German lakeside and river towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed lakeside and river towns in Germany, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Weilburg
A photogenic pocket-sized town in Hesse set on the Lahn river between the Westerwald and Taunus uplands, Weilburg was for centuries the residence of the Nass…
Ochsenfurt
A well-preserved medieval town wall with numerous towers and gates rings the historic centre of this little Franconian town on the River Main, set deep in th…
Wernigerode
Known since the early 20th century by the motto "the brightly coloured town by the Harz," Wernigerode sits on the Holtemme river against the northern slopes…
Miltenberg
Particularly photogenic small town on the Main river in Bavaria's Lower Franconia region, Miltenberg sits in wine-growing country with vineyards nearby and s…
Schmalkalden
Town on the Schmalkalde river at the southern edge of the Thuringian Forest, Schmalkalden sits in mountain terrain with scenic viewpoints across the surround…
Landshut
Every four years, Landshut stages the Landshuter Hochzeit, a large-scale re-enactment of the 1475 wedding of Bavarian Duke Georg the Rich to Polish princess…
Oderberg
This compact German river town in Brandenburg where red-tile rooftops and a green-spired church rise above a broad waterway, surrounded by dense forest and c…
Meissen
Meissen porcelain — the first European porcelain, produced here since 1708 — is the defining reason to visit this Saxon town on the River Elbe, a short dista…
Kronach
Birthplace of the Renaissance painter Lucas Cranach the Elder, Kronach is a town in Upper Franconia where three rivers meet at the edge of the Franconian For…
Kulmbach
Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier collection in the world, rises above this Bavarian town on the Main river in Franconia, a short dist…
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…
Mühlhausen
One of the largest surviving medieval city centres in Germany, Mühlhausen is a Thuringian town on the Unstrut river with eleven Gothic churches, a nearly com…
Coesfeld
A compact Westphalian town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Coesfeld's red-brick centre radiates outward from a prominent twin-towered church, with tree-lined stre…
Köpenick
A historic district in southeast Berlin where the rivers Dahme and Spree meet, Köpenick has a well-preserved medieval old town and a Baroque palace, both sit…
Dietkirchen
The Basilica of St.
Straubing
This walkable Bavarian town on the Danube with a dense concentration of historic churches and a lively food-and-drink scene in its centre, Straubing hosts th…
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…
Lüneburg
This heritage-dense Hanseatic town on the River Ilmenau in Lower Saxony, Lüneburg carries a well-preserved medieval streetscape and a walkable centre with a…
Pirna
This sweep of red-tile rooftops and a commanding Gothic church tower define this Saxon town on the Elbe, set in hill country near Dresden with vineyards clos…
Moritzburg
The Baroque hunting castle Schloss Moritzburg is the centrepiece of this tiny Saxon town between Meissen and Dresden, set on a lake and reached by a narrow-g…
Horn-Bad Meinberg
Home to the Externsteine — a striking formation of tall, narrow sandstone columns rising from the Teutoburg Forest — Horn-Bad Meinberg is a tiny city in the…
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…
Bad Salzuflen
Thermal spa town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bad Salzuflen has operated as a recognised Kneipp health resort since 2024 and draws visito…
Zülpich
This Roman-founded town in North Rhine-Westphalia between Aachen and Bonn, Zülpich traces its origins to the 1st century BC under the Latin name Tolbiacum an…
Lauf an der Pegnitz
A walkable Bavarian town on the Pegnitz river, east of Nuremberg, with a centre well supplied with cafés and restaurants.
Rudolstadt
Castle Heidecksburg rises above the old town of Rudolstadt, a Thuringian town on the River Saale founded in 776 and once the capital of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.
