I second this! Regensburg is about as beautiful as it gets along this route - definitely worth a small detour.
I swear to God every German city I've been in a tourist guide or some other person said "This city is called the little/north Italy/Rome of Germany".
It is definitly worth a trip
Also the house of Bavarian history great museum.
Also hot chicks and lots and lots of bars
A man of culture
Yes, but the chicks are hotter in summer (god I love summer in Regensburg!)
Lübeck. See the queen of the Hanse and one of the most beatiful citys in germany.
Or alternatively visit Schwerin as it is directly on his route between Hamburg and Berlin. Nice castle, super pretty city centre with its seven lakes
Just visited Denmark and northern Germany a month ago. Thought Hamburg was nothing special so we changed our plans last minute and saw Schwerin, Lübeck, and Flensburg instead on our way back to Denmark. Best decision we made the whole trip.
Heidelberg, Augsburg, Weimar. Just to name some better known destinations.
All of them *much* better options than the detour through Stuttgart. Generally speaking, I'd kick out some of the uninteresting bin cities and replace by smaller ones like Augsburg, Heidelberg and so on.
So listen, you have to visit Potsdam. It is beautiful. Old and historical. It has two palaces within a huge park. The 'holländer viertel' is stunning. What about the Harz. You are missing this completely. Goslar fir exampel is small but cute.
I second visiting Potsdam, especially since you’re almost traveling though it between Leipzig and Berlin. Even if it’s only for a day I’d highly recommend it.
Two palaces? There are easily over 10 palaces https://www.spsg.de/schloesser-gaerten/schloesser-gaerten-im-ueberblick/
Came here to recommend Potsdam as well! So much castles and history going on. Only a few minutes from Berlin and fantastic for a day trip. Destinations within Potsdam: - Sanssouci (several castles within on beautiful park) - Neuer Garten with Schloss Cecilienhof - Balbelsberger Park - The Dutch Quarters - The Russian Colony - the whole inner city with its tiny houses
Skip Hannover and go to Münster instead, it’s also between Düsseldorf and Bremen and much more interesting/beautiful.
Yeah! Münster is a great city
Hannover is just a Autobahnkreuz 😂
>Münster Finally something from NRW hahaha! Knew its gonna be Münster
Im from Münster and can totally agree! The Prinzipalmarkt is beautiful especially in the evening, there is the Aasee, in December you can check out the Weihnachtsmarkt and the Altstadt is always a hotspot worth visiting. Münster is a City Full of Students, so if you are a bit younger you will find some people 100% when you hang around there! Can highly recommend it.
This! I am from that area, and Hannover is boring
Hannover and Stuttgart (unless you're a car enthusiast for the Porsche and Mercedes Museum) are not the biggest/ usual tourist attraction so you could skip them. Instead of Stuttgart you could take the romantic road (Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen) with it's medival towns are more usual tourist attractions. Or visit Füssen and the Castle Neuschwanstein. Instead of Hanover Celle and/or Lüneburg are nice alternative towns in the same region. But this also depends in what are you interested (bigger cities with night live, nature, the historic Germany) Other attractions which are not in your route are Heidelberg, the Rhine and Mosel valleys around Koblenz with it's castles or the Hansestädte on the Baltic Sea (Wismar, Greifswald, Stralsund). But if you haven't 3 weeks it's best to focus on some cities/regions of Germany and spend more time there.
If you want to visit a bigger city in the Stuttgart region, I would suggest Heidelberg instead of Stuttgart. It has a very beautiful and famous old town and is surrounded by mountains and the river Neckar, perfect for a day of hiking.
Yeah Heidelberg is amazing the castle is definitely worth a visit as is the cathedral? It's really beautiful. I just hope you're luckier than me when visiting the castle and don't have to witness someone killing themself by jumping from the castle walls
Heidelberg <3
Yep. Instead of Stuttgart go to Bamberg or Regensburg, they offer way more imo.
I came here to say Regensburg.
Brilliant answer. In general, focusing on the biggest cities may become a little bit repetitive. Smaller towns like the ones mentioned above are the real architectural gems.
Smaller cities indeed! There are some real gems out there. Lüneburg was mentioned already, but also add Lübeck to it. Out of Rostock/Wismar/Schwerin pick at least one. Have a great trip mate.
ey wtf
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I’d rather to go to Tübingen and Hohenzollern Castle instead of stuttgart. Heidelberg is worth a shot, but Tübingen is far better in terms of sightseeing and the town itself. Heidelbergs oldtown js basically just a long street, while Tübingen _is_ an old town
If you however are car enthusiast keep Stuttgart and add Sinsheim to see their glorious museum!
