What are some recomendations for places to visit in Germany?

Question

I'm planning a trip to germany with a friend of mine, however we are both still college students, meaning poor, and it will just be the two of us. We would really like to practice our german and to learn more about the culture, but also want to have fun. what are some good places to visit?

Answer 1

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Answer 2

Two years ago I spent a semester of my junior year in Germany.  I agree with some people that sometimes the best experience is to visit small towns but I also think that the cities do offer a lot of cultural and historical gems that can't easily be brushed aside.  Either way the best idea is to spend a good amount of time in one area.  This gives you time to not only see the sights but to get to know the city/town and find the tiny cultural tidbits that make it worthwhile.  Wherever you go take in a play or opera while you are there, they are cheap and if you can get a student discount its even better.  Its fun practice for your German, a cultural experience, and entertaining all at once.  Nearly every major town or city has some sort of theatre program.

I suggest a "Let's Go Germany" guidebook and a night at your friends house for planning.  But here are some of my favorite places, I hope they help.

Hameln- This tiny town may not offer tons to do but it is an adorable place.  It is famous for the tale of the "Pied Piper of Hameln."  It makes a nice day trip as you can follow the painted "rat trail" around the city and visit the landmarks.  

Heidelberg- Touristy but a gorgeous place.  The castle ruins on the hill inspired the painters and writers of the romantic movement.  If you climb the 315 steps to the castle you are rewarded with a great photo op and a tour filled with legends.  The town is nice Mark Twain even spent some time in this academic place.  

Berlin- The ultimate tourist trap but worth it.  I took the 4 hour free tour of the city and did not regret a single minute of it (my feet didn't either thanks to the frequent stops).  This city has history coming out of its ears from the Hollenzollern kings to the Berlin Wall.  Memorials, operas, museums, zoos, day trips galore there is many things to see and do; spending a few weeks here would give you a good dose of many things.

Bremen- A place close to my heart this town was made famous by the tale of "The Bremen Town Musicians" from the Brothers Grimm.  This town proudly shows the famous animals everywhere.  They have a cute historic district called the Schnoor, shopping area, a wonderful Shakespear troupe, other theatres, and a few interesting museums.  Not to mention some of my favorite random statues.  The artists colony Worpesweder is also a short road trip away and Hamburg is close as well.

Cologne-  Home of the famous cologne "4711", it also has a famous Cathedral (with the skulls of the three wise men), a Roman Museum, a Chocolate Museum (with golden chocolate fountain), and offers some great places to chill and watch the Rhine River (if your lucky near a street musician).  Oh and by the way the Cathedral has a great crowd outside it nearly everyday of artists, protesters, musicians etc.  

Munich- The city proper I would not recommend staying in and it's just personal taste.  This city has a toy museum, Glockenspiel, Art and Tech Museums, a famous Beerhall/breweries, and a the lovely Viktualian Markt.  There is always the famous Neuschwanstein if you want to play tourist some more, but if you are near Munich I would rather suggest taking the train to some nearby town and just exploring Bavaria.

Dresden-  Sadly I have never been here.  But I hear its beautiful and one of the Jewels of Europe.  

Nuremberg- This town retains most of its med. wall and has its own castle/fortress on a hill where they say "The Frog Prince" took place.  Among other thing are a beautiful old cemetery called St. Johannis, Albrecht Duerer (artist)'s house, and a great town square with a tiny glockenspiel.  This place has several really beautiful fountains and old buildings.  A wonderful place; musuems and WW2 sites nearby.

Worms- My last favorite is a location mentioned in the German Legend/Sage "Die Niebelungenlieds."  An old cathedral, a so-so mueum on the saga, a small Jewish museum in the former ghetto... and if I remember correctly a roman or history musuem that is pretty nice.  It's not on every tourist's list and therefore quieter than many places you may go.  I love this place because of the area- farmland and from here I could go to Mainz, Heidelberg etc.

Answer 3

If you like cars Germany is the capital, Mercedes, Volvo (I think), Porsche, Audi and BMW all have factories here. They are actually pretty cool to tour. A day trip to Amsterdam is very doable and would be fun for you. Castles are really cool and cultural and you absolutly have to visit Neuchswanstein Castle. It is in Bavaria in the Alps and Walt Disney used as his inspiration for Cinderellas Castle.

I really hope that you have an awesome trip!!

