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.
Landshut's re-enactment of a 1475 ducal wedding — complete with knights' tournaments — is among the most theatrical recurring events in Germany, and it's just one signal of how seriously these river towns take their histories. Meissen has been producing Europe's first porcelain since 1708, Wernigerode has carried its "brightly coloured town by the Harz" motto for over a century, and Weilburg's palace skyline traces directly to the ancestors of Luxembourg's ruling house — all 165 picks run that deep.
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…
Oelsnitz
This compact Saxon town on the White Elster river in the Vogtland region of Germany, Oelsnitz has a modest central core with cafés and restaurants.
Hilden
A town in North Rhine-Westphalia with a walkable centre and a dense food-and-drink scene, Hilden sits between Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, and Solingen in the tran…
Lenzen
Compact Brandenburg town of half-timbered houses and terracotta rooftops, with a brick church tower rising above the tree canopy, set where the Löcknitz meet…
Rheine
Compact market square anchored by a tall medieval stone church tower with a green copper spire sets the tone for this Westphalian city on the River Ems, wher…
Elze
This small town on the river Leine in Lower Saxony, Elze traces its origins to a castle established by Charlemagne around 800, which also gave rise to the mi…
Vormeppen
This red-brick market square anchored by a stepped-gable town hall with an outdoor café beneath its arches gives this Lower Saxony river town a lively, walka…
Lebus
A pocket-sized town on the west bank of the Oder river at the German-Polish border, Lebus was historically the centre of Lubusz Land — the region that gives…
Landsberg am Lech
Well-preserved old town on the River Lech in southwest Bavaria, Landsberg sits along the Romantic Road between Munich and Augsburg, with a walkable centre de…
Weiskirchen
This small Saarland town in Germany's Hunsrück uplands, where a fountain-fed lake edged with purple wildflowers sits below a church steeple and grand civic b…
Villmar
Villmar, a little market village on the Lahn river in Hesse, is the historic centre of quarrying and processing Lahn Marble, a distinctive regional stone.
Arnstadt
Johann Sebastian Bach held his first post as an organist at Arnstadt's Neue Kirche from 1703 to 1707, and the town has been known as a Bach city ever since —…
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…
Wolfenbüttel
Germany's highest concentration of timber-framed buildings — around a thousand of them — lines the walkable centre of this Lower Saxony town on the River Oke…
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…
Vacha
A compact Thuringian town on the river Werra, Vacha draws visitors with its ornate half-timbered town hall fronting a market square fountain, upland surround…
Illertissen
A Bavarian town on the River Iller, Illertissen is dominated by a striking white castle complex with an onion-domed tower, complemented by a walkable centre…
Steinfurt
A compact waterside town in North Rhine-Westphalia with cafés and restaurants concentrated in its centre, Steinfurt has served as a district capital since th…
Rheinbach
A compact German town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Rheinbach shows a dense mix of traditional gabled houses and tree-lined streets from above, with a walkable…
Eilenburg
Sitting on the River Mulde in Saxony, Eilenburg is a town northeast of Leipzig with riverside scenery and access to the Dübener Heide heath on its doorstep.
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.
Bad Kissingen
This UNESCO World Heritage spa town on the Franconian Saale river in Bavaria's Lower Franconia region, Bad Kissingen holds the oldest spa garden in Europe, d…
Doebeln
This walkable Saxon town on the banks of the Freiberger Mulde river, Döbeln has a centre with a real café and restaurant scene.
Hamelin
Hamelin, a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, is best known as the setting of the Pied Piper legend — the medieval tale of a piper who rid the town of…
Andernach
One of Germany's oldest towns, Andernach sits on the left bank of the Rhine just north of Koblenz, where the valley narrows into the Middle Rhine stretch — a…
Merseburg
Merseburg, on the river Saale in southern Saxony-Anhalt, is one of central Germany's oldest towns, with a history stretching back to at least the 9th century…
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…
Kalkarberg
Founded in 1230 and granted town rights around 1242, Kalkar is a pocket-sized municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia with a well-preserved medieval townscape…
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.
Elsterwerda
Tiny town in southwestern Brandenburg on the Black Elster river, Elsterwerda sits on the southern edge of the Niederlausitzer Heidelandschaft nature park.
