The tripto catalogue lists 27 viewpoints – rocks above river valleys, towers in the middle of cities and promenades overlooking the water.
The Bastei in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains is the most famous viewpoint in Saxon Switzerland: the Bastei Bridge from 1851 runs 190 metres above the Elbe, and entry is free. The Berlin TV Tower on Alexanderplatz is the tallest structure in Germany, with its viewing deck at 203 metres. The Lorelei is the legendary slate rock at the narrowest point of the Rhine, with a free viewing park and the Mythos Hall. From the Cloef viewpoint you look down on the Saar Loop near Mettlach for free, next to a treetop walk. In Munich you climb 306 steps up the tower of Alter Peter – when the Föhn wind blows, you can see the Alps. Brühl's Terrace in Dresden, the "Balcony of Europe", is a promenade about 500 metres long above the Elbe.
The catalogue's viewpoints are spread across many states: three each in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia. Berlin and Heidelberg have the most in a single city.
In practice: allow one to two hours, including the walk. Natural viewpoints such as the Bastei, the Lorelei and the Cloef are free; only parking costs. Towers charge, from Alter Peter (€5) to the TV Tower (from €20 with a time slot). Visibility is best in the morning and on clear autumn days.
Viewpoints
Lohmen
The Bastei in Saxon Switzerland is the most famous viewpoint in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and one of the top sights in eastern Germany. High above the Elbe River between the villages of Kurort Rathen and Stadt Wehlen, a 19th-century sto…
Viewpoints
Berlin
The Berlin TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm) at Alexanderplatz is the tallest structure in Germany at 368 meters (1,207 feet) and the skyline icon you'll spot from almost everywhere in the city. From the silver sphere about 200 meters up, yo…
Viewpoints
Bornich
The Lorelei (Loreley) near Sankt Goarshausen is the most famous rock on the Rhine River: a slate cliff about 130 meters high at the narrowest point of the Middle Rhine, inside the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. The l…
Viewpoints
Mettlach
The Saarschleife near Mettlach is the symbol of Saarland, Germany's smallest non-city state, and one of the most dramatic river views in the country. Here the Saar River doubles back on itself in a near-perfect hairpin bend through a deep,…
Viewpoints
Munich
St. Peter's Church in Munich, known to locals as "Alter Peter" (Old Peter), is the city's oldest parish church and home to one of the best viewpoints in town. Climb the tower right next to Marienplatz and you look straight down on the New…
Viewpoints
Dresden
Brühl's Terrace (Brühlsche Terrasse) is Dresden's grand riverside promenade, raised high above the Elbe and nicknamed the "Balcony of Europe" since the early 19th century. Stretching for about half a kilometer between the palace square and…
Viewpoints
Berlin
The Berlin TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm) at Alexanderplatz is the tallest structure in Germany at 368 meters (1,207 feet) and the skyline icon you'll spot from almost everywhere in the city. From the silver sphere about 200 meters up, yo…
Viewpoints
Lohmen
The Bastei in Saxon Switzerland is the most famous viewpoint in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and one of the top sights in eastern Germany. High above the Elbe River between the villages of Kurort Rathen and Stadt Wehlen, a 19th-century sto…
Viewpoints
Bornich
The Lorelei (Loreley) near Sankt Goarshausen is the most famous rock on the Rhine River: a slate cliff about 130 meters high at the narrowest point of the Middle Rhine, inside the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. The l…
Viewpoints
Mettlach
The Saarschleife near Mettlach is the symbol of Saarland, Germany's smallest non-city state, and one of the most dramatic river views in the country. Here the Saar River doubles back on itself in a near-perfect hairpin bend through a deep,…
Viewpoints
Berlin
The Berlin Victory Column (Siegessäule) is one of the German capital's great landmarks: a 67-meter column rising from the Grosser Stern roundabout in the middle of the Tiergarten park, topped by a gilded statue of the goddess Victoria that…
Viewpoints
München
St. Peter's Church in Munich, known to locals as "Alter Peter" (Old Peter), is the city's oldest parish church and home to one of the best viewpoints in town. Climb the tower right next to Marienplatz and you look straight down on the New…
Viewpoints
Dresden
Brühl's Terrace (Brühlsche Terrasse) is Dresden's grand riverside promenade, raised high above the Elbe and nicknamed the "Balcony of Europe" since the early 19th century. Stretching for about half a kilometer between the palace square and…
Viewpoints
Köln
