A photograph of Germany

Country guide

Germany

Germany runs from the Baltic and North Sea coasts in the north down to the Alps in the south, and its 16 states have kept enough separateness that the country r...

Photograph · Llez · CC BY-SA 3.0

21,822 Places
2Cities

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Germany runs from the Baltic and North Sea coasts in the north down to the Alps in the south, and its 16 states have kept enough separateness that the country reads as a set of destinations rather than one. Over 83 million people live in them, more than any other European Union member. Berlin is the capital and the largest single city, Frankfurt is the financial centre, and the largest urban area is neither - it is the Ruhr, a belt of western towns that have grown into each other. Choosing between the Bavarian south, the Rhine, the Hanseatic north and the eastern cities is the actual planning decision; the distances are short and the places are not variations on one another.

Checked 2026-08-25

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
German
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+49
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112 medical/fire · 110 police
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type C and F · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Safe from the mains
Public drinking water is regulated under national drinking-water rules

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. State Museum of Egyptian Art State Museum of Egyptian Art
    32 1 hr 30 min

    State Museum of Egyptian Art

    Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst

    The State Museum of Egyptian Art, locally Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst, is Munich’s specialist museum for ancient Egyptian art and archaeology. Its identity comes from a concentrated collection of sculptures, reliefs, funerary objects, and related artefacts connected with Egyptian culture.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  2. Palaeontological Museum Palaeontological Museum
    33 1 hr 30 min

    Palaeontological Museum

    Paläontologisches Museum

    The Palaeontological Museum in Munich is a specialized natural-history museum devoted to fossils, ancient life and the geological story of evolution. It forms part of the Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology, connecting public display with scientific research.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  3. Berggruen Museum Berggruen Museum
    34 1 hr 30 min

    Berggruen Museum

    Museum Berggruen

    Berggruen Museum, also known as Museum Berggruen, is a focused modern-art museum in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district. Its galleries present works associated with Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, and Alberto Giacometti.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Berlin
  4. Jewish Museum Munich Jewish Museum Munich
    35 1 hr 30 min

    Jewish Museum Munich

    Jüdisches Museum

    The Jewish Museum Munich, known locally as Jüdisches Museum, is a cultural institution in Munich dedicated to Jewish history, art, and culture in the city.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  5. Bröhan Museum Bröhan Museum
    36 1 hr 30 min

    Bröhan Museum

    Bröhan-Museum

    The Bröhan-Museum is a Berlin museum dedicated to Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and functionalist design. It occupies a historic building in Charlottenburg, near Schloss Charlottenburg.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Berlin
  6. Kupferstichkabinett Berlin Kupferstichkabinett Berlin
    37 1 hr 30 min

    Kupferstichkabinett Berlin

    Kupferstichkabinett

    Kupferstichkabinett Berlin is Berlin’s Museum of Prints and Drawings and part of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. It is a specialist collection devoted to graphic art on paper, with works spanning multiple centuries and major European artistic traditions.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Berlin
  7. MVG Museum MVG Museum
    38 1 hr 30 min

    MVG Museum

    MVG-Museum

    The MVG Museum is a transport museum in Munich dedicated to the history of public transit in the city.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  8. Bavarian State Archaeological Collection Bavarian State Archaeological Collection
    39 1 hr 30 min

    Bavarian State Archaeological Collection

    Archäologische Staatssammlung

    The Bavarian State Archaeological Collection, known locally as Archäologische Staatssammlung, is a museum institution in Munich. It serves as a central archaeological repository for Bavaria, preserving and presenting material culture from prehistoric periods through early historical eras.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  9. Beer and Oktoberfest Museum Beer and Oktoberfest Museum
    40 1 hr 30 min

    Beer and Oktoberfest Museum

    Bier- und Oktoberfestmuseum

    The Beer and Oktoberfest Museum occupies a historic townhouse in Munich's old town, housed in one of the city's oldest preserved residential buildings dating from the 14th century.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  10. Five Continents Museum Five Continents Museum
    41 1 hr 30 min

    Five Continents Museum

    Museum Fünf Kontinente

    The Five Continents Museum, known locally as Museum Fünf Kontinente, is an ethnographic museum in Munich. It houses extensive collections representing cultures from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and parts of Europe.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  11. Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München
    42 1 hr 30 min

    Staatliche Graphische Sammlung München

    Staatliche Graphische Sammlung

    Staatliche Graphische Sammlung is Munich’s specialist museum for graphic art: a focused place for studying drawings, prints, and other works on paper rather than a broad survey of painting and sculpture.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  12. Munich City Museum Munich City Museum
    43 1 hr 30 min

    Munich City Museum

    Münchner Stadtmuseum

    Munich City Museum, or Münchner Stadtmuseum, is devoted to the history and changing identity of Munich. Its focus is the city itself: how people lived, worked, celebrated, built communities, and shaped the Bavarian capital over time.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  13. Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum
    44 1 hr 30 min

    Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum

    Deutsches Jagd- und Fischereimuseum is a specialised Munich museum about hunting and fishing. Its city-centre setting inside a former Augustinian church gives the visit a strong architectural character as well as an exhibition focus.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  14. Haidhausen-Museum Haidhausen-Museum
    45 1 hr 30 min

    Haidhausen-Museum

    Haidhausen Museum

    Haidhausen-Museum introduces Munich’s Haidhausen district through local history. The museum’s focus is the neighbourhood’s social and urban development, making it a useful stop for travellers who want to understand how an area changes over time.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  15. Alpine Museum Alpine Museum
    46 1 hr 30 min

    Alpine Museum

    Alpines Museum

    The Alpine Museum in Munich is a museum dedicated to the history, culture, and exploration of the Alpine region. It serves as a repository for mountaineering heritage, preserving artifacts and narratives related to the Alps across multiple countries.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  16. Das Kartoffelmuseum Das Kartoffelmuseum
    47 1 hr 30 min

    Das Kartoffelmuseum

    Pfanni Museum

    Das Kartoffelmuseum, also known locally as the Pfanni Museum, is a Munich museum devoted to the potato and its cultural significance. The subject brings together food history, agriculture and culinary use in a focused museum concept.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  17. Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke
    48 1 hr 30 min

    Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke

    Museum für Abgüsse klassischer Bildwerke

    Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke is a Munich museum devoted to plaster casts of classical sculpture.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  18. The New Collection The New Collection
    49 1 hr 30 min

    The New Collection

    Die neue Sammlung

    The New Collection, known locally as Die neue Sammlung, is a design museum located in Munich. It holds significance as one of the world's leading institutions dedicated to design and applied arts.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  19. Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim
    50 1 hr 30 min

    Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim

    Flugwerft Schleißheim

    Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleißheim is an aviation museum north of Munich, near Oberschleißheim. It occupies historic buildings at the former Schleißheim airfield, one of Germany’s oldest aviation sites.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  20. Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum
    51 1 hr 30 min

    Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum

    The Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum is a branch of the Deutsches Museum dedicated to transportation history. Located in Munich, it occupies historic exhibition halls at Theresienhöhe.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  21. Futurium Futurium
    52 1 hr 30 min

    Futurium

    Futurium is a museum and exhibition space in Berlin dedicated to exploring possible futures. It opened in 2019 near the Hauptbahnhof on the site of a former freight station.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Berlin
  22. Geologisches Museum München Geologisches Museum München
    53 1 hr 30 min

    Geologisches Museum München

    Geologisches Museum

    The Geologisches Museum München is a geological museum in Munich devoted to earth sciences and natural history.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  23. Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art
    54 1 hr 30 min

    Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art

    MUCA

    MUCA, the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art, is a Munich museum devoted to street art and contemporary artistic practice. Its central setting connects urban culture with a formal exhibition environment.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  24. Museum Peter Gehring Museum Peter Gehring
    55 1 hr 30 min

    Museum Peter Gehring

    Museum Peter Gehring is a museum in Munich, Germany, listed among the city’s visitor destinations. The institution is identified by the name Peter Gehring and occupies a mapped place within Munich’s urban cultural network.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich
  25. Residence Museum Residence Museum
    56 1 hr 30 min

    Residence Museum

    Residenzmuseum und Schatzkammer

    The Residence Museum and Treasury is a palace museum complex in central Munich. It occupies part of the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach dynasty, who ruled Bavaria for centuries.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Munich

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Germany be?

Seven to ten days works for Berlin plus one connected region, or for a focused Rhine, Bavaria or northern-city route. Germany’s rail network makes multi-city travel practical, but changing bases every night still reduces useful time.

What entry documents are needed for Germany?

Germany’s Federal Foreign Office is the official visa reference. Review its nationality-specific entry rules and the Schengen application guidance for the passport and route being used.

What is the best way to travel around Germany?

Intercity and high-speed trains connect Germany’s major cities, with regional services completing shorter journeys. Deutsche Bahn publishes the integrated timetable; airport choice should follow the route rather than defaulting to one national gateway.

When is a practical time to visit Germany?

May through September favours outdoor city and countryside travel, while December has a distinct seasonal-market pattern. Alpine, North Sea and urban conditions differ enough that the intended region should determine clothing and reservations.

What money and payment basics apply in Germany?

Germany uses the euro (EUR). Cash and card practices are not stated as a single national rule in the cited source, so travellers should carry a backup and check the payment method before ordering or boarding.

What practical safety details should I save for Germany?

For Germany, 112 reaches medical and fire services and 110 reaches police. Type C and F plugs use 230 V, and mains tap water is recorded as safe.