My time in Germany has been limited to two eight-hour layovers in Düsseldorf, en route to warmer climes.
Though I made the most of it (including a Garden Tour we mentioned on Gardenista), I’ve not had the pleasure of experiencing Deutschland—but after compiling a list of the following dozen rental homes spread across the country, I’m ready to pack my bags.
Designed by Remodelista favorite Studio Oink, Vielleichtnoch Haus is located on the shores of the Baltic Sea in Mecklenburg, in northern Germany, and sleeps up to six people in three bedrooms.
Hainichhöfe chalets are located 10 meters from the entrance to Hainich National Park in central Germany, a UNESCO-listed forest with many miles of hiking trails.
Located in northern Bavaria at the foot of the Hörnles mountains, Bleibe guest house sleeps six guests in three bedrooms.
There are two Steuermann guest houses on Föhr, one of the Frisian Islands off Germany’s North Sea coast.
A 645-square-foot modern houseboat on Lake Rummelsburg in eastern Berlin sleeps two adults and two kids, and comes with bicycles for exploring the region.
Hyt is a tiny “mobile barn” with a woodstove, shower, toilet, and single beds for up to five people. It’s owned by the Wild Berghof inn, which has its own restaurant and market, so provisions are nearby.
Strandwood House is a newly built boathouse in a lively marina on Rügen Island in the Baltic Sea.
We spotted two carefully appointed vacation apartments, called Friedrich & Franz, in Warnemünde, a former fishing village turned resort town on the Baltic Sea.
Seilerhansenhof is located in the Black Forest in southwestern Germany, surrounded by fields, forests, farms, and nature trails.
Alte Schreinerei offers a small cottage and loft that can be rented together or separately, sleeping up to 10 people in total. The 19th-century building has been carefully restored and has a sauna, roof terrace, and an attached play barn for children.
Haus auf der Ostsee (“House on the Baltic Sea”) is located in Olpenitz on a narrow strip of land with the sea on one side and a marina on the other.
Once a grand manor home, Gutshof Kraatz is now an apple-cider-producing estate in northwestern Germany, outside of Berlin. A renovated coach house on the property sleeps up to six people and sports a terrace with outdoor grill, full kitchen, and views of the German countryside.