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City trips: all 16 state capitals!

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City Trips: All 16 main cities!

Because I love to check off lists, at some point I set myself the goal of traveling to all 16 provincial capitals. So very, very ambitious I did not pursue this company, but – I did it! :) I’m done. Here is my personal list of provincial capitals.

Attention: This article contains a lot of insights into the travel history of my childhood and youth, but little helpful tips. But you can search in the linked posts!

Content of this article

Berlin: My long-time favorite

More precisely than on “the beginning of the 90s” my first time Berlin can no longer be dated. In any case, I was too young to even begin to understand the weighty situation of the city. I remember all the Steiff animals in the “KDW” and the dismal facades in East Berlin.

At 16, I was back when my parents wanted to do something good for our colossally disinterested exchange student from the USA and arranged a family outing. Julie was sulking all the time because she did not want to run so far and begged that she should be left behind at the hotel, where she wanted to watch Pay TV. I, on the other hand, got a real feel for the city for the first time.

Until the beginning of my blogger career I have been there two or three times and especially learned to love the Museum Island. I then showed them to my boys. Since then we drive every two years about all men to Berlin. The time after our US-visa debacle, for example, we have used for family sightseeing. In the winter holidays this year we were also there, among other things, the (exciting!) Jewish Museum visited (but I blogged on the occasion only over -> Potsdam).

Every year, my solo trip to Berlin also goes to ITB, the world’s largest tourism trade fair and compulsory travel blogger. Even if I spend most of my time in the exhibition halls, Berlin has thus become one of my favorites among the provincial capitals.

Of course, the highlight of Berlin Sightseeing is always the Brandenburg Gate.

Bremen: my North German love

At a young age, I was only once with a friend and her parents on the Bremen Freimarkt – we drive from just under two hours.

I really explored the city on an excursion about Hanseatic cities during my studies. On this occasion, I fell in love with the Übersee Museum, and I have already shared this passion with my boys.

Janis and I did a really cool city break in 2013 at the invitation of the North German Blogger Meeting – our first blogger invitation with overnight stay. On this occasion, we got to know Bremen from all its best sides, and since then it’s actually one of my favorite cities.

Since we are always on the road, but favorite cities are not regularly on our travel plan. Now in the summer we were finally back, when Martin’s sister and her daughter were visiting, and also Janis’ exchange student from Switzerland. Essentially, we repeated the blogger meeting program, which was great. Especially the story house is great class!

On my first trip to Bremen with the boys, the two were still pretty small!

Dusseldorf: The capstone of my collection

I hardly dare to say that Düsseldorf, of all places, was the last state capital I have been to.

You have to know: we are feeling Westphalia. So half. Although we live in Schaumburg in Lower Saxony, but two villages continue the border runs. The boys go to school in Westphalia. Martin and I work in Westphalia (fortunately, because we have two more holidays). Nevertheless, I have never had any circumstances in the North Rhine-Westphalian capital.

Well, at fifteen I used to fly from Dusseldorf airport to Ireland, but since I did not see anything of the city, that does not count.

Only now in September 2017 we finally made it to Dusseldorf. And it was really great! Fortunately, we were able to spend a whole weekend for our final state capital (and I also blogged about it in detail).

As it turned out, Dusseldorf has much more to offer than we thought. But one of our favorite sights was simply the Rhine.

Dresden: Ambivalent heart piece in the east

For the first time, Martin and I got to know the city on a romantic anniversary weekend. That was 2010, our first (and I think only) short break without children. Zwinger, Frauenkirche, Hygiene Museum, the classic program.

Then my sister moved to Dresden because her husband was doing his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute. From then on we went there a few times, went on a big sightseeing tour in the old town together with the world’s wondering family, explored the cool Neustadt with a paper chase and tested the children‘s ward of the Dresden University Hospital after a rather dramatic playground accident.

After it started under the keyword Pegida with the open racism so effective in the media, I have already made so my thoughts, if we should travel to Dresden at all. Yes, my result is still to show people there that there is another way, and not to leave the open-minded Democrats in the new city all alone.

