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Amazing Artsy Sightseeing in Germany for the Independent Traveler

January 11, 2022October 3, 2024Arts & Culture, Destinations, Germany Artsy Traveler 1 Comment

Last updated on October 3rd, 2024 at 12:54 am

Artsy sightseeing in Germany means music, castles, and museums, particularly in Berlin. And concerts!

Every time I travel to Germany, I make time to go to a classical music concert. After all, Germany is the home of Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and a whole lot of other luminaries. It’s also home to some of the world’s greatest concert halls. A classical music concert in Germany is always an artsy traveler treat.

In this post, I share some of my favorite artsy experiences in Germany.

Map of Germany: Suggested Artsy Favorites

The map below shows the locations of the artsy sightseeing favorites mentioned in this post. Click a number to read more about the location.

This map was made with Wanderlog, a travel planner on iOS and Android

Music Museums For Artsy Sightseeing in Germany

As a life-long lover of classical music and a pianist, I enjoy visiting museums dedicated to some of my favorite composers. Germany is home to many great composers, including Bach and Beethoven, both of whom have museums dedicated to them.

Bach Museum in Leipzig

If you’re a Bach fan, head for Leipzig to enjoy one of the hippest music museums I’ve ever visited. I could have stayed there all day!

The Bach Museum (#1 on the map) is located next to the Thomaskirche, the church where Bach is buried. The museum is open 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday so make sure you don’t make Monday your Leipzig day.

Statue of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig Germany, a artsy sightseeing choice for the music lover — Statue of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig Germany

A highlight for me were the many interactive exhibits, including the Virtual Baroque Orchestra. The instruments are displayed on a wall with each instrument being played marked by a light signal. Press the button corresponding to the instrument and its sound will be amplified so you can hear it more distinctly. The orchestra plays three pieces and I listened to them all.

Another highlight, particularly if you’re a musician and have played Bach, is the Listening Studio. Sit on a comfy couch at a listening station, don the headphones provided and search a database containing every single one of Bach’s compositions (and trust me, he wrote a lot). I wanted to stay forever.

Here are some other sightseeing options in Leipzig.

Beethoven House in Bonn

I first visited Beethoven’s birthplace in Bonn when I was 18. I’ll never forget going into the small house and hearing Beethoven being played on a piano located in the room where he was born.

The Beethoven-Haus (#2) museum has grown since then and is now considered one of the most visited music museums in the world. It’s also one of the 100 most popular sights in Germany. The museum is open almost every day of the year from 10 am to 6 pm.

Statue of Beethoven in Bonn, Germany, a major artsy sightseeing choice — Statue of Beethoven in Bonn, Germany

Concerts for Artsy Sightseeing in Germany

Go out of your way to attend concerts when you’re in Germany. Choose a major concert venue such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, a chamber concert, or even a folk performance.

Classical Concerts in Berlin

One of the highlights of our German travels was hearing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in the Philharmonie Hall (#3) in Berlin. Checking out this acoustically amazing and super-modern concert hall was almost as exciting as enjoying the performance.

Berlin Philharmonic concert hall, an artsy sightseeing must see — The Berliner Philharmonie concert hall in Berlin, Germany

Classical Concerts in Leipzig

While seeing a symphony orchestra perform in a grand concert hall is a huge artsy traveler treat, also seek out smaller venues to see chamber music and solo performances. At the world famous Gewandhaus (#4) in Leipzig, we snagged last-minute tickets to see a pianist perform a stellar repertoire of Chopin. The cost was only about fifteen euros each–an amazing bargain considering the quality of the performance. At smaller venues, you may be the only tourist. Enjoy being a temporary local among fellow music lovers.

Classical Concerts in Cologne

In Cologne, catch a performance at the Kölner Philharmonie (#5). Located close to Cologne Cathedral, the modern concert hall is breathtaking, with excellent acoustics and comfy seats.

Classical Concerts in Hamburg

In Hamburg, see a performance at the ultra-modern Elbphilharmonie (#6)–one of the world’s most stunning concert halls.

Interior of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg

Folk Music in Bacharach

On a folksier note, be on the lookout for concerts featuring medieval instruments. We attended one in Bacharach in the Rhine Valley. Costumed performers played wind instruments, drums, zithers, and other medieval instruments and explained in English and German what they were playing. At the end of the concert, most of the audience (me included) got up to dance.

Museums for Artsy Sightseeing in Germany

Germany is awash with amazing museums, including some of the largest museums in the world in Munich and Berlin. Here are a few of my favorites.

Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne

The Romano-Germanic Museum (#7) (Römisch-Germanisches Museum) is simply amazing and one of the best museums we’ve visited in Germany.

Beautifully curated displays present the archaeological heritage of Cologne from the Palaeolithic period to the early Middle Ages, including the centuries when Rome was in charge. You’ll see the world’s largest collections of Roman glass vessels, and gold work and goods showing the lives of Romani and Franks in early medieval Cologne.

Here are some other sightseeing options in Cologne.

