Tourist attractions: Vibrant cities with amazing architecture, fabulous shopping and pulsating nightlife. Enchanting medieval villages and traditional wine villages with friendly festivals and regional specialities. Picturesque countryside which is perfect for walking or simply relaxing in. Castles, palaces and abbeys that are the epitome of German romanticism.

Unesco has designated 33 German sites as World Heritage sites: The German Wadden Sea (2009), Aachen Cathedral (1978), Speyer Cathedral (1981), Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square (1981), Pilgrimage Church of Wies (1983), Castles of Augustusburg and Falkenlust at Brühl (1984), St Mary's Cathedral and St Michael's Church at Hildesheim (1985), Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier (1986), Frontiers of the Roman Empire (1987, 2005), 10 Hanseatic City of Lübeck (1987), Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin (1990, 1992, 1999), Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch (1991), Mines of Rammelsberg and Historic Town of Goslar (1992), Maulbronn Monastery Complex (1993), Town of Bamberg (1993), Collegiate Church, Castle, and Old Town of Quedlinburg (1994), Völklingen Ironworks (1994), Messel Pit Fossil Site (1995), Bauhaus and its Sites in Weimar and Dessau (1996), Cologne Cathedral (1996), Luther Memorials in Eisleben and Wittenberg (1996), Classical Weimar (1998), Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin (1999), Wartburg Castle (1999), Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz (2000), Monastic Island of Reichenau (2000), Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen (2001), Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar (2002), Upper Middle Rhine Valley (2002), Muskauer Park / Park Muzakowski (2004), Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen (2004), Old town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof (2006), Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (2008).