German hiking towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed hiking towns in Germany, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Bad Neustadt an der Saale
This walkable Bavarian spa town where the Franconian Saale and Brend rivers meet, Bad Neustadt an der Saale has a centre with several historic churches, café…
Stadt Wehlen
This small village on the right bank of the Elbe in Saxon Switzerland, Stadt Wehlen sits in the sandstone mountain terrain of the Elbsandsteingebirge and ser…
Baiersbronn
Baiersbronn, a town in Germany's Black Forest, holds an outsized reputation for haute cuisine — accumulating eight Michelin stars across its restaurants, a c…
Loebau
A compact town in eastern Saxony's Upper Lusatia region, Löbau sits at the foot of the Löbauer Berg, a volcanic hill that offers scenic viewpoints over the s…
Mittenwald
Violin-making has defined Mittenwald for centuries, and this small Bavarian Alpine town near the Austrian border carries that tradition alongside dramatic mo…
Altmannstein
A compact Bavarian market town of red-tile rooftops and a round-towered church, set in the rolling wooded hills of the Altmühltal nature park, with UNESCO Wo…
Dillenburg
Officially known as Oranienstadt Dillenburg, this Hessian town in central Germany sits on the Dill river in hilly terrain and carries a strong association wi…
Gunzenhausen
This walkable Bavarian town on the Altmühlsee, Gunzenhausen has a centre with a good spread of cafés and restaurants and is nationally recognised as a recrea…
Reit im Winkl
This Bavarian village on the German-Austrian border known for reliable snowfall and a ski resort that earned Germany's first-ever Premium Winter Trails Certi…
Halberstadt
Since 2001, the church of Sankt Burchardi in Halberstadt has been the site of a performance of John Cage's ORGAN²/ASLSP — a piece designed to last 639 years,…
Rittersgrün
This village in the Erzgebirge mountains of Saxony, Rittersgrün is known today as a winter sports and hiking destination, with a well-developed trail network…
Nettetal
This North Rhine-Westphalian town where a grand red-brick manor with formal clipped gardens anchors a landscape of waterside walks, historic churches, and ea…
Elsterwerda
Tiny town in southwestern Brandenburg on the Black Elster river, Elsterwerda sits on the southern edge of the Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft nature park.
Kelheim
This Bavarian town at the confluence of the Altmühl and Danube rivers, Kelheim sits below the Befreiungshalle, a monument on a ridge between the two river va…
Spiekeroog
A car-free East Frisian Island in the North Sea off Lower Saxony, Spiekeroog sits within the Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Lower Saxon Wadden…
Luckenwalde
A Brandenburg town on the Nuthe river where an ornate Gothic brick church with a decorative stepped gable dominates the walkable centre, set within easy reac…
Ebersberg
This tiny Bavarian town southeast of Munich sits at the edge of the Ebersberger Forst, one of Germany's largest continuous woodlands, offering walking and sc…
Ahlen
Walkable Westphalian town in North Rhine-Westphalia's Münsterland region, Ahlen has a centre with a good spread of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.
Templin
This spa town in Brandenburg's Uckermark district with a walkable centre full of cafés and restaurants, Templin holds official recognition as a thermal brine…
Bad Segeberg
Bad Segeberg, a town in Schleswig-Holstein between Hamburg and Lübeck, has drawn summer crowds since 1952 for its Karl May Festival — open-air theatrical per…
Holzhau
This tiny upland village in Saxony's Mittelsachsen hills, Holzhau sits beside open water in elevated country, making it a quiet base for walking and taking i…