It’s similar to turning through a book’s pages to walk around small villages in Germany. Here are nine of Germany’s most endearing little towns, listed in no particular order.
1. Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt
Quedlinburg, one of Germany’s oldest and best-preserved towns, dates to the 10th century. Thanks to its Old Town with more than 2,000 half-timbered homes and the 12th-century Collegiate Church of St. Servatius, the medieval city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Rathaus, a stone and ivy-covered medieval town hall constructed in the Gothic style, is located on the city’s main market square and is equally noteworthy and photogenic.
2. Cochem, Rhineland-Palatinate
Visit Cochem on the banks of the Moselle River for a town where the scenery and the wine are equally impressive. The city is located in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer area of Germany, which is well-known for its hillside vineyards that yield riesling grapes.
Visit the medieval turreted castle (Reichsburg Cochem) in between sips of white wine, stroll through the Old Town, or take a gondola trip up the mountain to take in the breathtaking views of the city and river.
3. Görlitz, Saxony
It’s not a surprise if Görlitz seems somewhat familiar; the town has appeared in a number of important Hollywood productions, including The Reader, Inglourious Basterds, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and others. It is simple to understand why film directors are drawn to this lovely tiny city with its Gothic and Art Nouveau architecture, pedestrian streets, and accessible location over the river from Poland.
4. Rottach-Egern, Bavaria
One of Germany’s most picturesque little villages, Rottach-Egern is situated on the beaches of Lake Tegernsee in Upper Bavaria. Little eateries offering up Bavarian comfort food, embroidered lederhosen businesses, and stunning churches line the village’s streets, all wonderfully reflected in the lake’s azure waters.
With the Alps as its backdrop, Rottach-Egern comes alive in the winter as throngs of European visitors come here to partake in outdoor pursuits like cross-country skiing and tobogganing.
5. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria
Millions of people visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber each year for its intact medieval Old Town and its rainbow façade created for Instagram. If at all possible, try to schedule your trip during December, when the town is transformed into a winter wonderland with snow-covered rooftops, lighted stores, and cosy taverns. The Reiterlesmarkt, one of the top Christmas markets in the nation, should, therefore, not be overlooked.
​​6. Bacharach, Rhineland-Palatinate
On the Rhine, the medieval town of Bacharach—named after Bacchus rather than Burt—is a classic wine village. Half-timbered houses, wrought-iron bakery signs, medieval churches, an impressive hilltop castle (Burg Stahleck) currently used as a youth hostel, and the visual bonus of vineyards snaking up the neighboring slopes give it all the makings of a quaint German town.
7. Füssen, Bavaria
Füssen, a village of pastel hues located roughly 60 miles southwest of Munich, is a must-stop location for anybody traveling the Romantic Road. The town boasts several attractions that will entice you to stay for a long, even if its most well-known claim to fame is that it serves as a base for visiting the historic Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.
At the Füssen History Museum, find out about the city’s violin-making past before taking pictures of Heilig-Geist-Spitalkirche, an 18th-century church with rose-colored exterior and rococo paintings all over it.
8. Nuremberg
The first thing that came to mind was, I assume, the Nuremberg Trials. A wounded post-World War II Germany was formed by the trials of Nazi war criminals, but this city is more than that. Nuremberg is the ideal destination for history aficionados of all sorts because a sizable number of medieval structures still stand there.
9. Marburg, Hesse
The Hessian town of Marburg, popularly known as the university town where the Brothers Grimm studied and found inspiration for several of their tales, is the best place to encounter authentic German fairy tales.
The town, known for its winding cobblestone alleys and historic churches, also has whimsical sculptures of some of the Grimms’ most well-known figures, such as the Frog King reading a book on a building’s side and Cinderella’s slipper resting beneath the imposing Marburger Schloss castle.
10. Bamberg, Bavaria
This charming town in Upper Franconia is well-known for its architecture—a significant portion of it has been listed as a World Heritage site since 1993—and its 11th-century Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral.
It also happens to be a popular beer location in Germany. In addition to being one of the greatest sites to try Rauchbier, a smokey German-style beer brewed with flame-dried malted barley, it is also home to multiple breweries dating back to the 1500s.
