The most beautiful cities in Germany

Germany’s most beautiful cities and towns stand among the best places to visit in the European Union. They span almost the full range of European variety.

• There are cities with Roman origins and remains such as Trier, Cologne, Regensburg and Mainz.
• Medieval cities such as Nuremberg, Erfurt, Bamberg and Worms and the half-timbered Harz region towns of Goslar, Quedlinburg and Wernigerode.
• Renaissance showpiece cities such as Lübeck, Augsburg or Bremen.
• Cities with Baroque survivals, including Dresden, Heidelberg or Passau.
• Plenty of German cities have beautiful palaces on their streets or nearby, like Potsdam, Munich, Stuttgart, Würzburg and Weimar.
• The great cathedrals such as Cologne, Regensburg, Bamberg, Mainz, Erfurt, Worms, with countless other churches, sometimes in Romanesque but more commonly in the Gothic style. The münster of Ulm has the tallest spire of them all.
• Museums of culture and art among world’s best, including Deutsches Museum, Deutsches Nationalmuseum, Alte Pinakothek and the Pergamonmuseum.

All these places can be reached by train and bus (Quedlinburg is on a branch line). All offer a range of hotels, hostels, guest houses and other types of accommodation. All are very walkable and, like most German towns and cities, are really best seen on foot. But trams and buses help get people to and from hotels or attractions and for the bigger centres, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Nuremberg, there are fast regular options in the form of S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains and light-rail transport.

Affordable German hotels

The B&B Hotels chain has more than 180 German hotels on the modern, bright-and-basic model. Charges start about €55 for singles, about €66 for doubles, €80 for family rooms. Breakfast charge is €10.50 (€4 for children). Not all hotels are central but parking is generally ample and free. Member discounts are available at a €39 subscription charge.

Ibis hotels have often centrally located properties with parking access and offer three levels of comfort and service. The accent is on modular simplicity rather than character. There are more than 70 Ibis German hotels, some offering single room rates from about €52 (at strict no-cancellation terms, with breakfast extra). When not included in rates, breakfast comes at a charge (commonly €12-15). Young children stay free with parents (apart from the breakfast charge) but no more than two adults (aged 12 or over) may use one room. The Ibis brand comes under the wider Accor group, which covers more than 360 German hotels.

Expanding fast, the Motel One big-city hotels now total about 60 in Germany. They take the bright, modern look to a mid-price range, with single/double rates starting about €89/104. Breakfast typically costs €15.90.

The GCH Group hotels cover brands in Germany including Hilton, Radisson, Wyndham, Mercure and IHG, managing 20 hotels. Offers start about €70/80 for single/double rooms without breakfast.

VCH-Hotels is an established network with about 35 generally quiet, mostly mid-sized and three-star private hotels and guesthouses in Germany. They vary in location but many offer rooms in traditional buildings and rates starting about €70/80 single/double a night. Visit the VCH website to survey the choices and book.

Romantik Hotels & Restaurants has about 100 listings for traditional German buildings with a focus outside big cities.

For budget accommodation in single, double or family rooms, see the A&O Hostel and Meininger Hotel paragraphs under Hostels below.