Many expats and students move to Germany every year to live and work. The country offers ample work opportunities and apart from work it is renowned for having one of the best quality of life in Europe. In this article, you can find the top five places to live in Germany, according to a study made by the public broadcaster, ZDF.
In this study, a total of 401 places across the country were taken into consideration and the main determining factors were safety, health, nature, leisure and work opportunities.
1st - Munich
The first ranking was given to Munich, renowned for providing expats with great work opportunities. It also ranked as one of the best cities in Germany with the highest quality of life for women. In addition to that, it was also found that it has the lowest poverty and crime rates across the country.
2nd - Heidelberg
Located in the south of Germany, Heidelberg was ranked as the second-best place to live. The main reasons for its ranking were its rich ancient and historic ruins from the medieval city centre. Apart from this, it also has ample well-preserved castle ruins. Heidelberg also ranked high in terms of free time, as it has a lot of nature and green spaces available for the leisure activities.
3rd – Starnberg
One off the most active towns in Germany. Starnberg is renowned for being the richest town per capita in the whole country and for having one of the highest voter participation. When it came to ranking, this town was first in purchasing power and also ranked high for quality of life.
4th – Potsdam
Found on the border of Berlin, Potsdam ranks at number four. The town itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it is known for its cultural and historic remains. On the ZDF ranking, this town ranked the highest in terms of free time, nature, tourism and leisure. In addition, one can find several parks and gardens to run away from the hectic city lifestyle.
5th - Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Having the highest mountain in Germany, this town boasts it skiing and hiking opportunities. Due to this, the town attracts many tourists from around the word and from the top of the mountain, one can see hints of the neighbouring countries including, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. A truly breath-taking view.
