German wine country off the beaten path.
Less-touristed wine towns in Germany, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
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…
Naumburg
Naumburg Cathedral, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018 for its role in shaping medieval European culture, anchors this walkable town in southe…
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…
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…
Dietkirchen
The Basilica of St.
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…
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…
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…
Neustadt an der Weinstraße
One of Germany's central wine towns, Neustadt an der Weinstraße sits along the Deutsche Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate and hosts the annual Deutsche Wein…
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…
Alzey
A wine-country town in Rhenish Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Alzey sits in a region ringed by UNESCO World Heritage sites and carries a walkable centre with c…
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…
Durbach
This small wine-country town at the edge of the northern Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Durbach is known for its Riesling — grown here under the local na…
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…
Oberachern
A small German village dominated by a striking white-rendered church with a tall slate spire, set in Baden-Württemberg's Ortenau wine country with the Black…
Wertheim am Main
At the confluence of the Tauber and Main rivers in southwestern Baden-Württemberg, Wertheim am Main is a medieval town best known for its landmark castle and…
Benningen am Neckar
This small wine-country town on the Neckar river in Baden-Württemberg, Benningen am Neckar sits a short distance north of Stuttgart in the Ludwigsburg distri…
Erlenbach am Main
This wine-producing town on the Main river in Bavaria's Lower Franconia region, Erlenbach am Main is the largest town in the Miltenberg district and carries…
Volkach
Modest wine town on the river Main in Bavaria's Franconian wine-growing region, Volkach has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.
Longuich
A little wine-country village on the right bank of the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate, Longuich sits within the Verbandsgemeinde Schweich an der Römischen W…
Marktheidenfeld
A modest Bavarian town on the Main river, Marktheidenfeld sits in the wine-growing Spessart hills of Lower Franconia with a café and restaurant scene that pu…
Brandenburg an der Havel
Brandenburg an der Havel sits on the River Havel west of Berlin, its walkable centre dense with historic churches and a solid food-and-drink scene.
Radebeul
A wine-growing town in the Elbe valley between Dresden and Meissen, Radebeul is sometimes called the "Nice of Saxony" — a nickname traced to a remark by the…
Kitzingen
A Franconian wine town on the Main river in Bavaria, Kitzingen sits at the centre of the largest wine-producing district in the state, surrounded by vineyards.
Hatzenport
This pocket-sized wine-country village on the Moselle in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany, with a café and restaurant scene and a number of churches tha…
Woerlitz
The Wörlitzer Park, part of the UNESCO-listed Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm designated in 2000, draws visitors to this small village on the left bank of the El…
Merzig
A walkable town on the river Saar in Saarland, Merzig has a centre with a real café and restaurant scene and vineyards in the surrounding hills.
Kirchheimbolanden
A small wine-country town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Kirchheimbolanden has a café and restaurant scene that holds a surprising number of options for its size,…
Metzingen
Metzingen, a Swabian town south of Stuttgart, draws visitors from around the world to its "Outlet City," a former textile-factory district now filled with st…
Neckarstadt
Steep terraced vineyards drop to a broad river bend here, with a cable-stayed footbridge in the foreground and autumn-coloured woodland lining the opposite b…
Bensheim
Walkable wine-country town on the Bergstraße in southern Hesse, Bensheim sits at the foot of the Odenwald mountains with views across the Rhine plain, a cent…
Bad Liebenwerda
A spa town on the Schwarze Elster river in southwestern Brandenburg, Bad Liebenwerda holds state recognition as a peloid (therapeutic mud) health resort — a…
Filsen
This tiny German village on the Rhine's edge, with a stone church spire rising above the waterfront and wooded hills behind, set within the wider UNESCO-reco…
Bad Sobernheim
State-recognized spa town in Rhineland-Palatinate's Naheland region, Bad Sobernheim sits on the Nahe river amid wine-growing country and is known for two fos…
Zeitz
From 1652 to 1718, Zeitz served as the residential capital of the Duchy of Saxony-Zeitz, with Moritzburg Castle as the ducal seat — and much of that architec…