Answer 4

Don't miss Wittenberg...the Protestant reformation began there...be sure to watch the movie "Luther" first to truely appreciate the intellegence, bravery and compassion  it took to change the world!!

Answer 5

There are so many places to go and things to see.  But for someone wishing to learn German and have fun, I would have to say to stay away from the big cities.  Some of the smaller cities and towns would be great for you.

Darmstadt is a good place.  It is on the friendly side and still has a good population of American military.  That just means that English is an accepted language here and you will generally not be frowned upon for not knowing much German.  It's not overly expensive, either.  Lots of things to do here that are cheap or free.  You could even take a trip out to the felsenmeer (stone sea) for a few hours.  It's not REALLY a sea, but it is a natural wonder.  Thousands of LARGE stones that appear to be a rock slide.  There are nature parks all around with deer, elk, boar, and various other wild life.

If you prefer to go a bit more south, I would recommend a small town called Landshut.  It is near Ingolstadt (where the Audi factory is) which is a good sized city and not far from Munich.  I used to go to Landshut nearly every weekend in the late 80s & early 90s.   They had a great disco called Casablanca there, but I don't know if its still there.  There people are very nice, the rooms were not at all expensive, and its easy to get to larger areas from there.

Ansbach is also a great place to go.  Again, a good sized city but not the big city feel.

Rothenburg ob der Taubern is also a wonderful place.  It is a city surrounded by a wall.  A bit pricey, but there is A LOT of history there, great food, and any trinket you ever thought you would want from Germany is available.  You can even by kookoo clocks there and have them shipped back to the states.

The list goes on and on.  And don't forget that Germany is centrally located in Europe, so Poland, Czech, Austria, Switzerland, France, England, Ireland, and Belgium are all just a short trip away.  If you want to travel cheap to all or some of these places, I suggest you plan your vacation to be based out of Frankfurt Hahn which has an airport that is a main hub for Ryan Air (www.ryanair.com).  They have really cheap flights all over Europe.  Frankfurt Hahn is also close to Ramstein and Kaiserslautern which have a large population of U.S. military.

Answer 6

you will want to get a train pass for sure.  Every city and town is great to visit in Germany. I would recommend to hit the big ones like, Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin, Heidelberg and Munich. I heard the Black Forest is a must see. I myself never went there, but next time I would definitely go. I lived there for awhile and used to just take a train to "no where" and whatever city I was I could find lots to see.

Germany is such a lovely country. Great food ( Turkish, Italian, Greek and even Chinese food is yummy there).

Great cafes!

I miss it dearly.

A little warning... the customer service is the opposite of what it is like here in the states. so, be prepare to have to look for things on your own in stores. so, brush up on your German vocabulary on important items that you would need there. Also, would be good to know the german names of the food that you do not like.

Have a great time and have a spaghetti eis for me!

Answer 7

A place I visited which was historic, beautiful and full of young people who love to have fun is Tuebingen. It is in the State of Baden-Wurtemburg and is a University town. There are loads of students, lots going on and it is one of the most beautiful ancient towns anywhere.

Germany is a wonderful country and I'm sure you will have a great time!

Good luck :-)

Answer 8

Stay in Bavaria:  Munich - great beer halls, some other good sights to see, excellent museums

Nurnberg - same but more of a medieval flavor to it - with a wall around the city and some great historical sites.

Bamberg - small, gorgeous Baroque downtown.  Very unique. It has two places listed in the book "1000 things to see before you die" both in this one little city.  Bamberg also has some excellent side trips you can take.

You'll find that quite a few Germans speak English, although many are very self-conscious of it.  They will appreciate your efforts to try.  I preface every conversations by saying "mei Deutsch is ganz schlecht...." (and it is) and then when I am done the locals always compliment me on it.  

The entire country is beautiful but I am very partial to Bavaria.  I have lived here as an American for almost 8 years and I really never want to leave.

I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy this wonderful country.

Answer 9

If your purpose for visiting Germany is to practice German and to have fun, you really don't have to worry so much about WHERE to go.  Your focus should be immersing yourself into the general population, and thankfully, that's perfect for someone on a budget.  One of the best ways to see what it's like in any country or city is to shop at the local farmer's market and grocery store.  You'll run into mostly locals, be forced to speak German and at the same time see a small slice of how people live   ie what they buy and eat at home.  Buy some stuff even if you don't recognize it.  You'll either like it or hate it, either way, I'll be a great memory. This is also a great way to save money.  Rather than going out to eat, you can just buy a bunch of picnic supplies.  Way cheaper and a ton more fun.  Find a park, spread out a big beach towel sit and watch people go by.  Best fun you could have for almost free!

