Tourism in Germany#Landmarks

The history of tourism in Germany goes back to cities and landscapes being visited for education and recreation. From the late 18th century onwards, cities like Dresden, Munich, Weimar and Berlin were major stops on a European Grand tour.

Spas and Seaside resorts on the North and Baltic Sea (e.g. Rugia and Usedom islands, Heiligendamm, the islands Norderney and Sylt) particularly developed during the 19th and early 20th century, when major train routes were built to connect the seaside spas to urban centers. An extensive bathing and recreation industry materialized in Germany around 1900. At rivers and close to natural landscapes (along the Middle Rhine valley and in Saxon Switzerland for example) many health spas, hotels and recreational facilities were established since the 19th century.

Since the end of World War II tourism has expanded greatly, as many tourists visit Germany to experience a sense of European history and the diverse German landscape. The country features 14 national parks, including the Jasmund National Park, the Vorpommern Lagoon Area National Park, the Müritz National Park, the Wadden Sea National Parks, the Harz National Park, the Hainich National Park, the Saxon Switzerland National Park, the Bavarian Forest National Park and the Berchtesgaden National Park. In addition, there are 14 Biosphere Reserves, as well as 98 nature parks.

The countryside has a pastoral aura, while the bigger cities exhibit both a modern and classical feel. Small and medium-sized cities often preserved their historical appearance and have old towns with remarkable architectural heritage – these are called Altstadt in German.

File:St.Bartholomä.jpg is the German state with the most visitors.]]

File:StrandDüne.JPG with its beaches at the Baltic Sea has the highest density of tourists. It is favourably located between Germany's major cities Berlin and Hamburg.]]

File:Ausblick vom Grossen Knollen (Turm) - panoramio.jpg with its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia and has a long history of mining and being a seat of German political power, represented in the Unesco world heritage sites of Goslar and Quedlinburg.]]

File:Blick vom Hohfelsen.jpg is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland.]]

The table below shows the distribution of national and international visitor nights spent in each of the sixteen states of Germany in 2017.

Germany overall had 178.23 million visitor nights in 2017, of which 37.45 million were of foreign guests (21.01 percent). With 94.3 million nights spent in hotels, hostels or clinics, Bavaria has the most visitors. With 18.472 nights per 1.000 inhabitants, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has the highest density of tourists per population (German median: 5.568 nights per 1.000 people).[https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BinnenhandelGastgewerbeTourismus/Tourismus/TourismusinZahlen1021500177005.xlsx?__blob=publicationFile DeStatis: Tourism in Numbers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165251/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BinnenhandelGastgewerbeTourismus/Tourismus/TourismusinZahlen1021500177005.xlsx?__blob=publicationFile |date=9 December 2018 }}, 2017

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Most visitors arriving to Germany on short-term basis are from the following countries of nationality:[https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BinnenhandelGastgewerbeTourismus/Tourismus/TourismusinZahlen.html Tourismus in Zahlen 2014] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211013923/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BinnenhandelGastgewerbeTourismus/Tourismus/TourismusinZahlen.html |date=11 December 2017 }}, Statistisches Bundesamt[https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BinnenhandelGastgewerbeTourismus/Tourismus/MonatserhebungTourismus2060710161125.xls?__blob=publicationFile Tourismus in Zahlen 2016] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304114949/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/BinnenhandelGastgewerbeTourismus/Tourismus/MonatserhebungTourismus2060710161125.xls?__blob=publicationFile |date=4 March 2017 }}, Statistisches Bundesamt

The official body for tourism in Germany is the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), represented worldwide by National Tourist Offices in 29 countries. Surveys by the GNTB include perceptions and reasons for holidaying in Germany, which are as follows: culture (75%), outdoors/countryside (59%), cities (59%), cleanliness (47%), security (41%), modernity (36%), good hotels (35%), good gastronomy/cuisine (34%), good accessibility (30%), cosmopolitanism/hospitality (27%), good shopping opportunities (21%), exciting nightlife (17%) and good price/performance ratio (10%) (multiple answers were possible).

