A Travel Guide for Germany’s Iconic Museums, Palaces and Heritage
From the capital of Berlin to the southern city of Stuttgart, Germany’s wealth of art, design, and culinary spots makes for an extraordinary travel itinerary.
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Sanssouci in Potsdam
Courtesy of the German National Tourist Board/PMSG Potsdam Marketing und Service GmbH/André Stiebitz
Sponsored by the German National Tourist Board
Home to some of the greatest artists, composers, writers, and philosophers of recent centuries, Germany is a cradle of history and bastion of contemporary culture, filled with enriching sights to explore and experience on your next journey. Whether you’re a fan of visual art and design or prefer a palace tour and a night at the opera, Germany is an ideal destination for a culture-rich adventure.
Among Berlin’s many inspiring attractions, the Humboldt Forum (including the Ethnological Museum and Asian Art) showcases global art and cultures in the reconstructed Berlin Palace, a highlight of the Museum Island area. Just outside the city center, you’ll find Peacock Island, part of the UNESCO-listed Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin, with romantic Prussian garden landscapes and a petite summer palace.
Further afield in Dresden, discover the Royal Palace, the reconstructed Frauenkirche, and the Fuerstenzug, a 330-foot mural made of Meissen porcelain. Tour the MEISSEN Porcelain Manufactory & Theme World to see centuries-old craftsmanship and contemporary design up close. Or get your engines revving in Stuttgart at the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz museums.
From baroque palaces to Bauhaus, Germany offers a journey through centuries of creativity, innovation, and imagination.
Taste your way across the country, enjoying traditional dishes like maultaschen dumplings or hearty local fare like sauerbraten (slow-roasted beef), apfelwein (apple cider), and Black Forest Cake. Delight your eyes with a visit to Frankfurt, known for its striking skyline and Museum of Applied Arts, and Wiesbaden, home to the new Reinhard Ernst Museum with an extraordinary collection of international abstract art.
Then, head to Cologne for the Museum Ludwig and consider a short side trip to the UNESCO-recognized Augustusburg and Falkenlust Palaces. Pop over to Leipzig to learn more about Bach’s time in the revolutionary city before touring Torgau’s Hartenfels Castle, whose chapel—consecrated by Martin Luther personally in 1544—is considered the world’s first purpose-built Protestant church.
Quiet countryside villages like Naumburg in Saxony-Anhalt and Quedlinburg in the Harz Mountains will take you back to the High Middle Ages and medieval times, respectively. Nearby, Dessau boasts more original Bauhaus buildings than any other city. Several of the buildings are UNESCO-listed, a testament to the function-forward design style that the movement launched a century ago and continues to have a wide-reaching influence today.