The KölnTriangle in Cologne's Deutz district is a glass office tower on the east bank of the Rhine whose observation deck offers arguably the best view of Cologne Cathedral. From more than 100 meters up, the river, the Hohenzollern Bridge…
Viewpoints
Frankfurt am Main
The Main Tower in Frankfurt am Main is the only skyscraper in the city with an observation deck open to the public, which makes it the easiest way to see Germany's financial capital from above. From about 200 meters (656 feet) up, you look…
Viewpoints
Beelitz
Beneath your feet is a roof with trees growing on it. The Beelitz-Heilstätten Treetop Walk runs 17 to 23 metres above the ground through the crowns of an old hospital park and straight over the ruin of the Alpenhaus, a ward block that burn…
Viewpoints
Unstrut-Hainich
The Hainich Treetop Walk (Baumkronenpfad Hainich) in Hainich National Park is one of the best-known canopy walkways in Germany and a fine stop if you want to see an ancient beech forest from above. A 540-meter path winds through the canopy…
Viewpoints
Berlin
Berliners affectionately call it the "Langer Lulatsch", the "beanpole". The Funkturm on the trade fair grounds in Westend is 43 years older than the TV tower on Alexanderplatz and when it opened it was the tallest broadcasting and observat…
Viewpoints
Bremm
The Calmont near Bremm in Germany's Mosel Valley is often called the steepest vineyard in Europe, and it offers one of the most famous views in the country. From the summit cross you look straight down onto the Bremm Mosel loop, where the…
Viewpoints
Königswinter
The Drachenfels ("Dragon's Rock") near Königswinter is the most famous hill in the Siebengebirge range and one of the classic viewpoints on the Rhine. Its summit, about 321 m (1,053 ft) high, is crowned by the ruins of a medieval castle, w…
Viewpoints
Dortmund
You see it long before the stadium when you arrive in Dortmund: the Florianturm, "Florian" to the locals, rises from the Westfalenpark high above the city. When it opened in 1959 it was Germany's tallest TV tower for about a decade, and th…
Viewpoints
Mörsdorf
The Geierlay suspension bridge near Mörsdorf in the Hunsrück hills of Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the longest rope suspension bridges in Germany and one of the region's most popular outdoor attractions. Stretching 360 meters (about 1,18…
Viewpoints
Thale
The Hexentanzplatz ("Witches' Dance Floor") near Thale is a rocky plateau 454 meters (about 1,490 feet) above sea level, perched high over the Bode Gorge in Germany's Harz Mountains. It is one of the most popular things to do in the Harz:…
Viewpoints
Berchtesgaden
The Kehlsteinhaus, better known as the Eagle's Nest, sits on a rocky ridge high above Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps. Built in the late 1930s for the Nazi party, it is now a mountain restaurant with one of the finest views in Germany,…
Viewpoints
Heidelberg
The Königstuhl in Heidelberg is the city's local mountain, rising 567.8 m (1,863 ft) directly behind Heidelberg Castle. A historic funicular climbs to the summit, where you'll find sweeping views over the Old Town, the Neckar Valley and th…
Viewpoints
Berlin
The Müggelturm is an observation tower in Berlin's Köpenick district, set on a wooded hill in the Müggelberge, the city's highest natural hills. Climb 126 steps and you get a sweeping view over Lake Müggelsee, the Dahme River and miles of…
Viewpoints
Heidelberg
The Philosophers' Walk in Heidelberg (Philosophenweg) is a hillside path on the north bank of the Neckar that offers the most famous view of the city. From the slopes of the Heiligenberg, you look straight across the river at the Old Bridg…
Viewpoints
Düsseldorf
The Rheinturm in Düsseldorf is the city's tallest structure at 240.5 m (789 ft) and its best-known landmark. This telecommunications tower rises right on the Rhine between the state parliament and the MedienHafen, and its observation deck…
Viewpoints
Ensdorf
The Saar Polygon (Saarpolygon) in Ensdorf is a walk-up steel landmark on a former coal spoil heap and the best-known monument to the end of hard coal mining in Saarland. Depending on where you stand it looks like a gate, a triangle or a cr…
Viewpoints
Willingen (Upland)
665 metres of steel grating, a railing on each side and up to 100 metres of air below you: the Skywalk Willingen in the Upland, the Hessian part of the Sauerland hills, is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Germany. It spans from…
Among others, the Bastei with its bridge, the Lorelei, the Cloef viewpoint at the Saar Loop, the Hexentanzplatz near Thale, the Drachenfels and the Philosophers' Walk in Heidelberg.
A standard ticket costs from €20 and View & Drink from €31 – both with a time slot and bookable online. The viewing deck is at 203 metres.
In the morning and on clear autumn days. In Munich, when the Föhn blows, you can see the Alps from Alter Peter.
Updated: · Opening hours and prices can change — check the attraction page before you go.