Duetsches Museum in Munich

I first visited the Deutsches Museum (#8) back in the 1990s when my daughter was eight. This incredible museum presents twenty exhibitions exploring science and technology, from aviation and chemistry to robotics and health. It’s a great place to take a child thanks to plenty of hands-on exhibits with explanations in English and German. Allow plenty of time to enjoy this museum!

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg

Spare a few hours for Hamburg’s Miniatur Wunderland (#9), touted as the largest model railway in the world. It really is spectacular. No wonder it’s Hamburg’s number one tourist attraction with more than 16 million visitors from all over the world.

As the name suggests, Miniatur Wunderland showcases the world in miniature with over 265,000 figures, along with thousands of cars, ships, trains, and even planes taking off and landing. Everything is automated, providing constant jolts of fun as you stroll around the vast space (1,499 square meters). Kids will love it and adults will appreciate the incredible craftsmanship.

Art Museums for Artsy Sightseeing in Germany

Here’s a list of some of my favorite art museums in Germany.

Berlin Art Galleries

Pergamon Museum in Berlin

As one of the most visited museums in Germany, the Pergamon Museum (#10) deserves a spot high on your list of Berlin sites. The big attraction is the incredible collection of massive archaeological structures from ancient Middle East, including the Pergamon Altar, the Market Gate of Miletus, the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon, and the Mshatta Façade.

The Pergamon Museum is one of five world-class museums on Museum Island in Berlin. To read about all of them, see Booming Berlin.

Gemäldegalerie in Berlin

The modern building (#11) houses a first-rate collection of European painting from the 13th to 18th centuries including masterpieces by Jan van Eyck, Pieter Bruegel, Albrecht Dürer, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, and Jan Vermeer van Delft.

Here are more options in Berlin:

Munich Art Galleries

There are three “Pinakotheken” museums in the Art District or Kunstareal: the Alte Pinakothek (#12) is one of the oldest museums in the world and houses a fine collection of Old Masters.

Nearby is Pinakothek der Moderne (#13) which is four museums in one: art, prints and drawings, architecture, and design. When we visited, we saw a wonderful exhibition of paintings by Frank Stella.

The Neue Pinakothek is closed until 2025. Several works from the collection, including paintings by Goya, Manet, van Gogh, and Klimt, are currently on display on the ground floor of the Alte Pinakothek.

Max Ernst Museum Near Cologne

A highlight is a visit to the Max Ernst Museum (#14) in Brühl, an easy tram ride from Cologne or Bonn. The museum features a marvelous collection of work by one of the 20th century’s foremost surrealists. Max Ernst is one of Gregg’s favorite artists (Gregg Simpson is my husband and also an artist and my frequent travel companion!), so visiting the museum was a true pilgrimage for him.

If you’re a fan of the work of Max Ernst, be sure to put the museum on your list. The grounds surrounding the museum are beautiful.

Albrecht Dürer’s House in Nuremberg

This charming house (#15) where Dürer (1471-1528) lived and worked for over 20 years is one of the few surviving burgher houses in Nuremberg. It’s also the only surviving artist’s house from the period in northern Europe.

Albrecht Durer's House, Nuremberg, Germany — Albrecht Durer’s House, Nuremberg, Germany

Tour the various rooms to see how a wealthy person lived in the 16^th century. Head upstairs to the workshop to enjoy a demonstration of the printmaking techniques Dürer used to produce his woodcuts, including one of his most famous—the rhinoceros.

Conclusion

One of the many things I love about traveling in Germany is the variety of interesting sights and regions, and as mentioned earlier, the quality of the music performances. At least two weeks is needed to even scratch the surface of Germany. It’s a big country!

Must-see places are Berlin, the Rhine Valley, and Munich, and if you have time, check out Leipzig, Dresden, and Hamburg. Here are more posts about Germany to explore:

So you have more artsy traveler favorites in Germany? Share your suggestions in the comments below.

Favorite Regions in Germany for the Artsy Traveler

January 11, 2022December 14, 2024Arts & Culture, Destinations, Germany Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment

Last updated on December 14th, 2024 at 04:36 am

Germany has much to offer the Artsy Traveler–from the museums of bustling Berlin to the pastoral landscapes of the Rhine Valley and a lot in between.

In this post, I review some of my favorite regions in Germany and include recommendations for what to see and where to stay.

The map below shows the destinations I’ve visited and recommend for artsy traveling.

Cologne and the Rhine Valley

Add Cologne and a short cruise along the Rhine to your Germany trip. Here’s a suggested itinerary for a week in this magical area.

Days 1 and 2: Cologne

Day 3: Bonn

Days 4 and 5: St. Goar to home base, then take a cruise down the Rhine to Bacharach (about an hour) and the local train back to St. Goar

Days 6 and 7: Stay in Cochem and explore the Mosel Valley for a day or visit Trier with its excellent Roman ruins.

Town of Bacharach in the Rhine Valley in Germany — The Rhine Valley at Bacharach is fairytale land

See more details about this itinerary in Exploring Cologne and the Rhine Valley.

