You will always find more votes for bigger cities, just by the way this works. The best city is very much in the eyes of the beholder. Freiburg, Marburg, Rothenburg o. d.T., Passau, Lübeck, Schwerin, Quedlinburg, Erfurt. I could go on and on. Best for singles, or families, DINKS, NIMBYS, students, pensioners. What are you looking for? Go from there.
Very very very very busy. And the best part of town (altstadt) is EXTREMELY expensive with very few apartments, and the altstadt encompasses all of about 3 streets, so everyone gets funneled to the Hauptstraße. The other parts of the city are just generic German pre-industrial neighborhoods.
Wonderful city to visit, though, for the reasons you listed; but I understand not wanting to live there.
Lived there for 12 years, basically my whole childhood and youth. Loved it. I could step out of the Realschule and had a clear view of the castle, and looking back, I especially appreciate how you could get pretty much anywhere by tram in about 30 mins.
Now live in Dortmund, and my god, I miss it. I might be romanticizing it a bit, but I still love that city dearly.
I’m sure it’s got its faults but personally so glad I got to move here. Nothing like views of hills and rivers while on a run or just grocery shopping. And a nice new hike is always just a few minutes away. For the most part people have been amazing too. But that just proves it’s subjective I guess.
Hamburg is the most beautiful city in Germany, and do you know how you can tell? As soon as you arrive, the locals will tell you that it is the most beautiful city in Germany.
agree, hamburg is the perfect mix of many things. not as vast as berlin, not as traditional as munich and not dead in the night as frankfurt
just there isn't many software companies
Ya, but if the reason you care is bc of tech jobs then there’s plenty of tech jobs at regular companies. In my experience of 3 rounds of Germany-wide job searches, the amount of job interviews I got were: Rhein-Ruhr >> Frankfurt > Hamburg = Berlin = München. Job offers were Rhein-Ruhr >> Frankfurt = Hamburg > Berlin = München.
My suspicion is that bc Frankfurt, Berlin and München are more beloved by internationals, you’ll prob have a lot of competition for jobs in those three cities (which also have a lot more English-language jobs, Rhein-Ruhr and Hamburg were almost all German-only).
I have lived in Freiburg for the past 5 years and am still so mesmerised and in love with the city. I am glad I made the decision to move here literally every other day. 😅
Another vote for Münster. Not too crowded, nice lake, beautiful downtown, everything accessible by bike, nice places to meet for a beer. There are lots of students, so it’s a young city.
living in south germany but my ex gf lived in münster for half a year Ive been there 3 times. its really a beautiful city with alot to see. The market in front of the dom is really good on weekends
who would have thought.
Bike/pedestrian friendly,
lots of young people,
not too big city.
Not too hot, not too cold climate.
Clean environment. Nature closeby
easy to reach big cities, fairly easy to reach coast/hills/woods.
Lowest AfD scores in the country.
Only suprising topic is how Münster can even exist in the tar black pit that is conservative CDU voters all surrounding in the "Münsterland" feels like that one quote from Asterix "Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely... "
I wanted to visit Münster just for the cages and was pleasantly surprised how beautiful and clean the city is. Even the rougher parts of the city are alright.
Münster is my top choice if I could live in any city.
I'm an immigrant, I moved from NL to Munich a few years ago. It went so poorly that I then moved back to the US after 4 months. I moved here again in 2022 to Cologne.
It's gone much better the second time. Part of that is due to being better prepared and part is just due to luck... but, also, the people are generally nice and welcoming here.
So, subjectively, I would have to defend my new hometown as the best city in Germany.
I absolutely ADORE Köln. It's just 1:45min from Brussels and just the vibe is amazing.
It's not an outstandingly pretty city but there's just something about sitting am Rhein in the evening and watch the city live. I'm desperately trying to get my bf with me to Köln. He hates big cities but I have been pressing him that he NEEDS to trust me on this one.
Even before the legalization of weed it was one of my favourite summer outings just to go to Köln and chill and drink and smoke with people there.
It never disappointed.
I'm gonna look in to train tickets now.
I NEED KÖLN.
Oh yeah, while there are some very nice areas, Cologne isn't winning any "prettiest city" awards. But, we were actually advised to move here by German friends in Hamburg. I do like Hamburg as well though.
There was a [survey](https://www.skl-gluecksatlas.de/artikel/staedteranking-2024.html) lately about the happiest cities in Germany. Kassel self-reported as the happiest city in Germany, followed by Erfurt, Aachen and Kiel.
Karlsruhe btw. came out second (after Munich) in objective criteria and second-to-last in subjective feeling. Make of that what you will.
I relocated from Heidelberg to Karlsruhe for work two years ago, and I have to say I was impressed at how great of a place to live Karlsruhe is! It's a vibrant, green city with amazing parks and a top-notch biking infrastructure. It's a hub for students, but it's also a city where high-skilled workers live, too. There are parties, raves, and incredible concerts, operas, and ballets at the state theater. With a population of 300k it's not a small city, but you can bike almost everywhere within 15 minutes. I will be leaving soon and will miss it dearly.
While I agree with my fellow commenters to keep it a secret I can only agree about how nice it is to live here. Dont get me wrong its not perfect and when you are an introverted shy 24 yeal old immigrant trying to find the love of your life at KIT you might not have the best time of your life. But as you said its a super vibrant city in imo the best state in the country to stay in (heidelberg is amazing) too. Its not cheap but you can stay super close to green places like parks, forest, lakes and still reach inner city in like 15-20min by bike.
And Erfurt is one of the german cities with the hardest line between rich and poor areas, there is almost no inbetween. If you earn above average you will live in a nice villa or Gründerzeithaus, with *a lot* of green and medival ambience around you.
If you earn average, or dare you, below average, have fun living in a full soviet style 18 floor nightmare concrete building at the outer parts, on some field, so far away from the nice inner city that you can only guess in what direction it is. If you are even able to catch one, because basically the whole federal state wants to live there or in Jena
Anyway as a tourist the city is a blast. Objectively and subjectively considered one of the best christmas markets in europe and the cathedral + fortress + old town assemble is cocaine for history nerds and city hikers
Best german city to live at the Lake of Constance. I’d even say that in general it is one of the nicest, livable cities in Germany imo. And I was born in Friedrichshafen.
Living in Stuttgart right now, can't agree more. This city has no soul. Been to Düsseldorf and liked it a lot. Hope one day will move somewhere between Düsseldorf and Köln, as a lot of people say that Köln is one of the nicest cities of DE.
Cool old buildings don't make a city necessarily good to live in. Brussels has them and it's a shithole. Cologne has other things that make it interesting, much like Berlin.
I am from the south and I fully agree. I mean she did not move right into stuttgart but close enough. I found it especially strange because she and her partner have both remote jobs. They can live anywhere and chose Stuttgart.
Düsseldorf is pretty neat compared to similar sized cities and there is a shitload of things to do, be it international cuisine or arts (or getting obliterated for that matter). Also, good nature spots along the Rhine, just across from city center and the city park is massive. Cologne has a better music scene though
Coming from Berlin, the cultural shock hit me hard when arriving in Stuttgart.
I learned to like it though. There are many green spaces, you're always close to a forest, Killesberg is awesome. Tram network is excellent. Air quality isn't good in the center, but much better in the Filder plain.
You can go to Paris in 3.5h. Lake Constance isn't too far away.
The Bahnhofsviertel is the really ugly part of it. Brothels, drug addicts and generally sketchy people right there. The downtown is very nice and there is a lot to be found.
I used to live in Wiesbaden, which is like an hour S-Bahn ride away. Going to Frankfurt was always fun.
There's lots of hate towards Stuggi, especially in reddit. I don't really think it is rational.
I have lived in a few places in Germany, and visited all big cities and most medium-sized ones (and of course, a fair share of little towns). I live in Stuttgart and I like it. It has its own personality, it has plenty of nice places, an OK-nightlife, plenty of forestry around, and downtown is as awful as any other large city.
Interestingly, I do not see what people find so spectacular about Berlin or Munich. Yeah, they are large-ish. And some parts of them are fancy... so what? What is that make them better? What do they have that you cannot find in Stuttgart?
