Trip Report: Germany
Visited in 1988 or 1989 maybe…
Germany is without a doubt the country I know best next to my home country of Switzerland. I have lived just a few minutes from the German border since I was born, and there is no country I have visited more often than Germany. I couldn’t even say for sure whether Germany was my country number 3 or 4. Since I also live only a few minutes away from the French border, it’s hard to keep track of whether I was first in Germany or France as a toddler or baby.
Anyway, Germany is a country that I have visited at least once a year since my childhood. Either I spent a weekend in a German city or I went to dinner or shopping in one of the villages on the other side of the border. Although I have never been to Germany for more than a (long) weekend, I would still say that I know Germany as a destination better than most Germans.
Of the largest German cities, I have seen all but a few. In fact, of the ten largest cities, I’ve been to eight, plus I have already visited many other small cities. So in this article I try to give an overview of Germany as a travel destination and to mention what I like about Germany (and what not).
German cities
Those who travel to Germany will most often spend time in a city. Whether it is a weekend trip to a German city or even a longer trip through Germany. The country has a large number of international airports, so the starting and ending point of many trips is a German city. As a result, I’ve created a list of cities I already know and how I would rate them.
I’ve been to almost every major German city: Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart. I also visited other cities like Essen, Kaiserslautern, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Freiburg im Breisgau, Mainz, Braunschweig and Mannheim. The only remarkable cities I have not been to are Leipzig, Nuremberg and Bremen..
The fun factor in German cities varies greatly in my opinion. Some are great destinations for a long weekend, while other big cities can be left out without a guilty conscience. I will give a short description about the big cities and say whether they are worth a trip or not.
Berlin
Funnily enough, I had to wait until 2016 for my first trip to Berlin. I’ve been to all the big cities before (except Dresden), but somehow I never managed to find anyone who was enthusiastic about a trip to the German capital with me.
I have now been to Berlin four times, twice in winter and twice in summer. The city is almost unbearable in winter, which usually means between October and April. The wind is fierce and plus 3°C feels more like minus 7°C. Moreover, I don’t think Berlin is a beautiful city. The capital of Germany was heavily destroyed during World War II and the industrial style of the city does not really appeal to me.
Nevertheless, Berlin is a great city with fantastic sights, first-class nightlife and a great history. Every time I’m there, I discover new things (which isn’t really a surprise due to the size of the city). Berlin is also one of the cheapest cities in Germany. My cousin who lives there once told me that eating out is actually cheaper than cooking yourself. And it’s true, you can find delicious main courses for 3€ if you know the right places.
Berlin is together with Amsterdam Europe’s most liberal city, I guess. That makes the city a great home for hipsters, artists and other extravagant people. Berlin is a city of the youth, they say.
Is a trip to Berlin worth it? Berlin is definitely a city in Europe that you have to see at least once. The more often I’m in Berlin, the more I like this city. I can absolutely understand why Berlin is not everyone’s cup of tea. Nevertheless, everyone should get a picture of it and visit this city (at least once).
Hamburg
I have been to Hamburg twice, however, I haven’t seen a lot of the city during my first visit in 2007. Therefore, I revisited the Hansestadt in October 2018. Hamburg in autumn or winter can be as challenging as Berlin during that period. Or even more challenging. I remember that it was terribly cold in December during my first visit. We had more luck on our second visit, as temperatures were above 20°C in October. Climate change is not a hoax.
Hamburg is Germany’s second city. Although not far from Berlin, it’s a completely different and also a more beautiful city. In contrast to Berlin, Hamburg has a much more relaxed vibe, especially if you’re near the harbor.
What I like about Hamburg is the city’s architecture, the people, the nightlife, the beautiful quarters like Speicherstadt or Hafencity. What makes the city so gorgeous is that it’s built around the water. The numerous canals, the lake and also the harbor are definitely a huge advantage of Hamburg.
Apart from the notorious Reeperbahn, Hamburg is also a more upscale city than Berlin. And you need time to see all of Hamburg. It is one of these big cities that is impossible to fully explore during one weekend due to its size. But yes, I would rate Hamburg as one of the top three cities in Germany that I can recommend to anyone.
Cologne
Cologne is the only big city in Germany I don’t really like. Okay, maybe I’m a bit too harsh now and I should say that I don’t dislike the city. It’s just that I find Cologne nothing special. I have been to Cologne twice. I visited a furniture fair on a business trip the first time and a football game the second time. Although I didn’t stay long, both visits gave me enough time to see the city.
