Germany

Germany is known as the land of 5,000 beers and 20,000 castles, with world-renowned landmarks like the Berlin Wall and Neuschwanstein Castle, and events like Oktoberfest and Christkindlesmarkts. But look beyond this and you can discover valleys dotted with historic towns, and small cities where you can share a beer with locals. Our Germany ambassadors and community share their secret spots and favourite finds below.

Dresden & the Elbe Valley ⭐

Germany ambassador Sebastian Wölfer recommends...

Jump off halfway on the line between Berlin and Prague and you can discover Dresden. Here you can have it all! Take a nice sightseeing or shopping tour through the city, and explore the Semper Opera House or the reconstructed Frauenkirche. For those interested in technology, a visit to the Transparent Factory (owned by Volkswagen) is worthwhile. Here you can see the production of an electric car and find out about the future of transportation.

If you prefer nature, then take the train a 40 minute train to scenic villages like Bad Schandau or Rathen in the Saxon Switzerland with, for example, the Bastei, Prebischtor or the Kamnitz Gorge. You can even take a slower, more serene trip from Dresden by steamboat!

Dresden as shown by our community

Dresden Cathedral (by Federico Maria Colombo)

Semper Opera House (by @thiswildtime)

Bastei bridge in Saxon Switzerland (by Abi Motais)

Secret spots from our community

Our wonderful Interrail community have sent us photos and stories of secret spots that they discovered while travelling in Europe. Below you can find a selection of highlights from Germany. Let them inspire you to go even further on your next trip.

You can find all of the secret spots on the map below, along with the Germany ambassador destinations marked with a star:

Bavaria

By uncgurl00

Tegelbergbahn in Schwangau

We found this summer toboggan at the base of the Tegelbergbahn cable car, nearby the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. It was like a roller coaster in nature! They also had a playground for kids. This ended up being one of our favourite spots out of a 30-day Europe trip.

Getting there by rail: 2h from Munich to Füssen, then take a shuttle bus to Schwangau.

By davetodd

Prem

Prem is a special place like those villages in folk tales that only appear once every hundred years and then vanish. It has moors and green fields in the shadow of the Alps. It will always be a part of me.

(Photo - Pilgrimage Church of Wies.)

Getting there by rail: 2h from Munich to Füssen, then a 50 min Oberbayern bus.

Baden-Württemberg, south-west Germany

By simone.beausoleil

Todtnauer waterfall, Todtnauberg

I took the train to Wollbach to meet one of my dear friends who lives there. She showed me all around the countryside, including Todtnauer Wasserfall just outside of Todtnauberg.

Getting there by rail: Take a 2h 8m train from Stuttgart to Freiburg im Breisgau (the nearest station), then a 1 hour bus.

UGC-germany-triberg-black-forest-jordan-malthouse

By @jordan_malthouse

Triberg, the Black Forest

Interrail allowed me to discover my favourite place on the face of this beautiful Earth... Triberg, in the Black Forest is a delightful small town at the foot of Germany's tallest waterfall and is host to tasty cafes, intriguing shops, a proud local culture and delightful mountain air! Loved this place and already plan to retire here - although there's hopefully many more happy years of Interrailling left before then!

Getting there by rail: 2h 52m from Stuttgart or 2h 31m from Strasbourg, France with an Interrail Global Pass.

Berlin

By nguyenhieu119

Street art by the S-Bahn

On a summer afternoon in Berlin, I got out of the S-Bahn without knowing where I was. Suddenly, I saw from afar this colourful, funny-looking and eye-catching building. I found it easily and without a moment of hesitation it became my favourite spot.