By the way, I come originally from Buenos Aires, so it is not that I have no point of comparison with really large cities, really crazy night-life, huge cultural offers, and what not. I think most of the hate is simply ignorance and a lack of curiosity to find the interesting parts of cities instead of following the herds of tourists and shoppers on the main streets.
Couldn’t agree with you more. I often think people come to Stuttgart, walk up the Königsstrasse once and declare that they hate it. There is so much more to it…but you need to be willing to explore
Cologne is ugly af, but it's still the best I'd say. Why? Because it's the only city in Germany that can make you feel truly at home even if you weren't born there. Their local culture is very inclusive. Have a Kölsch, sing along and you can be a Kölner, too, no matter where you came from.
True. Lived in Munich for 4 years and as a German was being treated like an unwanted immigrant, had met mostly unfriendly inhabitants. Moved to Cologne and felt at home immediately. Best 10 years of my life. I miss Cologne much now, living in a small town near Bonn. OK, but whenever I can I visit the "ugly" city of Cologne.
tübingen: it has a very big university and a hospital complex spanning the whole city. there is a lot of research going on, a lot of young people live there, the city is not too big and with the schönbuch, the castle and the neckar it has an amazing landscape and with the surrounding villages you can live there for a reasonable price. in addition they produce quite a lot green energy there.
and with the high level of education there is a lower percentage of people voting for afd and cdu
Hamburg is the most attractive city overall IMO while Cologne is the friendliest and most fun city as far as I’m concerned. Berlin is great for its anything-goes vibe and for simply having the most of everything.
Frankfurt gets a lot of hate for no good reason but deserves a mention for being Germany’s most multicultural major city by far. It always surprises me how clueless Germans and non-Germans alike are about this fact.
Düsseldorf is also quite decent. Bremen would be my pick for hidden gem among the larger cities.
I love Mainz, just feels like home to me. Lots of hidden places that aren't too busy, but also great parks. Love cycling at the Rhein. Okayish rave/night scene. Lots of younger more openminded people. Love that the shopping area also isn't just one street but more widened out.
Frankfurt is definitely one of the most interesting places in the world. The city is very dense (half an hour by bike from one end to the other). There are so many different cultural environments, from the big financial world to the very alternative Bockenheim and the snobby Bornheim. And Offenbach is not far away - which of course is bloody ugly, but also very pleasant. The walk from the main station to Hauptwache - city center is a journey in itself. extrem poverty vs extrem wealth: side by side - Junkies - red light district - hipsters - banksters - opera house - expensive stores - all within a 30-minute walk. Ahhh - I love this city
the scale is perfect
no hipsters (none)
weirdly a lot of tourists these days (what are you HERE FOR?)
if Berlin is comparable to New York (it's f. not)
then Frankfurt is comparable to Pittsburgh
come for a visit - you'll be bored within 6 hours
to live here is a different thing.
Bin selber ein Zugezogener in einem bayerischen Dorf und komme gebürtig aus Ostdeutschland. Das A und O um im Dorf Anschluss zu finden sind die dortigen Vereine. Freiwillige Feuerwehr, Musikkapelle, Schützenverein etc.
Das typische Dorfleben funktioniert nur weil man sich kennt, und wenn du einem Verein beitritts lernst du viele kennen und was noch wichtiger ist, die Leute lernen dich kennen. Und wenn einem Musik oder Schießen nicht liegt gibts immernoch die FF, bisschen Technik und im Notfall anderen Helfen kann jeder.
Das ist natürlich nicht allgemeingültig, aber von allen Kollegen vom Dorf war das immer der Tipp um nicht als dummer Zugezogener zu gelten.
Oh, und versuch bei Gelegenheiten wie Dorffesten zu unterstützen. Da freut sich jeder um freiwillige Helfer, und wenn du nicht an der Kasse, Salatbar oder Ausschank helfen willst kann man immernoch mit Auf- und Abbauen.
Bin selbst der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr beigetreten und seitdem hat sich das ganze Leben im Dorf geändert. Klar gibts auch da Unsymphaten oder ein paar komische Gestalten, aber die meisten sind froh dich kennenzulernen und ein neues Mitglied aufnehmen zu dürfen.
My personal top tier city is Bonn, I moved here as a child and love it.
Beautiful old town, really good public transport, very green, a pretty quiet city in general, nice and friendly people, you have the Rhine where you can chill, drink beer and enjoy the sun set. But in general it’s a more chilled city, no big party scene or anything. At the near of Cologne tho where you can party. And a lot of good building projects at the moment. Downside is the big drug abuse problem at the central station and crowded streets.
I think Hannover is also really nice, but I was there only once. The architecture, the parks and all are beautiful tho, paired with pretty good public transportation.
Also on my top list is Frankfurt am Main. From my experience it is really clean and beautiful. Nice people (but I’m pretty extrovert, I guess that helps in many cases) and pretty parks. The Main is beautiful too. But the subway stations are the worst! Literally 20 homeless people laying in one station. My gf and I didn’t feel safe. In the rest of the „city“ (we have only seen the city from the central station to the old town and east from there) we felt pretty safe.
It really is - and I hd to scroll way to far down for this comment!
And fun fact: it has the highest density of Michelin- Star-rated restaurants per Person in Germany. Was in the newspaper this week :)
Würzburg because its the perfect combination betwenn big city life and nature with its vineyards and the river main. Nothing if seen so far beats the queen of franconia
Parts definitely do. I'm in Köpenick and it's got its charm for sure. I'm currently sitting on a beach that I walked to from my apartment. My feet are in the water and I'm surrounded by trees even though I'm still technically in the city limit.
Dresden!
In recent years, it has repeatedly won the title of the most beautiful city in Germany.
No other city combines the benefits of a big city with nature and provincial charm so perfectly for me.
Which other city lets you reach a region like the Saxon Switzerland in 30 minutes by S-Bahn?
Or has a huge forest area like the Dresdner Heide right in the middle of the city?
Art and culture from all over the world are present here, especially now with the Schaubuden Sommer.
Where else do you live with all your friends within a 1km radius like in Dresden's Neustadt?
And then the Elbe meadows – where else in the middle of the city do you find such wide green spaces, often a kilometer from the nearest buildings?
Sure, some immediately shout "But Nazis!!". But Dresden is a hidden gem in the international scene: affordable rents, great jobs in the high-tech sector. The AfD can do what they want – Dresden is fortunately growing more and more into a global metropolis.
Can confirm! Lived in Neustadt for 2 months and I always felt something special coming back from a weekend in noisy Berlin.
Dresden also has lots of museum and one of the biggest art galleries in Germany. As well as the most beautiful cheese/dairy shop in the world. And regular cinema shows by the riverbed.
Berlin is clearly heads and shoulders above any other city in terms of its global significance - as the capital and largest city and because of its unique position as one of the great bohemian melting pots. Hamburg is also a pretty wild ride, though. Other cities are often more beautiful than these two, and have their own characters that may or may not appeal to you. But those have to be the numbers one and two just in terms of their size and the scope of what is going on there. Köln, München, Düsseldorf are also close to continental if not global significance. But because of Germany's federal structure and decentralisation, there are a lot of cities in the 2nd and 3rd tier which lead the way on something - like Frankfurt aM for banking, Leipzig for music, Dresden for architecture, Stuttgart for engineering, Kassel in the artworld, and so on.
Big cities: Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg
I personally loved Berlin for its relatively un-German feeling and strong history. The few Berliners I know have a more worldly, relaxed vibe compared to my other German friends. Food scene is good, and during my 20s I was very attracted to the hipster and grungy character of the city. Not sure how I'd feel like now though when going back and being over that phase.
Cologne to me is like a more cleaner Berlin, the most friendliest Germans.
Hamburg has a bit of everything.
\*\*\*
Small cities: Heidelberg and surrounding area (not Ludwigshafen or Mannheim though), but I love Freiburg the most.
Unpopular opinion: Stuttgart.
It is close to the borders of Switzerland, Austria and France. Within 6 hours you can also travel to Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg and Belgium. Within a radius of 50 km you have plenty of beautiful small towns for day trips like Tübingen, Esslingen am Neckar, Herrenberg, Ludwigsburg, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Marbach plus numerous outdoor activity options.
Besides the travel options Stuttgart is a very green city. It offers a lot of job opportunities and cultural events, Weindorf, Comicon, Festival of Cultures, Trickfilmfestival, Jazz Open, just to name a few. This is often overseen.
