30 Germany Photos That Will Spark Your Wanderlust

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Have you ever visited a destination and instantly felt a deep connection? This happened to me when we went to Germany and my hope is that these incredible Germany photos that I captured will express why.

Arriving in Munich for the first time was like going home for me. For years I have wondered about the country where so many of my ancestors had resided and what it would be like to visit.

Finally having the time, we spent 3 weeks in Germany during our most recent trip to Europe.

These photos will take you through some of the most beloved areas of Germany but also show you some places you probably didn’t know existed.

It is our hope that we inspire you to travel more and book a trip to Germany to see for yourself.

Don’t leave home without: Lonely Planet Germany (Travel Guide)


30 Germany Photos That Will Spark Your Wanderlust


Munich, Germany Photos

Beautiful, lovely, historical, picturesque Munich started an instant love affair with the country. We arrived by train and spent 3 days in the city dodging rain clouds and seeing some pretty spectacular sights.

The vibe in Munich is intoxicating and we just couldn’t get enough, even when it was raining you could find us under one of the many beer tents or enjoying a pretzel in one of the many brewhouses.

Related Article: 4 Days in Munich

Germany Photos Divergent Travelers

Marienplatz is the heartbeat of old Munich and the first place you should head when you arrive.

It is here that you get your first feel for the culture in Bavaria and have the opportunity to witness the famous Glockenspiel that shows scenes from the 16th century.

Even on a cloudy, rainy day, the beauty of this central square cannot be denied.

Germany Photos

I simply could not resist the bright colored pool in this fountain. Also located in the Marienplatz, the Fish Fountain garners its name from the fish market that used to be set up nearby.

Local merchants would place fish in this very fountain to keep them fresh. For me, it was all about color.

Don’t leave home without: Lonely Planet Germany (Travel Guide)

Climbing towers in Europe is not only good exercise but a fantastic way to see the far reaches of any city you might be visiting and Munich is no exception.

We got this view from climbing one of the towers at St Peter’s Basilica.

Munich Germany Photos

One of my favorite Germany photos, this was one of those amazing travel moments. After spending a day chasing the blue sky around Munich, we arrived at the Royal Residenz 1 hour before closing and decided to tour the palace.

It’s no lie when you hear that Europe in the summer is crowded…. we’ve been fighting crowds since we landed in Budapest a week earlier.

So you can imagine our surprise when we entered the most famous room in Munich, the Hall of Antiquities, to find ourselves utterly alone.

I told the guard that I could only whisper because I have never been alone in such a grand place. She said to me, ‘Yes, this is a pretty special moment. You are alone in Munich’s greatest room. It’s just you and the ghosts now.’

Related Article: Ultimate Travel Photography Gear List

Munich Germany Photos

A major perk of Munich is its awesome transportation. We hopped on a tram right outside our hotel and in 20 minutes we were walking up to the beautiful Nymphenburg Palace.

We spent some time inside wandering the halls before making our way to the stables and then out into the gardens. You can’t see them in this photo but behind that building are some of the most beautiful gardens in all of Europe.

Dachau Germany Photos

After prying ourselves away from Munich, we hopped in our rental car and headed for one of the most popular day trip spots in the area, Dachau Concentration Camp.

We have been exposed to a wide array of tragedies in our travels including the genocides in Rwanda and Cambodia but this was our first visit to a concentration camp that was in use during WWII.


Neuschwanstein Castle Photos

This is probably the most famous castle in Europe, if not the entire world. The dream project of the ‘Mad’ King Ludwig II who was deemed unfit to be king because he enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, the mountains and had a strong dislike for people.

He spent all of his time and money building opulent castles, including this one. Shortly after he was removed from the throne for being crazy, he was murdered.

Who did it remain a mystery to this day? Having visited the castle, I don’t think he was ‘mad’ at all, who wouldn’t want to live amongst the mountains in a castle-like this?

Germany Photos

The best-kept secret about visiting this castle is that you can actually stay just one turn down the road from it. Most people stay in Fussen and then make their way by bus to the base of the hill before climbing to the top.

