The Most Beautiful Places in Germany

The landscapes of Germany are at once charming, bewitching, and staggeringly pretty: alpine peaks, mysterious forests, white Rococo churches, villages lined with timbered houses, and castles that seem almost too majestic to be real. From the mountains to the cities, and everywhere in between, here are some of the most beautiful sites in Germany. Rakotzbrücke (Rakotz Bridge), Gablenz, Saxony
Hidden in Kromlau's Rhododendron Park, Rakotzbrücke is a 19th-century bridge that creates a perfect stone circle when reflected in the waters below it. Rakotzbrücke is often referred to as "Devil's Bridge," since the structure seems so impossible that it must have been built by, well, the devil. Lake Königssee, Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria
In the Berchtesgaden Alps near the Austrian border (about 18 miles south of Salzburg), Königssee is an alpine lake with crystal-clear water, quiet boat rides, and charming St. Bartholomä church with its (very German) adjacent beer garden.