Stuttgart is currently undergoing a major phase of modernization. Means that a lot of construction work is underway.
Fun fact, in Stuttgart there are people living from every country of the world. Not even Berlin ist home to people of that many different origins. Also around 27% of the inhabitants are foreigners compared ro 22% in Berlin. This makes Stuttgart more diverse than Berlin. It is truly a supercultural city.
Düsseldorf: International, good infrastructure, lots of things happening, nice public spaces, wide selection of jobs, affordable suburbs, open-minded mentality, easy to get around.
I liked Leipzig because it is like Berlin but mostly the good parts, and it is also conveniently smaller.
Other favorites of mine would be medium sized cities at the sea like Rostock, Lübeck, Kiel, Flensburg, Bremerhaven etc.
I love Braunschweig. Size is decent, there's a university, so lots of young people, rent is okay and it's really beautiful with lots of green and pretty old buildings.
I lived in several other cities but always came back.
Düsseldorf! It’s as clean as your mom’s kitchen, as classy as James Bond, has stellar connectivity, and Altbier that could make a monk break his vow of silence.
Bremen. It's somewhat cheap for a city of its size, has great public transport, even better bicycle infrastructure, nice parks and a decent sightseeing catalogue. Maybe not the best city to visit, but certainly the best one to live in.
(The only other cities I have lived in are Dortmund and Siegen though, so maybe competition isn't that tough)
Heidelberg ❤️ Not too big, not too small, centuries of culture and history but also nature 5min away from wherever you are in HD. Very cosmopolitan, you can hear many different languages, plus cca 30% of inhabitants are younger than 30 years, as it is also boasts a famous university.
The other city with similar vibes (culture+nature+university) is Freiburg, though it’s double the size of Heidelberg
Koblenz. Situated between the Rhine and Mosel rivers. The entire stretch of Mosel is the wine region and is dotted with very pretty towns. The area between Koblenz and Mainz is full of beautiful castles. Bonn and Köln are nearby.
For me Düsseldorf.
I've lived in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt a.M. and reside in ddorf currently. I've frequented (biz trips, weekend leisure stays or regular visits due to work) Cologne, Hamburg, Bonn, Wuppertal.
So you have an idea of what I'm comparing it to.
I like Düsseldorf Most because it's very clean compared to all other cities mentioned, minus Munich.
It's relatively small in size and it feels like everything is within reach. Even going by car is not a huge chore which I've experienced very differently in all other cities mentioned.
It's got something going on ALWAYS. It's the most diverse city from all the cities I mentioned. There is a huge Turkish, Moroccan, Italian, Greek, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese presence and you can really see it in the cuisines here, the restaurants and the quality of the food served. There are always (food) festivals, something going on at the river bank or the yearly Kirmes which is essentially a humongous amusement park where u pay per ride.
The culture here feels laid back. It doesn't feel like I'm in Germany (talking stereotypes here). Everyone is chill, little nagging going on, people make small talk and social life exists here outside of work as well in case you're looking to make friends.
Connectivity wise it's great: DUS airport (10m ride), Köln-bonn airport 1h ride, FFM airport (1hr15m with ICE). I don't really use it nowadays but when I did: the public transport here is exemplary. Everything is mostly on time. Buses, trains and metro can take you anywhere and there there's a steady stream of them coming.
I felt while living in FFM or traveling in cologne you'd always have to somehow travel to a hotspot to jump onto another train making your journey long. In DDORF maybe due to its size this issue hardly ever happens.
Lastly: you could drive to Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels if you feel like changing your surroundings.
Lastly, it's super non-touristy, it's kinda hidden from the masses and there's a lot of green, parks etc. to wander around in.
DUS is the place for me in Germany. If I leave ddorf, I'm either going to make half a mil/year somewhere or leaving Germany altogether 😁💪🏽
Cologne!
Big enough that there is a lot to do, but not so big that distances are very long. Nice landscape not too far away. A smaller airport right there, FRA easily reachable by train if you wanna fly further away. Generally a friendly vibe, lots of nice people. The Rhine is a plus. Belgium and the Netherlands are right around the corner for weekend trips.
The most beautiful and livable (smaller) cities in Germany are
North-West: Münster and Oldenburg
North-East: Potsdam and Rostock
South-West: Freiburg and Heidelberg
South-East: Regensburg and Jena
I like Münster very very much. It's historic old town with the Principalmarkt, the Cathedral, Lake Aasee, Kreativkai, Promenade, Botanischer Garten and the Castle Münster. There are many green spaces, lot's of bicycles and many young people aka students. I feel safe around here and you find many restaurants and bars. Also culture is a big thing here in Münster. I like the size of the city, it's not too big and not too small.
I like Passau and Landshut a lot. My preference are ,smaller‘ cities with a nice ,Altstadt‘ and apparently which are close to a river. I also think that Weimar is nice but i have visited only once.
I probably have to say either Düsseldorf or Cologne. But you can find a lot of cities in NRW that you might love. The infrastructure is great, everything is well connected, you can live in the outskirts of town, enjoy nature, but still have everything in close proximity.
I moved to Tübingen for a PhD and a lot of people love it here. I can't understand why, but you will find many people singing its praises.
Had to scroll far to long to find this gem. Great quality of life, university students bring some energy, apart from that it‘s like living in a fairytale movie :)
Oh, and Marburg is a biotope: last habitat for lots of otherwise extinct species like true 60s hippies or 80s punks.
I think Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich are too generic answers, just naming one of the biggest cities of the North/West/South/East.
This should be about all other cities except these four and I think Münster actually is one of the best answers. Kiel, Tübingen and Düsseldorf are great choices too and if you got money also Freiburg or Heidelberg.
My take:
* Berlin is pretty unique. Some love it, some hate it.
* Munich is a bit boring, but great if you love the outdoors.
* Hamburg has lousy weather but is a cool city, especially if you love boating.
* Cologne is dynamic and has a good mix of everything, but is surrounded by other cities.
This is a fraught topic and ripe for a flame war. Notwithstanding, here is my completely unbiased list, that is 100% objective, of the places I’ve visited (* means I’ve stayed there for more than a couple weeks).
Hamburg > Berlin* > Leipzig* > Düsseldorf > Köln* > Frankfurt* >> München > Nürnberg* > Dresden >>> Stuttgart > Hannover*
Obv I love big cities and the bias shows.
Here are some criteria that might interest you individually and my 110% objective evaluations of various cities against them:
-Public transit: BE, München especially but also HH, Frankfurt, Nürnberg and entire Rhein-Ruhr are really good imo.
-Big city vibe: BE, HH, München, Frankfurt, and Köln/Düsseldorf/Rhein-Ruhr to a lesser extent.
-Social scene: BE, HH, Frankfurt and Rhein-Ruhr were really good imo. München wasn’t bad but worse than I expected for a city of its size. Art scene is particularly good in BE and Leipzig (especially alternative/punk/indie), but also in HH, Frankfurt and Rhein-Ruhr. Dresden punches above its weight in classical.
-Friendliness/ease of making friends: highly subjective and I’ll only speak on places I’ve had more experience with: BE = HH = Leipzig > Bavaria. Anecdotally, the Rhein-Ruhr area is very friendly and that vibes well with my visits, but I don’t want to make too much of a prescription here.
-Jobs in tech: there are plenty of sites that aggregate this data and my experience basically aligns with it (I.e. München > part of Berlin > Southern Germany > other part of Berlin > Rest of Germany. However, in my experience, there’s a huge variance in salaries between companies in every city. An ideal situation imo would be getting a high paying job in Leipzig.
-Greenness: München = HH >> BE = Frankfurt = Rhein-Ruhr
-Proximity to Nature: idc enough about this, I just wanted to put this here to differentiate between the city itself being green (Greenness) and being close to nature.
If we leave out the cost of living it definitely gotta be Munich, I think just looks wise no other big city can compete with it, the amount of parks, greenspace, a swimmable river, beautiful architecture and the historic buildings is like no other.
Also the proximity to the alps and many beautiful lakes, of which some you can even reach by S-Bahn, is just unbeatable.
And although the public transport is by no means stable, its still one of the least unstable ones of the bigger german cities.
