Things to Do in Germany

Permanently moored along Hamburg's waterfront, the Rickmer Rickmers is the oldest of the city's numerous museum ships, standing in prize place next to the famous Cap San Diego. The historic trade ship was first launched in 1896 and was used to import rice and bamboo from Hong Kong, before serving in WWI and later, being used as a training ship for the Portuguese navy.

Today, the beautifully restored ship remains a majestic sight, with its three masts and eye-catching green and red painted hull looming over the riverside. Visitors can explore on-board the ship, stroll the wooden decks and peek into the crew quarters, then duck into the engine room, where an original steam engine and a Krupp diesel engine are on display.

Berlin's Photography Museum (Museum für Fotografie) has attracted photography enthusiasts from around the world since 2004. The museum's two main exhibits are "Helmut Newton's Private Property" and the Kunstbibliothek's Collection of Photography, which features German and international photographers including Annie Leibovitz and Peter Lindbergh.

The Photography Museum showcases some of the world's most iconic photographers and pieces from the 19th to 21st centuries. The collections feature works by some of the world's first photographers"”Édouard Baldus, Edward Steichen, Willy Romer"”and span the history of photographic art. You'll see many pieces by Helmut Newton as well as other exhibits that push the limits of the art of photography.

Individual admission tickets are available, or you can purchase the Berlin Pass for free entry to the Photography Museum and 50 other attractions in the city plus a public transit ticket.

The Photography Museum is conveniently located next to the Berlin Zoo in Charlottenburg at Jebensstrasse 2. Take the U1, U2, U9, S5, S7, or S75 to Zoologischer Garten station. Several city buses, including the 100, 200, M45, and M49, service the nearby Hertzallee (Berlin) stop.

The Photography Museum is open from 11am to 7pm Tuesday through Sunday with extended hours (until 8pm) on Thursday. Though this museum rarely gets crowded, visit during the week for the most contemplative experience. Guided museum tours are available every Sunday at 4pm.

The 3-floor museum complex is home to the Helmut Newton Foundation, the prolific German-Australian photographer whose iconic black-and-white photos graced the pages of Vogue. The permanent collection features many of Newton's various phases throughout the years as well as pieces from his wife, Alice Springs. Temporary exhibits of his photo collections include "Sex and Landscapes," "Men, War & Peace," and "Between Art & Fashion." 

The building that now houses the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection was once used as officer barracks and later as a police station. In 1967 it was the Egyptian Museum, which later moved back to Berlin's Museum Island in 2005. It reopened in the summer of 2008 as the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection.

The collection began with Otto Gerstenberg who built up one of the most impressive art collections in Germany. His collection included almost all prints made by Albrecht Dürer, Francisco de Goya and Rembrandt. He also collected paintings from Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas. Gerstenberg eventually owned the complete set of prints of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.

Unfortunately his collection was severely damaged during World War II. In 1961, the pieces that remained were handed down to his grandsons Walther and Dieter Scharf, the latter of whom inherited prints by Francisco de Goya and Charles Meryon, as well as a lithograph series by Édouard Manet. His own collection included 300 pieces from over 50 Surrealist and Symbolist artists such as Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti. Other artists on display include Odilon Redon, Max Klinger, Alfred Kubin, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and Rene Magritte.

The Museum of Ethnology, or Ethnologisches Museum, houses collections of goods that were created outside of Europe and then brought to Berlin in the 19th and 20th centuries. The collections are divided into geographic regions and arranged thematically to provide insights into non-European cultures and show their diversity; an important part of the museum's mission is to foster global understanding and to go beyond the Eurocentric viewpoint.

The "Art of Africa" exhibit teaches visitors about developments in African art history by showing the religious and social significance of sculptures and everyday objects, while "Africa in Berlin" examines the relationship between Africa and Europe. The "American Archeology" exhibit looks at the cultural heritage of pre-Spanish cultures in Central and South America and includes objects that date as far back as 2000 BC. Other exhibits include the South Seas collection with typical boats and houses of the Pacific islands, the "Myth of the Golden Triangle" exhibit which examines ethnic minorities in Southeast Asia, and the "Islamic Worlds" exhibit, looking at different experiences of Muslim cultures. 

Among the most iconic landmarks of Dusseldorf's picturesque Alstadt (Old Town), St Lambertus Church is famous for its distinctive twisted tower. Originally built in the 14th century, the church tower was rebuilt after a fire in 1815 and the use of wet arbors caused it to twist. Legend however, tells a different story "“ a bride dressed in white came to the altar pretending to be a virgin, and the tower turned, allegedly to only return to its previous form when a real virgin appears at the altar. 

Today the medieval church is among Dusseldorf's oldest buildings, with highlights including the bronze-coated door by Ewald Matare, the exquisite Rieger organ and the tomb of Duke Wilhelm V of Jülich-Kleve-Berg.

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Museumsdorf Düppel (Düppel Museum Village) is a seasonal open-air museum in Berlin that allows visitors to experience medieval ways of life and craftsmanship at festivals, markets, and other events. The reconstruction of a German village is built on on the same site as a village where farmers lived 800 years ago; the with residences, storehouses, workshops, fields, and gardens all likely look just as they did in the year 1200.

From Easter through October, visitors can see and smell medieval plants and animals like the "˜Düppel pig' and the "˜Skudde sheep,' species that have been bred back from near-extinction. Local volunteers demonstrate medieval craft techniques like blacksmithing, tar-making, and textile arts. The museum kitchen offers hot and cold dishes, cakes, and coffee. The entire family will enjoy the interactive experience of touching, testing, listening, smelling, learning, and participating the different features of the museum. There is a small permanent exhibit, and learning programs are also offered for school classes and groups of visitors.

