I live in Hamburg currently but my favourite city to live in is Hannover. It’s not too large and not too small, has so many beautiful green spaces and really nice districts. The cycling infrastructure is 10 times better than in Hamburg and it just generally offers a lot. It’s a very underrated city though and many Germans have a bad image of Hannover even though they have never been there or were there 20 years ago. I’ve lived in Düsseldorf before and I liked it but I agree with you, Düsseldorf could have more greenery.
Munich is great. I find there are more "blue sky" days in Munich compared with middle-north Germany. Also, big advantage, also close to Austria and Italy, two great places for vacations.
Whats great about Munic? Livingcost? You will apply for a appartment and someone payed more, so get nothing. Majority cant pay rent and moving out from Munich. Der Verkehr in der Stadt ist extrem, alles voll. Ordnungsamt ist überall. If you like Blue sky, so may be is canary islands or South of Spain / Italy /Croatia better. Austalia and South Africa also a great Place
@@cristianmoscoso9310 Munich is not only Maxilianstraße, P1 and Grünwald man! People here are great too and from literally everywhere in and outside of Germany!
I would say, small cities in Germany are best to live in, since the infrastructure is extremely good, compared to cities of the same size in other parts of the world, but at the same time they're mostly more beautiful, have an old town area, the living costs are much cheaper and you're out in the nature in maybe 20 minutes. My home town has 150 000 inhabitants and it's exactly the perfect size in my opinion. (I have lived in a 4 million inhabitants city in China and I live in Munich now. I prefer my home town to both of them by 10000 miles)
Cool Video ... I was actually born and raised in Germany, but as a child (after my parents divorce) I moved to the US with my Mom and step-Dad ... it's been many years since I visited Germany, have not been back as an Adult, and of course have never worked in Germany but recently received a call from a recruiter about a job in Germany ... and it got me thinking "what if" ... so I enjoy vidoes like yours very much
Somehow you already have a video for every question I think of. I might eventually think if something you haven't covered. Thank you for all the amazing stuff.
The nature around Aachen is also beautiful. No mountains but hills and big forests. I was there a couple of days for work some years ago and I liked it very much.
As myself living close to Aachen I need to say that this town is after Trier the second oldest in germany and the most western town in germany. Is also very close to the Eifel area and it's national park. The nothern part of the Eifel is also known as the most fought over battel in WW II and is known as Westwall. Aachen has a hot spring and a thermal bath as well. Kaiser Karl der Große was the first west european emperor and is buried in the aachen cathedral. The cathedral was build arround the year 800. ALso near by is the old town hall which was build in the 14. century. I just want to mention it. :-)
It's quite difficult to determine how old towns actually are. Speyer and Worms for instance have about the same age than Aachen and Trier, and while Cologne formally became a city on July 8 50 AD, it was an oppidum (settlement) before. Which town in Germany can be called the oldest (and second oldest etc.pp.) really depends on your definition of "city", and if you ask three historians, you can be sure to get ten different definitions. And even if you stick with one definition, a thorough reordering of the ranking is just a small archeological discovery away. PS: Xanten for instance has existed at least since 12 BC, predating the oldest documented age of Aachen. On the other hand, archeological finds in Aachen, albeit undated, point to an older settlement. If you are looking for documented age, Xanten is older than Aachen. If you look at artifacts, Aachen is older. PPS: For most antique towns in Germany, Octavian's conquest of the territory west of the Rhine marks the begin of their documented age, which means that they were either founded or at least first mentioned in 13/12 BC. This includes Trier, Mainz, Augsburg, Xanten, Neuss, Bonn, Koblenz, Worms, Speyer and Andernach. Kempten is an interesting case, as it is already mentioned by Strabon to be conquered in 15 BC as the main city of the celtic tribe of the Estions, making Kempten to be the oldest town in Germany to be ever called a city.
Dresden is a good place to start. Several semiconductor manufacturers and research institutes around engineering, biology and chemistry have English as a common colloquial language. That's why the area also likes to call itself Silicon Saxony...
Hey, I got admission in TU Dresden and Bonn in MSc chemistry but very confused which one should i choose. I like the course offered in TU Dresden. But bonn is overall good except the course offered is not interesting and is very tough. There are more chemical industries near bonn in cologne etc. I need your suggestion. Is Dresden better option here?
I know someone from Sonthofen,Allgäu-hope i can visit him one day to see what kind of city it is.I totally agree with Munich and Hamburg: there are my favs .Enhorabuena für diese Kanale, ich grade entdeckt habe.