{{See also|List of spa towns in Germany|List of seaside resorts in Germany}}

About 242 million nights, or two-thirds of all nights spent in hotels in Germany, are spent in spa towns.[http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Content/Statistics/Binnenhandel/Tourismus/Tabellen/Content75/UebernachtungenGemeindegruppen,templateId=renderPrint.psml Overnight stays by groups of communities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118125511/http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Content/Statistics/Binnenhandel/Tourismus/Tabellen/Content75/UebernachtungenGemeindegruppen,templateId=renderPrint.psml |date=18 November 2010 }}, Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden Germany is well known for health tourism, with many of the numerous spa towns having been established at a hot spring, offering convalescence (German: Kur) or preventive care by means of mineral water and/or other spa treatment. Spa towns and seaside resorts carry official designations such as Mineral and mud spas (Mineral- und Moorbäder), Healthy climate resorts (Heilklimatische Kurorte), Kneipp cure resorts (Kneippkurorte = water therapy resorts), Seaside resorts (Seebäder), Climatic resorts (Luftkurorte), and Recreation resorts (Erholungsorte). The largest and most well known resorts also have casinos, most notably at Bad Wiessee, Baden-Baden (Kurhaus), Wiesbaden (Kurhaus), Aachen, Travemünde and Westerland (Kurhaus).

{{See also|Geography of Germany|List of national parks in Germany}}

File:Dünenstrand auf Sylt.jpg on the North Frisian island of Sylt]]

File:Königsstuhl und Viktoria-Sicht.jpg on the Baltic island of Rügen]]

The most visited tourist regions in Germany are the East Frisian and North Frisian Islands, the Baltic Sea coasts of Holstein, Mecklenburg and Vorpommern, the Rhine Valley, the Bavarian and Black Forest, and the Bavarian Alps.

The table below shows the five most visited rural districts in 2008:{{cite web |title=Tourismus- und Hotelatlas 2009–2010 |publisher=Georg & Ottenströer |language=de |url=http://georg-ic.de/cms/upload/marktstudien/TourismusHotelatlas_2009-2010_GO.pdf |page=8 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}

Other popular regions include

• in the north: Usedom, Holstein Switzerland, the Lüneburg Heath, Harz and Mecklenburg Lake District
• in the west: Teutoburg Forest, Sauerland, Eifel and the Moselle Valley
• in the east: Saxon Switzerland, Thuringian Forest, Ore Mountains and the Elbe Valley
• in the south: Taunus, Spessart, Rhön, Odenwald and Allgäu.

File:Du200613.png

Since the 1930s, local and regional governments have set up various theme routes, to help visitors get to know a specific region and its cultural or scenic qualities. The table below shows some of the most prominent theme routes. Other popular German theme routes include parts of the European Route of Brick Gothic and European Route of Industrial Heritage, the Harz-Heide Road, Bertha Benz Memorial Route and Bergstrasse.

File:Bolsterlang Hörnerbahn.jpg, Oberallgäu]]

{{See also|List of ski resorts in the German Alps|List of ski resorts in the German Central Uplands}}

The main winter sport regions in Germany are the Bavarian Alps and Northern Limestone Alps, as well as the Ore Mountains, Harz Mountains, Fichtel Mountains and Bavarian Forest within the Central Uplands. First class winter sport infrastructure is available for alpine skiing and snowboarding, bobsledding and cross-country skiing.

In most regions, winter sports are limited to the winter months November to February. During the Advent season, many German towns and cities host Christmas markets.

{{See also|Metropolitan regions in Germany}}

In terms of numbers of overnight stays, travel to the twelve largest cities in Germany more than doubled between 1995 and 2005, the largest increase of any travel destination.[http://www.deutschertourismusverband.de/content/files/anhang_staedtestudie.pdf Städte- und Kulturtourismus in Deutschland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819165317/http://www.deutschertourismusverband.de/content/files/anhang_staedtestudie.pdf |date=19 August 2006 }}, German Tourism Association (DTV){{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} This increase mainly arises from growth of cultural tourism, often in conjunction with educational or business travel. Consequently, the provision and supply of more and higher standards of cultural, entertainment, hospitality, gastronomic, and retail services also attract more international guests.