Krippen
A little fishing hamlet on the Elbe in Saxony's Saxon Switzerland region, Krippen holds official spa-resort status as a Kneipp health resort and sits in moun…
Kipfenberg
Claimed as the geographical centre of Bavaria, Kipfenberg is a tiny market town in the Eichstätt district where the Altmühl river runs through the centre and…
Oppenheim
Little Rhine-side wine town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Oppenheim is home to the German Wine Museum and produces wines under the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen desig…
Nagold
This Black Forest-edge town in Baden-Württemberg where the River Nagold runs through a centre of half-timbered houses and modern architecture, with a walkabl…
Dinkelsbühl
One of only four towns in Germany with completely intact medieval city walls, Dinkelsbühl sits on the River Wörnitz along the Romantic Road in Central Franco…
Burg bei Magdeburg
Known as the "City of Towers" for its concentration of medieval churches and steeples, Burg bei Magdeburg sits on the Elbe–Havel Canal in Saxony-Anhalt, a sh…
Celle
With more than 400 timber-framed houses packed into a walkable Altstadt on the banks of the river Aller, Celle is one of the most photographed towns on the G…
Neuessing
This compact Bavarian riverside village where whitewashed houses sit directly below dramatic limestone cliffs topped by a ruined tower, all reflected in the…
Witten
A compact Ruhr city where a grand yellow town hall with a clock tower anchors a dense urban centre, with a walkable café scene, riverside setting, and rollin…
Ensch
This pocket-sized Moselle-side hamlet in Rhineland-Palatinate sits in deep wine country along what is known as the Roman Wine Road, with scenic viewpoints in…
Pappenheim
A compact Bavarian town in the Altmühl valley where medieval stone walls, a Gothic church, and red-tile rooftops spread across a river bend, backed by wooded…
Haßfurt
Sitting on the river Main in Bavaria, Haßfurt is a little town with a café and restaurant scene that is well stocked for its size, and a notable piece of eng…
Eschwege
Walkable town in northeastern Hesse on the Werra river, Eschwege sits in hilly terrain with scenic viewpoints in the surrounding countryside and a centre wit…
Altrhede
Compact North Rhine-Westphalian town in the flat, green Münsterland, with a prominent church anchoring its brick-built centre, a moated manor house set in pa…
Wurzen
A Saxon town on the river Mulde, east of Leipzig, Wurzen has been recorded since 961 and carries a notable medieval core: a 12th-century cathedral that gaine…
Bad Staffelstein
This small spa town in Upper Franconia, Bavaria, sits along the Main river and is anchored by three landmarks: the Basilica of Vierzehnheiligen, designed by…
Obernburg am Main
This tiny Bavarian town on the Main river where the Mümling flows in, Obernburg am Main sits at the eastern foot of the Odenwald hills with vineyards in the…
Unna
A broad market square lined with half-timbered buildings, ornate gabled facades, and open-air café seating gives this North Rhine-Westphalian town a walkable…
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…
Detmold
Detmold, in the Teutoburg Forest region of North Rhine-Westphalia, is home to the Hermannsdenkmal — the tallest statue in Germany — and to Germany's largest…
Werdau
This Saxon town on the river Pleiße, Werdau has a compact centre with cafés and restaurants within easy reach of the water.
Ratzeburg
Surrounded by four lakes and connected to the mainland only by three causeways, Ratzeburg is a small island-town in Schleswig-Holstein whose old town sits en…
Kusel
This modest town in the Nordpfälzer Bergland of Rhineland-Palatinate, Kusel sits along the Kuselbach river with scenic hill terrain in the surrounding area a…
Kyritz
A little Brandenburg town with Slavic roots, Kyritz — sometimes called Kyritz an der Knatter — developed from 12th-century resettlement by colonists from the…
Ludwigshafen
A lakeside village on the western shore of Lake Überlingen, the north-western arm of Lake Constance, Ludwigshafen is one half of the municipality Bodman-Ludw…
Grimma
A Saxon town on the Mulde river southeast of Leipzig, Grimma has a walkable historic centre with a concentration of Gothic and Renaissance buildings and a ca…
Ebingen
This mountain-country town on the river Schmiecha sits on the Swabian Alb in Baden-Württemberg, roughly midway between Stuttgart and Lake Constance, with the…
Bad Sooden-Allendorf
This small spa town in Hesse straddling the Werra river, Bad Sooden-Allendorf drew its wealth from salt-brine extraction for centuries before reinventing its…
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…
Leer
This waterfront town on the rivers Ems and Leda in East Frisia, northwestern Germany, Leer has a well-preserved old town that locals call the most historical…
Patersberg
A tiny hamlet in the Loreley district of Rhineland-Palatinate, Patersberg sits in the Rhine wine country with scenic mountain views and is officially recogni…
Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm
This walkable Bavarian town on the river Ilm, south of Munich, with a centre full of cafés and historic churches and mountain views within reach.
Neustadt an der Aisch
This tiny Bavarian town on the Aisch river in Middle Franconia, Neustadt an der Aisch has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.
Willich
A town in the Viersen district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Willich is known across the wider region for the Neersener Schlossfestspiele, an open-air festival…