Meanwhile, my sister lives in Schaumburg (that was planned from the beginning, but she was more than relieved when she could leave the swamp behind). It will not be that fast again in Dresden.

Top-class cultural assets in the Green Vault: Quite a reason to visit Dresden.

Erfurt: Only in passing

I only got in touch with the capital of Thuringia after I had been involved with a Thuringian for a while. One of his buddies studied there and gave us a guided tour of the city, focusing on the divine ice cream parlor near the cathedral. I do not remember what her name was, but she’s easy to find on the grotesquely long queue.

I saw the cathedral and the Krämerbrücke. And even then I thought that Erfurt would be worth a further detailed visit really worth it.

Every time on the way to the in-laws we drive past. One day we will take the opportunity.

This is the Krämerbrücke, one of Erfurt’s landmarks. Because I did not take any pictures at the time, I had to borrow one from Andrea, who has 11 tips for Erfurt in her blog Indigo Blue, which I’ll write on my list. Thank you very much!

Hamburg: Always happy

This town was a household name to me as a child, especially in the form of Elbtunnel and Köhlbrandbrücke, because we were only in Hamburg, we had usually already half overcome on the way to vacation to Denmark.

I remember a weekend trip with my parents and grandparents, of which I especially remembered the “Planten un Blomen” park with the Japanese garden.

In the youth time, various excursions were added, although I go the classic tour – by train, in the evening in the neighborhood celebrate, save accommodation and instead in the morning to the fish market and with the first train back home – never participated.

With my own family, I have only once in detail in Hamburg: in the Miniatur Wunderland, the dialogue in the dark and around it.

We wanted to make a stop in Hamburg this summer with our Swiss exchange student on the way to the Baltic Sea, but it was so busy that only a short city tour was made.

Hamburg at night – in the Miniatur Wunderland. :)

Hannover: home game

Hannover is “my” state capital, only 50 kilometers away from our doorstep. Here I studied, here lives a large part of my circle of friends, and it is probably the only state capital that I really good know.

But as it is in such cases, so far I have hardly blogged about it. I’ve done it again and again (after all, there are also travel blogger meetings in Hannover, which I sometimes even attend, and I’m always one of those who eagerly nods that we should blog together …).

The only serious blog post about Hanover (because my home article after our travel break is barely count) is our review from the Herrenhausen Gardens, which are also really top notch.

In Hannover, I am rarely as a tourist with leisure, but mostly with a mission. It is worthwhile, for example, a walk around the New Town Hall totally!

Kiel: The one who took the second chance

We explored the northernmost capital of the republic in 2009 on our way to Scandinavia. At that time we did not like it so much. The excerpt from my travel diary can be read here.

Meanwhile, my best friend moved to Kiel (because of love, which is always a good reason for ambivalent cities). Accordingly, I gave the far north a second chance. And lo and behold: Kiel can be nice too. If you have locals with you, the beautiful corners show.

Kiel is really pretty here: view over the “small Kiel”.

Magdeburg: That will be something again!

I know the capital of Saxony-Anhalt from the earliest reunification time. My father did pioneering work there when it came to introducing the achievements of capitalism to the brothers and sisters in the East, such as the West German health insurance system. As a child, I experienced Magdeburg thanks to the still prevailing lignite use as a terrifyingly dirty city.

A few years ago I gave her a new chance, and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day in the Natural History Museum and around the Hundertwasser designed Green Citadel.

Since Magdeburg is somehow always on the way for us to the east, I have been fondling with another one for a long time right Visit. At the ITB, I even had a date with the responsible lady of tourism promotion. Unfortunately, the year has only a limited number of holidays and weekends, otherwise we would have been there again. I’ve had enough ideas at the latest since that conversation …

After all, after reading Marc’s travel zoom report. He is a hammer photographer and has also made exactly the family trip to Magdeburg, I wish. And he lent me this photo. Thank you!