Tübingen, Quedlinburg, Münster, Rothenburg ob der tauber, Schwäbisch hall, Trier, Erfurt, Freiburg, Oldenburg, Aachen, Altenburg, Calw. Niece old city centers, architectures, nearby the nature and not too big. It seems for me that People who vote Hamburg, Munich or Berlin for old buildings or niece looking cities never been around Germany.
Definitely Lüneburg:
- hanseatic/red brick houses with lots of charme
- small river that provides some nice scenery and hangout spots (in the inner city as well as in nature)
- small enough to reach everything on bike, large enough to have all basic needs met + some more
- close to Hamburg, for everything a bit more special/parties/shopping/concerts/job opportunities/...
- close to Lüneburger Heide and some great nature in general
- very laid back people & vibe
- decent night life and cultural activities thanks to the large amount of students
- university that values sustainability
I could go on for dayyyysss, I loved my time there
No city at all.
I have lived in Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart over the years. Now I live in a small town in the Black Forest and have no desire to live in a large city again. The why is: My preferences have changed as I got older. When I was younger I spent my free time in pubs and clubs. Nowadays it's hunting, hiking and mountain biking.
Hannover is very underrated. It has an incredible amount of forests and lakes so close to the city center. You maybe be able to walk or bike to work almost completely through forests. I do not know any major city in Germany that comes close to that. Hannover also is one of the most important rail hubs in Germany besides Cologne and Frankfurt.
People who hate Hannover probably have only seen parts of the city center which was pretty much destroyed in the war. If I show people Hannover, they are usually surprised how nice it is.
Well I couldn’t give you a single answer to that question even with bias. I’ve been to a few places and what I can say is:
The most beautiful? Hamburg. The cleanest, richest, most wealthy? Munich. Parts (!) of Berlin have a very high quality of living as well but the city is very broken. Frankfurt is great if you work in finance and the city is way better than it’s reputation.
When it comes to a good overall quality of life I’d say Cologne. Not the most beautiful, but beautiful. Not the biggest, but big. It has its issues with traffic and public transport but you can get almost everywhere by foot or bike. The city center is ugly outside of the old town, but live happens in other parts of the city anyway that can be stunningly beautiful. The people are awesome. But if you don’t like the „loud“ and open vibe of the city you won’t feel home here.
Hannover is very underrated IMHO. Münster is also super nice, but very quiet and boring. Essen is probably very underrated. And then there’s Freiburg and Rothenburg, which are rather small and „spießig“. Lübeck is gorgeous but the northern weather is a problem…
Let’s be honest here: I think us Germans make ourselves worse than we really are. I personally find Düsseldorf and Munich overrated - not bad, quite nice even, but overrated - and simply not as nice as their residents always say their city is. But you really can have a great time and a great quality of life in all the major cities in Germany as long as you don’t have to rely on the Deutsche Bahn.
Soest!
Most people dont know how to pronounce it.
actually its peonounced Soest and not Soest.
Soest is the City with the oldes city rights in germany.
And its just nice and cosy.
Wtf would you want to move to Munich one of the most expensive, stuck up places in the country run by Markus who is basically the homer Simpson of German politics
And let's not start with Berlin literally one of the poorest states in the union and one with the worst school stats
We moved from the Netherlands to Munich. It’s a beautiful city with a lot of parks, beergartens, de Isar to swim, very close to the mountains, easy to cycle and it’s safe. We feel very happy here.
Munich has been ruled by the SPD for the last 70+ years (with two small exceptions). It is a shit city to live in, but there is no place in Bavaria where Söder and his cronies hold less sway.
I’m just a tourist but Freiburg is my favourite German city. It’s beautiful. Some great places to eat and get coffee and cake. Friendly people. You can easily go hiking in the Black Forest. I just love it.
I would say Rostock is a nice city to live in. I really like the maritime character of the city. Lots of good opportunities for social activities, good restaurants and housing, but the political opinion that is openly displayed here is a big minus point.
Hamburg, Köln, Düsseldorf in that order for me. Hannover, Bremen and other smaller towns in Niedersachsen and smaller cities along the Rhine Valley are nice too if you can find a job there.
my vote is for Lübeck. I did my Bachelor degree there. The usual reason for international students to pick their university is wether the university are top ranked or not. For me, it's just because Lübeck is a beautiful and unique city.
The downtown/old town is located on a small island, circled by rivers that flow to the ocean. The famous gate of the city and some of the houses are crooked like the pisa tower because of the soil they stand on.
You want to go to the beach? just hop on the train and you'll be there in 35 minutes. Bored and wanna see big city? take the train for 40 mins and you'll be in Hamburg.
its a wonder to be able to live there while I was still a student.
You want to start a war?
came to the comments because of that war
I am all for it
Another Thirty Years' War incoming!!!
That was replaced by the Euros.
You will always find more votes for bigger cities, just by the way this works. The best city is very much in the eyes of the beholder. Freiburg, Marburg, Rothenburg o. d.T., Passau, Lübeck, Schwerin, Quedlinburg, Erfurt. I could go on and on. Best for singles, or families, DINKS, NIMBYS, students, pensioners. What are you looking for? Go from there.
better question: best city you are not from and do not currently live in
I moved 2 days ago. Ulm
Münster.
So what is the beat city for singles? Asking for a friend
Marburg is supreme!!!
Mallorca is the best city and state
Tell me you’re German without telling me you’re German.
Based on duolinguo, yes.
Surprised no love for Heidelberg, it's got a river, fantastic castle, and it's a university town.
Very very very very busy. And the best part of town (altstadt) is EXTREMELY expensive with very few apartments, and the altstadt encompasses all of about 3 streets, so everyone gets funneled to the Hauptstraße. The other parts of the city are just generic German pre-industrial neighborhoods. Wonderful city to visit, though, for the reasons you listed; but I understand not wanting to live there.
Unterestrasse best strasse.
Ja.
Betreutes trinken liebe
Lived there for 12 years, basically my whole childhood and youth. Loved it. I could step out of the Realschule and had a clear view of the castle, and looking back, I especially appreciate how you could get pretty much anywhere by tram in about 30 mins. Now live in Dortmund, and my god, I miss it. I might be romanticizing it a bit, but I still love that city dearly.
That's the same description for at least two dozen cities xddd
I’m sure it’s got its faults but personally so glad I got to move here. Nothing like views of hills and rivers while on a run or just grocery shopping. And a nice new hike is always just a few minutes away. For the most part people have been amazing too. But that just proves it’s subjective I guess.
As a big city my choice would be Hamburg
Hamburg is the most beautiful city in Germany, and do you know how you can tell? As soon as you arrive, the locals will tell you that it is the most beautiful city in Germany.
As someone who lived all over Germany and in Hamburg I have to admit: they are right.
The six days a year it doesn't rain it is fantastic.
😂😂😂☠️
agree, hamburg is the perfect mix of many things. not as vast as berlin, not as traditional as munich and not dead in the night as frankfurt just there isn't many software companies
Ya, but if the reason you care is bc of tech jobs then there’s plenty of tech jobs at regular companies. In my experience of 3 rounds of Germany-wide job searches, the amount of job interviews I got were: Rhein-Ruhr >> Frankfurt > Hamburg = Berlin = München. Job offers were Rhein-Ruhr >> Frankfurt = Hamburg > Berlin = München. My suspicion is that bc Frankfurt, Berlin and München are more beloved by internationals, you’ll prob have a lot of competition for jobs in those three cities (which also have a lot more English-language jobs, Rhein-Ruhr and Hamburg were almost all German-only).
I feel like less software companies make a city nicer
Don't disagree, just it's not for me to work there compared to Frankfurt or Munich or Berlin
fishpeople
I have to insist, it's fischköppe (fishheads)
Fischköppe
Arlongs people
Spent 3 years there on and off on an assignment, had the best time of my life.
What about Freiburg i.B.? Almost as expensive as Munich. But beautiful nonetheless.
Hottest city in the nation iirc (by temperature, not how attractive the inhabitants are.)
They also look better on average.
Stupid sexy Christian Streich.
