Germany Bucket List Must-Sees: The Country's Most Popular Sights
Planning a trip to Germany and wondering which sights should be on your bucket list? We've had a look at the visitor numbers for 2022 for you...and here are the most visited places in Germany!
Which of them do you already know?
00:00 Intro
00:25 #15. Neuschwanstein castle, Bavaria
00:58 #14. Heidelberg castle, Heidelberg
01:28 #13. Natural History Museum, Berlin
02:02 #12. Berlin Wall Memorial, Berlin
02:32 #11. Fernsehturm, Berlin
03:21 #10. Frauenkirche church, Dresden
03:58 #9. Deutsches Museum, Munich
04:24 #8. Sankt Michaelis church, Hamburg
05:00 #7. Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg
05:43 #6. Humboldt Forum, Berlin
06:25 #5. Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Essen
07:03 #4. Topography of Terror, Berlin
08:09 #3. Museum Island, Berlin
08:44 #2. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg
09:29 #1. Köln Cathedral, Köln
CREDITS:
Report: Kerstin Schmidt
Editing: Nora Rehn
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I lived in Heidelberg from 89-95 when I was in the Army... now taking some students back in a week to see my beloved town.
We wish you a very nice journey to Germany!
No matter, Neuschwanstein is still the best. I've seen many breathtaking sightseeing spots around Europe (and some parts of Asia) but nothing gave me that magical feeling, only this castle.
I found it highly underwhelming. Looks prettier in postcards.
Was in Germany last June 2022. I really fell in-love with Germany and I used much of my free time to roam around and maximize the €9 ticket. I explored so much historical places in Berlin such as Museumsinsel, Mitte, Marzahn, Friedrichshain, Köpenick, Charlottenburg, and Spandau. I was even able to explore Frankfurt (Oder) and Potsdam. I thoroughly enjoyed the food, the public transportation, and the culture of the country. I hope I could go back to Germany soon! I've visited so many, but I have so much to see, and one can't get enough of Germany. Love, from the Philippines.
We are very happy that you liked it so much in Germany and that you had a great time here. Come back soon! Greetings to the Philippines!
So glad you enjoyed your trip. My dad was in the British Army, we actually lived in Charlottenburg and Spandau whenI was a small child in the late 50s. I moved to Germany for good when I was 16. You were quite lucky to get here just as they had that one-off special offer with the €9 ticket. We also put it to good use and got to see a lot of places.
You are Nordic Caucasian. Aren't you? And easy to please.
Nothing on Earth is a must-see.
Marming salamat po from a German-Filipino..
ive lived in Cologne for about 3 years now and honestly at night, when i walk around the littel corner where the a Cologne tourist sho and Swarovski is, i look up and see the Dom luminited by the lights and it doesnt look real, like someone is holding a huge painted canvas. Even after 3 years of living here it still makes me smile a bit everytime i see it.
You‘re very brave if you walk around there at night...
As a german I have actually not visited many of these places...guess it's kind of normal not to go sightseeing in your own country, but I think I should try to put a checkmark on most of these in the near future.
Cologne Cathedral is dear to my heart, the pictures don't do it justice. Pro tip: There are special tours in which you take the builder's elevator to the roof and get to look inside the stonemason's workshop. They need to be booked beforehand online and groups are small but it's 100% worth it.
5:58: The Berlin Palace was NOT destroyed in WWII. It was heavily damaged, like most of the city, but it was not beyond repair. It was destroyed in 1950, when the GDR regime blew it up to build the Palace of the Republic.
You are right, the communists blew it away.
Still. The palace of the republic was historically more important and should have been sustained. I say that as a west German.
@@michaelkaercher The Berlin Palace should have been preserved instead of being blown up and replaced by the Palace of the Republic.
@@Nikioko True. But it hadn't and the GDR building was a historically building as well. Most likely more important since it was the center of government and parliament.
@@michaelkaercher The place was contaminated with asbestos and needed to be taken down in any case. Puttibg up a copy of the Stadtschloss was a natural and histroicakl correct choice.