Not us, because we stayed so close, we were able to get up and experience Neuschwanstein at sunrise with no crowds. It was amazing.

Thinking of traveling with a drone and don’t know where to start? Best Drones For Travel From A Real Drone User.

Germany Photos

9 am and we were two of a handful of people on the castle grounds. The difference with these quiet experiences is that you actually have a chance to feel the place and relate to the history and stories that surround them.

This is impossible when the place is so crowded you can’t see anything and so loud you can’t even think. Visiting places first thing in the morning or the last thing in the evening can really provide special experiences.

Don’t leave home without: Lonely Planet Germany (Travel Guide)

Germany Photos

We stopped off at this lake the day we drove South from Munich towards Neuschwanstein Castle.

The road was winding and we only caught a short glimpse of the water before hauling on the brakes, turning around and venturing down a small side road where we were treated to this view.

Bavaria proved to be a truly stunning part of Germany.


Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Germany Photos

Originally planned as just a quick stop on our German road trip itinerary, we decided to make a long drive day from Fussen to Rothenburg ob de Tauber for an overnight.

It turned out to be the best decision to make. Crowded with tour buses and day-trippers, you can barely move through the streets during the day, let alone take a nice photo.

However, as the sun lowers itself, the buses pull away from the city walls and silence enters the streets, the city becomes magical.

Easily one of our favorites cities in all our travels, wandering the medieval streets evoke a sense of wonder and childhood excitement.

Germany Photos

Needing some decent light, you’d never know we were still battling the crowds when this photo was taken. You’d laugh in hilarity if you knew the whole story, actually.

When we first arrived it was so full of people we left in search of a grocery store where we purchased stuff to make a ‘working’ dinner.

Heading back, we parked ourselves onset of steps, making our sandwiches and bolting into the road at every chance it cleared.

The people-watching was priceless and truth be told, it wasn’t until we had made and eaten our dinner that we got our clear moment to capture the photo above.

Total wait time? At least 90 minutes. It was worth it and this is one of my favorite Germany photos.

Germany Photos

Another city, another tower to climb. I thought this tower view was particularly rewarding with the cookie-cutter architecture of the city, bright orange roofs and varied color schemes.


Nuremberg, Germany Photos

As with many of the towns and small villages located on the Romantic Road, people tend to spend more time passing through them then they do enjoy them.

There is a lot to be said for the experience you can have if you just allow yourself to stay overnight in some of these places. There’s also plenty of good Germany photos to be had here.

Not only will you get good photography opportunities when the tour buses leave for the day, but you’ll get a chance to see the real magic on offer. We stayed 2 nights and it opened up Nuremberg in a very special and unique way for us.

Related Article: You’re Crazy If You Don’t Spend 2 Days in Nuremberg

Germany Photos

There are a lot of beautiful places to discover in Nuremberg but we loved being able to wander and then reroute back to the center of the old town.

This stunning marketplace holds one of the best Christmas markets in Europe and well, it isn’t too bad in the summer either.

It’s all about the shapes and contrasts in this square and the red striped umbrellas over the vendor stalls are the perfect finishing touch.

Germany Photos

In between rainstorms, and let me tell you it really rained when we visited Nuremberg, we would spend our time wandering the streets looking for little gems like this.

The architecture is intriguing in these buildings and you can even enjoy a Bavarian dinner in that building complete with brewhouse music, waitresses in lederhosen and cold, German brews.

Germany Photos

This is a view that very, very few people are privileged to get. The main church of St Sebald in the historic center opens its towers to visitors only two times per week and at two specific times.

This prevents the wear and tear on the building that would come if they let everyone visit it with open admission.

We got extremely lucky being there on a day it was open and enjoyed a virtually private tour with only 2 other people of the towers and the entire off-limits area of the church. It was incredible.


Hamburg, Germany Photos

Always lively with sailors, brothels, pirates and wealthy businessmen, Hamburg has seen many faces through the centuries. With so much going on, naturally, it’s been on my radar of European places to visit for years.

We didn’t get the best weather, lots of rain, but we had no trouble falling for this city.