The table below shows the ten most visited cities in Germany in 2012. Other cities and towns with over 1 million nights per year are Rostock, Hannover, Bremen, Cuxhaven, Bonn, Freiburg, Münster, Lübeck, Wiesbaden, Essen and Regensburg.

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|caption=Top 10 city destinations in 2018 by nr. of overnight stays (millions)[https://www.statistischebibliothek.de/mir/receive/DEHeft_mods_00132010 Tourismus in Zahlen] on statistischebibliothek.de]

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{{bar pixel|Berlin|#6699CC|329||32.9m}}

{{bar pixel|Munich|#6699CC|171||17.1m}}

{{bar pixel|Hamburg|#6699CC|145||14.5m}}

{{bar pixel|{{nowrap|Frankfurt am Main}}|#6699CC|102||10.2m}}

{{bar pixel|Cologne|#6699CC|63||6.3m}}

{{bar pixel|Düsseldorf|#6699CC|50||5.0m}}

{{bar pixel|Dresden|#6699CC|46||4.6m}}

{{bar pixel|Stuttgart|#6699CC|39||3.9m}}

{{bar pixel|Nuremberg|#6699CC|36||3.6m}}

{{bar pixel|Leipzig|#6699CC|34||3.4m}}

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File:Tourist in Berlin.jpg

{{See also|List of sights in Berlin}}

Berlin has a yearly total of about 135 million day visitors, which puts it in third place among the most-visited city destinations in the European Union. Berlin had 781 hotels with over 125,000 beds in June 2012.[https://worldtravelergroup.com/germany-top-10-tourist-attractions/ Tourist Attractions In Germany] (August 2023) The city recorded 20.8 million overnight hotel stays and 9.1 million hotel guests in 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/pms/2011/11-02-18.pdf |title=Berlin-Tourismus 2010 mit neuem Rekord |website=Amt für Statistik |access-date=19 February 2011 |language=de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719085426/http://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/pms/2011/11-02-18.pdf |archive-date=19 July 2011 }} In the first half of 2012, there was an increase of over 10% compared to the same period the year before.

{{See also|:Category:Tourist attractions in Munich}}

{{See also|:Category:Tourist attractions in Hamburg|List of museums and cultural institutions in Hamburg}}

In 2007, more than 3,985,105 visitors with 7,402,423 overnight stays visited the city.{{Citation |author=Staff |publisher=Hamburg Tourismus GmbH |url=http://www.hamburg-tourism.de/fileadmin/files/B2B/Zahlen_und_Fakten/Tourismusmonitor/Newsletter/Newsletter_Nr18.pdf |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080910140737/http://www.hamburg-tourism.de/fileadmin/files/B2B/Zahlen_und_Fakten/Tourismusmonitor/Newsletter/Newsletter_Nr18.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 September 2008 |title=Newsletter Nr. 18 |date=29 February 2008 |access-date=13 August 2008 |language=de}} The tourism sector employs more than 175,000 people full-time and brings in revenue of €9.3 billion, making the tourism industry a major economic force in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Hamburg has one of the fastest-growing tourism industries in Germany. From 2001 to 2007, the overnight stays in the city increased by 55.2% (Berlin +52.7%, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania +33%).{{Citation |publisher=Behörde für Kultur, Sport und Medien |url=http://www.hamburg.de/daten-fakten/349180/aktuelles.html |title=Umsatzbringer und Jobmotor Tourismus |author=Staff |date=11 July 2008 |access-date=13 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809030041/http://www.hamburg.de/daten-fakten/349180/aktuelles.html |archive-date=9 August 2010|language=de}}

A typical Hamburg visit includes a tour of the city hall and the grand church St. Michaelis (called the Michel), and visiting the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt) and the harbour promenade (Landungsbrücken). Sightseeing buses connect these points of interest. As Hamburg is one of the world's largest harbours many visitors take one of the harbour and/or canal boat tours (Große Hafenrundfahrt, Fleetfahrt) which start from the Landungsbrücken. Major destinations also include museums.

