The most charming small towns in Germany
Walking through small towns in Germany is a bit like flipping through the pages of a storybook –think perfectly preserved half-timbered homes, painted churches and cobblestone streets lined with wrought-iron signs and potted plants. But these places are very much real, and very much worth renting a car (or rail pass) for. Who needs those big cities anyway?
Whether you want to experience the country’s famous Christmas markets or simply spend a few days sipping beer and snapping photos, now’s the time to start planning your trip to this fairytale corner of Europe. In no particular order, here are nine of the most charming small towns in Germany, with the last recorded official population figures.
GettyQuedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt
Population: 21,500
Dating back to the 10th century, Quedlinburg is one of the oldest and best-preserved towns in Germany. The entire medieval city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks in large part to its Old Town with more than 2,000 half-timbered houses and the 12th-century Collegiate Church of St. Servatius. Equally noteworthy (and photographic) is the Rathaus in the city’s central market square, the Gothic-style old town hall made of stone and covered in ivy.
GettyCochem, Rhineland-Palatinate
Population: 4,998
For a town where the wine is just as good as the views, head to Cochem on the slopes of the Moselle River. The city sits in Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region, famous for its riesling grapes that grow in hillside vineyards. Between glasses of white wine, stroll along the Old Town, visit the medieval turreted castle (Reichsburg Cochem), or take a gondola ride up the mountain to soak in incredible views of the town and river.
GettyGörlitz, Saxony
Population: 56,000
If Görlitz looks a tad familiar, that’s no coincidence – the town has appeared in several major Hollywood movies, including The Reader, Inglourious Basterds, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and more. With its Gothic and Art Nouveau architecture, walkable streets, and convenient location across the river from Poland (it’s the most easterly town in Germany), it is easy to see why film directors are so drawn to this beautiful small city.
GettyRottach-Egern, Bavaria
Population: 5,543
Located on the shores of Lake Tegernsee in Upper Bavaria, Rottach-Egern is easily one of the most beautiful small towns in Germany. The village is lined with boutiques selling embroidered lederhosen, small restaurants serving Bavarian comfort food, and picturesque churches – all reflected beautifully in the blue waters of the lake. Backed by the Alps, Rottach-Egern comes alive during the winter, with European tourists flocking here to enjoy outdoor activities like cross-country skiing and tobogganing.
GettyRothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria
Population: 10,930
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, known for its preserved medieval Old Town, draws millions of tourists each year with its made-for-Instagram multicoloured facades. If you can swing it, plan your visit for December when the town transforms into a winter wonderland with snow-dusted rooftops, glowing storefronts, and cosy taverns. And don’t forget about the Reiterlesmarkt, one of the best Christmas markets in the entire country.
GettyBacharach, Rhineland-Palatinate
Population: 2,034
The medieval town of Bacharach (named for Bacchus, not Burt) is a quintessential wine village located on the Rhine. It has all the makings of a charming German town: think half-timbered houses, wrought-iron bakery signs, medieval churches, and an imposing hilltop castle (Burg Stahleck) that now doubles as a youth hostel – plus the added visual bonus of vineyards crawling up the surrounding slopes.
GettyFüssen, Bavaria
Population: 14,236
An essential stop on any romantic road journey, Füssen is a pastel-coloured town about 60 miles southwest of Munich. While it’s perhaps most famous for being a home base for visiting Bavaria’s iconic Neuschwanstein Castle, the town has plenty of activities that will make you want to linger for a while. Learn about the city’s violin-making history at the Füssen Heritage Museum, then snap some photos of Heilig-Geist-Spitalkirche, an 18th-century, rose-coloured chapel covered with rococo paintings.
GettyMarburg, Hesse
Population: 76,000
If you want to get the full German fairytale experience, you can’t do much better than the Hessian town of Marburg – also known as the university town where the Brothers Grimm studied and gathered inspiration for some of their stories. Renowned for its cascading cobblestone streets and medieval churches, the town also features playful sculptures of the Grimms’ most famous characters, from the Frog King reading a book on the side of a building to Cinderella’s slipper sitting beneath the towering Marburger Schloss castle.
GettyBamberg, Bavaria
Population: 77,592
This picturesque town in Upper Franconia is known for its architecture (a large part of it has been designated a World Heritage site since 1993) and its Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral, which dates back to the 11th century. It also happens to be one of Germany’s top beer destinations. Not only is it home to breweries dating as far back as the 1500s, but it’s one of the best places to sample Rauchbier, a smoky German-style beer brewed with flame-dried malted barley.