Which is the best German city for me?

Hi! first post here...

So, I'm a student who wants to study abroad in Germany. I reaallly want t go to Berlin, but I also have the option of Munich, Lüneberg, or less likely Leipzig or Karlsuhe. I have been to Munich and it was nice but I'm not sure if there is a lot really going on there like there is in Berlin. I love big cities with lots of culture and the history in Berlin is amazing, thats why I am drawn to that city, that and because its cheap. Although, I've heard some bad things about Berlin. (i.e. not the prettiest of european cities, Berliners are unfriendly..) I am curious of what your experiences in these cities were like. Also, I am going over there not knowing a soul and I might end up being alone most of the time, so a place that is friendly to us loners is a plus.

I know there are a ton of threads like this but any info that can help is much appreciated!

Danke schön

Lüneburg is a lovely old city ... about 60 km southeast of Hamburg

I am a Bavarian kinda guy, so given the above options I would go to Munich. However you have missed what I think is one of the best kept secrets of Germany. Give a thought to Wurzburg. Its gorgeous, centrally located, not alot of ex-pats, has a large university and some great wine. If you are trying "get away" this a great place that most people overlook, but has alot to offer. An added benefit is that you will have to learn German to since there aren't any "Irish Pubs" (there is but it sucks) to seclude yourself in so it makes you get out and try out the local scene.

We lived there for 2 years and only left because our jobs were transferred. My wife and I (who is visiting Wurzburg as we speak...err type) expond on the virtues of Wurzburg on a regular basis.

however if you are just looking to party and make a long vacation out of this then head to Berlin or Munich.

Thanks, I've actually heard good things about Wurzburg but I left that out because my school will only take credit from certain programs and unfortunately that isn't one of them. I guess I'm between Berlin and Munich. Can anyone tell me what the "scene" in Munich is like? Like we all know about the hipsters and art in Berlin, but whats going on in Munich?

hanks again!

Hanks here...

If you want big city life then Berlin has to be the place. Munich has a nightlife but it is a tiny fraction of a proper city like Berlin, Paris or London. I love Munich, lived there for years, probably won't leave for the last time for years to come but can't say it's an exciting place, that's not what I want. Horses for courses.

Edit: I've heard many Germans say there are only four cities in Germany worth living in (in no particular order) and they're Cologne (Koln), Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. The rest are too [whatever] to be interesting. Personally I love Munich for its peaceful life, clean & safe streets, and mountains, lakes, beer etc.

Berlin, Berlin, Berlin!

Münster is the most liveable city world-wide! ...

Lived in Munich, but never Berlin. I LOVED Munich and there are some really funky places in Munich, night life wise. Museums are abundent. Gorgeous city and very easy to get around by bike alone... Though it sounds like you want more of a party with tons of more culture & variety of people- then Berlin is your choice... If you are looking for instant friends, TT is always a great start but you definitely have to get yourself involved in a club or something as it is hard to meet people (but isn't that like everywhere?).

Sure you'll hear from different people, hopefully some whom have lived in both and can gives you some pluses or minuses of each. However, you won't be sorry to whatever city you move to.

Germans are unfriendly whereever you go, so hold that against Berliners.

I am from NYC myself. From what you posted, it sounds like you really want to go to Berlin, so I am not going to dissuade you. You won't, however, find yourself lonely there.

Munich is great. But its too clean! Berlin has more character.

I am also from NYC and much prefer Munich to Berlin... Sure, Munich is a smaller, quieter city, but it's not boring, there is always something to do here, plenty of concerts and other cultural events/nightlife to keep you busy. I love the big city atmosphere as well, but what bugs me about Berlin is that it is so spread out and it is a pain in the ass to get around in s short amount of time. Every time I've been there, going out has been a bit of a production, taking up to an hour to get to your destination within the same city. In Munich, you can pretty much get anywhere within 20 minutes, since the U-bahn stops are so close together, and you can bike everywhere, which is cool.

Since you are a student, I think I can safely assume you don't have a lot of money.

For this reason my vote goes against Munich. Munich is easily the most expensive city for housing in Germany. Sure, it is nice - but for 400 EUR per month you'll get a tiny room in a shared flat in Munich. For the same money you can rent your own, relatively large 2- or 3-bedroom flat in Berlin or Leipzig.

I know both Leipzig and Berlin and I can assure you that both are vibrant towns with lots of nightlife. Berlin is very hip and artsy, a real big city. Lots of stuff is happening there right now. It is the place to be for designers and musicians. Hollywood stars are moving over bc they like the city so much. Leipzig is a more medium sized town with lots of old buildings. It has more of a student feel, bc the city is smaller (0.5 million people compared to 3 million in Berlin) and thus the presence of students is more noticeable. It is worth living there, housing is cheap and as readily available as entry into a bar.

The reason Munich gets such a good rap here is bc many people here are residents of Munich. I personally don't share the enthusiasm, I like Berlin much better. But YMMV.

It is true that Berlin has some dirty corners, but this is part of its charm. (Heck, what would NYC be without its corners?) Plus part of the process of becoming/being hip is that these corners get cleaned up. A long time the inner city parts were worthless bc of the Berlin wall. Punks and homeless squatters lived there in abandoned buildings, while large parts on the Eastern side were razed completely so that everybody approaching the wall could be seen. Then after reunification they started constructing the new inner city and estate prices started to skyrocket. It is only now that with the finished construction of the Government quarter in 2003 and the new main train station in 2006 that this has really kicked off.

I'd call Lüneburg a town rather than a city. I've been there twice both near Christmas time. Its a rather "quaint" town, originally based on the salt industry.

I know quite a lot of Germans* who'd call all four of those "molochs". Just like London. Remember that less than 10% of Germans actually live in those four cities.

None of these cities have grown in the past, oh, 30 years, rather they have become quite unfavourable with a good part of their population - in particular Berlin of course, which lost something like 10% of its population since reunification.
Berliners in particular tend to not think of their city as a singular entity. Rather, they tend to see it as an agglomeration of district "cities", each with 200-400k people - somewhat similar to the ten or so other metropolitan agglomerations in Germany, just with less space.

* - including Germans who have lived there

The Greater Berlin Act was passed in the Prussian parliament on 27 April 1920 and came into effect on 1 October of the same year. The region then termed Greater Berlin ( Groß-Berlin ) broke away from the Province of Brandenburg and consisted of the following:

* The city of Berlin (Alt-Berlin);
* 7 towns that surrounded Berlin: Charlottenburg, Köpenick, Lichtenberg, Neukölln, Schöneberg, Spandau and Wilmersdorf;
* 59 rural communities and 27 estate districts from the surrounding districts of Niederbarnim, Osthavelland and Teltow;
* and the grounds of the Berliner Stadtschloss which curiously, until this point, formed an estate district in its own right.

The act increased the area of Berlin 13-fold from 66km² (25.5 sq mi) to 883km² (341 sq mi) and the population doubled from approximately 1.9 million to near 4 million, with almost 1.2 million of these new inhabitants coming from the 7 surrounding towns alone.

without a doubt: Berlin, Berlin, Berlin.

Munich has it's appeals, but you can experience those with a couple of weekend visits. But if you, as a big city person, stay in Munich for any length of time, you will be bored out of your mind. Trust me.