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.

Costs

Most German cities come in cheaper for cost of living than the great English-speaking capitals and slightly above the middle of the European cost scale.
International comparisons: According to the collaborative website Expatistan late in 2025, Germany ranked as the 18th most expensive country in the world. The rankings included Switzerland (2), Singapore (3), Netherlands (4), Ireland (6), UK (7), US (8), Australia (9), Austria (10), Belgium (12), Canada (13), France (15), New Zealand (16), Poland (17), Italy (20), Spain (25), Finland (26), Czechia (32), South Africa (37) and India (53). Norway, Denmark and Sweden were not included in the rankings.

The Expatistan site allows costs for basic items to be compared between international cities based on data supplied by users. Figures fluctuate with exchange rates.

Expatistan users ranked Dresden (No.96), Essen (No.99) and Dortmund (No.101), in the same bracket as Bratislava (No.91), but supplied no rankings for Berlin, Munich, Cologne or Hamburg. International rankings included London (No.1), Zurich (No.2), San Francisco (No.5), Singapore (No.9), Chicago (No.11), Amsterdam (No.12), Paris (No.13), Sydney (No.17), Tel Aviv (No.18), Toronto (No.22), Wellington (No.24), Milan (No.26), Barcelona (No.42), Athens (No.56) and Prague (No.63).

Berlin rated as 8% cheaper than Auckland, 13% cheaper than Toronto, 18% cheaper than Sydney, 33% cheaper than Singapore, 37% cheaper than San Francisco, 43% cheaper than London, 49% cheaper than New York, 63% more expensive than Johannesburg and 197% more expensive than Delhi.

Munich rated as comparable with Auckland for costs, 5% cheaper than in Toronto, 9% cheaper than Sydney, 26% cheaper than Singapore, 31% cheaper than San Francisco, 37% cheaper than London, 44% cheaper than New York, 79% more expensive than Johannesburg and 226% more expensive than Delhi.

German comparisons: Other cost-of-living estimates for Germany are offered at Numbeo. According to this index late in 2025, Munich was the most expensive city in Germany, Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main occupied positions 2 and 3 on the list of most expensive cities. Düsseldorf was at No.4, Heidelberg at No.5, Cologne at No.7, Stuttgart at No.9, Berlin at No.10, Nuremberg at No.15, Bremen at No.16 and Dresden at No.21.

Numbeo put a meal at an inexpensive restaurant in the range €8.35-25.00, 0.33 litres of imported beer at €3.00-5.50, regular cappuccino at €2.00-5.00 and a 0.33 litre bottle of water at €2.00-4.00.