I was one of the 4.3 mil visitors who had been to see the majestic Cologne Cathedral in Dec 2022. It's so huge that you can't believe it is actually there. I would just stand and gawk at it. The Christmas market next to it made the visit all the more special. Definitely going back again. It's one of my favourite cities in Europe. Love Köln, love Deutschland ❤️🇩🇪
Pass through it almost every other week and haven’t been inside it yet since two years 😅
@@asmaaziz2436 first of all you are lucky you live there. Second, you are missing out. Give it a visit soon.
15. Neuschwanstein castle, Bavaria 14. Heidelberg castle, Baden-Württemberg 13. Naturkunde Museum, Berlin 12. Berlin wall, Berlin 11. Fernsehturm, Berlin 10. Frauenkirche church, Dresden, Sachsen 9. Deutsches Museum, Munich, Bayern 8. Sankt Michael church, Hamburg 7. Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg 6. Humboldt Forum, Berlin 5. Zollverein coal mine, Ruhrgebiet, NRW 4. Topography of Terror, Berlin Public places: East Side Gallery, Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburger Tor 3. Museuminsel, Berlin 2. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg 1. Köln Cathedral, Köln
Thank you! We've added the chapters now to the description.
How on earth did they put the Berlin Wall so low on the list? That is one of the things people actually wanna see when they visit Germany. Not the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg or some coal mine in NRW
@@teddybearroosevelt1847 They didn't count outdoor, publicly accessible places. I am not sure of the logic of that, but perhaps Berlin would have dominated the list too much then, since there are scores of such places in Berlin. Btw, the Zollverein is magnificent.
As a German I go and visit Miniaturwunderland frequently, never get tired.
@@MorningNapalm The best industrial site is the "Voelklinger Huette", in my opinion much better than the "Zollverein".
I agree. The church in cologne is awesome!
Lived in Hanau from 72 to 96. Best years of my life. I went shopping in East Germany while the wall was still up. It was amazing. Loved the Roman fort outside of Frankfurt too.
Germany is a country which is close to my heart. What a wonderful country.
thank you, danke schön!
Why that
Heidelberg schloss is beautiful ❤ i loved the city too😃
The first time I was in Heidelberg and stayed in a guest house next to the Neckar river bridge with a view of the student Princes castle on the hill.
I'm always thankful when old bulidings are rebuiled or restored. I'm not a fan of modern architecture so seeing buldings, which are actually beautiful is a rare treat.
I live in cologne and 9 years ago when I first visited Cologne I lived just few 100 meters away from Cologne Cathedral and would often go there. It was a great feeling. It felt like I was in a different time period.
I'm German and have only been to 4 spots on the list... I should plan some trips to some of these places soon 😍
Whent to Neuschwannstein and Heidelburg in high school. I went to Berlin before and after the wall came down. Checkpoint Charlie stamp is in my passport. Loved the huge fleamarket in the old train station.
Heidelberg is a very beautiful city to visit. I went to the castle too and it was very nice. I hope to visit it again
then you should also visit Würzburg, it reminds alot of Heidelberg, and is also known as one of the biggest wine producer cities in Germany
What I heard, Heidelberg was spared from bombing during WW2, as the americans planned to put their headquarter there. Coburg is also a great place, only around 50000 people I guess, but full of palaces and castles. The husband from Queen Victoria originated from there . If she wouldn't have been the Queen of Britain, she would have spend her life there.
