German States Visited Map & Counter

Alps and castles

Bavaria

Neuschwanstein on its crag above the Alpine foothills, Munich’s beer gardens and the walled towns along the Romantic Road. The Zugspitze, at 2,962 metres, is the highest point in Germany.

Chalk cliffs and lakes

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

The white chalk cliffs of Rügen above the Baltic, long sandy beaches and the brick Gothic of Stralsund and Wismar. Inland lies the Müritz, the largest lake entirely within Germany.

Capital of reinvention

Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate, the five museums of Museum Island and a nightlife that starts late and ends later. The East Side Gallery, 1.3 km of painted concrete, is the longest stretch of the Wall still standing.

Castle and classics

Thuringia

The Wartburg above Eisenach, where Luther translated the New Testament, and Weimar, the town of Goethe, Schiller and the Bauhaus. The Rennsteig runs 170 km along the ridge of the Thuringian Forest.

Between two seas

Schleswig-Holstein

Sylt’s dunes and thatched houses on the North Sea, the fjords and beaches of the Baltic and Lübeck’s brick Holstentor in between. It is the only German state with a coast on both seas.

Gateway to the world

Hamburg

The red-brick warehouses of the Speicherstadt, the glass wave of the Elbphilharmonie above them and one of Europe’s busiest ports. With some 2,500 bridges, Hamburg has more than Venice and Amsterdam together.

Timber frames and Luther

Saxony-Anhalt

Quedlinburg’s more than two thousand timber-framed houses below the Harz, and Wittenberg, where Luther posted his theses. The Brocken, at 1,141 metres, is the highest peak in northern Germany.

Black Forest and lake

Baden-Württemberg

The dark hills of the Black Forest, Heidelberg’s castle ruin above the Neckar and Lake Constance facing the Alps. The Danube, on its way to the Black Sea, begins here in Donaueschingen.

Baroque and sandstone

Saxony

The stone dome of Dresden’s Frauenkirche above the baroque old town, and upstream the Bastei bridge among the rock towers of Saxon Switzerland, 194 metres above the Elbe. Europe’s first porcelain was made in Meissen, in 1710.

Cathedral and coal

North Rhine-Westphalia

Cologne Cathedral’s twin spires, 157 metres above the Rhine, and the Ruhr’s mines and steelworks turned into museums and parks. The cathedral took 632 years to finish, from 1248 to 1880.

The Saar loop

Saarland

The Saar doubles back on itself in a wooded horseshoe at Mettlach, best seen from the treetop walk above it. The Völklingen Ironworks, a complete steel plant from the industrial age, is a World Heritage Site.

Rivers, castles, wine

Rhineland-Palatinate

Burg Eltz in its wooded valley, the castle-lined gorge of the Middle Rhine past the Lorelei and the tight loops of the Moselle. About two thirds of all German wine grows here.

Skyline and fairy tales

Hesse

Frankfurt’s bank towers on the Main, the vineyards of the Rheingau and half-timbered towns in between. The Brothers Grimm were born in Hanau, where the German Fairy Tale Route begins.

Hanseatic and small

Bremen

The Gothic town hall and the Roland statue on the market square, and a bronze donkey, dog, cat and cockerel beside them: the Town Musicians of Bremen. Germany’s smallest state is two cities, Bremen and Bremerhaven.

Palaces and waterways

Brandenburg

Sanssouci, Frederick the Great’s summer palace above its vineyard terraces in Potsdam, and around it some three thousand lakes. In the Spreewald the post is still delivered by punt.

Heath and tidal flats

Lower Saxony

The Lüneburg Heath in purple bloom each August, the East Frisian Islands and the half-timbered streets of Celle and Goslar. At low tide you can walk across the Wadden Sea floor to some of the islands.