Do you live in Freiburg? Always wanted to visit as people always talk so good about the town. I‘d even consider moving there if I really like it
I have lived in Freiburg for the past 5 years and am still so mesmerised and in love with the city. I am glad I made the decision to move here literally every other day. 😅
Yeah it’s ok. The surroundings are the best part. Titisee, Feldberg, Kaiserstuhl and even Le France all within a quick drive.
If you decide to move here, good luck finding housing. I'd consider some of the cities that have direct trains in
only been to Freiburg as a tourist from CH, but it's the cutest city I've ever been to. I'd love to go back
I really enjoyed living in Münster. Not to big, a university town, clean and no need for a car.
Another vote for Münster. Not too crowded, nice lake, beautiful downtown, everything accessible by bike, nice places to meet for a beer. There are lots of students, so it’s a young city.
living in south germany but my ex gf lived in münster for half a year Ive been there 3 times. its really a beautiful city with alot to see. The market in front of the dom is really good on weekends
Best thing about the market: They are now allowed to serve alcohol. Chardonnay and oysters at 11 am lol
who would have thought. Bike/pedestrian friendly, lots of young people, not too big city. Not too hot, not too cold climate. Clean environment. Nature closeby easy to reach big cities, fairly easy to reach coast/hills/woods. Lowest AfD scores in the country. Only suprising topic is how Münster can even exist in the tar black pit that is conservative CDU voters all surrounding in the "Münsterland" feels like that one quote from Asterix "Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely... "
with that i might have to add freiburg i.B. for se same reasons. (though i never lived there myself)
And they have the cages for anabaptists still on the cathedral there. Top city for anti-reformationists!
I wanted to visit Münster just for the cages and was pleasantly surprised how beautiful and clean the city is. Even the rougher parts of the city are alright. Münster is my top choice if I could live in any city.
I'm an immigrant, I moved from NL to Munich a few years ago. It went so poorly that I then moved back to the US after 4 months. I moved here again in 2022 to Cologne. It's gone much better the second time. Part of that is due to being better prepared and part is just due to luck... but, also, the people are generally nice and welcoming here. So, subjectively, I would have to defend my new hometown as the best city in Germany.
Is NL also a code that’s used for a place in the US or did you move from the Netherlands
North Larolina
The Netherlands (we moved there from the US but that didn't seem relevant)
I understand, thank you
I'd say Munich is the nicer city, while the nicer people surely live in Cologne. But anyway they both don't stand a chance against Hamburg :-)
Hamburg isn’t winning any nicest people of Germany awards. Despite that, it is one of my favorite cities in the country. ❤️
BS, the people in Hamburg are great and while Cologne is basically unbeatable in Germany in that regard, Hamburg scores very highly
I absolutely ADORE Köln. It's just 1:45min from Brussels and just the vibe is amazing. It's not an outstandingly pretty city but there's just something about sitting am Rhein in the evening and watch the city live. I'm desperately trying to get my bf with me to Köln. He hates big cities but I have been pressing him that he NEEDS to trust me on this one. Even before the legalization of weed it was one of my favourite summer outings just to go to Köln and chill and drink and smoke with people there. It never disappointed. I'm gonna look in to train tickets now. I NEED KÖLN.
Oh yeah, while there are some very nice areas, Cologne isn't winning any "prettiest city" awards. But, we were actually advised to move here by German friends in Hamburg. I do like Hamburg as well though.
Köln is ugly, and the surroundings are no better, but it definitely has the nicest people out of all big cities in Germany.
Cologne REPRESENT
It's not Hagen
There was a [survey](https://www.skl-gluecksatlas.de/artikel/staedteranking-2024.html) lately about the happiest cities in Germany. Kassel self-reported as the happiest city in Germany, followed by Erfurt, Aachen and Kiel. Karlsruhe btw. came out second (after Munich) in objective criteria and second-to-last in subjective feeling. Make of that what you will.
This survey must have been rigged. The people in Kassel don't like their city, even though it's not bad
As someone who has been stuck in Kassel since university, I think most people here don’t like it. 😭
I relocated from Heidelberg to Karlsruhe for work two years ago, and I have to say I was impressed at how great of a place to live Karlsruhe is! It's a vibrant, green city with amazing parks and a top-notch biking infrastructure. It's a hub for students, but it's also a city where high-skilled workers live, too. There are parties, raves, and incredible concerts, operas, and ballets at the state theater. With a population of 300k it's not a small city, but you can bike almost everywhere within 15 minutes. I will be leaving soon and will miss it dearly.
Shh, it's a secret, that's why we self-reported as such an unhappy place ... Don't want rent prices like Munich or Freiburg.
Don't tell everybody about it! ;)
While I agree with my fellow commenters to keep it a secret I can only agree about how nice it is to live here. Dont get me wrong its not perfect and when you are an introverted shy 24 yeal old immigrant trying to find the love of your life at KIT you might not have the best time of your life. But as you said its a super vibrant city in imo the best state in the country to stay in (heidelberg is amazing) too. Its not cheap but you can stay super close to green places like parks, forest, lakes and still reach inner city in like 15-20min by bike.
Bro, i am from kassel. Its a shithole
And Erfurt is one of the german cities with the hardest line between rich and poor areas, there is almost no inbetween. If you earn above average you will live in a nice villa or Gründerzeithaus, with *a lot* of green and medival ambience around you. If you earn average, or dare you, below average, have fun living in a full soviet style 18 floor nightmare concrete building at the outer parts, on some field, so far away from the nice inner city that you can only guess in what direction it is. If you are even able to catch one, because basically the whole federal state wants to live there or in Jena Anyway as a tourist the city is a blast. Objectively and subjectively considered one of the best christmas markets in europe and the cathedral + fortress + old town assemble is cocaine for history nerds and city hikers
Karlsruhe is objectivly nice to live in 100%
Konstanz, so beautiful
Best german city to live at the Lake of Constance. I’d even say that in general it is one of the nicest, livable cities in Germany imo. And I was born in Friedrichshafen.
Stuttgart is probably the worst of the big cities. Duesseldorf is my favorite so far because of Tokyo Town.
Living in Stuttgart right now, can't agree more. This city has no soul. Been to Düsseldorf and liked it a lot. Hope one day will move somewhere between Düsseldorf and Köln, as a lot of people say that Köln is one of the nicest cities of DE.
Köln is ugly as shit for the most part, who lied to them? It’s not a bad city at all. But one of the nicest is crazy..
Nah it’s just ugly in the city center if youre outside the old town. The „Veedel“ can be stunning.
Cool old buildings don't make a city necessarily good to live in. Brussels has them and it's a shithole. Cologne has other things that make it interesting, much like Berlin.
This is so funny. My sister just moved from Köln back to the south to Stuttgart because she missed it & the south. Make of that what you will.
What?! Im originally from BW and moved to Cologne a year ago. Wouldnt ever go back. Never.
I can understand missing Baden-Württemberg but Stuttgart?
I am from the south and I fully agree. I mean she did not move right into stuttgart but close enough. I found it especially strange because she and her partner have both remote jobs. They can live anywhere and chose Stuttgart.
I can understand missing the south in general. BW gets more sun than any other state in Germany.
Düsseldorf is pretty neat compared to similar sized cities and there is a shitload of things to do, be it international cuisine or arts (or getting obliterated for that matter). Also, good nature spots along the Rhine, just across from city center and the city park is massive. Cologne has a better music scene though
But the cities are so close that you benefit from both.
Coming from Berlin, the cultural shock hit me hard when arriving in Stuttgart. I learned to like it though. There are many green spaces, you're always close to a forest, Killesberg is awesome. Tram network is excellent. Air quality isn't good in the center, but much better in the Filder plain. You can go to Paris in 3.5h. Lake Constance isn't too far away.
Have you heared of a little town called Frankfurt
Frankfurt outside of the 2-3 streets that are fucked up is actually a quite decent city (at least acording to a friend).
The Bahnhofsviertel is the really ugly part of it. Brothels, drug addicts and generally sketchy people right there. The downtown is very nice and there is a lot to be found. I used to live in Wiesbaden, which is like an hour S-Bahn ride away. Going to Frankfurt was always fun.
Strongest piss smell in all of Germany
Which Frankfurt?
>Duesseldorf is my favorite so far because of Tokyo Town. This!
Just moved to Stuttgart from Munich recently. I'm curious about why you think so?