Juchen
This North Rhine-Westphalia municipality between Mönchengladbach and Grevenbroich is shaped by two contrasting features: the moated castle of Dyck, set withi…
Glauchau
A Saxon town on the right bank of the Mulde river, Glauchau has a compact centre with cafés and restaurants and sits within easy rail reach of both Zwickau a…
Ratingen
Mid-sized German city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Ratingen spreads across gently rolling green countryside near Düsseldorf, offering a walkable centre with ca…
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…
Eschweiler
Town on the river Inde in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Eschweiler has a walkable centre with cafés and historic churches, and is known loca…
Havelberg
A pocket-sized town in Saxony-Anhalt where part of the centre is built on an island in the Havel river, Havelberg sits directly on the water with cafés and r…
Freising
Home to the world's oldest continuously operating brewery at Weihenstephan, Freising is a Bavarian university town on the Isar river, a short distance north…
Rehlingen-Siersburg
A riverside municipality in Saarland, Germany, sitting on the Saar not far from Saarlouis, with a café and restaurant scene and scenic surroundings.
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.
Trendelburg
This pocket-sized town on the river Diemel in the hills of northern Hesse, Trendelburg sits where the Esse meets the Diemel and lies along the German Timber-…
Gera
Birthplace of the painter Otto Dix in 1891, Gera is a Thuringian city on the White Elster river whose centre retains buildings from its royal residence era a…
Beeskow
This pocket-sized town on the River Spree in Brandenburg, eastern Germany, Beeskow has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.
Friedberg
Bavarian town on the river Lech, Friedberg sits directly beside Augsburg with a walkable centre of cafés and restaurants and views across the wide glacial ri…
Weißenfels
Town on the river Saale in southern Saxony-Anhalt, Weißenfels was once the residence of the Duchy of Saxony-Weißenfels, which existed from 1656 to 1746, and…
Beilngries
This little Bavarian town on the Altmühl river and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, Beilngries sits in the Eichstätt district with cafés and restaurants in its c…
Schönebeck
A riverside town on the left bank of the Elbe in Saxony-Anhalt, Schönebeck has a compact centre with cafés and restaurants and sits a short distance southeas…
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…
Beverungen
A compact German town spread across a broad river valley in North Rhine-Westphalia, with lakeside recreation areas in the foreground, wooded uplands rising b…
Limburg an der Lahn
Limburg an der Lahn is a medieval town on the Lahn river in Hesse, Germany, known for its well-preserved old quarter of timber-framed houses and the late-Rom…
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…
Overath
A German town in the Bergisches Land region of North Rhine-Westphalia, Overath pairs a compact town-centre café scene — visible in its converted red-brick st…
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…
Meiningen
A former ducal capital on the River Werra in southern Thuringia, Meiningen served as the seat of the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen from 1680 to 1918 and retains a…
Höxter
Corvey Monastery, founded in 822 with the blessing of Louis the Pious and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 for its near-intact Carolingian wes…
Stavenhagen
A tiny town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's lake district, Stavenhagen has carried the honorary title Reuterstadt — Reuter Town, honouring the Low German writer…
Erkrath
Erkrath, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia just east of Düsseldorf, carries the distinction of being the site where fossil remains of Homo neanderthalensis we…
Blaustein
This small town on the Blau River in Baden-Württemberg, just west of Ulm, Blaustein carries a notable piece of history: the boarding school Landschulheim Her…
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.
Ennepetal
Town in North Rhine-Westphalia's Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, Ennepetal sits along the river Ennepe and officially holds the title "Stadt der Kluterthöhle" — City of t…
Pfarrkirchen
This little Bavarian town on the River Rott with a café and restaurant scene and a concentration of historic churches that outpaces its size, Pfarrkirchen se…
Kaufungen
Small town in the narrow valley of the river Losse, east of Kassel in Hesse, Kaufungen sits among the wooded hills of the Kaufunger Wald with scenic surround…
Riesa
A town on the Elbe in Saxony, northwest of Dresden, Riesa has a compact centre with a concentration of cafés and restaurants and is known for its steel indus…
Waldheim
This compact Mittelsachsen town set along a river in rolling upland country, where a centuries-old walled prison complex dominates the townscape alongside ba…
Herzogenrath
This German border town in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herzogenrath sits directly alongside the Dutch town of Kerkrade, with the national…
Alsdorf
Former coal-mining town in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Alsdorf has shifted from its industrial past toward a service-based economy.