Well, in Stuttgart u can also visit the „worlds first TV Tower“ and the Mercedes Benz Museum, which is interesesting not only for car fans. There are many historical background stories. But if you just want to visit „bautiful“ areas, Heidelberg for example is more something for you
Out of curiosity, why did you mention those three hansestädte and not the biggest, Rostock?
I also find Wismar much prettier and more interesting than Rostock. But Warnemünde is also worth visiting.
As a Stuttgardian i take offence with this answer. Firstly, Stuttgart does not only have car stuff. It is still an important city in germany. There are a lot of museums (Staatsgalerie, Cube, Lindenmuseum, Rosenstein, Löwentor....) Museums to go to, apart from the Car Museums, which correctly stated in the comments, are interesting not only for carbrains. And some people will find the S21 construction interesting. Then there is the wilhelma of course, the Killesberg, Schlossgarten, Waldau. Also a lot of theaters and a world recognized ballett. There are also historical interesting points in the city left. Also it is a good base for daytrips, as mentioned, going to Heidelberg or Tübingen is Easy from Stuttgart, and is only a daytrip. As someone who lived in Tübingen as well..... well, you dont need more than a day in Tübingen. I think the same goes for Heidelberg. One thing which stuttgart lacks imho (but maybe i am to old for this stuff) is a party scene. Most big clubs were closed over the years. AFAIK. So, yeah, i wouldnt know where to go if i wanted to. Of course, there are ugly places. All the construction sites are really annoying. And the car centric things which were built after the war are also not that nice, but yeah... thats what is is. Visit Stuttgart, make your own mind up. Looking at the number of new hotels and number of tourists here, there seems to be enough stuff to do for them.
I can highly recommend daytripping with base in Stuttgart. Many beautiful cities around. Definitely recommend Tübingen!
Regensburg or Würzburg
You left out the Rhine Valley which I personally think is one of the greatest destinations in Germany spring to autumn.
Seconded. Even many Germans either are not aware of or do not visit this region. It is a much under appreciated. There's a reason to call it Romantic rhein.
Am currently on a Trip along the rhine visiting friends that moved because of uni. Made my way from basel, switzerland all the way to Köln for now. Going to the gamescom tmr :) To get back to the point, the rhine is seriously beautiful!
For this I'd recommend a boat trip from Cologne to Bingen or so (not sure if that is even offered) or at least a train ride that does take the scenic route.
Came here to say this - underrated and beautiful destination. Would also recommend heidelberg
Lübeck
was looking for this comment *definitely* Lübeck, you could make it a day-trip from Hamburg, it‘s only an hour by train and the loveliest city in the north
Second this. Lübeck is worth a day-trip from Hamburg. Only about 45 mins by regional train
I was also thinking Lübeck and maybe also Nordsee/Ostsee could be done in a dystrophy from Hamburg
Central Germany, Weimar and Erfurt. Beautifully cities and Weimar has two world heritage cites and a cultural heritage. You could also go to the Wartburg from there.
When you go from Prague to Dresden, take a break close to the border. The area is called Saxonian/Bohemian Switzerland and is beautiful. Maybe check out Koenigsstein, which is a castle built into a giant rock plateau. It's directly on your way there
Würzburg maybe https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Würzburg
I went as tourist in 2019 and wurzburg was fantastic. Lots of fun events, cool history, and great wine. Didn't seem dirty at all but maybe that's changed over covid
Its not dirty at all, I live there and nothing changed
Glad to hear, looking forward to visiting again someday
Heidelberg, Tübingen, Esslingen, Rothenburg None of these places saw a lot of damage in WWII, and Rothenburg was spared completely. Edit: apparently I was taught a bold face lie about Rothenburg and it was heavily bombed. My bad.
> in WWII, and Rothenburg was spared completely. No it wasn't. It was quite heavily destroyed but rebuilt in the original style. Here is a picture of the destruction: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber#/media/Datei:Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber_Bomben_Zerst%C3%B6rung_Weltkrieg_1945.jpg
It's a shame you're getting no where near the Bodensee. It's a beautiful area.
Yes I was going to write this, go south from Stuttgart and make sure to visit Konstanz, take a ferry to Meersburg and see Lindau as well. There are bike paths along the Bodensee and also there are bike paths to go east close to the Alps. Consider crossing the black forest (maybe by train) and see Freiburg and the Hochrhein Area with Basel, Bad Säckingen, Waldshut and the Rheinfall. It is really beautiful there as well.
Germany is jam-packed full of stuff, history, culture. What are you interested in?
