Today's words · 📸 Sightseeing
Sightseeing in Germany: 10 words for your day out
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Imagine climbing all the way up to the castle and missing the tour because you didn't catch the time.
You're on a weekend trip to Heidelberg. You stroll through the old town and climb up to the castle, where a sign at the ticket office says "Nächste Führung: 14 Uhr". You'd also like to know if you can take photos, and where the gift shop is.
Today's ten words are the ones you'll meet everywhere as a sightseer. With them you can read the signs, join a tour and ask whether photos are allowed. Charge your vocabulary along with your camera! 📸
📋 The ten words at a glance
- die Sehenswürdigkeit — sight, place of interest
- besichtigen — to visit, see, view (sights)
- der Tourist — tourist
- die Führung — guided tour; leadership
- der Reiseführer — tour guide; guidebook
- die Altstadt — old town, historic centre
- das Museum — museum
- das Schloss — castle, palace; lock
- fotografieren — to take photos, to photograph
- das Souvenir — souvenir
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Sehenswürdigkeit
[ZAY-ens-vuer-dikh-kite]sight, place of interest(Pl. die Sehenswürdigkeiten)
📌 Das Brandenburger Tor ist eine bekannte Sehenswürdigkeit.
→ The Brandenburg Gate is a famous sight.
💡 sehen (see) + würdig (worthy) + -keit = something worth seeing 👀 -keit means die!
⚠ Long, but just watch the plural: die Sehenswürdigkeiten
besichtigen
[buh-ZIKH-ti-gen]to visit, see, view (sights)(besichtigt – hat besichtigt)
📌 Morgen besichtigen wir das Schloss.
→ Tomorrow we're visiting the castle.
💡 die Sicht (sight) is inside 🔭 Point your sight here and there!
Bonus Also used for viewing a flat: eine Wohnung besichtigen
der Tourist
[too-RIST]tourist(Pl. die Touristen (f: die Touristin))
📌 Im Sommer kommen viele Touristen.
→ Lots of tourists come in summer.
💡 Tour + -ist = someone on tour 🧳 People ending in -ist are der.
⚠ Weak noun: den/dem/des Touristen. A woman is die Touristin.
die Führung
[FUE-roong]guided tour; leadership(Pl. die Führungen)
📌 Die Führung durch das Museum beginnt um 14 Uhr.
→ The guided tour of the museum starts at 2 p.m.
💡 führen (to lead) + -ung = being led around, a guided tour 🚩
Bonus When does the tour start? = Wann beginnt die Führung?
der Reiseführer
[RY-zuh-fue-rer]tour guide; guidebook(Pl. die Reiseführer)
📌 Im Reiseführer steht, dass das Museum montags zu ist.
→ The guidebook says the museum is closed on Mondays.
💡 Reise (travel) + Führer (leader) 📖 Works for a human guide and a guidebook!
Bonus Same form in the plural: die Reiseführer
die Altstadt
[ALT-shtat]old town, historic centre(Pl. die Altstädte)
📌 Die Altstadt von Heidelberg ist sehr schön.
→ The old town of Heidelberg is very beautiful.
💡 alt (old) + Stadt (town) = old town 🏘️ alt and old are cousins.
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Altstädte.
das Museum
[moo-ZAY-oom]museum(Pl. die Museen)
📌 Am Montag ist das Museum geschlossen.
→ The museum is closed on Mondays.
💡 Greek for ‘home of the Muses’ 🏛️ Same as English museum.
⚠ The plural is die Museen, not ‘Museums’!
das Schloss
[shloss]castle, palace; lock(Pl. die Schlösser)
📌 Wir besichtigen das Schloss Neuschwanstein.
→ We're visiting Neuschwanstein Castle.
💡 From schließen (to lock) 🏰 That's why it also means ‘lock’!
⚠ A Schloss is a palace; a fortified castle is die Burg.
fotografieren
[fo-to-gra-FEE-ren]to take photos, to photograph(fotografiert – hat fotografiert)
📌 Darf man hier fotografieren?
→ Are you allowed to take photos here?
💡 Foto + -ieren = take photos 📷 -ieren verbs drop ge-: hat fotografiert
Bonus Could you take a photo of us? = Könnten Sie ein Foto von uns machen?
das Souvenir
[zoo-ve-NEER]souvenir(Pl. die Souvenirs)
📌 Aus Paris habe ich ein kleines Souvenir mitgebracht.
→ I brought back a little souvenir from Paris.
💡 French for ‘memory’ 🎁 A souvenir is a memory you can hold.
Bonus gift shop = der Souvenirladen
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Many museums in Germany are closed on Mondays, so check opening days when you plan. In return, some stay open late on another evening of the week.
Most towns have a tourist information office (Touristeninformation), marked with an ‘i’, where you can pick up maps and tour details. Tours in English are common, but a German tour is great listening practice.
In churches and palaces, photos are sometimes not allowed at all, or allowed without flash. If you're not sure, just ask first! 📷
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You're looking round a palace. How do you ask if you can take photos?
- ① Wo ist die Altstadt?
- ② Darf man hier fotografieren?
- ③ Ich habe ein Souvenir gekauft.
Show the answer
② Darf man hier fotografieren?
fotografieren = to take photos, so this asks ‘Is it OK to take photos here?’
Pick a German town you'd love to visit and say Ich möchte die Altstadt besichtigen! out loud. Your next holiday photos are waiting! 🏰
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🚄 Train journeys