Germany Off The Beaten Path Tips by AndreSTGT

Erfurt

Thuringia's smallish state capital has all the beauty and charms to become a tourist magnet, but visitors from overseas usually restrict their visit to Dresden or Leipzig.
Erfurt's most amazing sight is Krämerbrücke, a medieval bridge lined by two rows of houses. You can climb the belfry of the church at the western end of the bridge for great views over the city.
Other interesting places to see are the former university quarter Andreasstadt with a couple of nice patio cafés and beer gardens and 'Fischmarkt', a medieval town square with some brilliantly beautiful Renaissance houses.

Spreewald

This forest south-east of Berlin is not only one of Germany's most pristine nature reserves, it's also a very popular and fun tourist destination. Very few foreign tourists seem to know about this place, however, which is strange because it's a real highlight in my opinion.
The dense jungle-like forest is traversed by canals and river arms which form the main transport arteries in the area, there are no roads or cars, there is, however, a quaint village called Lehde in the forest with plenty of nice beer gardens. To get there, hire a canoe for the day. The farther you paddle away from the main town of Lübbenau, the wilder the forest gets, a true jungle experience in the middle of an industrialized country.
The Spreewald is famous in Germany for its delicious cucumbers and the locals are all cucumber-crazy, you can't leave without trying all the different varieties.

Schwerin

Schwerin truly is Germany's best-kept secret, a hidden gem and my personal favorite among German towns. In and around Schwerin there are countless lakes and parks, the fairy-tale Schwerin castle is the most magnificent in the country and the old town center is well-preserved with plenty of outdoor cafés and restaurants. Despite being a state capital, Schwerin has the feel of a pleasant provincial town.

Gotha

Gotha is an attractive town near Erfurt in Thuringia. The most beautiful building in the relatively well-preserved historical center is the 16th century town hall. On the hill above there's a big, but mildly interesting castle.
For a nice breakfast check out the 'Boston Café' in the Old Town.

Naumburg

The main town of Saxony- Anhalt's pristine Saale-Unstrut region is one of the best places to visit if you're looking for 'ostalgie' (GDR nostalgia). Cobbled streets and crumbling buildings are quickly disappearing in Eastern Germany, but it looks like Naumburg still has a long way to go. The town's main sights are the huge gothic cathedral and the medieval market square, but what i loved most about it was just lingering through the cobbled streets of this somewhat forgotten historical town.

Hoyerswerda

Mention the name Hoyerswerda and most Germans will think of neonazis, unemployment and dilapidated GDR architecture. After an attack on a home for asylum seekers Hoyerswerda has become a synonym for right-wing violence in one of Germany's most underprivileged regions.
That in mind i was extremely surprised to discover such a peaceful and pleasant town, and one of Germany's most unusual restaurants : Hoyerswerda's Ratskeller. Most German towns have a Ratskeller restaurant on their main square, usually in the town hall. These restaurants normally offer typical hearty German food, not so in Hoyerswerda, here on the menu you'll find moose, crocodile, bison etc... Since this restaurant is not bankrupt yet, this means that the people of Hoyerswerda can't be such a narrow-minded, nationalistic bunch after all.
If you want to get really, really off-the-beaten track and have a good meal in a nice town visit Hoyerswerda!!

Rügen

Germany's largest island in the Baltic sea is a place of extraordinary beauty : long, white-sand beaches, pine forests, lakes and the famous white chalk cliffs of the Jasmund NP make Rügen one of Germany's major tourist destinations. In summer it's hard to find accommodation, even campgrounds on the coast are booked for months and the narrow island roads are jammed with cars, but still, if you visit only one place on the German coast, make it Rügen!!

Dinkelsbühl

This medieval gem on the 'Romantic Road' just south of Rothenburg is not nearly as touristy as famous sister and therefore a good alternative if you're trying to escape the crowds.

Greifswald

The small university town of Greifswald has an image problem. Among western German students it's a running gag to tell someone with bad grades that he certainly has to go to Greifswald because no other university will accept him. Being sent to Greifswald is the biggest fear a western German student has.
I have no idea where these negative ideas about Greifswald come from, maybe it's because the town is in a very remote corner of Eastern Germany, maybe it's because there have been some problems with neonazis in recent years. I don't know, but i found Greifswald very attractive and enjoyable, if slightly too calm and provincial.
As in other Hanseatic trading towns there's a beautiful large market square with colorful, gabled houses, plenty of nice cafés and it's only a couple of minutes to the Baltic sea, so in my opinion not a bad place for students (and visitors) at all.

Lübeck

With the entire historical center being a UNESCO Cultural heritage site, Lübeck is one of the more attractive towns in former West Germany. But even here you'll see some bad examples of 60s functionalist architecture next to beautiful medieval buildings. This doesn't affect, however, the positive general impression of Lübeck, and some parts of the Old Town, esp. in the eastern part are truly amazing with rows of gorgeous old houses, all of them restored and inhabited.
The town's landmark, 15th century Holsten Gate is at the western end of the historical center and houses a mildly interesting museum.
Fans of the famous German writer Thomas Mann might want to visit the museum in the 'Buddenbrook Haus'.