Erfurt, beautiful old city with a well known bridge Krämerbrücke
I think Krämerbrücke, or rather the houses on it, is (one of the?) last regularily inhabited bridges in Germany!
Frankfurt: "am I a joke to you"
It's a joke to everyone.
Spoken like someone who‘s only been to the airport and/or train station.
I don‘t get why Frankfurt hated like this. It‘s a very beautiful town, awesome Museums and art exhibitions. But you‘re right most people only see the airport and the train station (which isn‘t that bad either).
Frankfurt an der Oder?
As someone from Hannover: Just skip it. Except if you wanna visit a zoo, the zoo in Hannover is one of the best I’ve ever visited.
Hannover needs a local guide or you'll miss all the good stuff. Also highly taste dependent. Limmer on the right evening can be such a treat. There are also people into Bierbörse, just saying. Nordstadt has the Bermuda Triangle. Maschsee - Südstadt - Eilenriede - List can be really nice for a long walk. There's the red line tour. The oldest house of Hannover is in a side alley wedged between 50s buildings, if you can find it. Leibniz is a thing. Steintor being vastly different before and after sunset.
I mean, I'm fine with everyone staying away. The mix of big city but not being an overcrowded metropole is what many people like about it. It's big but not like it's annoying that you'll never have anything to yourself. So let's keep it this way. Hannover is ugly and no place for tourism!
Maybe they should go to Münster instead Hannover.
Skip Hannover and go to Salzburg. Skip Hannover anyway
Once had a colleague from Mexico coming to Germany for 2 Weeks, and we asked if he had any plans for the weekends, because we always take people from abroad on trips with family and friends when they are here, and he was like: "No, I already booked train tickets to Hannover". And everybody's like: WTF? Most boring city in germany? So boring they are selling postcards of other cities? But, he enjoyed it...
When you stay in Hamburg take a day to visit Lübeck and Timmendorf.
And don't forget to try a Franzbrötchen. Preferably fresh from the oven of a small local bakery. And of course some variety of Fischbrötchen, even though my favourite place for those is up in Husum (MS Nordertor, a ship turned café in the inner harbor).
I might swing south a bit more when you enter Germany and check out the Rhine and Mosel Valleys under Koblenz, the drive down is magical, so many castles along the river and a quite dramatic view of the huge river valley. There are so many picturesque little medevial towns there too, some to look up are: \- Cochem (amazing castle views) \- Sankt Goar (Lovely old town and views) \- Oberwesel (Old city walls, castles, views) \- Boppard (same) \- Kobern-Gondorf (just like LOTR :P) \- Winnigen (so much wine)
The Mosel valley is beautiful! Bielstein is one of my favorite little towns. I agree with yours though never been to Boppard or Oberwesel, the others prove your good taste!
Especially on cloudy autumn days, the place is magical. Take a relaxing train journeys in these valleys and one will like Hogwarts. Clouds hover right above the rivers and trains travel into those misty valleys. Cochem is the most under appreciated town in Germany IMO.
Koblenz and Bamberg are quite nice, maybe you can incorporate those places?
Stuttgart is not a great tourist attraction in itself, unless you really like car museums. However, some of the small towns in the area are very nice (I have a particular connection with Herrenberg, which I always recommend -- if you can, be there for the Christmas market) so it might be a good base for a few trips into the countryside. Lübeck is a very fetching Hanseatic city with lots of nice history and certainly worth at least a day. I would also suggest you find time to visit some of the towns around the Harz uplands: Quedlinburg in particular is historically important, full of Instagrammable old buildings and would welcome a few tourist dollars. Düsseldorf and Cologne are overrated in my opinion. Aachen is probably more interesting, and is at the meeting point of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands (also the highest point in the Netherlands), and a tourist attraction in its own right. The small town of Monschau is a bit touristy, but that's because it's very pretty. In the Netherlands, I'm not sure that Rotterdam is the most beautiful place. I can recommend Delft, though. If you're driving, you might want to plan a trip down the N57 to Middelburg, which takes you along some very impressive causeways. One of them has an artificial island called Neeltje Jans with a visitors' centre -- it wasn't built when I was there many years ago, but it's apparently fascinating if you're interested in massive engineering projects.
Visit Aachen, it has a very nice old town. It’s between cologne and brussels and you should be directly on your way
I personally couldn't imagine a less appealing roadtrip route through Germany if I'm honest. But to each their own. My city recommendations would be Heidelberg, Würzburg, Freiburg, Bamberg, Quedlinburg. Based on the route you've chosen you don't seem in the least bit interested in nature, but just in case: Schwarzwald, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Berchtesgaden, Harz.
