Germany · best-of list
The 9 Best Outdoor Spots in Germany
All 9 outdoor spots our route editors picked in Germany, across 8 destinations, gathered in one list. Each one is a stop on a route you can open and copy into a trip.
Our curated picks
9 outdoor spots in Germany, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Dresden 2 picks
Bastei Bridge
Dresden · On our Berlin, Potsdam & Dresden route
Sandstone bridge among rock towers 194 m above the Elbe in Saxon Switzerland.
Tip: Take the S1 to Kurort Rathen and hike up 30 minutes.
Photo: Uwe Kaufmann · Google
Brühl's Terrace
Dresden · On our Berlin, Potsdam & Dresden route
Raised riverside promenade known as the Balcony of Europe.
Tip: Walk it at dusk for the skyline across the Elbe.
Photo: Nikater · Public domain
Berlin 1 pick
Tempelhofer Feld
Berlin · On our Berlin, Potsdam & Dresden route
Former airport turned huge public park; cycle or skate the old runways.
Photo: Coooohen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Füssen 1 pick
Alpsee
Füssen · On our Bavaria & the Romantic Road route
Clear mountain lake below the castles with a lakeside loop path.
Photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Munich 1 pick
Englischer Garten
Munich · On our Bavaria & the Romantic Road route
Huge city park with river surfers at the Eisbach wave and the Chinese Tower beer garden.
Photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Potsdam 1 pick
Park Sanssouci
Potsdam · On our Berlin, Potsdam & Dresden route
Large palace park with the Chinese House, Orangery and miles of paths.
Tip: Rent a bike to cover the length of the park.
Photo: Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden Germany · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Rothenburg ob der Tauber 1 pick
Burggarten
Rothenburg ob der Tauber · On our Bavaria & the Romantic Road route
Castle garden on a spur above the Tauber valley.
Photo: Nemanja ßibinkic · Google
Rüdesheim 1 pick
Niederwalddenkmal
Rüdesheim · On our Cologne, Koblenz & Rüdesheim route
The 1883 Germania monument on the Niederwald ridge, high above the vineyards and the Rhine bend at Bingen.
Tip: Walk up through the vineyards in about 45 minutes; the path starts at the top of the old town.
Photo: Ansgar Koreng · CC BY 4.0
Würzburg 1 pick
Festung Marienberg
Würzburg · On our Würzburg, Bamberg & Nuremberg route
Hilltop fortress above the vineyards on the west bank, with walls and terraces looking over the old town.
Tip: Walk up through the vineyards from the bridge in about 20 minutes.
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the outdoor spots in Germany?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 9 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Germany has the most outdoor spots on this list?
Dresden has the most (2 of 9), followed by Berlin (1) and Füssen (1).
Are any of these free?
9 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Bastei Bridge, Park Sanssouci, Niederwalddenkmal, Festung Marienberg, Brühl's Terrace, and more. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for Germany
Best outdoor spots nearby
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.