My vote goes to Hamburg! It is a big city, you get all the culture and sport events, it is very green with the multiple rivers and parks in every part of the city, despite the total size the city center is still pretty small, so easy to explore with bike, on foot or with public transport. And in less than 2 hours, you can reach both the Baltic and the Northern Sea. Plus the people are nice and open.
@TBLiov yes, I would say so. It is a harbor city and often called the gateway to the world, so you will find lots of people from all over and most people speak English
Very interesting video 👍 A few things to Berlin, Berlin is not one city, it's a many cities combined to a bigger one. A little research to the district you like to live and the public transportation is definitely necessary. And it's a wonderful city with a lot of nature and water in and around Berlin for hiking. It's really diverse with a lot of lovely places.
I would never denominate a city like Aachen as "town". It has a quarter of a million inhabitants, Karlsruhe a third of a million, Nürnberg / Nuremberg half a million. That's big for most of Germany (and for most of Europe). Our cities may not be so big as in the Americas, but they are many. If it comes to towns, however, I would recommend to consider Konstanz in the southernmost part of Germany - the old city center is actually the only German town south of the Rhine. Many inhabitants of Konstanz work in Switzerland, where are many jobs, high salaries, but also very high living costs. These are a lot lower at the German side of the frontier, but Konstanz itself has relatively high rents due to high demand. You can get to Zurich in about an hour by bus or car or one hour and 16 minutes by train. There is also a great university in Konstanz (one of 12 German Universities of Excellence), where many courses and lectures are held in English. In exchange you get the beautiful Lake of Konstanz, the Schwarzwald (less than 2 hours), the Rhine Falls (about a hour by car or train, about 3 hours by ship), the Swiss Alps (visible nearly every day except for fog), the Austrian Alps (about a hour by car, about 2 hours by train, about 4 hours by ship), and a lot more. And not to forget: Konstanz is very bike-friendly.
Hola Jen. Muchas gracias por la información. Me encantan tus videos y tu canal. Soy chapín buscando mudarme a Europa. Alemania parece fantástico. Gracias por toda la información.
I moved from Nurenberg to Dusseldorf and I found Dusseldorf quite a bit expensive compared to Nurenberg in general. Also one more thing to add. The weather in Dusseldorf is more rainy which is why they call it Drizzledorf compared to say more snow but drier weather in Bavaria
I honestly kind of can not believe, that Aachen, Karlsruhe and Hannover are the cheapest cities in Germany. I would think that cities like Leipzig, Halle, Dresden, Jena, Kiel, Chemnitz, Bielefeld are probably cheaper...
Hannover has more than 500,000 inhabitants. So I would not call it a "small" Town. But of course Düsseldorf is the nicer place to live. Have you checked out the Bergisches Land? There you will find beautiful landscapes and good oportunities for hiking.
6:00 Hanover ... You say, that these cities including Hanover are very small towns. I lived in Hanover for 25 years or so. It has about 530,000 inhabitants. Before that I lived in a city with 15,000 inhabitants. Now I live in a city with 60,000 inhabitants. So, from my point of experience, Hanover is a big city, not a "very small town". Even where I live now, i would not call it a "very small town". Hanover is the 13th most populated city in Germany in 2019, just having 90,000 people less compared with Düsseldorf. Hanover is also home of the biggest fair in the world (if there is no pandemic). But it is always underrated, that is why living there is not that expensive as perhaps Düsseldorf, Cologne or others. Yea, of course, when you compare it with Berlin, Madrid, London and so, both Hanover and Düsseldorf are very small towns. Depends on your point of view. Nuremberg, from Population is #14 (520,000) and Hanover #13 (530,000), Nuremberg is among the 3 most expensive, Hanover among the 3 cheapest. The number of inhabitants is not the only reason. Hanover has a good connection by ICE rail both to Berlin and Hamburg, driving time is 2 hours to Berlin and 1 hour to Hamburg. So it is a very cheap alternative with good connections to the north and east. Thanks for your videos. Very informative content and fun to watch. 💙
I think as one of the more expensive cities in germany, Konstanz should be considered. Pretty much the city and the business are kind of tailored for the Swiss people sinxe the border is a 5 minutes from the city and also Swiss people.prefer spend their money here. Costs for living are really high and in general prices compared to certain placws in Nürnberg are higher
We have Google & Amazon too here in Berlin. Also Sony, RU-vid, etc.. Yes berlin is huge but you can nearly find everything here. We have places looking like a village like Whilmelmsruh or Spandau(part of it) with one familie houses, we have an area of nearly villas like Zehlendorf, we have lakes, forrests, huge buildings like in the center of the city, thats what most people might know as berlin, we have parts with old houses and blockhouses and a lot of graffiti art too, etc.. The nearly only things we don't have are mountains and oceans.(i don't consider a small hill as a mountain) We are also very open minded. I mean we live in our houses together with a lot of people from other countries door on door. We speak with them because they are our neighbours, we celebrate a lot of partys & festivals with them, we even have a festival of cultures and we love to visit their restaurants to try new food. And last but not least, berlin is the city where most germans can speak english in relation to other cities. I have chosen berlin as an example because i live there. What i wanted to say is that you can't get the best city of germany from a universaty paper. That only tells you what they think are good cities for students to chose. If you really want to know what cities are the best, visit them, get an impression on your own and then tell us what you think are the best cities for you. Don't rely on what others tell you.