Schwelm
This town in North Rhine-Westphalia with a walkable centre of cafés and historic churches, Schwelm sits on the border between Westphalia and the Rhineland —…
Sosa
Compact health resort village in the western Ore Mountains of Saxony, Sosa sits beside a reservoir in mountain terrain with several scenic viewpoints in the…
Bleicherode
This pocket-sized town on the river Wipper in the southern Harz Mountains of Thuringia, Bleicherode sits in mountain terrain with scenic viewpoints in the su…
Weidenberg
A pocket-sized market town in Bavaria's Bayreuth district, Weidenberg sits in mountain terrain where the Ölschnitz river meets the Red Main.
Rheinsberg
Rheinsberg, a modest Brandenburg town on Lake Grienericksee and the River Rhin, is shaped above all by Schloss Rheinsberg, the palace that dominates its hist…
Zehdenick
A small Brandenburg town on the River Havel, north of Berlin, Zehdenick has a compact central core with cafés and restaurants and carries the official design…
Euskirchen
Walkable town in North Rhine-Westphalia with a food-and-drink scene concentrated in a pedestrian zone that runs through the old medieval town centre.
Mechernich
Former mining town in the Eifel hills of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mechernich sits within the Naturpark Nordeifel and serves as a gateway to the Nationalpark E…
Hennef (Sieg)
A town on the river Sieg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hennef is known as the "Town of a Hundred Villages" for its sprawling collection of settlements across hi…
Braunsbach
This modest village on the Kocher river in Baden-Württemberg's Schwäbisch Hall district, Braunsbach sits in the Hohenlohe region of Franconia with the river…
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…
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…
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.
Uelzen
Uelzen's main draw is the Hundertwasser Station, a railway station redesigned by the Viennese artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser and opened in…
Schermbeck
This tiny North Rhine-Westphalian town where a well-preserved medieval brick gatehouse and arched passageway hint at a layered history, complemented by a mod…
Mettlach
The headquarters and manufacturing home of Villeroy & Boch ceramics, Mettlach is a modest Saarland town on the river Saar, close to Germany's western border…
Ahaus
A compact North Rhine-Westphalian town in the Münsterland region, Ahaus shows a leafy, low-rise townscape of red-brick buildings and tree-lined streets, with…
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…
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…
Baesweiler
This town in the Aachen district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a compact centre holding a concentration of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.
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…
Planegg
Small Bavarian town on the river Würm, just west of Munich, with a café and restaurant scene and a number of historic churches that punch above its size.
Reinickendorf
Berlin's northwestern borough of Reinickendorf sits along Lake Tegel, a stretch of water connected to the Havel river, and draws visitors to its waterside se…
Dinslaken
A town in North Rhine-Westphalia's Wesel district, on the lower Rhine at the northwestern edge of the Ruhr region, Dinslaken has a walkable centre with cafés…
Meerbusch
A Rhine-side town in North Rhine-Westphalia, sitting on the left bank of the Lower Rhine between Krefeld and Düsseldorf, Meerbusch has a walkable centre with…
Dessau
Dessau-Roßlau holds two UNESCO World Heritage listings: the Bauhaus buildings, which made this Saxony-Anhalt town a landmark of 20th-century architecture and…
Viersen
A mid-sized German city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Viersen offers a walkable centre with outdoor café terraces, clean modernist civic architecture opening on…
Grefrath
A compact Lower Rhine town in western Germany, with a tree-lined market square decorated with heraldic shields, a weekly market, and easy access to the Dutch…
Schwerterheide
Mid-sized North Rhine-Westphalian town where the Ruhr valley meets the Sauerland uplands, with a stately early-20th-century civic building, a little watersid…
Grevenbroich
A town in North Rhine-Westphalia sitting on the river Erft, Grevenbroich has a walkable centre with cafés, restaurants, and a concentration of historic churc…
Lintfort
Kamp-Lintfort, a town on the lower Rhine at the western edge of the Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia, hosted the 2020 Landesgartenschau (North Rhine-Wes…
Velbert
Velbert, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia's Mettmann district, is known worldwide for the production of locks and fittings, a specialisation that has shaped…
Hoyerswerda
A town in Upper Lusatia, Saxony, Hoyerswerda sits among the lakes, marshes, and waterways of the Lusatian landscape, with cycling and skating paths threading…
Monheim am Rhein
A walkable Rhine-side town in North Rhine-Westphalia, between Düsseldorf and Cologne, with a centre full of cafés, restaurants, and historic churches.
Wesseling
A Rhine-side town directly south of Cologne, Wesseling has a walkable centre with cafés and restaurants alongside the river.
Saarlouis
Founded in 1680 by Louis XIV and designed by the military engineer Vauban, Saarlouis is a town on the Saar river in western Germany whose star-shaped fortifi…