The area of Reeperbahn in the quarter St. Pauli is Europe's largest red light district and home of strip clubs, brothels, bars and nightclubs. The Beatles had stints on the Reeperbahn early in their careers. Others prefer the laid-back neighbourhood Schanze with its street cafés, or a barbecue on one of the beaches along the river Elbe. Hamburg's famous zoo, the Tierpark Hagenbeck, was founded in 1907 by Carl Hagenbeck as the first zoo with moated, barless enclosures.{{Cite news |work=Audubon Magazine |publisher=National Audubon Society |title=The New Zoo |url=http://audubonmagazine.org/features0111/newzoo.html |author=Rene S. Ebersole |date=November 2001 |access-date=1 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906144905/http://www.audubonmagazine.org/features0111/newzoo.html |archive-date=6 September 2007 }}

File:Berlin Brandenburger Tor Abend.jpg|The Brandenburg Gate at night. Berlin is Germany's largest and most visited city.

File:AlsterPanorama.jpg|View over Hamburg Binnenalster

File:Heidelberg_corr.jpg|Heidelberg with its famous Castle ruins

File:Semperoper at night.jpg|The Semperoper in Dresden is the most famous building of an opera house in Germany.

File:Nuremberg panorama morning 3.jpg|View over Nuremberg's Old Town from the Nuremberg Castle

File:13-04-20-bremen-by-RalfR-026.jpg|Bremen Market Square in Bremen

File:Neues Rathaus bei Nacht.jpg|New Town Hall in Hannover

File:GraphyArchy - Wikipedia 00589.jpg|Kö-Bogen in Düsseldorf

File:Erfurt, Dom und Severikirche.jpg|Erfurt Cathedral and St Severus' Church in Erfurt

File:Neues Schloss Schlossplatzspringbrunnen Schlossplatz Stuttgart 2015 01.jpg|Castle Square with New Palace in Stuttgart

File:Hildesheim Knochenhauer-HD.jpg|The Butchers' Guild Hall in Hildesheim is one of the most famous half-timbered houses in Germany.

File:Altes Rathaus, Nikolaikirche, von Norden Leipzig 20180814 001.jpg|View over Leipzig old town, Germany's Boomtown

File:Quedlinburg asv2018-10 img04 pano from Muenzenberg.jpg|View over Quedlinburg

File:Rothenburg BW 4.JPG|The small town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a destination for tourists from around the world.

File:Regensburg 08 2006 2.jpg|The Stone Bridge and Cathedral St. Peter of Regensburg (UNESCO world heritage)

File:Kongresshalle Nbg Juli 2021 1.jpg|The Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) on the Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremberg

File:Www.gerhard-blank.de_münchen_ansicht_von_oben.jpg|View over Munich's Old Town

File:TrierKonstantinbasilikaNachtsH3dFB.jpg|The Aula Palatina of Trier, a basilica constructed during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine I (r. 306–337 AD)

File:Pfalzkapelle vom Katschhof 2014.jpg|The Palatine Chapel, Aachen, built during the reign of the Carolingian emperor Charlemagne (r. 800-814 AD)

File:Holstentor in Lübeck Frontseite - Zuschnitt.jpg|The Holsten Gate in Lübeck, a landmark of the Hanseatic League in Germany

The table below shows some of the largest annually recurring events in Germany:

Note: This list only includes the largest, annually recurring events in selected categories. This list may be incomplete.

File:IAA Frankfurt 2007.jpg 2007]]

File:Leipziger Buchmesse 2012 Merchandising Stand.jpg in 2012]]

Germany is home to several of the world's largest trade fairgrounds, and many of the international exhibitions are considered trend-setters or industry leaders. Thousands of national and international trade fairs, conventions and congresses are held in Germany annually. In 2008, 10.3 million people visited the 150 largest trade fairs alone. More than half of these visitors come from abroad, more than one third from countries outside Europe. The table below shows some of the most visited trade fairs.