Frankfurt is great because it's the greenest city in Germany, has great museums, is very multicultural, the Landschaft around it is beautiful... and it's in Hessen. Which is, of course the best Bundesland ever.
In defense of Aachen: It itself isn't that big for international standards (still perfectly fine for German standards) but it's part of a very populated area and not far away from large cities like Cologne or Düsseldorf, and you're almost literally only a stone's throw away from the Netherlands and Belgium. The bigger problem might be (for some) that due to the dominance of its Technical University there are many nerdy people and way more young men than young women. 😅
Frankfurt is close to Darmstadt. And what is nearby? The 'Frankenstein' castle (where indeed a Frankenstein lived who indeed did 'similar' things which inspired Mary Shelly who wrote the known book)
Hello :) would you consider doing another video like this for 2024? Ive heard on your videos how much things have changed since you moved so i am very interesting to get your updated opinion :)
Hey! We actually released a new video a couple of months ago :) . You can check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qfASbsaK2EI.html
Very informative! Thank you. One question, you might have already answered this in replies so excuse me if I missed it. On the best cities for families, you stated that Munich was 4th out of 150+ cities rated. In this video you told us the top 3 in each category except for that one. Does that mean for Germany, Munich is #1 rated because it was rated #4 over all? So, in keeping with the top 3, what are the other 2 cities after Munich for the "best cities for families"? Thank you.
The study done was international. So the cities ranking 1-3 were not in Germany. We also write about it here: www.simplegermany.com/best-cities-to-live-germany/#Best_place_to_live_in_Germany_for_Families
Thanks a lot for this informative video! A quick question, in which city in Germany is it more convenient to apply documents, for example, Rathaus or Auslanderbehorde? In my opinion, Berlin is not the best city for this.
Yes, Berlin is known for being very slow in getting bureaucratic appointments. There is no 'best' city for such, but typically the smaller the city the faster the processes.
Hannover is the most underrated big city in Germany - one refers to it as ugly and boring... On the contrary, since Expo2000 they have made a great deal of it being attractive in every aspect :)
Thank you for the information🙂, I was considering living in Mainz , if anyone here can share your thoughts about Mainz i would really appreciate it , since i am a bit lost with so many options:).
Hey Marce, I did live in Mainz for one year, I can just recommend it 100%, it is a very nice city direct at the Rhein river, it is also with a lot of students because of the Johannes Gutenberg University, is small but at the same time enough big to have a lot of entertainment specially at the riverside, you are close to Frankfurt 30/40 min with train, and close to Wiesbaden and Darmstadt, it is a conurbation called Rhein-Main Gebiet, as foreign I did have a very good time there, the people is so nice, they will always say hi when you see someone in your neighborhood, you are totally getting right there :)
I don't agree that the Rheinland is the region with the most open minded people. I would agree though that the people there are easy to get to know. In the northern part of Germany (like Hamburg or Hannover) people tend to be more quiet and don't talk that much, especially if they don't know you. But I personally would say that the North is pretty open minded and way more laid back than the Rheinland, not to mention the south.
Really ?from my experience people in the north are actually more talkactive and open towards strangers?atleast in hamburg compared to munic and Stuttgart (I havent lived in more cities yet)
Aachen ist an der Grenze zu Belgien und den Niederlanden. Ein kurzer Weg in beide Länder und zur Nordsee, also noch ein Punkt für Aachen. Aber als geborene Düsseldorferin natürlich keine Option 🤗😂😂😂. Vielleicht sollte man die Mietpreise noch explizit erwähnen. München liegt sicherlich an der Spitze, aber Köln, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg und auch Aachen liegen dicht dahinter. Wirklich keine billigen Städte, da muss mann/frau schon gut verdienen. Tja, der open-minded-Rheinländer. Motto: leve, en leve lote! Das Rheinland war ja oft besetzt, Römer, Franzosen, Engländer, da zuckt man schon mal mit den Schultern, arrangiert sich und denkt sich seinen Teil. Man kommt leicht ins Gespräch, hier redet jeder gerne, aber es bleibt oberflächlich. Freundschaften zu schließen, dauert hier wie da genau so lang.
