The majority of tourists who flock to Germany tend to stick to two of its major cities, Berlin and Munich.
However, some fail to realize that there is a wealth of history located in many other cities and regions surrounding Berlin and Munich that are begging to be discovered.
1. Cologne
Cologne’s city gates were built during the medieval period, and three of the original twelve sites still remain today. The Roman city walls still surround the city, but Cologne is also internationally known for its “Veedel” or traditional neighborhoods where you find various historical monuments like the North City Gate and the late neo-gothic church on Neusserstrasse.
2. Regensburg
Some of the many architectural highlights Regensburg has to offer includes the Old Town Hall, the Old Chapel, the Porta Pretoria gates (which leads to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 AD) and much more.
3. Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf is situated along the Rhine River is home to numerous old castles and historic churches. Even though the majority of the Old Town was destroyed during World War 2, much of the city was rebuilt on its original foundation walls.
4. Hamburg
Die-hard Beatles fans flock to Hamburg as it was the city that essentially “discovered” the Beatles before they became popular in the United States and even England.
5. Stuttgart
Stuttgart is located near the Black Forest, and there are numerous historic buildings you could check out such as the Old Palace, the Old Chancellery which was built in the 16h century, the Princes’ Building, the Solitude Palace, King William’s Palace and much more.
6. Dresden
Dresden has been termed as the “Florence of the Elbe” thanks to its historic city center; however, the majority of it was destroyed during World War 2.
7. Bremen
Considered to be one of the most important cities in northern Germany, Bremen has a lot to offer for tourists who are looking for a slice of German history. Once upon a time Bremen was a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, thus it became (and still is) one of the most important cities in northern Germany.
8. Nuremberg
Nuremberg is home to the old “Nazi party rally grounds” during World War 2, and also hosts a historical Castle Quarter which contains numerous old buildings that managed to survive the war.
9. Bonn
Also known as Beethoven’s hometown, classical music lovers head to Bonn to check out Beethoven-Haus, also known as the birthplace of one of the most famous composers who ever lived.
10. Frankfurt
If you fly to Germany chances are you will fly into the Frankfurt airport given that it is one of the biggest airports in Europe. However, if you’re going to land in Frankfurt be sure to check out some of the many historical museums like the German Architecture Museum, the German Film Museum, the Jewish Museum and much more.