There's lots of hate towards Stuggi, especially in reddit. I don't really think it is rational. I have lived in a few places in Germany, and visited all big cities and most medium-sized ones (and of course, a fair share of little towns). I live in Stuttgart and I like it. It has its own personality, it has plenty of nice places, an OK-nightlife, plenty of forestry around, and downtown is as awful as any other large city. Interestingly, I do not see what people find so spectacular about Berlin or Munich. Yeah, they are large-ish. And some parts of them are fancy... so what? What is that make them better? What do they have that you cannot find in Stuttgart? By the way, I come originally from Buenos Aires, so it is not that I have no point of comparison with really large cities, really crazy night-life, huge cultural offers, and what not. I think most of the hate is simply ignorance and a lack of curiosity to find the interesting parts of cities instead of following the herds of tourists and shoppers on the main streets.
In another thread someone said it perfectly: Everything in Stuttgart is infrastructure. Even the people.
Couldn’t agree with you more. I often think people come to Stuttgart, walk up the Königsstrasse once and declare that they hate it. There is so much more to it…but you need to be willing to explore
Heidelberg or somewhere in the Rhein-Neckar Kreis. Excepting, of course, Ludwigshafen.
Cologne is ugly af, but it's still the best I'd say. Why? Because it's the only city in Germany that can make you feel truly at home even if you weren't born there. Their local culture is very inclusive. Have a Kölsch, sing along and you can be a Kölner, too, no matter where you came from.
True. Lived in Munich for 4 years and as a German was being treated like an unwanted immigrant, had met mostly unfriendly inhabitants. Moved to Cologne and felt at home immediately. Best 10 years of my life. I miss Cologne much now, living in a small town near Bonn. OK, but whenever I can I visit the "ugly" city of Cologne.
tübingen: it has a very big university and a hospital complex spanning the whole city. there is a lot of research going on, a lot of young people live there, the city is not too big and with the schönbuch, the castle and the neckar it has an amazing landscape and with the surrounding villages you can live there for a reasonable price. in addition they produce quite a lot green energy there. and with the high level of education there is a lower percentage of people voting for afd and cdu
Ausfahrt - easy to get to from any Autobahn
Munich. 1.6 million people and still has an energy of a village
Is this a complement?
Hamburg is the most attractive city overall IMO while Cologne is the friendliest and most fun city as far as I’m concerned. Berlin is great for its anything-goes vibe and for simply having the most of everything. Frankfurt gets a lot of hate for no good reason but deserves a mention for being Germany’s most multicultural major city by far. It always surprises me how clueless Germans and non-Germans alike are about this fact. Düsseldorf is also quite decent. Bremen would be my pick for hidden gem among the larger cities.
I love Mainz, just feels like home to me. Lots of hidden places that aren't too busy, but also great parks. Love cycling at the Rhein. Okayish rave/night scene. Lots of younger more openminded people. Love that the shopping area also isn't just one street but more widened out.
Frankfurt is definitely one of the most interesting places in the world. The city is very dense (half an hour by bike from one end to the other). There are so many different cultural environments, from the big financial world to the very alternative Bockenheim and the snobby Bornheim. And Offenbach is not far away - which of course is bloody ugly, but also very pleasant. The walk from the main station to Hauptwache - city center is a journey in itself. extrem poverty vs extrem wealth: side by side - Junkies - red light district - hipsters - banksters - opera house - expensive stores - all within a 30-minute walk. Ahhh - I love this city
Plus it’s super international, very green and the airport is basically in the city!
Glad to see this on the list! I’m heading there in August for pride weekend!
the scale is perfect no hipsters (none) weirdly a lot of tourists these days (what are you HERE FOR?) if Berlin is comparable to New York (it's f. not) then Frankfurt is comparable to Pittsburgh come for a visit - you'll be bored within 6 hours to live here is a different thing.
Team Dorfleben 🖖🏼
Das Auto ist kaputt.. Zeit mit dem Bus einen gelben Schein zu holen, wenn man Glück hat und keine Schulferien sind
Nachbar 1 ist Handwerker, der schaut sich das morgen direkt an. Und per Anhalter in die nächste Stadt ist auch kein Problem, man kennt sich ja
Außer man ist zugezogen, dann wirst du mit dem Arsch nicht angeschaut...
Bin selber ein Zugezogener in einem bayerischen Dorf und komme gebürtig aus Ostdeutschland. Das A und O um im Dorf Anschluss zu finden sind die dortigen Vereine. Freiwillige Feuerwehr, Musikkapelle, Schützenverein etc. Das typische Dorfleben funktioniert nur weil man sich kennt, und wenn du einem Verein beitritts lernst du viele kennen und was noch wichtiger ist, die Leute lernen dich kennen. Und wenn einem Musik oder Schießen nicht liegt gibts immernoch die FF, bisschen Technik und im Notfall anderen Helfen kann jeder. Das ist natürlich nicht allgemeingültig, aber von allen Kollegen vom Dorf war das immer der Tipp um nicht als dummer Zugezogener zu gelten. Oh, und versuch bei Gelegenheiten wie Dorffesten zu unterstützen. Da freut sich jeder um freiwillige Helfer, und wenn du nicht an der Kasse, Salatbar oder Ausschank helfen willst kann man immernoch mit Auf- und Abbauen. Bin selbst der Freiwilligen Feuerwehr beigetreten und seitdem hat sich das ganze Leben im Dorf geändert. Klar gibts auch da Unsymphaten oder ein paar komische Gestalten, aber die meisten sind froh dich kennenzulernen und ein neues Mitglied aufnehmen zu dürfen.
Bonn. Quiet, pretty, you have the Rhine, the mountains, Koeln for big city activities,not so far from other places in Europe.
All the conveniences of a large city without being too large and Cologne isn't far away either if you need something that can't be found in Bonn.
one vote for Bonn. The name itself is already so cute
Würzbuuurg!
My personal top tier city is Bonn, I moved here as a child and love it. Beautiful old town, really good public transport, very green, a pretty quiet city in general, nice and friendly people, you have the Rhine where you can chill, drink beer and enjoy the sun set. But in general it’s a more chilled city, no big party scene or anything. At the near of Cologne tho where you can party. And a lot of good building projects at the moment. Downside is the big drug abuse problem at the central station and crowded streets. I think Hannover is also really nice, but I was there only once. The architecture, the parks and all are beautiful tho, paired with pretty good public transportation. Also on my top list is Frankfurt am Main. From my experience it is really clean and beautiful. Nice people (but I’m pretty extrovert, I guess that helps in many cases) and pretty parks. The Main is beautiful too. But the subway stations are the worst! Literally 20 homeless people laying in one station. My gf and I didn’t feel safe. In the rest of the „city“ (we have only seen the city from the central station to the old town and east from there) we felt pretty safe.
I love living in Düsseldorf, really nice and alot to see
Düsseldorf is like an impossible love for me...
Nürnberg
Was looking for this. I love Nurnberg, even though it's never in any of these "top" lists.
It did feature in a few global high quality of living rankings.
It really is - and I hd to scroll way to far down for this comment! And fun fact: it has the highest density of Michelin- Star-rated restaurants per Person in Germany. Was in the newspaper this week :)
Würzburg is up there
Hamburg is the only correct answer to this question :-)
Würzburg because its the perfect combination betwenn big city life and nature with its vineyards and the river main. Nothing if seen so far beats the queen of franconia
Leipzig
Not Berlin
If it's so bad then why is everyone moving here
But, Berlin has its own charm which I appreciate.
Parts definitely do. I'm in Köpenick and it's got its charm for sure. I'm currently sitting on a beach that I walked to from my apartment. My feet are in the water and I'm surrounded by trees even though I'm still technically in the city limit.
*smell
Can’t relate. I live in Charlottenburg. :)
Look at Mr money pants over here
Spandau is great, but, to the people that grew up there, is not technically Berlin. It's older than Berlin.
Dresden! In recent years, it has repeatedly won the title of the most beautiful city in Germany. No other city combines the benefits of a big city with nature and provincial charm so perfectly for me. Which other city lets you reach a region like the Saxon Switzerland in 30 minutes by S-Bahn? Or has a huge forest area like the Dresdner Heide right in the middle of the city? Art and culture from all over the world are present here, especially now with the Schaubuden Sommer. Where else do you live with all your friends within a 1km radius like in Dresden's Neustadt? And then the Elbe meadows – where else in the middle of the city do you find such wide green spaces, often a kilometer from the nearest buildings? Sure, some immediately shout "But Nazis!!". But Dresden is a hidden gem in the international scene: affordable rents, great jobs in the high-tech sector. The AfD can do what they want – Dresden is fortunately growing more and more into a global metropolis.