@@deinemutter2965 Heidelberg is nicer :)
@@valentin6824 each to their own, i like würzburg and freiburg more, but i am also quite into wine:)
I spent 19 1/2 months in Germany back in 1963/1964 while I was serving in the US Army. I fell in love with the country and it's people and was lucky enough to buy a VW for touring what I could of the very tense continent. The Russian/Red menace was oppressive, but I was able to see a lot in spite of my weekend passes being limited in range ( supposedly) to 100 km from Mannheim where I was stationed. My 28 days of annual leave were well-spent in seeing a lot of the country as well as Innsbruck, Austria and the Tirol region of Northern Italy. A short list of the sights I was able to visit: Heidelberg Castle (almost on a weekly basis); Wuerzburg Residenz; Speyer Cathedral; Munich Marienplatz and Der Alte Peter church; Garmisch -Partenkirchen/Zugspitze; Kloster Ettal; Munich Frauenkirche; Rothenburg ob der Tauber; and a lot of other beautiful sights. I'm going back this Autumn with my daughter and the Koln Cathedral is on the list, as well as a revisit to the Wuerzburg Residenz.
When you are already around Wuerzburg, i would advise to make a visit to Nürnberg and its breathtaking old town, the castle, having a walk along the Pegnits from the MArktplatz to Wörderwiese and back. Ofcause then also eating either some Nürnberger Bratwürste or even better a franconian Schäuferle with Klöse and a good beer on the side =)
Yeah or visit Füssen or Regensburg or „Swabia“ (Allgäu) or lakes and seas, like Chiemsee or Tegernsee.
It's stunning view spot, love from 🇧🇩
beautiful Germany iconic sights God bless Germany
Beautiful thank you! I really enjoyed seeing and hearing about the history behind the churches and museums. 😊
I just want to add that the list mostly reflects the places that get the most visitors, rather than the ones that are the "best". I've been to all the sites in Berlin (where I used to live), and countless times to Cologne Cathedral as I now live near Cologne. These are popular destinations for quick weekend trips for people that are in or around the big cities, while other spots like Neuschwanstein Castle require more time and effort to visit (more of a dedicated holiday) and thus I haven't visited it yet. That's why they may not make it far in the list, even though they're stunning locations. So just keep in mind that the most visited places doesn't equal to the best places. :)
Yes, we have that in mind, thank you 🙃!
Very good point.
I'm an American expat in Germany for 15 years and find this to be a very strange list. Of course, everyone has their own opinion and personal tastes, but for me the best thing about Germany is its natural beauty, which Germans understand and support with bike paths and pedestrian paths that connect every city and small village, including benches and picnic tables, even in remote spots. My husband and I are frequent travelers, but very few places match Germany for consistently beautiful and easily accessible places. 🌻 🌱 🌿 🌸
I'm planning a Thanksgiving/early December trip if you have any recommendations!!!
You are an Immigrant mate Not a Fancy “expat”
@@yami_tsunami Are your travel dates flexible? 😂
@@NursieBlank OK
What does that matter for a list about specific places people visit? Its about specific places, the countryside or nature in general isn't really a specific place you can put on a list like this.
Been to most of those. Was born in Frankfurt am Main, attended and graduated high school in Heidelberg and was stationed in Wiesbaden. Travelled extensively in the former West Germany and made several trips to West Berlin before the wall fell. Could not travel to the former East Germany back in the day other than East Berlin.
So there's still a lot for you to discover in Germany 😉!
you forgot to attach your cv
I've visited the Kolner Dom several times. A truly remarkable edifice. My favourite religious building is the Aachener Dom, simply because of its rich history with its connection to Charlemagne. I also think Neuschwanstein is a remarkable achievement. I did set foot in West Berlin back in the day, but would like to visit the reunified city too.
At Verden, Charlemage beheaded 4,500 pagan Saxons because they refused to convert to the imported new Abrahamic religion. The pope crowned him emperor of the Holy Roman realm. Buy yourself a history book.
@@Foxglove963 What's the point?
You missed one fact about the Kölner Dom: it is one of the most pure such structures in the world, since in the 600 years of construction, one architect after another chose to keep the style pure rather than putting their personal touch on it, like so many other places.
except the "vierungsturm"
Heidelberg Castle in Baden Württemberg and the town itself has a strong connection with my country the Philippines 🇵🇭 where our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal lived there's also a street in nearby Wilhelmsfeld that was named in his honor.
