These are the most popular small towns in Germany

A place with more than 100,000 inhabitants is considered a big city. For a long time, they were considered to be particularly attractive places to live - but this development now seems to be changing. According to the Federal Institute for Population Research, the number of people moving from large cities to smaller towns and rural regions increased by 1.8 percent in 2022 compared to 2019.

Urban exodus is particularly pronounced among 30 to 49 year olds (plus 3.7 percent) and minors (plus 8.9 percent). At the same time, immigration to the major cities fell by 5.4 percent. Rising rents are likely to be a main reason. But small German towns with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants are also becoming increasingly popular as excursion and holiday destinations. A current evaluation of the online booking portal "Holidu" for holiday apartments and houses shows which town is the most popular among them.

Before we get straight into the ranking, we have a small question for you:

For the ranking, last year's Google search queries for small towns were analyzed. The ranking included both the search volume for the mere city name and a combination of city names in connection with a sight. For example "Sellin" or "Sellin Seebrücke".

The ranking is slightly inaccurate because it is based on search volumes. And a search volume is only a good estimate. There can be seasonal, regional and thematic fluctuations in the number of searches for a term within a certain period of time.

In addition, not only tourists google for the cities, but also the residents of a region, for example for local news or the weather report.

With this limitation – let the journey begin!

The total monthly search volume is given in brackets.

The almost 5,000-strong village with its Reichsburg is idyllically situated in the Moselle valley in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. While the town center of Cochem is characterized by picturesque and colorful half-timbered houses, visitors and residents of the city can enjoy a magnificent view from the summit of the Pinneberg - and of course a drop or two of wine.

An entire region in Bavaria is even named after the small town with around 7,670 inhabitants. The Berchtesgadener Land offers pure nature. While skiers get their money's worth here in winter, the best way to observe the Alpine panorama in summer is while hiking.

Tegernsee itself, about 50 kilometers from Munich, is one of the most popular destinations in the Free State of Bavaria. So it's no wonder that the city on the east bank named after him lands at the top of the podium of Germany's most popular small towns. A highlight of the spa town is the Tegernsee monastery. From the 19th century it was converted into a palace by King Maximilian I Joseph.

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