Cologne is not a bad city. However, it’s a big city with only a few sights, and there is generally not as much to do as in cities like Hamburg, Berlin or Düsseldorf. Obviously, the Cologne Cathedral is impressive and Cologne’s Old Town is also nice, but that’s it.
Nightlife in Cologne is also disappointing. There is a “nightlife district” called Kölner Ringe, however, it cannot rival Altstadt in Düsseldorf, the Reeperbahn in Hamburg or the underground scene in Berlin. The only thing I really like about Cologne are the beer halls and Kölsch beer, but apart from that, it’s a city that can be skipped in my opinion.
Düsseldorf
…it’s no secret that the Germans drink much beer, however, this obsession can be annoying sometimes. I remember a friend ordering a water in Düsseldorf on a Saturday afternoon. The waiter just looked at him and asked: “What’s wrong with you? Do you want to wash yourself?”
I have been to Düsseldorf four times (including on my 30th birthday), and it has become one of my favorite cities in Germany. Düsseldorf has a beautiful city center, good nightlife and some decent sights. Plus it’s a good city for shopping. The city is like Hamburg more upscale than Berlin, Cologne etc. Some Germans even call the city snobbish.
What I like about Düsseldorf is that it’s a quite compact city. The Old Town isn’t too big, but a nice and beautiful place to spend some time during daytime, and a wild epicenter of primitive nightlife at night. It’s an ideal destination to celebrate a stag party or a wild weekend with a group of friends.
Düsseldorf seems to be rather a destination for domestic than international tourists though. I guess, many Germans visit Düsseldorf because of its notorious nightlife. Altstadt is the place where almost everything goes at night. It’s not very classy, as you will see 50 year-old women vomiting on the streets and nobody gives a damn. But this is also the reason why many people love it.
Dresden
Apart from the Eastern part of Berlin, Dresden was the first city of the former German Democratic Republic (DDR) that I have visited.
Dresden rivals Hamburg when it comes to beauty. The historical Old Town is fantastic considering the fact that they had to rebuild everything after World War II. Another plus is that Dresden is definitely cheaper than cities in the West. Maybe not as cheap as Berlin but in a similar range. Dresden is indeed a charming city and one of the most underrated destinations in Germany and also in Europe.
The city has some very interesting sights as well and a good selection of restaurants and bars. However, I would say that Dresden is a rather less vibrant city. The city center seems to be pretty dead at night, and we struggled to find a taxi after midnight.
Generally, East Germany is different from the West, at least mentality-wise. However, I am not sure if a tourist who doesn’t speak German will notice the different mindset. They might notice though that things are a bit slower here. For example, the service quality in bars or restaurant was way worse than in other parts in Germany. It felt way more “Eastern European” than German to be honest.
The “highlight” I witnessed was a restaurant, in which we had to wait for ages. We weren’t the only waiting people though. Two old ladies complained to the waitress at some point: “We are waiting here for half an hour without getting the menu!” Every well-trained waitress would have apologized and offered a coffee for free. Not in Dresden. The response of the waitress was a short and simple “that’s not true” before she left again. 😀 Seriously, I am not making this up. The two ladies obviously left the restaurant after that remark.
Anyway, Dresden should be on your bucketlist as well. It’s a great city!
Frankfurt
Things are quicker and more efficient in Frankfurt again.
Frankfurt is the business city of Germany, and the only German city with a real skyline. Like in other countries, the business/finance city (when not the capital) might be a decent city to live in, but I wouldn’t call it super exciting in terms of tourism.
I have visited Frankfurt twice. My first trip was to watch a football game in February 2015. My second trip was during the pandemic in 2020. I had a flight from Frankfurt to Nairobi and since I needed a PCR test for my trip, I arrived in Frankfurt a day early to get the result in time. Back then, PCR tests for traveling were not really a thing yet. The turnaround times were often more than 24 hours and not many airports had their labs for this purpose. Hence the additional day in Frankfurt.
I would not call my two stays in Frankfurt bad, but I wouldn’t revisit Frankfurt just for the sake of tourism/sightseeing. That doesn’t mean that Frankfurt is a bad place, but I just find the city not super interesting for more than one trip.
All in all, Frankfurt isn’t as much fun as Berlin or Düsseldorf, it’s not as beautiful as Hamburg and not as charming as Dresden. However, Frankfurt can still be okay for one or two days. The city has good bars, average nightlife and a few nice spots near the Main river. But generally, it’s rather a city for a short layover.
By the way, as a good alternative to Frankfurt City as a layover or for those who already know Frankfurt, I can recommend Heidelberg. This university city is only about an hour away from Frankfurt and can be easily visited within one day.