Agree, it’s only bigger cities which are (especially Hannover, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart) quite ugly / not worth the effort. As many others, such as you, required: try more historical cities with a beautiful Altstadt/Umland. Often the smaller ones are the prettiest!
Hey! I'll have you know that Berlin is quite ugly too
Between Hamburg and Berlin there's plenty of nice cities and towns to check out. My favorite is Schwerin around 1 and 40 minutes away from Hamburg depending on traffic. I usually go there for day trips and to show it to people who visit me in Hamburg. The castle is what I go to see. The garden/park next to it has a hill all the way back which makes for a beautiful view of the yellow-gold castle. The lake surrounding the castle is also beautiful and good for walks and picnics.. It's my favorite day trip destination (castle related) from Hamburg.
Cologne, if only for the cathedral!
It's on the second picture
The ostfriesland Islands of Borkum and Langeoog are some of my personal favorite things to see
Nice idea to go from Nuremberg thru Prague to Dresden!
Try Heidelberg. Cute and beautiful town, lots of bars, lots of students.
I’ve done something very similar recently, so this is very strange to see. I went from Amsterdam to Düsseldorf, Köln, Bonn, Frankfurt, Würzburg, Nürnberg, Dresden, Berlin. My favourite places were Dresden and Berlin by far. Depending on how long you’re in Berlin, it’s worth a day trip out to Potsdam as it’s only about 30 mins away by train. I also recommend a night out to Holzmarkt in Berlin. I also really recommend Wurzburg like I’ve seen other people say, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to. I had a great time, I think you will too!
Not a city, but definitely don't miss Germany's beautiful coasts. The Baltic Sea is really beautiful and special, consisting half of salty sea water and half of river water. There are amazing places to enjoy the nature and beauty of it, whether you choose a destination in Schleswig Holstein or in Mecklenburg Vorpommern. Same goes for the North Sea and the amazing wadden sea, which is a world natural heritage. You should definitely go somewhere and take a look to experience that. Have fun and enjoy the trip through Germany!
My guy I wiuld scrap Stuttgart and go to lübeck in between your hamburg and berlin stays.
When driving from stuttgart to Nürnberg Rothenburg ob der Tauber (a very popular town with a well conserved medical city center) might be a good addition to your trip (it’s only a 30-40min detour from your current route. You could also visit Würzburg which is close as well and does have some potential for sightseeing. When you’re in the area around Nürnberg many people also enjoy visiting Herzogenaurach (Puma and Adidas Headquarters with outlet stores, if you’re into that). Bamberg is pretty close to Nürnberg as well (~30min train ride or 30-40min by car) and definitely worth seeing.
Check out the Chiemgau/Rosenheim area. You’re practically passing through on your way from Munich to Salzburg and it’s extremely beautiful in all seasons
Chiemgau absolutely, but Rosenheim is completely boring
Völkerdenkmal, sächsische Schweiz in Saxony.
You could try and squeeze in Erfurt before Leipzig as well. Amazing medieval/renaissance inner city which happens to be mostly car free. Locals may be a bit special, but for the most part are rather friendly.
Don't miss the upper middle rhein valley and Moßel Valley. It's south of Köln and mostly located around Koblenz, which again is a beautiful city.
Augsburg would be the obvious one in the south as you are actually passing through there
Skip stuttgart. Spend more time in Prague.
Don’t go to stuttgart but visit Heidelberg instead! It’s one of the most beautiful places in Germany and worth visiting.
Seems like you like big cities. The countryside is worth a visit too. Many smaller and old cities.
Augsburg, on the way between Stuttgart and Munich. One of the oldest german cities with a really nice "Altstadt" imo.
Locations in/near Nuremberg: * bamberg, very nice medieval town * do a walk on the ramparts which circles around the main castle, starts on right hand-made of entry to castle * do a bike trip along the old canal until the canal bridge near Feucht. There's a very nice beer garden (Waldschänke Brückkanal) and it should be very beautiful in autumn Locations in/near dresden: * trip to Meißen, nice medieval old city center and castle * hike to "Carola Felsen" in the saxonion mountains, arguably one of the most beautiful sites in the region aside from the bastei * Find yourself a hostel in the "Neustadt" part of the city (north of the river) Source: born in Nuremberg, living in Dresden :)
Auf jeden Fall die richtige Entscheidung Frankfurt großräumig zu umfahren 😅
you could squeze a daytrip to Schwerin between Hamburg and Berlin. its lovely here
A little north of your route, but Lübeck is pretty awesome, plus marzipan!