Can confirm! Lived in Neustadt for 2 months and I always felt something special coming back from a weekend in noisy Berlin. Dresden also has lots of museum and one of the biggest art galleries in Germany. As well as the most beautiful cheese/dairy shop in the world. And regular cinema shows by the riverbed.
Berlin is clearly heads and shoulders above any other city in terms of its global significance - as the capital and largest city and because of its unique position as one of the great bohemian melting pots. Hamburg is also a pretty wild ride, though. Other cities are often more beautiful than these two, and have their own characters that may or may not appeal to you. But those have to be the numbers one and two just in terms of their size and the scope of what is going on there. Köln, München, Düsseldorf are also close to continental if not global significance. But because of Germany's federal structure and decentralisation, there are a lot of cities in the 2nd and 3rd tier which lead the way on something - like Frankfurt aM for banking, Leipzig for music, Dresden for architecture, Stuttgart for engineering, Kassel in the artworld, and so on.
Big cities: Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg I personally loved Berlin for its relatively un-German feeling and strong history. The few Berliners I know have a more worldly, relaxed vibe compared to my other German friends. Food scene is good, and during my 20s I was very attracted to the hipster and grungy character of the city. Not sure how I'd feel like now though when going back and being over that phase. Cologne to me is like a more cleaner Berlin, the most friendliest Germans. Hamburg has a bit of everything. \*\*\* Small cities: Heidelberg and surrounding area (not Ludwigshafen or Mannheim though), but I love Freiburg the most.
Munich, Hamburg, Freiburg, Heidelberg are beautiful. Can't go wrong with em
Unpopular opinion: Stuttgart. It is close to the borders of Switzerland, Austria and France. Within 6 hours you can also travel to Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxemburg and Belgium. Within a radius of 50 km you have plenty of beautiful small towns for day trips like Tübingen, Esslingen am Neckar, Herrenberg, Ludwigsburg, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Marbach plus numerous outdoor activity options. Besides the travel options Stuttgart is a very green city. It offers a lot of job opportunities and cultural events, Weindorf, Comicon, Festival of Cultures, Trickfilmfestival, Jazz Open, just to name a few. This is often overseen. Stuttgart is currently undergoing a major phase of modernization. Means that a lot of construction work is underway. Fun fact, in Stuttgart there are people living from every country of the world. Not even Berlin ist home to people of that many different origins. Also around 27% of the inhabitants are foreigners compared ro 22% in Berlin. This makes Stuttgart more diverse than Berlin. It is truly a supercultural city.
Düsseldorf: International, good infrastructure, lots of things happening, nice public spaces, wide selection of jobs, affordable suburbs, open-minded mentality, easy to get around.
I liked Leipzig because it is like Berlin but mostly the good parts, and it is also conveniently smaller. Other favorites of mine would be medium sized cities at the sea like Rostock, Lübeck, Kiel, Flensburg, Bremerhaven etc.
I've always seen Leipzig as a mini Berlin. It gives a similar overall vibe but is more chill at the same time.
I love Braunschweig. Size is decent, there's a university, so lots of young people, rent is okay and it's really beautiful with lots of green and pretty old buildings. I lived in several other cities but always came back.
Düsseldorf! It’s as clean as your mom’s kitchen, as classy as James Bond, has stellar connectivity, and Altbier that could make a monk break his vow of silence.
Bremen. It's somewhat cheap for a city of its size, has great public transport, even better bicycle infrastructure, nice parks and a decent sightseeing catalogue. Maybe not the best city to visit, but certainly the best one to live in. (The only other cities I have lived in are Dortmund and Siegen though, so maybe competition isn't that tough)
Heidelberg ❤️ Not too big, not too small, centuries of culture and history but also nature 5min away from wherever you are in HD. Very cosmopolitan, you can hear many different languages, plus cca 30% of inhabitants are younger than 30 years, as it is also boasts a famous university. The other city with similar vibes (culture+nature+university) is Freiburg, though it’s double the size of Heidelberg
Koblenz. Situated between the Rhine and Mosel rivers. The entire stretch of Mosel is the wine region and is dotted with very pretty towns. The area between Koblenz and Mainz is full of beautiful castles. Bonn and Köln are nearby.
For me Düsseldorf. I've lived in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt a.M. and reside in ddorf currently. I've frequented (biz trips, weekend leisure stays or regular visits due to work) Cologne, Hamburg, Bonn, Wuppertal. So you have an idea of what I'm comparing it to. I like Düsseldorf Most because it's very clean compared to all other cities mentioned, minus Munich. It's relatively small in size and it feels like everything is within reach. Even going by car is not a huge chore which I've experienced very differently in all other cities mentioned. It's got something going on ALWAYS. It's the most diverse city from all the cities I mentioned. There is a huge Turkish, Moroccan, Italian, Greek, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese presence and you can really see it in the cuisines here, the restaurants and the quality of the food served. There are always (food) festivals, something going on at the river bank or the yearly Kirmes which is essentially a humongous amusement park where u pay per ride. The culture here feels laid back. It doesn't feel like I'm in Germany (talking stereotypes here). Everyone is chill, little nagging going on, people make small talk and social life exists here outside of work as well in case you're looking to make friends. Connectivity wise it's great: DUS airport (10m ride), Köln-bonn airport 1h ride, FFM airport (1hr15m with ICE). I don't really use it nowadays but when I did: the public transport here is exemplary. Everything is mostly on time. Buses, trains and metro can take you anywhere and there there's a steady stream of them coming. I felt while living in FFM or traveling in cologne you'd always have to somehow travel to a hotspot to jump onto another train making your journey long. In DDORF maybe due to its size this issue hardly ever happens. Lastly: you could drive to Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels if you feel like changing your surroundings. Lastly, it's super non-touristy, it's kinda hidden from the masses and there's a lot of green, parks etc. to wander around in. DUS is the place for me in Germany. If I leave ddorf, I'm either going to make half a mil/year somewhere or leaving Germany altogether 😁💪🏽
Cologne! Big enough that there is a lot to do, but not so big that distances are very long. Nice landscape not too far away. A smaller airport right there, FRA easily reachable by train if you wanna fly further away. Generally a friendly vibe, lots of nice people. The Rhine is a plus. Belgium and the Netherlands are right around the corner for weekend trips.
Regensburg & Passau, norhing comes close to the quality of Life in thise 2 Citys. Ive been to so many Citys in Germany but these 2 stand Out.
I don't understand the downvote here, both are very cool cities to live in.
The most beautiful and livable (smaller) cities in Germany are North-West: Münster and Oldenburg North-East: Potsdam and Rostock South-West: Freiburg and Heidelberg South-East: Regensburg and Jena I like Münster very very much. It's historic old town with the Principalmarkt, the Cathedral, Lake Aasee, Kreativkai, Promenade, Botanischer Garten and the Castle Münster. There are many green spaces, lot's of bicycles and many young people aka students. I feel safe around here and you find many restaurants and bars. Also culture is a big thing here in Münster. I like the size of the city, it's not too big and not too small.
Freiburg. No, I was never there but the vibes are just perfect
I like Passau and Landshut a lot. My preference are ,smaller‘ cities with a nice ,Altstadt‘ and apparently which are close to a river. I also think that Weimar is nice but i have visited only once.
I probably have to say either Düsseldorf or Cologne. But you can find a lot of cities in NRW that you might love. The infrastructure is great, everything is well connected, you can live in the outskirts of town, enjoy nature, but still have everything in close proximity. I moved to Tübingen for a PhD and a lot of people love it here. I can't understand why, but you will find many people singing its praises.
Marburg is one of the cutiest cities i ever seen in Germany but not sure about living for long time, also Heidelberg maybe..
Had to scroll far to long to find this gem. Great quality of life, university students bring some energy, apart from that it‘s like living in a fairytale movie :) Oh, and Marburg is a biotope: last habitat for lots of otherwise extinct species like true 60s hippies or 80s punks.