Heidelberg is a picture-perfect and charming city with some interesting sights and a lot of good photo spots. Not necessarily a must see city in Germany, but still worth a trip.
Munich
I have been to Munich twice, but I’m afraid I don’t remember exactly how the city looks like. I was 18 years old when I visited Munich the first time. We were a group of 30 boys who went to the Oktoberfest. As we couldn’t enter the tents due to the gigantic queues, we decided to spend our night in the Hofbräuhaus. It was a short but a fun trip. The second time I visited Munich I have only seen the football stadium of Bayern Munich.
Time has definitely come to go back. Munich is actually very close to Switzerland. But it’s also a similar situation as it is with Berlin. People from Switzerland go to Munich often and a trip to the capital of Bavaria is nothing special for many of them.
Stuttgart
Although I live less than three hours from Stuttgart, I didn’t make it to Germany’s seventh largest city until 2022. The reason for this is perhaps that Stuttgart is not really a tourist hotspot. Unless you are a car fan and want to visit the Porsche or Mercedes Museum, Stuttgart offers rather few attractions compared to other German cities.
Therefore, I would also rate the city similar to Cologne or maybe even a little worse. Again, it should be said that a day or a weekend in Stuttgart is not a waste of time. Stuttgart is a nice city after all. However, from a tourist perspective, there are clearly more interesting cities in Germany.
What else to do in Germany
Funnily enough, I always have the feeling with Germany that it’s mainly the cities that attract tourists and not the rural areas. At least I hear much more often from people I know that they spend a weekend in Hamburg or Munich instead of a week in the Bavarian Alps or in the Black Forest.
Unsurprisingly, only three of Germany’s 20 best rated attractions on TripAdvisor are not sights/attractions in a major city. Only tourists, who spend one or two weeks in Germany, may end up seeing Neuschwanstein Castle or other parts of rural Germany. You need more time to see the countryside of Germany anyway than just a weekend.
The question is rather why this is so. After all, Germany’s nature is not to be sneezed at either. To my shame, however, I must confess that I haven’t really seen much of rural Germany either. For me as a Swiss, German cities are probably just more interesting than the rural area. Nevertheless, I should not leave out Germany’s nature in this article, because with the North Coast, Saxon Switzerland, the Alps, the many forests and so on, rural Germany also offers a lot.
You can still do some other things in Germany than visiting a city. Germany has some seasonal activities that are worth a visit. I already mentioned the world-famous Oktoberfest, which takes place in Munich every September. I am not a big fan of it, but I have friends who go there every year. An alternative would be Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart, kind of an Oktoberfest light. It’s smaller and has less tourists.
Carnival is another big thing in Germany and the most famous one is in Cologne. Besides, many people travel to Germany for its Christmas markets, as most major cities have at least one of these markets. Another attraction visited by many tourists is Europapark in Rust, Europe’s second-largest theme park after Disneyland in Paris.
As you can see, Germany has a lot to offer besides typical city tourism and doesn’t have to shy away from any comparison with other European countries.
My travel experiences in Germany
I have several reasons why I like Germany: the architecture, the food, the sometimes troubled but interesting history, and most importantly the people. In the end, it’s probably the geographical proximity that makes Germany a special country for me. The same language also makes traveling in Germany very easy and convenient for me.
Would I also love Germany f I didn’t speak German? Difficult to say, but probably not to this extent. If there were a language barrier in Germany, I would probably have a similar, neutral relationship to the country as I do to, say, Sweden.
There are also things I don’t like about Germany. Deutsche Bahn, the German railway, for example. Delays are the rule here, not the exception. In fact, I would say that about three out of four trains arrive late. However, Deutsche Bahn has long become a running gag even among Germans, so this is not just my view from the outside.
There are also other things that have nothing to do with the famous German efficiency. The fact that there are still many stores and restaurants that only accept cash payment would be one such point. The reception of mobile internet is also unworthy of an industrial nation like Germany. Sometimes I actually have the feeling that Germany is somewhere between Pakistan and Nigeria in terms of digitalization.
But that shouldn’t change my statement that Germany is a great destination. To someone, who has not been to Germany yet, I would recommend to visit Hamburg, Munich and Berlin first. Maybe even in that order, if they visit the country on multiple trips (otherwise, it would make sense to visit Berlin after Hamburg due to its proximity).
I have met people, who didn’t like Berlin after their first visit, and I can understand why. Berlin can be a difficult city due to its appearance, its size and its cold winters. And I am not sure if these people are going to revisit Germany after a potentially disappointing Berlin-trip, especially if they are not from Europe. That’s why it might be better to start somewhere else.
Find the travel reports of the +130 other countries I’ve visited here!