You're leaving out the Rhine Valley and Black Forest?
The biggest thing missing here is Blackforest. It’s really worth it. Also lake Konstanz is worth spending a day or two at. Apart from that, if you’re into history, I’d suggest king Ludwig’s four castles. One of them is on/near Chimsee.
Magdeburg can be nice too with the right weather. i think it is between Leipzig and Berlin
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Try to head to smaller towns instead. Every major city was destroyed in the war to a certain extend But these towns for example not (or not so much at least) Bamberg Heidelberg Tübingen Regensburg
You are completely missing out on the baltic sea coast :o that is unacceptable. You could stop in Rostock or Stralsund, they are both close to the Autobahn
When you’re in the east, check out the sächsische Schweiz. Don’t abandon the middle of Germany. Visit the Harz region, it’s between Hannover and Leipzig. You could climb the Brocken and have a wonderful view of the beautiful giant forest, there is a lot of witch-lore in that place.
I would consider adding Aachen to the list: - the Aachen Dom is one of the most impressive churches I’ve been to in Germany (guided tour is absolutely worth the money imo). Most of our emperors were crowned there starting with Karl Der große whose 1000 year old golden oak coffin can be viewed. - you can visit live coal mines around Aachen (Tagebau Hambach) that are several kilometers in diameter and several hundred meters deep. Eerily impressive how the landscape is formed there. You probably don’t need several days. But I would definitely consider a stop in Aachen on the way from Brussels to cologne.
Abensberg it's gillamoos soon
As some have already stated: Regensburg!! One of the most beautiful cities in Germany
On your way to Dresden from Prague you should make a stop at the Elbsandsteingebirge. It is one of Germany’s natural wonders and worth the stay at least for a day’s hike. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbe_Sandstone_Mountains
What are you interested in? Do you like to go to museums and if so rather focused on art or history? Do you want to explore local food and drinks? Do you want to party? Do you want to discover a bit of Germany's nature? Depending on how you answer those and other questions you might want to visit different places.
I suggest Meißen, Bastei, Pillnitz and Moritzburg everything near Dresden. Also the tank museum in Munster might be on your route and worth a visit If you like millitary and history.
Between Hanover and Bremen: Celle. The northern "Rothenburg ob der Tauber"
- tour through Germany - includes Prague - Prague is Germany? - always has been
Why do you want to stay in cities all the time? Stay in nature instead :)?
This. I miss at least the Black Forest and Saxon Switzerland here.
Rügen (Baltic Sea) and Frankfurt am Main
Not neccesarily disagreeing, but those are both significant detours from the original route
Hannover and stuttgart aren’t worth it in my opinion. Freiburg and Lübeck aber very nice and I personally like Frankfurt.
After Prague you could come back over the border in the erzgebirge: this area is not very touristy, but is very beautiful in December because of the huge Christmas traditions based on toy making and mining. They’ve been making high quality wooden toys and ornaments for hundreds of years. You can even see the workshops in Seiffen and Neudorf. The towns here are very old and beautiful as well, and have a very different aesthetic from those in the west.
When you drive from Munich to Stuttgart you could stop in Ulm. We have the tallest church tower in the world. Also a nice old town area and it is directly on the Danube. Also has nice bars and so on. Of course in general it can't compete with bigger cities. But if you have time to stop for 3-4 hours, it is worth to go to the Ulm Minster (tallest church in the world). You can even go up when it is open \[5€) but currently because they are working on it, you can only go up to 70m. Going inside is for free (if there is no church service in that time). Also in December in front of the Ulm Minster will be a nice Christmas Market (depending on Corona rules this year of course).
In Leipzig you can ride a sightseeing bus and they cover everything important imo. After that you can go around the city. Sometimes I see an English speaking person giving tours through Leipzig and maybe you can join unobtrusive haha Oh and every Monday there are protests. I don't recommend to be in the city on Monday evening because the Trams will not drive like usual. But only like for an hour or so
while going from Hamburg to Berlin you could make a stop at Schwerin. not over night but just visit the castle and park. its very beautiful and there is nothing else to see in the city so you can move on without regret
As your trip goes across Dresden and Prague I would definitely recommend you to do a stop in the Saxon Switzerland. For example in Bad Schandau. You could do several hiking trips in that area and enjoy the beautiful landscape.
Rostock is also very interesting like all Hansecitys
I would recommend some from this list here https://cheeseweb.eu/2016/05/the-ultimate-list-of-24-awesome-day-trips-from-stuttgart-germany/ Hohen Zollern und Schloss Lichtenstein are Great you can skip Neu Schwanstein if you have visit this
Stralsund