Didnt know that, thanks for Sharing
@@anicrowsenjixd8918 These places are indeed pilgrimage sites of Filipino visitors to Germany retracing the footsteps of Dr. Jose Rizal, the town of Wilhelmsfeld has a sister city relationship with Calamba City, Laguna Province approximately about 50km South of the capital Manila the birthplace of our National Hero and Patriot.
Yes, when I visited the nursing school in Heidelberg in the 80ties I learned that he was a doctor in the old "Augenklinik" building , "Bergheimerstr., which now has another purpose. Dr.Jose Rizal, he was a national hero! I was born in Heidelberg and as a child I read it on this special building!
Da simmer dabei....das ist prima...vivaaaaaaaa Colonia!
😆
Hälscht dein schnauz. Beste an Köln ist die ausfahrt nach Düsseldorf.
Köln is also popular for hosting the RTL 2 studio which produced magnificent series such as "Armes Deutschland" and "Hilf mir". The famous Andreas from Frauentausch also got popular due to this studio. Furthermore, Köln is the most beautiful, hilarious and stunning city in Germany (in the world). Greetings from the cameraman im Köln
Greetings to Cologne! 😀
Awesome places. I have visited some but would like to visit the remaining ones. Thank you for a wonderful Video
Saw the castle in Heildberg when stationed in Germany
i love the thumbnail! heidelberg is so unbelievable beautiful
When I visited Neuschwanstein I felt like I just marched into Japan/China. Our guided German Tour had like 5-6 People, while the Asian Groups were all full to the brim.
Miniatur Wunderland seems so cool! The Cologne/Köln Cathedral looks also amazing. If one day could travel to Germany I would like to visit Sans Souci Palace in Potsdam, the Residenz in Würzburg with all those Tiepolo frescoes, the Rhyne Valley in those river cruisers and the cities of Romantic Route. I also would love to visit the Kiel canal because I read a lot about it.
Very nice video. Thanks
Really cool
This should be on your bucket list ✈
Amazing Ger,any, God blesses it people and goverment, wish to visit one day!
Its fantastic to see my birthplace having a place in this list with Zollverein😄
Interesting! 😍
I never knew that Germany could be so much fun!
Still some visits left to see, but I've already come to the conclusion: I'm going to migrate to Germany. This country rocks!
If you have a new Job in Germany you are Welcome.
@@christianheitmann4922 Christian dir nimmt niemand das Bürgergeld weg du Pfosten
Every city of Germany 🇩🇪 is so beautiful 😍
Heidelberg is my favourite city in Germany!
Thank you!!! ❤👍
Well done and very informative! 😊
Thank you very much!
I wanna visit all of these magnificent places!
You should definitely go. There are some great sights in Munich.
Germany is calling me so loudly to come and live there! I really enjoyed this video, all of these attractions are so beautiful. The Kölner Dom is #1 on my list to visit followed by the Neuschwanstein Castle. I was so thrilled to see the Cathedral at #1. I smiled. 😊 This video truly made me happy ❤ Thank you!
Schwerin -, Eltz - and Hohenzollern are also quite beautiful
The cathedral is awesome, I hope you will get to see it soon!
You appreciate merely the obvious, the seats of Abrahamism, of which the history is quite recent.
love it
4:25 Hey, that's what I'm learning now! It's Brahms Prelude and Fugue in g moll.
I've visited a few intresting museums in Germany, but not one of those featured ones, i stayed in the blackforest and spent most of my time at the nearby towns of Strasbourgh, Colmar and Alsace, theres no doubt of course that Germany is a very interesting place as well as the people i had met.❤🇵🇭
Interesting.
As you can see: Germany is much more that just Bavaria, Black Forest and Berlin ;)
super
I knew it😅 Greetings from Cologne☺
Thanks Germany!
I love Germany!!
The Kölner Dom is so spectacular that even the visitors are not counted in millions anymore but in Millionen
All Churches are free to enter because they are sacred buildings. You only have to pay if you want to go on the belltower.