Berlin

Gregg and I spent a week in Berlin when he had an exhibition there and so had lots of time to explore this remarkable city. The weight of history is heavy in Berlin but at the same time, the city is energetic and forward-looking.

From an artsy perspective, Berlin is up there with London and Paris as one of Europe’s premier cultural capitals.

Read my suggestions for enjoying up to a week in Booming Berlin: Your Artsy Guide.

Leipzig

This city retains some of its East German past—dreary apartment blocks, cheap tickets to music concerts, and Ampelmänn (Ampelmännchen in German).

When you travel in Germany, you know when you’re in a city or region that was once part of East Germany by the crosswalk signals for pedestrians. We first spotted the red Stop and green Go Ampelmännchen in Leipzig and again in Berlin when we were in neighborhoods that used to be behind the Berlin Wall.

Green Ampelmänn pedestrian go sign in Germany — Ampelmänn says Go

Red Ampelmänn pedestrian stop sign in Germany — Ampelmänn says Stop

I became rather fond of Ampelmänn and even bought a plastic walking man for my keychain. For a dizzying variety of Ampelmännchen schlock, visit the Ampelmänn shops in Berlin (see more in Booming Berlin: Your Artsy Guide).

Bach in Leipzig

The big draw in Leipzig is Johann Sebastian Bach. I’d always wanted to visit Leipzig because of its connection to Bach and finally got my wish in 2015. The Bach Museum has to be one of the world’s finest music museums.

Leipzig has a marvelous pedestrian area teeming with restaurants. Different varieties of beer from various regions all over Europe are featured. When I asked for a beer that was local to Leipzig in a restaurant that only served beer from Munich, I got a very frosty reception from the server. Apparently, it’s a faux pas to order Leipzig beer in a Bavarian-themed restaurant. Who knew?

The people of Leipzig are proud of their contribution to the dissolution of East Germany. The pivotal day of the Peaceful Revolution was October 9, 1989 when 70,000 protestors marched into the center of Leipzig crying “We are the People!” and “No violence”.

The young man at the hotel desk, who probably wasn’t even alive in 1989, was eager to tell us all about it when we checked in.

Munich

Like Berlin, Munich is a must-see city in Germany. Alas, I haven’t been back to Munich since our family trip in the 1990s which means I’m due for another visit.

I remember drinking excellent beer in the Marienplatz—the main square—while waiting for the famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel clock to chime the hour. Every day at 11 am and noon (and 5 pm in the summer), the clock chimes and carved medieval figures re-enact stories from the 16th century.

The dolls dancing in the clock of Marienplatz in Munich, Germany.

Don’t miss the massive Deutsches Museum that showcases over 100,000 objects from the fields of science and technology and is one of the most important museums of science and technology in the world. Exhibits range from atomic physics to the Altamira cave to a magnified model of a human cell as well as other displays from the Stone Age to the present.

Munich is also home to world-class art museums including the Alte Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne. The Neue Pinakothek is closed until 2025, with some of its masterpieces now being exhibited at the Alte Pinakothek.

Nuremberg

This city in south central Germany has a lot to recommend it. We stopped there on our way north from Italy en route to Leipzig and Berlin.

You’ll find an attractive old town with plenty of half-timbered buildings, pedestrian-only streets, the Nuremberg Castle which miraculously survived allied bombs, and my favorite, the Albrecht Dürer House (see Artsy Favorites in Germany).

Stroll the medieval streets and enjoy a dinner of German sausage and beer. Here are two views of Nuremberg.

Trier

We spent a night in Trier and really enjoyed its laid back atmosphere, attractive town square, and its Roman ruins. It was a convenient night’s stopover on our way from Amsterdam to Italy.

For us, the attraction of Trier was its Roman ruins. As you’ve probably already guessed if you’ve spent any time on this website, Gregg and I are suckers for a good Roman ruin and usually go out of our way to find them.

The Romans lived in Trier for over 500 years, and in the 4th century the city was the favored residence of Roman emperors, including Emperor Constantine. In Trier, you’ll find lots of Roman ruins including a complex of Roman baths, a large amphitheater and the mammoth Porta Nigra (Black Gate).

The Porta Nigra (Black Gate) - a 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier, Germany — The Porta Nigra (Black Gate) – a 2nd-century Roman city gate in Trier, Germany

When you’re done with ruins, visit the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, a large archeological museum with an excellent collection of Roman artifacts.

Once you’ve had your fill of Roman ruins, spend the evening strolling Trier’s pedestrian main street lined with half-timbered houses, admire the market cross that dates from 958 in the market square, and enjoy a dinner accompanied by plenty of local wine.

Attractive half-timbered houses in Trier, Germany

When we were in Trier in 2018, the town was gearing up to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. Strores were filled with Karl Marx rubber duckie, replete with a copy of Das Kapital clutched under one wing and a quill pen in the other.

I didn’t buy one and am now kicking myself since I doubt I’ll be around for the 300th anniversary.