Answer 10

Hi Leola (and friend :) /travel companion), you'll have a ball over there. Depending what type of atmosphere you like, you can either go south (Bavaria) or north (Bremen or Lower Saxony = Niedersachsen or Schleswig) I was born and raised in Germany (Bremerhaven), which is at the water (Weser river that leads into the Northsea) in the north. The weather used to be nasty there but the last few years it was always awesome in the spring/summer. Just the winters still are sucky. I just went over the Christmas holidays and had nothing but rain, rain, rain. But I had fun, nonetheless. Afterall, it was home. My son (now 15) was also born there but we came to the US in 93, when he was a wee little one (18 mts.). It was funny cause he spoke relatively early and only spoke German, but two days here and I pointed to an airplane and told him what it was in German and he opened his little mouth in astonishment and said "No, no, Mommy, airpane, not Flugzeug. We are now in memerica" It was so adorable but, of course he doesn't want to hear of it now :) In any case, before I break out in tirades about my "little man" :) (mother's tend to do that) I'll tell you a little more about the expedition you are about to embark on. Like I already said, firstly, you have to decide where it is you want to go. The cheapest flights over there usually go into Munich (Bavaria), Frankfurt (dead smack in the middle), Hamburg (Schleswig-Holstein, northeast), Berlin (I'm sure I don't need to explain). Of course, you can fly into other destinations too, depending on what it is you want to do. If you go up north, it's easy to go into Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden,etc. If you stick with the south, it's easiest to cross into France, Austria, Italy, Spain. Spain, by the way, is THEE hot spot for Germans and British vacationers. As is Mallorca. Now, that's the bomb! It's a Spanish island, in the middle of the Mediterranian and English is a well spoken language over there. You can catch a flight over there for as little as 39 Euros (approx. $47) r/t. Unbelievable, huh? But that's because so many flights go out there daily. If you decide to go for the nightlife, go to El Arenal (during the day you spend time at the beach, noon and early afternoon is siesta (everyone sleeps) and then do some shopping. In the evening (around 10:00 pm) the nightlife starts. And let me tell you, Arenal has some of the most famous discos in Europe. It is AWESOME for your age. Now the beach, hmm, how do I put it? Germans, as well as British, Spanish and other vacationers usually tan topless. But you don't have to, if you're not comfortable. I went when I was 20 (many, many moons ago, in 1983) with my best friend (my Mom! yeah, really!) and we had a blast. Very many popular and famous people there. Especially at night, when they come off their yachts (you'll see some of the biggest, most beautiful yachts in Palma de Mallorca (the capital, about a 20 min. bus ride from Arenal) or out of their vacation homes, which are usually located in the hills of the island. Do NOT rent a car, as their drivers are absolutely nuts. I went again in 1990 (on my honeymoon and my now ex-husband) didn't ever want to leave the beach (wink, wink) cause he's never seen anything like that (even though they have topless beaches in Germany too, but Mallorca, especially Arenal, is where the party's at ). Then I went again, with my parents and my son, in the summer of 2004. I wanted to show my son where Dad and I had our honeymoon and then too we had a blast (my son was 13 and boy you should have seen his face) LOL! All those b***s! He was in heaven. Guess he's part of his Dad :) Anyway, back to Germany, there is so much to see and you can easily stay in hostels, rather than hotels or at the B & Bs, that are plentiful. Same with Mallorca. The first trip we stayed in a B & B, the second time in a friends condo (many Germans own condos there) and this last time, we stayed at the other end of the island (the northern point in Alcudia del Mar) in a real nice hotel. Yes, it was the most expensive out of the three trips but we had so much fun. We stayed two weeks each time and never wanted to leave. Of course, there is lots to see in Germany and surrounding countries too, especially when you are into historic sites. But hey, you guys are yound and need to have fun. While in Germany, I suggest you find yourself a nice B&B or a hostel (cheapest but no service whatsoever). Get a Eurail Pass (a train ticket that allows you to travel, travel, travel, 'til your heart is content) You can even rent bicycles and backpack through Europe from Germany. It's not that bad, considering your age and how much you get to see in a minimum amount of time. The trains will take your bikes no problem and as students you can obtain relatively cheap student rate Eurailpasses. I promise you, you'll love it! And the food... Hmmm, delicous! Fresh bread or rolls every morning from a bakery! Gosh, my mouth is watering now. And don't worry, every major city has McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc. But I advise you to try the Italian restaurants (or pizza stands) that are scattered everwhere. The pizzas and hot subs are just out of this world, totally different than here, yet yummie! Since the conversion to the Euro the economy in German and other European countries has taken a beating though and you need to make sure that you consider that before you go. One Euro right now will cost you approx. $1.34, compaired to when they had the D-Mark, you would have gotten above and beyond 2:1, meaning 2 Marks per 1 Dollar. But that's water under the bridge. We are here and now! If I can help you in any way, with questions, bookings, whatever, please don't hesitate to contact me. I am on this site to help people. I keeps my focus off my own stuff (I was involved in two serious accidents back in Apr/Mar of 2002, that left me disabled. I am unable to work any longer, have to spend most of my time in bed, especially during the colder months) and seem to have found a purpose with this site. I gives me so much pleasure to help out and being able to do this really keeps me going and keeps my brain trained (I suffer from MS and severe Fibromyalgia) and have to keep active one way or another, because I am still raising my15 yr. old, wonderful son. He used to go to Germany every summer (flying over there by himself!) since age 8 and loves it. He is bilingual and hates not being able to go now (the last two years were just too difficult financially). Gee, there I go again, blabbering about myself. In any case, I certainly hope that I was able to help you out with your question and like I said, if you have any additional questions regarding your trip, please don't be afraid to contact me. Best wishes for your excursion and have fun! Oh, and if you fly out before Jun 15th (no matter when you return) you won't go into the high season pricing and can save a bunch of money. Also, consider the idea of B&Bs or youth hostels, rather than hotels. That would be way too expensive and I am sure you'll find enough ways to spend your money :) One more tip, pack lightly! I know you WILL buy stuff over there, as there are many hip teen and twen stores, that offer inexpensive, yet well made clothing. I bet you are tired from all the reading as I am tired of typing. Beside, it's almost 3:00 am and I am exhausted. Again, I hope you have a blast, and seriously consider taking a week in the Baltic Sea (Mallorca). You won't regret it. I promise! May God keep his watchful eye over the two of you on your travels and send you some angels to accompany you. Don't worry, they won't tell (wink) With best regards, MsB.

