10 Beautiful Places in Germany for Autumn Travel

The woods are already colorful… Thus begins the lyrics of an old folk song about autumn. Even in your area, the forests turn into the most amazing colors in October: reds, oranges and yellows, which shine in competition with the golden autumn sun and provide a spectacular landscape every year.

With the October sun bathing everything in warm light and the temperature still pleasant, now is the perfect time for a trip. Even a gray sky looks less cloudy with more colors. The leaves of beech, maple or oak trees turn especially intense colors at night when it is already frosty and the days are still warm. Here we will tell you in which forests you can easily witness this natural phenomenon known as Indian summer.

1. Time Out on Spacechart: Visiting the Brothers Grimm

Spessard in Hesse is home to Germany’s largest continuous mixed-deciduous forest. A walk to the Brothers Grimm house in October along hiking trails lined with colorful autumn trees is simply wonderful. Jump into lively streams, climb rolling hills, picnic under oak trees, and spend hours outside.

How, for example, a tour on a premium hiking trail awarded the “German Hiking Seal”. Speschart curve? It winds through the hilly terrain for 90 kilometers along well-marked trails and paths and rewards you with picturesque valleys and breathtaking views.

2. Swabian Alp: On foot, bike or motorbike

The Swabian Alps are paradise no matter what vehicle you travel in. A vast network of certified hiking trails awaits you. They take you to the best viewing cliffs on the 1000 meter high Albtrauf. It winds through juniper heaths and past bright blue springs. It is the name given to water springs that emerge from the karst soil and look like small lakes. But there are also shady forests that shine in all colors in autumn and hide mysterious caves.

Do you want wheels underneath? Then you have come to the right place. There are many bike tours – day trips and multi-day tours for families with children, e-bikes or sporty mountain bike fans.

And anyone who likes to drive through the region will enjoy the Swabian Alb in autumn: the “Swabian Alp Road” stretches 200 kilometers across the entire Alp and passes through beautiful villages and beautiful landscapes.

3. On Rügen: The national park shines

No one can pass the limestone cliffs on Rugen Island. The biggest on the Baltic Sea, it’s also worth a walk through the surrounding beech forest. Clear moors and springs await you in Jasmond National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Do you want to entrust yourself to an expert who will let you in on the secrets of the nature park? On guided walks, you’ll learn amazing things about 70-million-year-old limestone cliffs, flint and impressive beech forests, which in some places seem to almost fall into the sea. The contrast between the white cliffs, the colorful autumn beech trees and the blue sea is impressive.

4. Moselle vineyards in autumn

Europe’s steepest vineyards are located on the Moselle, and in autumn they turn from the last green to soft yellow to fiery red. And the forests of the region do this, visiting the area between Koblenz and Trier. Especially useful in October. The morning mist rises from the river bank, but soon clears and gives way to the golden autumn sun, which bathes everything in its soft light.

This is the perfect time to take a long walk through the vineyards or even sit in the sun with a glass of Moselle wine in the winemaker’s yard. Do you want to go to one of the numerous wine festivals now celebrated in every village? There are many reasons to visit this area.

5. Spectacular scenery in Upper Bavaria

The Upper Bavarian Pfaffenwinkel is not far from the state capital Munich, and invites you to take a trip with its wonderful play of colors in autumn. Just before the Alps between Lech and Loisach you will find gentle hills and quiet hills, glassy-smooth lakes and colorful mixed forests.

This landscape is especially mesmerizing in autumn. Whether on bike or on foot, the mighty Alps are always in your sights, but you don’t have to climb them. Here you can take lonely trails far from mass tourism or ride through beautiful towns on two wheels. You decide the speed.

6. Indian Summer in Spreewald

It’s hard to believe that Spreewald, an hour’s drive from Berlin, is a relaxing oasis of peace and quiet – often noisy, busy and smelly. If you’re out early in the morning, you’ll encounter a mist rising from the water, but that’s soon chased away by the soft autumn sun that’s reflected on the water. The entire landscape is bathed in golden light, the poplars and willows glowing colorfully.

And there was hardly anyone out and about. Although there are still tourists on boats in the summer, things are much quieter in the fall. Demonetization is now the slogan; Take a boat trip, discover the enchanted rivers and visit the charming villages on the Spree, which give the area its own charm.

7. Autumn Heinich: A forest in the middle of Germany

Heinich is a mountain range in Thuringia that, due to its location as a restricted military area on the former intra-German border, has been able to develop for decades without outside influence and is now a national park. There are wonderful beech trees here which are especially beautiful in October. Although most of Heinich resembles a forest, there are many well-marked trails through it.

To be precise, there are twenty hiking trails with a total length of 120 kilometers. To find them, all you need is a bike or a pair of hiking boots. During the weekend, staff and volunteers from the National Park Administration invite you for guided tours and other activities. Perhaps you want to take part in a forest trip with a ranger or go on an excursion with an expert?

8. Natural Wonders in Saxony: Elbe Sandstone Mountains

With its bizarre rock formations, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Saxony are certainly one of Germany’s most spectacular regions. Especially in autumn, when the leaves turn colorful, the atmosphere is almost magical. Various viewpoints such as Buste Bridge, Ferdinandsfels or Kanabi offer you exciting views and a unique panorama.

A visit to the fort is an absolute highlight. Several hiking trails lead around the famous bridge and connect to other sights such as the castle ruins of the town of Wehlen and Swedenlochen. A total of 1,200 kilometers of hiking trails await you through glorious valleys, steep rocky cliffs and colorful deciduous forests.

9. Not just spruce: Resin is colorful

Autumn is spectacular in Horses. It is a misconception that only spruce trees grow in Hors. For example, many valleys, such as the rugged Bodetal or the wildly romantic Ilsetal, have many deciduous and mixed forests that are colorful in autumn. So let’s go to the low mountain range in the north of Germany.

Beautiful Ilsenburg in the shadow of Brocken is a wonderful starting point for many beautiful tours. From here, the so-called Heinrich-Heine-Weg leads through the magnificent deciduous forest to the 1,141-meter-high mountain summit. A long way through the Ilse, which Heinrich Heine called beautiful and sweet for a reason.

10. Savorland is the land of the soul

Gentle hills and valleys, lush green meadows and dense forest, with small half-timbered villages in between invite you to relax. The Sauerland in Westphalia attracts excursions in autumn with its brightly colored trees. There are places that take your breath away, and they are most beautiful when the leaves glow red, yellow and orange.

For example, how about a tour via Helletal? The gorge-like stream valley near Winterberg is of eerie beauty and, with its rugged rock faces and wild vegetation, reminds one more of a valley in the Alps than of a place in North Rhine-Westphalia. Here Saverland shows its tough, but also romantic side.

Looking for more inspiration? Tips for all the best travel destinations can be found at reisereporter.

Travel Correspondent