Cities & Towns

Built on seven hills where the Regnitz River splits, Bamberg offers a UNESCO-listed medieval core, rauchbier breweries, and a cathedral that crowns a city unchanged for centuries.

Founded by the Romans in 16 BC, Trier holds more ancient ruins than any other German city. Here’s how to explore the Porta Nigra, imperial baths, and wine taverns of Germany’s oldest settlement.

This thousand-year-old Hanseatic town an hour south of Hamburg built its fortune on salt. Today, Lüneburg’s tilting houses, medieval brick churches, and cobbled squares make it one of northern Germany’s most charming—and overlooked—destinations.

At Germany’s southeastern corner, Passau sits at the confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz rivers. This Bavarian baroque jewel offers Italian-style architecture, river views, and a position on one of Europe’s great cycling routes.

Nestled in a tight bend of the Moselle River, Cochem offers half-timbered charm, hilltop castle views, and some of Germany’s steepest vineyards. Here’s how to make the most of this riverside gem.

Discover Würzburg’s UNESCO-listed Residenz, hillside vineyards, and Franconian wine culture in one of Bavaria’s most elegant baroque cities.

Freiburg combines medieval charm, innovative sustainability, and easy access to the Black Forest. Discover its cobbled streets, historic bächle, and vineyard-draped hills.

This perfectly preserved Bavarian city on the Danube offers 2,000 years of history, the oldest sausage kitchen in Germany, and streets that have barely changed since the Middle Ages.

Tucked into a narrow valley in the Eifel hills, Monschau is a perfectly preserved medieval town of crooked half-timbered houses, cobblestone lanes, and a mustard mill that’s been running for 120 years.

This Baltic port city of brick Gothic churches, marzipan, and maritime history remains one of northern Germany’s most beautiful destinations.