I think Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich are too generic answers, just naming one of the biggest cities of the North/West/South/East. This should be about all other cities except these four and I think Münster actually is one of the best answers. Kiel, Tübingen and Düsseldorf are great choices too and if you got money also Freiburg or Heidelberg.
My take: * Berlin is pretty unique. Some love it, some hate it. * Munich is a bit boring, but great if you love the outdoors. * Hamburg has lousy weather but is a cool city, especially if you love boating. * Cologne is dynamic and has a good mix of everything, but is surrounded by other cities.
No love for Bonn or Nürnberg?
Not a city but an island, Rügen
Bunch of lovely smaller towns: Lindau, Konstanz, Wiesbaden, Bamberg, Potsdam, etc usw
This is a fraught topic and ripe for a flame war. Notwithstanding, here is my completely unbiased list, that is 100% objective, of the places I’ve visited (* means I’ve stayed there for more than a couple weeks). Hamburg > Berlin* > Leipzig* > Düsseldorf > Köln* > Frankfurt* >> München > Nürnberg* > Dresden >>> Stuttgart > Hannover* Obv I love big cities and the bias shows. Here are some criteria that might interest you individually and my 110% objective evaluations of various cities against them: -Public transit: BE, München especially but also HH, Frankfurt, Nürnberg and entire Rhein-Ruhr are really good imo. -Big city vibe: BE, HH, München, Frankfurt, and Köln/Düsseldorf/Rhein-Ruhr to a lesser extent. -Social scene: BE, HH, Frankfurt and Rhein-Ruhr were really good imo. München wasn’t bad but worse than I expected for a city of its size. Art scene is particularly good in BE and Leipzig (especially alternative/punk/indie), but also in HH, Frankfurt and Rhein-Ruhr. Dresden punches above its weight in classical. -Friendliness/ease of making friends: highly subjective and I’ll only speak on places I’ve had more experience with: BE = HH = Leipzig > Bavaria. Anecdotally, the Rhein-Ruhr area is very friendly and that vibes well with my visits, but I don’t want to make too much of a prescription here. -Jobs in tech: there are plenty of sites that aggregate this data and my experience basically aligns with it (I.e. München > part of Berlin > Southern Germany > other part of Berlin > Rest of Germany. However, in my experience, there’s a huge variance in salaries between companies in every city. An ideal situation imo would be getting a high paying job in Leipzig. -Greenness: München = HH >> BE = Frankfurt = Rhein-Ruhr -Proximity to Nature: idc enough about this, I just wanted to put this here to differentiate between the city itself being green (Greenness) and being close to nature.
If we leave out the cost of living it definitely gotta be Munich, I think just looks wise no other big city can compete with it, the amount of parks, greenspace, a swimmable river, beautiful architecture and the historic buildings is like no other. Also the proximity to the alps and many beautiful lakes, of which some you can even reach by S-Bahn, is just unbeatable. And although the public transport is by no means stable, its still one of the least unstable ones of the bigger german cities.
Nah Düsseldorf or Oberhausen are probably the best
Tübingen, Quedlinburg, Münster, Rothenburg ob der tauber, Schwäbisch hall, Trier, Erfurt, Freiburg, Oldenburg, Aachen, Altenburg, Calw. Niece old city centers, architectures, nearby the nature and not too big. It seems for me that People who vote Hamburg, Munich or Berlin for old buildings or niece looking cities never been around Germany.
Speyer!
Definitely Lüneburg: - hanseatic/red brick houses with lots of charme - small river that provides some nice scenery and hangout spots (in the inner city as well as in nature) - small enough to reach everything on bike, large enough to have all basic needs met + some more - close to Hamburg, for everything a bit more special/parties/shopping/concerts/job opportunities/... - close to Lüneburger Heide and some great nature in general - very laid back people & vibe - decent night life and cultural activities thanks to the large amount of students - university that values sustainability I could go on for dayyyysss, I loved my time there
Strasbourg
My friend that lives in Stuttgart says that Strasbourg is her favorite city (even though its in France)
Duisburg is the best city
No city at all. I have lived in Hamburg, Berlin and Stuttgart over the years. Now I live in a small town in the Black Forest and have no desire to live in a large city again. The why is: My preferences have changed as I got older. When I was younger I spent my free time in pubs and clubs. Nowadays it's hunting, hiking and mountain biking.
Hamburg but when it’s not raining. So maybe 2 days a year.
I know no one will agree but - Frankfurt
Hannover is very underrated. It has an incredible amount of forests and lakes so close to the city center. You maybe be able to walk or bike to work almost completely through forests. I do not know any major city in Germany that comes close to that. Hannover also is one of the most important rail hubs in Germany besides Cologne and Frankfurt. People who hate Hannover probably have only seen parts of the city center which was pretty much destroyed in the war. If I show people Hannover, they are usually surprised how nice it is.
Well I couldn’t give you a single answer to that question even with bias. I’ve been to a few places and what I can say is: The most beautiful? Hamburg. The cleanest, richest, most wealthy? Munich. Parts (!) of Berlin have a very high quality of living as well but the city is very broken. Frankfurt is great if you work in finance and the city is way better than it’s reputation. When it comes to a good overall quality of life I’d say Cologne. Not the most beautiful, but beautiful. Not the biggest, but big. It has its issues with traffic and public transport but you can get almost everywhere by foot or bike. The city center is ugly outside of the old town, but live happens in other parts of the city anyway that can be stunningly beautiful. The people are awesome. But if you don’t like the „loud“ and open vibe of the city you won’t feel home here. Hannover is very underrated IMHO. Münster is also super nice, but very quiet and boring. Essen is probably very underrated. And then there’s Freiburg and Rothenburg, which are rather small and „spießig“. Lübeck is gorgeous but the northern weather is a problem… Let’s be honest here: I think us Germans make ourselves worse than we really are. I personally find Düsseldorf and Munich overrated - not bad, quite nice even, but overrated - and simply not as nice as their residents always say their city is. But you really can have a great time and a great quality of life in all the major cities in Germany as long as you don’t have to rely on the Deutsche Bahn.
Soest! Most people dont know how to pronounce it. actually its peonounced Soest and not Soest. Soest is the City with the oldes city rights in germany. And its just nice and cosy.
Köln - really friendly people
Flensburg.. not crowded and chill... and.denmark is your neighbour
Wtf would you want to move to Munich one of the most expensive, stuck up places in the country run by Markus who is basically the homer Simpson of German politics And let's not start with Berlin literally one of the poorest states in the union and one with the worst school stats
We moved from the Netherlands to Munich. It’s a beautiful city with a lot of parks, beergartens, de Isar to swim, very close to the mountains, easy to cycle and it’s safe. We feel very happy here.
Munich OB is Dieter Reiter (SPD). Homer Simpson is cool, Markus is not.
Munich has been ruled by the SPD for the last 70+ years (with two small exceptions). It is a shit city to live in, but there is no place in Bavaria where Söder and his cronies hold less sway.
Frankfurt, no kidding! Has probably the best food scene.
I’m just a tourist but Freiburg is my favourite German city. It’s beautiful. Some great places to eat and get coffee and cake. Friendly people. You can easily go hiking in the Black Forest. I just love it.
I would say Rostock is a nice city to live in. I really like the maritime character of the city. Lots of good opportunities for social activities, good restaurants and housing, but the political opinion that is openly displayed here is a big minus point.
It’s Münster. I love Münster so much
Ludwigshafen.
Hamburg, Köln, Düsseldorf in that order for me. Hannover, Bremen and other smaller towns in Niedersachsen and smaller cities along the Rhine Valley are nice too if you can find a job there.
my vote is for Lübeck. I did my Bachelor degree there. The usual reason for international students to pick their university is wether the university are top ranked or not. For me, it's just because Lübeck is a beautiful and unique city. The downtown/old town is located on a small island, circled by rivers that flow to the ocean. The famous gate of the city and some of the houses are crooked like the pisa tower because of the soil they stand on. You want to go to the beach? just hop on the train and you'll be there in 35 minutes. Bored and wanna see big city? take the train for 40 mins and you'll be in Hamburg. its a wonder to be able to live there while I was still a student.
Bielefeld, because it doesnt exist.