Great and helpful video! I was wondering if you could recommend of any reliable relocation agency in Berlin or a source where I can read and find more about it?
Strangely enough, the one German city where I felt the least uncomfortable and the least irritated/annoyed (and where I actually liked the atmosphere, where the ambience to me actually felt romantic rather than sterile) was, of all places, Dresden! But then Dresden is "Pegida Central" so I don't know if it would be someplace where a person of color would feel comfortable living long-term.
Was Rhineland badly hit by this years mid-July rains and bad weather? If so, I hope you're safe and the people who've been affected by it may soon recover.
Of course you can get permanent residence. Anyone can, as long as you fulfill the requirements. We have written a guide about it: www.simplegermany.com/permanent-residence-germany/
How about Kaiserslautern or Heidleberg for An American expat? How are jobs and transition with English language or owning real estate with buying property there how much to own a 2-3 bed room home?
Kaiserslautern actually ranked 3rd recently in terms of English speaking jobs after Berlin and Frankfurt. Heidelberg is beautiful and a massive student town. For costs check out numbeo www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Heidelberg
Hey I will go to germany like in march and I will have to study The german language for the rest of the semster so is Aajen a good city where to Learn german ?
That depends on whether you are supplying to a particular car company or not. Here is a quick overview on where the biggest German car manufacturers are based: Volkswagen - Wolfsburg BMW - Munich Audi - Ingolstadt Mercedes - Stuttgart Porsche - Stuttgart Opel - Rüsselsheim (near Frankfurt) Most employees that work in the car industry in Germany live in the two southern states (Bayern and Baden-Württemberg). Hope this helps! 🙂
@@simplegermany Currently I am exporting to CLAAS(agriculture hare eating) from India. I wish to expand my base to target to auto companies as well as tap the entire European market Planning to buy a house and open a company so doing my research
Are they really that big differences between these two? I always thought they are quite similar: Both very big cities, near to the Ruhr area, similar history & culture....
@@nitoginko2187 there is kind of an joking rivalry going in between Cologne and Düsseldorf. I think it started with Düsseldorf becoming the capital of the State Nordrheinwestfahlen, but I'm not Sure. It is more of an joke nowadays. People from Cologen stating that they would never go to Düsseldorf and vice versa. :)
@@nitoginko2187 And there are these two big rivalries: first the two beer specialties: the "Kölsch" in Cologne and the "Alt" in Düsseldorf, and second the carnival.
@@simplegermany Göttingen is just 08/15 Town. But spiegel tv had a Viadeo about göttingen horror Haus :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oiZzUXQHB6E.html
Aachen is good for girls looking for a boy, because the gender relation M:F =14:1. I lived there for years, and it was boring. Köln is much better then Düsseldorf, of course. Why? Because! (I was born in Köln)
There is no way Düsseldorf is a top three city Germany . I lived there and it's full of dull people who work in banks. Everyone heads for the old town to get bind drunk and sing about their crap footbal team and that's only culture there is. The one good thing about Ddorf is that's it's near Holland where people actually smile and say hello to you.
I have a different experience. I moved from London to Dusseldorf and I find people at work and in the city in Dusseldorf in general very friendly. I made great friends at work and through my fitness club.
Now that ex-pat has become a problematic word because of the stereotype of white privileged immigrant, have you considered using a different terminology? BTW, If you want to work in an English speaking job in the renewable energy industry, Hamburg is definitely the place to be in Germany.
Hey Lisbeth, thanks a lot for your question, which is indeed very relevant. For us and our international friends, we refer to expats as foreigners working in Germany, without excluding any heritage, race or skin-color. Thanks a lot for the tip about Hamburg as well :).
Düsseldorf sucks. I worked there for 9 years and the best part of Düsseldorf is the Autobahn to my hometown. Düsseldorf is expensive, I don't like the mentality of the people and for such a big city it has a very poor nightlife.
Why move to Germany if you want to find an english speaking job?! No offense but if I decide to move to another country I am not looking for a german speaking job. Of course if they are looking for a person who's fluent in German, that adds to it but you are not really serving the purpose of moving to another country.
Why not? In many international companies English is the business language anyway, no matter where their offices are. And while I too think, that you should learn the language of the country you moved to, it may take years before you are competent and confident enough to, say conduct a business meeting in that language.