One of Germany's most visited museums, Berlin's Pergamon Museum is renowned for its impressive collection of art and antiquities from Turkey and the Middle East. Located on Berlin's UNESCO-listed Museum Island, the Pergamon is split into three permanent exhibitions"”the Collection of Classical Antiquities, the Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Museum of Islamic Art"”which together chronicle over 2,000 years of history. 

Visitors to the Pergamon Museum can explore independently or learn about the museum's vast collection on a guided skip-the-line tour with an expert guide. Purchase a Berlin Pass or Museum Island day pass to gain entry to Pergamon Museum along with numerous other attractions.

The Pergamon Museum is located at the northern tip of Museum Island in central Berlin, close to the Bode Museum, the Neues Museum, and the Altes Museum. The closest S-Bahn railway stations are Friedrichstrasse and Hackescher Markt, both a 10- to 15-minute walk to the island. The M1 and M12 trams stop at Kupfergraben, a 5-minute walk from the museum. 

The Pergamon is open year-round from 10am to 6pm with extended hours on Thursday until 8pm, but the site can get crowded during the peak summer months, when it's best to arrive early or opt for a weekday visit. 

Among the many treasures of the Pergamon Museum, must-sees include the massive Pergamon Altar from the second century BC and the Market Gate of Miletus, both in the Classical Antiquities collection. In the Near East exhibition, standout attractions include part of King Nebuchadnezzar's throne hall and the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, which dates back to the sixth century BC. The stunning Aleppo Room"”a masterpiece of painted wall paneling"”is the star attraction of the Islamic exhibition.

North Rhine-Westphalia came into being after Germany was restructured following WWII, and with more than 18 million people it is Germany's most populous state. The state's parliament building is the first completely new parliament building to be built in the history of the German Federal Republic. The parliament building (Landtag), which opened in 1988, represents the first time a German parliament designed its future home itself.

The building was designed to be comparatively modest. At 344 feet wide, 640 feet long, and 70 feet tall, the Landtag building is more noted for its interesting shape than its size. Right angles were consciously avoided. The circular meeting chamber, which holds 300 people, is located in the center of the building. Four rooms for the parliamentary parties form a circle off the chamber, with a lobby that both connects and separates the spaces. A great way to see the interesting architecture of the Landtag is from above. The Rheinturm (Rhein tower) provides sweeping views from its deck, and there are various cafes, bars, and a revolving restaurant there.

The Natural History Museum has more than 30 million zoological, paleontological and mineralogical specimens, including the world's largest mounted dinosaur skeleton. This Brachiosaurus, whose bones were dug up in present-day Tanzania in the early 20th century, is the centerpiece of the World of Dinosaurs section here. In the Evolution in Action exhibit, visitors can see a wall of biodiversity with 3,000 mounted species and learn why certain animals look or act the way they do.

In the Cosmos and Solar System section, learn about the different aspects of the universe, and in the System Earth area, gain knowledge on plate tectonics, the living and non-living aspects of our world and how the planet is constantly changing. Other areas of the museum include domestic animals, minerals, insect models and specimen preparation. The museum also has special exhibits that are only on display for a limited time. 

Speicherstadt is one of the largest warehouse districts in the world, and the Speicherstadtmuseum sits inside a warehouse built in 1888. Here, visitors can learn how goods have been shipped throughout the world by way of Hamburg for years. Featured are typical tools and imported goods that demonstrate the work of warehouse workers, as well as displays highlighting the weighing and sampling of goods, the refinement process and all of the considerations that must be made in the storage of valuable, imported goods such as coffee, cocoa, tobacco and rubber.

The museum hosts some exhibits on the tea and coffee trade, while another features photos and blueprints that show the history of Speicherstadt's sconstruction. Visitors can also learn about the men who used to transport goods to the warehouses on barges.

The Speicherstadtmuseum holds regular guided tours, tea tastings and crime-thriller readings. There is also a cafe where you can get hot and cold drinks and cake, plus a museum shop filled with gifts and merchandise.

With its grand Renaissance style façade and clock tower crawling with ivy, the Rathaus, or City Hall, is among Dusseldorf's most attractive buildings, as well as being one of its oldest. Dating back to the 16th century, the Rathaus is one of a handful of buildings that remained intact after the WWII bombings, and forms an eye-catching backdrop to the city's annual Christmas markets.

The most memorable landmark of the Rathaus is the bronze equestrian statue of Elector Jan Wellem, an iconic sculpture designed by Gabriel de Grupello in 1711, which now takes center stage at the front of the building. Inside, visitors can explore the ornately decorated council hall, the Jan-Wellem hall and the Lord Mayor's reception hall, renowned for its beautiful ceiling paintings by artists Domenico Zanetti and Johannes Spilberg.

Standing at the intersection of two historically important trade roads, Via Regia and Via Imperii, St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig dates to 1165. The oldest church in the city, it was originally built in a Romanesque style, but was enlarged and converted into a Gothic hall church in the 16th century. An octagonal central tower was added at that time as well. Martin Luther is said to have preached at the church, which has been Protestant since 1539. The interior of the church is notable for the pillars in the nave that end in palm-like flourishes. Johann Sebastian Bach once served as the music director for the church and several of his works debuted in the church in the 18th century.

The church gained national prominence in 1989 due to peaceful demonstrations outside the church protesting communist rule in Germany. Today, it remains one of the largest churches in the Saxony region of Germany, holding up to 1400.

Inside the church you will find many works of art. A mural from 1460 depicts the first bishop Ansgar of Bremen with the words "Apostle of the North." Two oil paintings from the 17th century by Gottfried Libalt were returned to the cathedral in 2001 after being restored. A painting entitled Christmas 1813 in St. Peter's shows Hamburg citizens locked in the church when they refused to provide food to Napoleon's troops.