We're showing you Germany's most popular travel destinations.
Bavaria, Berlin, Saxony or the Saarland?
Which German state draws the most visitors?
Germany's geographical diversity is reflected in the number of its federal states.
From the coastal regions of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
to the mountains and lakes of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
From the smallest state of Bremen, to the most populous one – North Rhine-Westphalia.
Germany has 16 states in total.
Most of them were established after the Second World War, with the founding of the Federal
Republic of Germany in 1949.
After German reunification in 1990 they were joined by five new states
all of which had belonged to the former East Germany:
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.
Each German state has its own characteristics.
Three of them Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen are city states.
The others are geographically-defined states, yet differ according to their size,
population density, and cultural and landscape features.
So what destinations do travelers head for when visiting Germany?
Let's start with North Rhine-Westaphalia coming in at number three with foreign visitors.
It's also Germany's most populous state.
It's capital Düsseldorf alone has a population of 620,000.
The city on the Rhine is an important economic center.
Düsseldorf is also known for its art school and its urban renewal projects, like here
at the landmark Medienhafen.
North Rhine-Westphalia's largest city, Cologne, is also located on the Rhine.
Around 1,1 million people live in the shadow of Cologne Cathedral.
The Gothic cathedral, which took over 600 years to build,
has long been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.
It s also one of the most visited attractions in Germany.
For centuries, the cathedral has also been a place of pilgrimage.
The faithful flock here to see the Shrine of the Three Kings, a reliquary thought to
contain the bones of the Biblical Maji.
An archbishop brought the shrine to Cologne in the 12th century.
Cologne has also undergone a facelift in recent years, especially the areas right on the Rhine.
With the striking Kranhäuser, which resemble cranes, on the one side of the river,
and a new promenade on the other.
A few kilometers further west is Germany's very first UNESCO World Heritage Site:
Aachen Cathedral.
Emperor Charlemagne ordered its construction in the 8th century.
Over its 1200-year history, the cathedral has undergone many extensions and reconstructions.
Thirty-one German kings and twelve queens were also crowned in its Palatine Chapel.
Baden-Württemberg ranks second with foreign visitors,
racking up 4.9 million overnight stays in 2020.
Its state capital is Stuttgart.
With a population of 630,000 it s also Baden-Württemberg's largest city.
The Schlossplatz square and Königstraße or: 'King Street' can be found in the city center.
Stuttgart lies in a basin and is surrounded by vineyards.
Many famous car brands, including Mercedes and Porsche, have their headquarters here.
And show off automotive history in their company-owned museums.
Among Baden-Württemberg's most well-known cities internationally is Heidelberg,
on the Neckar River.
This old university town's landmark is Heidelberg Castle, a ruin which was never fully rebuilt
after suffering damage in wars and fires.
The castle is among Europe's most-visited tourist attractions.
With its university, which was founded in the 14th century,
Heidelberg is also a world-famous center for research.
And close to 40,000 of the city's 160,000 residents are students!
Also in Baden- Württemberg, on a mountaintop at the edge of the Swabian Jura,
or Swabian Alps, sits Hohenzollern Castle.
A monument to German Romanticism, it's an idealized version of a medieval castle.
Built in the mid-19th century, the castle was erected by the Prussian and Swabian lines
of the Hohenzollern family.
That travelers have long visited this region can be seen in Baden-Baden.
In the 19th century, prominent Europeans met here to take the waters at the thermal baths
or try their luck in the casino.
In July 2021, UNESCO conferred World Heritage status on The Great Spa Towns of Europe,
including Baden-Baden.
The Black Forest in the southwest of the state is one of the most popular travel destinations
in Baden-Württemberg.
This forested mountain range stretches from Baden-Baden in the north to Freiburg in the south.
Its landmark, the Freiburg Minster, towers over Germany's southernmost major city.
On week days, a market is held at the foot of this Gothic masterpiece.
The University of Freiburg is considered a pioneer
when it comes to ecological urban development.
Freiburg's New City Hall is the world's first net-zero public building,
one that generates more energy than it consumes.
Though the Heliotrope, a revolving solar-powered house, set the standard back in 1994.
Right in the southwest of Germany, where it's warmest, lies Lake Constance.
It's located where Germany, Austria and Switzerland meet.
Konstanz is the biggest city on the lake.
Even the Pope was once elected here, at the Council of Konstanz.
Today, the city and its roughly 85,000 residents live mainly from tourism,
on and around Germany's largest lake.
Bavaria, with its state capital Munich, continues to be the number one choice
for visitors to Germany – even if their numbers have fallen, due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Before Covid-19 struck, Bavaria welcomed almost 21 million people.
In 2020, the state still accommodated some 7,1 million foreign visitors.
The reason why people are drawn to Bavaria are pretty clear.
Let's start with the breathtaking beauty of the Alps.
Bavaria is home to the Zugspitze. 2,962 meters tall, it's Germany's highest mountain peak.
Since 2017, a new gondola has whisked travellers up to the top in just minutes.
From here, visitors are treated to fabulous Alpine panoramas, weather permitting.
On the plateau under the summit, the Zugspitze has just the thing for wintersports enthusiasts:
the highest ski area in Germany.
The Swan King, Ludwig II, also contributed to Bavaria's attractiveness with his extravagant castles.
The most famous being Neuschwanstein, one of the top tourist draws in all of Germany.
With their mountains and lakes, Bavarian regions like the Allgäu or the Pre-Alps offer plenty
of possibilities for long treks and tours.
And Bavaria's cities are characterized by their clearly visible history.
In Nuremberg, the state's second-biggest city, many buildings in the old town were destroyed
during World War II and later rebuilt.
For instance, the Frauenkirche or Church of Our Lady on the main market square.
515,000 inhabitants live in Nuremberg.
The city is especially popular with tourists from the USA.
However, in 2020, overnight stays by foreign guests have dropped by almost 70 per cent
due to travel restrictions.
Augsburg is Bavaria's third-largest city, and one of the oldest in Germany.
Originally a Roman settlement,
many meetings of the Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empirewere held here.
One of Augsburg s special features is its water management system.
Developed over many centuries, it includes old hydroelectric power stations, canals and
fountains that have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2019.
Bavaria's fourth-largest city, Regensburg,
escaped largely unscathed during the Second World War.
Since 2006, its Old Town – with its 12th-century Stone Bridge and Regensburg Cathedral
has been on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list.
Along with Cologne Cathedral,
Regensburg Cathedral is among the most impressive Gothic cathedrals in Germany.
But the attraction that visitors from abroad associate most closely with Bavaria is surely
Munich's Oktoberfest.
Though, due to the pandemic, the world s largest folk festival has been cancelled
for the second year in a row.
Locals and tourists are hoping that the popular beer festival, with its over 200 years of
tradition, will be back in 2022.