The best small towns to visit in Germany

­I love Germany – I always have. I’ve lived here for five years now (first in Düsseldorf and now in Cologne – as well as spending a summer in Leipzig at university) but travelling around the country and exploring new towns and cities is something that I still love now more than ever. Germany has some amazing cities but what I love best is coming across hidden gems: smaller, out-of-the-way towns that are lesser known but still worth visiting.

I’ve visited quite a few of these over the years, so I’ve put together my absolute favourite small towns in Germany which are definitely well-worth the trip.

What is a small town in Germany? German doesn’t have any distinction between ‘town’ and ‘city,’ so I decided to focus on places with fewer than 60,000 people – although I included some which are far smaller that probably fit better under ‘village’.

10. Rüdesheim am Rhein

Population: 10,000 | State: Hesse | Day trip from Mainz or Frankfurt

Rüdesheim is quintessential Germany at its best: a pretty old town on the Rhine (that is pretty and old) and is devoted almost entirely to wine. Above the town are endless rows of vines, over which you can take a really lovely cable car up to a gigantic Imperial war monument. We accidentally timed this perfectly, taking the journey at sunset, which led to one of the nicest photos I think I’ve ever taken.

We visited Rüdesheim at the end of a 40km hike (we were broken people), but even we were taken with it enough to wander around. The town is actually quite lively in the evenings, with great traditional restaurants and pubs and a high amount of American tourists.

9. Lüdinghausen

Population: 24,500 | State: NRW | Day trip from Münster or Dortmund

If I’m honest, I’m not sure why Lüdinghausen doesn’t get more of the tourist attention that it deserves – it has plenty to see and do. The town has not one, but three castles, of which the Vischering Castle is incredibly photogenic (and also does a cracking Christmas market I’m told). We explored Lüdinghausen on a beautiful 30km-bike tour of the area, taking in Nordkirchen Castle, which is known as the Westphalian Versailles and is within easy reach of Lüdinghausen.

However, the most pressing reason to visit Lüdinghausen has to be Caribello Tapas Bar, which is without a doubt one of the best restaurants I have been to in Germany. The food is honestly fantastic, particularly the fresh fish, and the service is brilliant. I can’t even describe it well enough to do it justice. Just trust me and go. Here it is on TripAdvisor: link.

8. Ahrweiler

Population: 28,000 | State: Rheinland-Pfalz | Day trip from Bonn or Cologne

Ahrweiler is a medieval walled town that serves as the capital of the beautiful wine-growing Ahr valley region, not far from Bonn. I visited the town for the first time recently after a gorgeous hike. Above the town you get a great view of the intact city walls, while the town centre itself is full of pubs and restaurants and walkers enjoying a well-earned schnitzel.

In the hills above the town you can also visit the former Government nuclear bunker, which has been turned into a museum centre. The town and the surrounding valley is hugely popular in mid-Autumn for the Rotweinwanderweg or Red Wine Hiking Route, a walking route which passes through several vineyards, who offer tastings as you go (because it’s important to stay hydrated.)

Read more on the Rotweinwanderweg here: The best day hikes from Cologne by public transport

7. Zons

Population: 5,000 | State: Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) | Day trip from Düsseldorf

Zons is the smallest town on this list. So small, in fact, it’s actually just a suburb of Dormagen these days. In its heyday, however, Zons was a thriving medieval town on the Rhine which grew rich taxing ships as they sailed up or down-stream. Today, Zons is a really picturesque spot with city walls and a huge looming windmill.

Very close friends of mine got married there and treated greats to a guided tour of the town, which I would really recommend. It’s surprising just how much history fits in to such a small place. Zons also makes a nice but long bike ride from Düsseldorf along the river.

6. Cochem

Population: 5,000 | State: Rheinland-Pfalz | Day trip from Bonn or Cologne

Cochem is pretty much the star of the show when it comes to picture-perfect German towns: Castle? Check. Beautiful old town with narrow streets and timber-frame houses? Check. Riverside location? Check. Vineyards? Check. Endless hiking? Check.

Cochem is the premier town in the Moselle Valley, which is renowned for its wine, castles, hiking and cycling. Its easy to spend a whole weekend or more here, exploring the area by bike, boat or your own two feet. The insta-famous Burg Eltz is found just around the corner, but lesser known Burg Thurant and the village of Beilstein are also worth seeing.

5. Goslar

Population: 51,000 | State: Lower Saxony | Day trip from Hannover

Goslar is found in the mountainous Harz region of Central Germany is home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites; the striking old town with its distinctive white and grey timber-frame houses, as well as the Rammelsberg mine which was operational for over one thousand years. The mines can be explored on a guiding tour, which has also been taken by countless famous figures through history.

The wider Harz region has also plenty of sights including the former Inner German border between East and West Germany and the Brocken mountain, the highest point of the region which is known for its connection to witches and evil spirits in folklore.

Read more: Goslar: your new favourite German town

4. Monschau

Population: 12,000 | State: Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) | Day trip from Cologne

Monschau is a beautiful little village, nestled into a small valley close to Germany’s complicated border with Belgium. Found in the Eifel region, the town often receives a good dusting of snow in winter which makes it all the more Instagram-worthy. Monschau’s Christmas market is also pretty well-known across the region and is well-worth the trip, even if the town does get insanely crowded.

British TV fans might recognise Monschau from the second series of the BBC’s The Missing which was partially filmed here while pretending to be Switzerland. Monschau is another town I discovered after a hike, this time part of the Eifelsteig which runs along the border with Belgium.

3. Meißen

Population: 28,000 | State: Saxony | Day trip from Dresden

Meissen was probably one of the first German towns I truly fell in love with. I went on a day trip from Dresden during my first visit in 2011 and remember being astounded at just how beautiful the place was. If you looked up the definition of “small German town perfection,” I’m fairly certain an image resembling Meissen would pop up.

If you ever tire of simply walking around the town’s endless picturesque streets, the Albrechtsburg castle is well worth seeing – the vaulted ceiling is beautiful. The best way to reach Meissen from Dresden is on a leisurely steam boat cruise down the Elbe; seeing the spires of the castle slowly come into view is really impressive.

Read more: Is this Germany’s most beautiful town?

2. Quedlinburg

Population: 24,000 | State: Saxon-Anhalt | Day trip from Leipzig

Quedlinburg is definitely one of my favourite towns in Germany. Like Goslar, it’s found in the Harz region of Central Germany and if the region wasn’t beautiful enough, Quedlinburg is literally like something straight out of a children’s story book. The town is filled with pastel-coloured timber-framed buildings, cobbled streets and historic landmarks, most notably Castle Hill, where the first German King was crowned in 919.

Despite being so close to Goslar, Quedlinburg has quite a different history as it fell in East Germany when the borders were draw up. Today you can still see some signs of this recent past, but many buildings and houses are being pain-stakingly restored to their former glory.

1. Görlitz

Population: 56,000 | State: Saxony | Day trip from Dresden

I have made absolutely no secret of my love for Görlitz. I visited on a day trip from Dresden in early 2019 and was really taken by the place. I find it astounding that such a beautiful and interesting city is still so unknown – even in its own country. The city has an interesting history, which is often revived in its frequent role as a backdrop in film – loads of famous blockbusters have been shot here over the years, including the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Görlitz sits quite literally on the edge of Germany, straddling one side of the border with Poland, but is still in easy reach of Dresden.

Read more: Top 10 things to do in Görlitz

Did I miss anywhere?
Where would you add to the list?