Related Article: Highlights from 3 Days in Hamburg

Germany Photos

One of the most unique districts we have ever come across, the Speicherstadt in Hamburg’s UNESCO World heritage-listed warehouse district not only wows with gothic revival architecture but holds the seams of so many stories of the city.

This is one of our Germany photos that has won several travel photography awards. It’s been licensed multiple times and appeared in magazines in both travel and photography.

Don’t leave home without: Lonely Planet Germany (Travel Guide)

Germany Photos

This statue stands in the now destroyed center of the St Nicholas Church in central Hamburg. The church lies in ruins, but this statue stands out in the center as a memorial to the past of Hamburg. I was captivated by it and could see so many other meanings in the design.

While it is not possible to visit the inside, you can stand at the doors to the company that was hired by the Nazi regime to produce the toxin Zyklon B.

This toxin was the exact poison used in the gas chambers during WWII to exterminate people. The employees of the company didn’t even know what they were producing and they thought it was being used for agricultural purposes.

The owners of the company were directly collaborating with the SS to produce odorless poison.

It’s one of those Germany photos that tells a story.


Berlin, Germany Photos

After spending so much time in Bavaria, Berlin was a bit of a culture shock to us. It’s still classic Germany under the hood but is so progressive and much more modern.

Everything about Berlin screams progress, tolerance, acceptance and we loved it. It’s a city we could live in and that’s saying something.

Related Article: 12 Best Photos Spots in Berlin

Germany Photos

Say hello to the Berlin Cathedral. This beauty sits among some of the most prominent international museums in Berlin and takes up residence on Museum Island.

This small island sits point center to Berlin and the Spree River, making it a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

This is also one of my favorite Germany photos because looking at it takes me back to this beautiful day in Berlin.

Germany Photos

The heart of the city and a monument that has stood through the roller coaster of history in Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate.

During the division of Germany with the Berlin Wall, the Brandenburg Gate was left standing in no man’s land, between East and West Germany.

It was not accessible by the public, yet today it stands as a lively center to spend your afternoon people watching and listening to live musicians.

Germany Photos

Being seen from virtually every corner of the city is the iconic TV Tower in the center of beautiful Berlin. I couldn’t have asked for a more spectacular sky of clouds while walking by to capture the true grandeur of the tower.

Berlin Germany Photos Victory Monumnet

Coming up the stairs from the underground tunnel and catching our first glimpses of the Victory Monument in central Berlin. You can enter the monument and climb the 285 stairs to the top for out of this World views of the city.

Germany Photos Berlin

Views for days and views for miles. THIS is the reward for your effort of climbing the Victory Monument. Can you even believe how lush Berlin is? I love visiting big cities and discovering beautiful green parks in them.

Berlin Germany Photos

This is one of the coolest fountains I have ever seen in my travels. The Neptune Fountain depicts a series of animals circled around and facing 4 women with Neptune at the center. The women are said to represent the 4 rivers of Prussia. Not only is it beautiful but you could spend a solid hour studying it.


Potsdam, Germany Photos

The land of palaces and Prussian royalty, I think a visit to Berlin would be a shame if you didn’t add on a day trip to its neighbor, Potsdam.

Easily accessible on the trains that leave from the center of Berlin, you can spend your day wandering extremely ornate and well-preserved palaces of the Prussian Kings that essentially founded what Germany is today.

Germany Photos Potsdam

Wandering in the footsteps of the Prussian Kings of Potsdam awakened a curiosity in me that I hadn’t felt for a while. Who were the Prussians, where did they come from and why did they come to Germany?

These questions were felt intensely as a large part of my bloodlines come from East Prussia, the last stronghold of the Prussian blood before it was taken by Russia forcing many of the last inhabitants to flee into immigration.

This particular palace, Sansoucci, was the grandest palace of the great Fredrick II. These statues are part of the group of people that ‘hold’ the roof upon the grand palace. Each face is different and all are laughing and joking. A depiction of how Fredrick II chose to enjoy life.

Germany Photos Potsdam

If you were tired of the palace you could head out back to the well-decorated garden area. These large terraces sit just to the side of the palace and create a beautiful way to enter the gardens that occupy acres behind them. Clearly opulent, you can see the wealth and taste of the times of the people that lived here.


