Germany’s most romantic destinations

Gingerbread-style towns, half-timbered riverside buildings and cobbled streets curling past quiet gasthauses; these are Germany’s most romantic destinations.

Monschau, North Rhine-Westphalia

Straddling the Belgian border and the Eifel National Park, you’ll find the quiet little hillside town of Monschau. Slate roofs and the geometric lattice designs of the half timbered homes are the town’s primary makeup, and a stroll down Monschau’s walkways and across its delicate bridges will present you with its most enviable views.

Watch the River Roer course below the red wooden footbridge while the sun goes down, and you’ll catch fleeting glimpses of the quiet and bucolic canvas that has earned Monschau its reputation for romance. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, try the low-lit Zum Haller for hefty portions of hearty German fare and riverside views – ideal in the wintertime as the delicate flicker of the hanging lanterns and the gentle swirl of snow outside, light the short walk along the river to Villa Rur.

Lüneburg, Lower Saxony

A one-time salt-mining town, Lüneburg is now better known for what it has above ground. The town’s rickety, jagged facade is a result of the salt being extracted from the earth, which led to the buildings leaning and tilting sideways.

Such a jumble and mismatched look gives Lüneburg its charm; gingerbread orange and farmhouse-red brick townhouses with Dutch gable roofs line the main cobbled shopping streets, all adorned with charcoal-coloured lamp posts, that light the way for views of the church spires silhouetted in the distance. Better yet, climb up Kalkberg (Chalk Mountain) for views of the burnt orange roofs of the town, which look perennially autumnal and romantic, whatever the season. At sunset, head down the mountain to historic Einzigartig.

Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria

One of Germany’s few remaining medieval walled towns, Dinkelsbühl is a little slice of the past, carefully preserved within its stone fortifications. Located on Germany’s Romantic Road – an old Roman route which loops through Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg’s medieval towns – Dinkelsbühl has the kind of effortlessly romantic feel to it. Cobbled streets cut past traditional half-timbered homes, painted in lemon, peach and lime and converted into bakeries with mounds of cinnamon rolls and fresh loaves waiting to be picked up.

Meander over to the Wochenmarkt to admire the neo-gothic glamour of the 15th-century St George’s Church. Then pay a visit to Weib’s Brauhaus lovely little brewery, before you do a lap of the town’s walls; the ideal vantage point to see the gabled houses in all their glory. Treat yourselves to a restful say at the historic Hotel Deutsches Haus, an example of classic Renaissance wooden architecture.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria

Another stop on the Romantic Road, Rothenburg ob der Tauber charms the best out of every season. In the spring and summertime, the sky blue and goldenrod yellow buildings give the town a cheerful, radiant appeal. Come the cooler months, the autumn foliage brings out the warm orange and peach in the town’s architecture, while snowfall transforms Rothenburg into a magical gingerbread-style maze.

Rothenburg musters all the fairy-tale imaginings tourists have of small German towns, but it’s worth waiting until nightfall where it’s just you, your loved ones, and the hushed surroundings of a town wonderfully out-of-step with the urbane. Take the Night Watchman tour where you’ll be led through the rickety sidestreets the watchmen of old would take, with only an oil lamp to light your way. End the evening at the 12th-century Burghotel and enjoy breakfast with valley views the following morning.

Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg

Cupped by forested hills and the glimmering River Neckar, Heidelberg has served as a source of romance for centuries. Considered to be the home of German Romanticism, Goethe and Turner both found inspiration in the wooded surroundings of this castle town. But no need to be a celebrated creative to see the beauty here – its seductions lies in its appeal to the everyday romantic too.

Quiet jaunts at sunrise along the Old Bridge and over gold-flecked water are one way to start the day, before climbing through the town, soft buttery pretzels and coffee in hand, to Heidelberg castle. Here, you’ll be gifted with views of the tumbledown ruins draped in ivy, while look the other way and you’ll have a spectacular panorama of Heidelberg. Stay until sundown and you’ll find a town pinned beneath the stars, a warming constellation of city lights. The Boutique Hotel Heidelberg Suites will likely leave you glowing too.