The most beautiful cities in Germany
Germany’s most beautiful cities and towns stand among the best places to visit in the European Union. They span almost the full range of European variety.
- There are cities with Roman origins and remains such as Trier, Cologne, Regensburg and Mainz.
- Medieval cities such as Nuremberg, Erfurt, Bamberg and Worms and the half-timbered Harz region towns of Goslar, Quedlinburg and Wernigerode.
- Renaissance showpiece cities such as LĂĽbeck, Augsburg or Bremen.
- Cities with Baroque survivals, including Dresden, Heidelberg or Passau.
- Plenty of German cities have beautiful palaces on their streets or nearby, like Potsdam, Munich, Stuttgart, WĂĽrzburg and Weimar.
- The great cathedrals such as Cologne, Regensburg, Bamberg, Mainz, Erfurt, Worms, with countless other churches, sometimes in Romanesque but more commonly in the Gothic style. The mĂĽnster of Ulm has the tallest spire of them all.
- Museums of culture and art among world’s best, including Deutsches Museum, Deutsches Nationalmuseum, Alte Pinakothek and the Pergamonmuseum.
All these places can be reached by train and bus (Quedlinburg is on a branch line). All offer a range of hotels, hostels, guest houses and other types of accommodation. All are very walkable and, like most German towns and cities, are really best seen on foot. But trams and buses help get people to and from hotels or attractions and for the bigger centres, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Nuremberg, there are fast regular options in the form of S-bahn and U-bahn trains and light-rail transport.
Shopping
Consumerism is as powerful in Germany as anywhere in Europe but the fun has not gone from shopping. The assurance comes in the fact that the country retains the traditional values of community markets and still takes bookshops seriously, even if fashion – like anywhere in the West – is king. For details of German value-added tax see the Costs section in the Tips for travel menu.
Retail hours
German shops in most states have no regular restrictions on opening hours except Sundays, although they may not stay open later than 20.00 in Bavaria and Saarland. But local differences and reluctance among some traders remain despite liberalisation.
There can be exceptions for Sunday trade in some items in designated tourist precincts (until 18.00, though not during church services), at convenience stores at large rail stations, at airports, for petrol stations, and for bakeries (usually allowed before noon). Weekend trading is varied by state laws in Sachsen-Anhalt, Thuringia, Nordrhein-Westfalen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The result is that shops, including department stores, often remain open until 20.00 M-Sa. In Rheinland-Pfalz and Saxony they may open until 22.00 M-Sa. Outside main cities they are more likely to close by 18.30. Some small shops close for lunch.
Most shops will also be closed on locally designated public holidays (see Public holidays in the Travel Essentials menu).
Souvenirs & gifts
There is no shortage of trinkets and tourist paraphernalia to buy – providing a reminder that the word kitsch came from German. Souvenir shops are in all the tourist areas with fridge magnets and miniature beer tankard key rings. In many cases goods available at tourist information centres will not prove to be the best-value buys for comparable items such as books or DVDs, for which it might be best to compare large bookshops or department stores. For souvenir T-shirt sizes see Clothes below.
It is possible to pay high prices for a beer tankard and then find it hard to transport safely. Saxon porcelain – principally from Meissen but also Dresden – and wooden clocks – most associated with the Schwarzwald or Black Forest – are well known but the authentic items are also expensive and difficult to transport. Nuremberg is especially associated with toys, often a luggage challenge.
 Lübeck marzipan, a durable and usually inexpensive confection, is a popular gift if it survives the temptations of the journey home. Shopping at traditional Christmas markets in Nuremberg, Dresden or Cologne (to name only a few of the bigger markets) can yield some tiny treasures.
Clothes
European sizes for clothing and shoes are completely different from UK or US systems and it is important to try on items first. If buying for others, it is best to have a clear guide to what is needed.
For women’s clothing, a traditional UK size 10 (US 8) is size 36 in Europe and a UK 16 (US 14) is size 42 – the systems follow each other up in increments of two. For men’s shirts, collar sizes are in centimetres, so a US size 16 is size 41 or 42. In women’s shoes, a UK size 5 (US 7, Australia 6) is a European size 38 – move up or down one or 1½ sizes from there. In men’s shoes, a UK size 8 (US 8½) is a European size 42. A table of close comparisons is available online.
What is sometimes called national costume is known in Germany as Tracht, and actually varies regionally. Best known is traditional southern or Alpine rural working dress, for women the Dirndl and the men’s Lederhosen, which can be seen in tourist areas but in everyday contexts are little worn by today’s Germans. Authentic items are also very expensive to buy, although there are summer variants or skirt derivations of the Dirndl that are part of the less costly style known as Landhausmode.
Other types of costumes belong to regions, including variants worn in North Frisia (part of Schleswig-Holstein), where there is still a sense of separate regional identity.
The European H&M chain offers price-conscious fashions in many cities.
Emporiums
Aside from the chain department stores such as Karstadt or Galeria Kaufhof there are the classic stores, of which the best known are west Berlin’s Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe) and Munich’s Hertie or Ludwig Beck. These three, although now operated by the dominant chains, retain the prestige of their traditions. Hamburg’s Alsterhaus and Düsseldorf’s Carsch-Haus also enjoy a proud position for fashion and designer labels.
Markets
One of the pleasant aspects of an old German city is the fact that many still have traditional town square markets for fresh produce as part of daily life. Others have standing indoor markets with a bustling atmosphere. Munich's standing produce and fine foods market, the Viktualienmarkt, is impressive in variety and scale Monday to Saturday while retaining some of the atmosphere of the daily markets that were its origins. Today farmers' markets (Bauernmärkte) with regional produce are still common and regular produce markets (Wochenmärkte) are still part of the scene at the old town marketplaces.
In Hamburg the Sunday fish markets are for some a continuation of Saturday night revelry. Starting before dawn, they are in full swing – not only with fish – at first light and the busy sales atmosphere is mixed with imbibing while others seek coffee or breakfast.
Flea markets are fashionable, even chic, in Berlin and Munich, and Berlin's twice-weekly Turkish markets attract youth and self-catering travellers on a budget.
Christmas markets are run all over the country with Nuremberg, Dresden, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich (all with medieval origins) among the best known, selling ornaments, traditional Christmas fare, beverages and gifts. But the markets have become a travel industry in themselves and many are recent creations. It would be wise when shopping at these to check the provenance of so-called handmade items, many of which are imported. But the markets open long into the evening, and some of the locations have plenty of atmosphere as well as mulled wine and other treats.
Prices
Costs for many items will not faze UK or Antipodean citizens but might surprise those from parts of the US or India. Prices for goods overall in Germany are unremarkable for western Europe, but US travellers should be prepared to pay 20-25% more than at home where comparisons are possible. Prices for food and accommodation will not necessarily follow. See the Costs section of the Travel Essentials menu.
German prices are expressed with a comma where most English-speaking countries use the decimal point.