Oh my goodness, I just saw the length of the text and couldn't believe I wrote all that. But my fingers, now swollen to the size of German Bratwurst :) are proof enough. And if I made some typos, pls. forgive me, I am very tired and haven't slept in a few nights.

P.S. I knew there was something I almost forgot! Make most of your plans while you are still here in the U.S., as it is a lot cheaper to plan ahead. And I mean A LOT cheaper. Bye for now (wave)

Answer 11

Hi, try Fulda in Hesse. Its about 60 Miles from Frankfurt International Airport. Go to: www.Fulda.de

This city is not so big (60 Tsd.) old Town and many baroque Buildings.

Answer 12

Go to Munich. I LOVED it when I went. Just take the s-bahn and u-bahn everywhere. (It is a German subway in Munich) The Marienplatz in particular is awesome. Lots of good shopping opporitunities, too. =D

Answer 13

To be brief, I traveled to Germany a few years ago and my favorite city was Cologne.  It was historical but hip.  Great little shops and restaurants alongside beautiful old world architecture.  When I was there, they had a really cool bar on the river that created a beach ambience with sand and tons of long picnic tables(perfect for mingling).  Hope you have as much fun as I did!

Answer 14

I will keep this short unlike the rest of you :) Heidelberg. Its beautiful. Lots of young people because of the university. I lived there for a month fairly cheaply by shopping at the "Penny Markt". Ask one of aforementioned young people where it is and they will know. Also some cool clubs over the just over the river. My best memory was my last night all alone at dusk up in the castle garden. stayed too late and found up running full speed down the hill through a wooded path and burst back into town before dark.

Jennifer

Answer 15

Heidelburg

Answer 16

Hey I'm a college student in california (born and raised in \Germany originally)..would love to practice german with you, for you to learn more and for me to keep it. What do you think ? You game ?