Mainz: short trip to the underground

All of Rhineland-Palatinate is underrepresented in my life, and even the state capital has so far received only half an afternoon when we actually wanted to Frankfurt. Nevertheless, the detour has been very worthwhile, because we have found the late antique Isis Temple, which I warmly recommend once again to all Mainz and Mainz travelers!

The remains of the late Roman Isis temple are located in the middle of Mainz under a shopping center.

Munich: See you soon!

So far, I know the capital that is farthest away from us only from a single stay, which, after all, included a good week. In 1997 I went to the German Gymnastics Festival with my father. The whole city was in a state of emergency, the cityscape was very little to recognize. I know that we visited the Frauenkirche, but I can not remember anything. The images in my head are more about Schwabinger pubs and wild smooching on a schoolyard at sunrise – hey, I was 15!

But at least the visit of the Deutsches Museum has remained in my memory, with all the experiments that happened behind glass at the push of a button.

In the autumn holidays, very soon so, I will explore Munich with Martin and the boys “again right”. I’m looking forward to it!

This picture I borrowed from Mrs.Berry, who was traveling with her daughter in Munich (and since then owns a dirndl). Thank you very much!

Potsdam: Berlin’s beautiful little sister

The neighborhood to Berlin suggests a connection of visits, and that’s exactly what we did back then, when we had the distressed American in tow. Even Sanssouci Palace did not impress her. I remember a lot, for example, the opulent Chinese tea salon.

It took almost 20 years until I came to Potsdam a second time. This winter it was time, and I also blogged about it in detail: Potsdam without Sanssouci. We do not want to spend so much time until our next visit, and then I show my boys the Royal Castle.

The arcade in front of the Belvedere on the Pfingstberg offers in leafless winter pretty views of the Italian-looking Schlösschen.

Saarbrücken: The surprise on the far left

What should lead you to Saarbrücken, far from the mark and without real attractions? We first had to meet couch surfers who proselytized us for a return visit – luckily, because Saarbrücken is absolutely worth a trip!

Especially the trip to the Völklingen hut really impressed us.

The Völklinger Hütte is pure madness: a surreal colossus made of rusty steel and you can visit it from top to bottom.

Schwerin: The inconspicuous

That not Rostock is the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, you forget as a quasi-half-Rostocker like times. From the perspective of Rostock Schwerin is synonymous with province, at least as far as cultural life is concerned. Well, okay – I have a feeling that maybe I’m just sitting in the nettles, so we’d better leave that alone.

A few years ago, we experienced Schwerin on a day trip as a really pretty little town with child-friendly restaurants and a pretty park around the Landtag Palace (which today still has to be much more spectacular after the Federal Garden Show).

Again, I have to make a pictorial loan, because if I’ve been snapping then, I’ve verbaselt the photos. This was Imke from CrappyRadioStationsAndCandyBars, who did a solo weekend trip to Schwerin.

Stuttgart: Which is still on our list

The capital of Baden-Wuerttemberg is one of those that I have to take a closer look at. On the way home for our trip to Italy, we stopped here in 2008 for a short stopover. What Antje von Mee (h) r-experience and Christina of the travel agent so everything from their homeland, but definitely makes you want a “real” visit at the next opportunity!

From Stuttgard I have at least found an ancient proof photo! Silas in front of the Stuttgart Castle felt a hundred years ago.

Wiesbaden: Well, no idea

Another capital that always stays in the shadow of its bigger sister. Even with us, it was only enough for a short stopover, where we enjoyed the sophisticated flair of the high-priced town and amused ourselves about simple cardigans for more than 300 euros in the shop windows. But it was one of the very few cities where even the children have fun window shopping, because we have discovered shops for the most outlandish oddities.

Silas recently had to give a presentation on a state capital and has just drawn Wiesbaden. Before that, I had the feeling that I might have done a little wrong in Hessen’s capital with our short visit. In the meantime, I do not believe that anymore (although I’m always willing to give destinations a second chance in principle).

The Marktkirche photographed Renate von Rausinsleben for me. If I look at them like that, I’m already thinking again, if we should not go back to Wiesbaden. Especially when I read Renates Café-Tip!

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