Along the Elbe River

When we weren’t road tripping or riding trains around Germany, we were cruising on her best-kept secret, the Elbe River. It was amazing to us how few people venture off the tourist trail in Germany.

We were there in the height of summer when the well-known places were bursting at the seams, yet we hit the Elbe river to find only solitude and quiet little gems.

For anyone on the fence about river cruising, don’t be, it’s a great way to beat the crowds and capture some fantastic Germany photos.

Related Article: Elegant Elbe River Cruise with Viking River Cruises

Germany Photos Wittenberg

The city market of beautiful Wittenberg. This town was the home to the famed, Martin Luther, the man who led the reformation that paved the way for a transition from Catholic to Protestant beliefs.

He’s also the founder of the infamous witch hunt movement that spread even to the New World- famous for the Salem Witch Trials.

Germany Photos Torgau

Torgau is a small town in Germany that we have never heard of before, despite the fact that it contains the oldest and most complete Renaissance Castle in Germany. Our riverboat docked in Torgau for an evening visit and a spectacular sunset.

Germany Photos Dresden

It’s hard to grasp sometimes when you’re fed a piece of information that doesn’t seem possible. This is how visiting Dresden was for me as we were told that the entire city was reduced to nothing but rubble during WWII.

Literally nothing was left standing, yet today we see it in all its glory. Restoration is a powerful thing but something it’s hard to really process that what you’re staring at isn’t original.

Don’t leave home without Lonely Planet Germany (Travel Guide)

Germany Photos Meissen

Behold, the beautiful city of Meissen. After flying our drone for this epic view, we set off on foot to learn a bit more about the history of the city- the center point for some of the finest porcelain in the world- before hiking to the top of the cathedral hill.

Germany Photos

Our last stop in Germany on our river cruise was the beautiful Bad Schandau and Bastei Rock. We took in a fair bit of hiking while we explored the area and we were happy to be out in nature for the first time in weeks.

In 1801, Carl Heinrich Nicolai said about the Bastei Rocks: “What depth of feeling it pours into the soul! You can stand here for a long time without being finished with it… It is so difficult to tear yourself away from this spot.” Well said, Carl, well said.

3 weeks and multiple places visited, yet there is still so much to see in Germany. I have no doubt in my mind we’ll be back to explore more of the beauty this country holds through the lens. Have you been to Germany?

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About Lina Stock

Lina is an award-winning photographer and writer that has been exploring the world since 2001. She has traveled to 100 countries on all 7 continents. Member: SATW, NATJA, ATTA, ITWA



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7 thoughts on “30 Germany Photos That Will Spark Your Wanderlust”

  1. I am glad you enjoyed Germany,
    but just a minor correction: Dachau Concentration Camp is not from World War II. It was opened in 1933, six years before World War II.

    I think this is actually quite important (and shocking) because it shows how soon the Nazis began to turn the country into a brutal dictatorship. The first prisoner escaped in May 1933, went abroad and published a pamphlet about the horrors experienced (although they were not yet at mechanized genocide level), yet the world continued to trade and negotiate with Germany until September 1939 (and some countries beyond that).
    As you have been to Dachau, you have also seen how close it is to the town of Dachau. This is also quite important, because after 1945, Germans liked to say “oh, we didn’t know anything of the concentration camps” because the large death camps like Auschwitz or Sobibor were far in occupied Poland. Dachau is an important example to prove otherwise. After all, many locals were “working” there or selling food or services to the concentration camp.

    Reply
  2. Wow! What an amazing travel blog. Fantastic pictures accompanied by sincere words about what the experience meant for you. Thank you for sharing this as eloquently as you have. I have planned my entire day tomorrow based on this blog post i.e. Munich. Thank you thank you!!

    Reply
  3. Pictures are Stunning! Just inspired me to plan for next trip to Germany. Thanks for Great Information.

    Reply
    • Thank you! We had such a great time in Germany despite the rain. Such a beautiful place. Def add a return visit to your travel plans.

      Reply

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