Not in every country. In some countries, you have to pay to get into some churches.
If you ever consider to visit the german museum in munich take your time and i mean it. you should at least plan 2 days for the visit.
I first saw a picture of Heidelberg in a book about WW2, think someone important crashed their car and died there. Anyhow, I thought it was one of the prettiest views of a town I had ever seen. Ever since I have wanted to visit. Thinking of Dresden for my next Germany trip though.
Grew up in Germany and returned in summer 2022 with family. I think Neuschwanstein would have been higher if they opened up tours to more people. In summer 2022 numbers of visitors were still restricted (due to Covid I guess?). I also don't think it makes much sense to compare concert venues to museums or castles.
Would you suggest trains from traveling across Germany? I’m tempted to visit it within the next months but I wanna go beyond just Berlin, Hamburg and the most common places for tourists.
Okay that list is based on tourist numbers. So big cities have an advantage there. I think the hidden spots are much nicer. Also the landscapes like the kreidefelsen in rugen or the saxony swizz. Also thought historical spots would be much more relevant, like everything luther, goethe or marx related
I like Germany, but I prefer smaller towns like Trier or Rothenburg ob der Tauber
I agree. As our tastes may be similar, I would recommend Quedlinburg, Celle and Dinkelsbühl. Lovely cities, not many tourists around.
I love Munich and Nuernberg❣❣
What is the music piece played at 8:09? Awesome video :)
We are happy that you liked it! The music is from our audio data base, but unfortunately it is too difficult to find out the exact title this time. Sorry for that!
I was in Cologne in August 2022. When I saw first time Köln Dom, i was ready start to pray even if I'm ateist.😅
you should go inside aswell. Its actually insane. Atheist aswell but that thing gives me huge respect.
Home is, where the Dom is.❤
i am from germany and have never heared of the heidelberger castle (likely cause nearby every old german town/city has/had a castle) but i always thought the neuschwanstein castle was the most visited sights in all of germany (except maybe the brandenburger tor)
Cologne Cathedral is quite wonderful but I'd bet the reason it is so visited is it is directly in front of the entrance to Cologne Hauptbahnhof. Pretty hard to miss. I'd have thought the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin was number one.
Brandenburger Tor is a public place and you can’t exactly count how many visitors it gets
@@lulaa123yes, and to suggest that the Koelner Dom has so many visitors because the Hauptbahnhof is nearby, sounds just touch churlish to me. That cathedral is so extraordinarily magnificent it doesn’t need a railway station to draw attention to itself. 😊
Isn‘t the „BMW Welt“ in Munich missing in the list? I thought it had more then a million visitors each year.
Off topic but impressive narration! Switching between en and de pronunciation like this, word by word, is a skill most will never acquire.
Germany 🇩🇪 ❤
I skipped Neuschwanstein on my castle tour this year-first off its not a real castle in any real sense. I dont need to say anymore really. I go for the history because the history usually dictates the style look and feel of the place. If you want true romance you gotta see Hiedelberg. Oh my god....also I loved Eltz alot. Just walking up to it was a real life fairytale dream. Now alot of these castles youll find have furniture poached from other periods or even other places but Eltz was pretty close. What I really loved in Germany was the New Residenz locations near specific sites. Those blew my mind.
How nice that you had such a good time in Germany!
I have walked past Cologne Cathedral at 4am just as a thunderstorm was starting.Bursts of lightning lit up the gothic facade... it was extremely creepy!
Wow - that sounds really exciting!
I already saw three quarters of these.
Lucky you!
I am a Muslim but i really loved Cologne Cathertral. Its Marvelous and extremely beautiful ❤. Love it.
How are the likes of the Allianz Arena and Signal Iduna Park not here? Did I miss something about football stadia not included?
Impressive as the dom of Köln might be, I really can't dig Gothic architecture. Roman catherdrals just feel more tranquil to me.