Note: This list only includes trade fairs with 250,000 visitors per year or more. This list may be incomplete.

The table below shows the most visited protected areas in Germany.

File:Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft, Darß--Grenze zur Kernzone, Blick Richtung Pramort (1).jpg

File:Lilienstein Saxon Switzerland.jpg]]

File:Bayerischer_wald_intakt.jpg|Bavarian Forest National Park

File:Pilsumer Watt from the Leyhörn 2.jpg|Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park

File:Herbst in den Berchtesgadener Alpen.jpg|Berchtesgaden National Park

File:Wattenmeer-Nordfriesland.jpg|Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park

File:Die Alpen, gesehen vom Lusen.JPG|View from Mt. Lusen in the Bavarian Forest over the Alpine Foreland

File:Zollernalb MichaD.jpg|Swabian Jura

File:Bremm und Calmont 0016.jpg|View over the Moselle and past the village of Dorf Bremm to the Calmont in the Eifel

File:Joachimsthaler Straße.jpg|View of Breitenbrunn in the Ore Mountains

File:Wilseder Berg 005.jpg|left|Wilseder Berg in the Lüneburg Heath

File:Kölpinsee bei Jabel.jpg|The Kölpinsee, Jabelscher See and Fleesensee in the Mecklenburg Lake Plateau

File:Aus dem Zeppelin fotografiert, Insel Mainau, Bodensee. 10.jpg|Mainau

{{smalldiv|Note: This list only includes protected areas with 1 million or more visitors per year. This list may be incomplete.

:¹ World Heritage Site in Germany}}

File:Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge b.jpg|The Cathedral of Cologne is Germany's most visited landmark.

File:Berlin reichstag west panorama 2.jpg|Reichstag building in Berlin

File:Castle_Neuschwanstein.jpg|Neuschwanstein Castle was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

File:Dresden-Zwinger.courtyard.04.JPG|The Zwinger in Dresden

The German Tourism Association (Deutscher Tourismusverband) irregularly publishes statistics on the most visited landmarks. With an average of over 6 million visitors entering Cologne Cathedral per year, the cathedral is Germany's most visited landmark. Second and third places go to the Reichstag building in Berlin and the Hofbräuhaus in Munich. Other much visited architectural landmarks include the Drosselgasse in Rüdesheim (3.0m), the medieval old towns of Rothenburg ob der Tauber (2.5m), Regensburg (2.0m), Frauenkirche in Dresden (2.5m), Bad Münstereifel (2m), the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the Holsten Gate in Lübeck ¹.

{{smalldiv|Note: This list only includes physical landmarks with 1.0 million visitors per year or more. This list may be incomplete.

:¹ World Heritage Site in Germany}}

The table below shows some of the most visited theme parks or related facilities in Germany.

File:Atlantica (Europa-Park Germany).jpg in Europa-Park]]

Note: This list only includes the largest theme parks/facilities in selected categories. This list may be incomplete.

{{Portal|Germany}}

• Transport in Germany
• Public holidays in Germany
• List of museums in Germany
• Economy of Germany
• Cuisine of Germany
• Tourism in East Germany
• German tourism industry
• List of World Heritage Sites in Germany

{{Reflist}}

1. Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland (Federal Statistical Office)
2. DZT / World Travel Monitor
3. World Tourism Organization

https://www.deutschertourismusverband.de/fileadmin/Mediendatenbank/Dateien/ZDF_2016.pdf

{{Wikivoyage|Germany}}

{{Commons category-inline|Tourism in Germany}}

• [http://www.germany.travel Official Germany tourism website] {{in lang|de|ar|cs|da|en|es|fi|fr|he|hu|it|ja|ko|nl|no|pl|pt|ru|sl|sv|zh}}
• [https://www.tourism.de Germany Travel Guide (tourism.de)]
• [https://www.parrotio.com/best-time-to-visit-germany-weather-popular-cities/ Best time to visit Germany] Travel Guide

{{Germany topics}}

{{Tourism in Europe}}

Germany