I recommand you the cathedral of Speyer
No Affenberg?! There are too many great museums, castles and other places to visit in Germany. I have visited 8 times and would like to see more.
It's great to see Cologne Cathedral at N1. But I am a bit disappointed that none of precious Art galaries in München as well as the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin are on the list.
Our research showed that the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich had 289,000 visitors in 2022, the Alte Pinakothek Munich: 280,000 visitors. This means that neither museum made it into our ranking, which starts with Neuschwanstein Castle and 700,000 visitors. Greetings!
@@DWTravel I know. My comment relates not to your information, which is absolut true, but to the preferences of tourists.
@@maximskabkin9562 Ah, okay. Sorry for our confusion then.
I would say there should be other more interesting places to see in Germany on that list. But those are simply the ones which are easy to reach and easy to count the people. It doesn't mean I don't agree with some of the choices but some of them shouldn't be there. Example: How do you count people visiting some of the most beautiful natural landmarks?
It's not "choices" it's literally just the ones were the stats say it's the highest. But there should be another part with ones not included here!
Heidelberg - Nett hier
Love Leipzig also
This picture is the castle of Heidelberg, built by Ottheinrich
No 1 even used to be the tallest building in the world for around 10 years. (1880-1890 I think)
yes, until Washington Monument was completed... if you consider it a "building"
Yeah, imagine building the tallest building in the world for over 600 years just to have some americans trump it with a giant pillar
@@Schnittwin and that is still the tallest stone structure & is only slightly taller than Kölner Dom (a complete gothic church designed and crafted as per Middle Ages) 😲
I wish all the footages are recent one
Heidelberg castle is something that would top one of those "most overrated sightseeing sites" list. It is exactly as described in this documentary: a ruin (and not much else), and Heidelberg old town, while also nice, is not really spectacular. There are soooo many other beautiful places throughout Germany, e.g. just do a Rhine river boat trip from Rüdesheim to Koblenz... there are "Heidelbergs" on both sides of the river approx. every 20 kilometers.
I agree!
As a german I have to thank you, visiting the most popular attractions of our country. On this way, the stream of bucketlist tourists is to calculate with ease and we can go to those places, you'll never see. Ich habe meine Ruhe und Ihr euer Neuschwanstein 😅
Left out the 5.7 million visitors to Oktoberfest in 2022.
Oktoberfest is certainly a must for any serious drinker!
I can assure that these are not even close to TOP. Germany has way more more more stunning places to be visited. How could you recommend Berlin as a top? For those who wants TOP, you have to choose middle or small towns to visit. Go to Romantic Rhein area for instance. You will get all fairytale vibes you never felt. And after this Germany still has more and more to visit. Castles, medieval cities, mountains, nature areas, but this video states that Berlin is TOP to add in a bucket-list . Damn
i live in heidelberg
Half the question is about access really. Neuschwanstein next to Berlin would have a lot more visitors.
A german here, the spots here are very good. Unfortunately, some really important buildings in German history are missing here. The German National Theater in Weimar or the Wartburg, which is also near Eisenach, where Martin Luther found refuge and was a meeting place for German students in the 19th century (see Wartburgfest). In addition, the Hambach Castle, which was a meeting place for over 300,000 people who wanted to overcome German small-stateism after the Wartburg Festival. These are all German national symbols.
The TV tower was called the Pope's Revenge when I was there.
Governments have big challenges ahead between making as much money possible and the over crowded sights which ruins the experience for both local and foreign tourists. Also, as much as world and local populations' numbers are rising, public beaches getting smaller and smaller by the year as more hotels franchises buying out more and more spaces. Dress and lifestyle codes are a must head-on.
Konigssee should be in this list.
Yes, it is beautiful.
I think the reason Heidelberg castle is more visited than Neuschwanstein is due to its proximidity to Frankfurt, which is where most travellers arrive at when they first start their tour. Hauptbahnhof-Frankfurt should be more popular, to show travelers how to mess up the Main Central Station in a financial city and set an example of what Not to do... :-D
mainhatten