After over one month in Baden Würtemberg, Germany, it was time for my first road trip this year! So exciting! There was no better reason to start a trip, than a wedding in Poland. It was time for family reunions, lots of polish food (definitely Pierogi), and dressing up for the special occasion. Given the virus it has been a while. – Actually, last time I had a reason to dress up was for the Christmas party in Bangkok.
But back to Europe…
As I am now on the other side of Germany, driving to Poland, near Katowice/Krakau, is a long journey (1200km all up). So, which way to go? Where to stop? After looking up some towns on the way, in Thuringia and Saxony, I have settled on visiting and reporting on these two amazing cities.
If you have time for only one, I can already tell you, Erfurt vs Gorlitz is not an easy comparison. Both are quite unique.
Görlitz 
Erfurt
Erfurt vs Gorlitz
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After circling around Erfurt for the past three years it was time to make a stop there. And WOW! What an amazing city this is. It was a very pleasant surprise!
The largest city of Thuringia, it is the city of Martin Luther, father of the Protestant Reformation. He was ordained in the Cathedral of St. Mary, which stands tall in the city centre, right next to the Gothic Church of St. Severus. Together, those two grand pieces of architectures are hard to miss.
Furthermore, the market place is surrounded by the old style, very pretty and colourful houses. Once you walk the old city and the pebbled streets, you find plenty of local mustard stores and a wide variety of very delicious ice cream. My flavour pic: Goats milk with Blueberries!
The highlight of this stunning city in Thuringia however, is certainly the Merchants bridge, the Krämerbrücke. With the medieval houses and little shops it stretches over the Gera River. This bridge reminded me a little bit of the Merchants bridge in Florence, Italy. Certainly stunning and unique!
Make sure you look at it from all sides. Left, right and centre.
Erfurt has now become one of my favourite cities in Germany. Although the list is getting long… Schwerin, Dresden, Lueneburg.. and many more!
So, I am definitely glad I stopped here. Make sure you do as well.
The comparison Erfurt vs Gorlitz continues… who is the prettiest?
Görlitz, Saxony
Sitting on the German/Polish border, I have driven through Görlitz many times now (30 years of my life to be more detailed), but I have never really stopped here. The only time I drove into the city, was, while I was hiking the Saxon Switzerland Mountain (Sächsische Schweiz) near Dresden and the Czech Border last year (read here). Due to a rainy day however, I didn’t walk around the old city of Görlitz. I was keen to come back on a sunny day.
And sunny it was. Not to mention very hot! But Görlitz didn’t disappoint. Split into two countries, the old city of Görlitz on the German side (you can walk across the bridge to the polish side, Zgorzelec) is quite stunning. Displaying a variety of grand buildings from the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Wilhelminian era, Görlitz is as stunning as Erfurt.
LOOKING AT ZGORZELEC FROM GORLITZ 
Although the old buildings are maybe not as well maintained.
Nevertheless, uncompromised by wars, this city shows 500 years of historic architecture. And that is quite unique and certainly a reason to visit.
I really enjoyed walking through the old city. Unfortunately the city vibe wasn’t there due to missing tourists and the streets felt almost a little bit too empty. That said, keep Görlitz on your list to visit. You won’t be disappointed. Really!
More photos below..
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My Road trip
Breaking my trip into two amazing stops made the drive more doable. Gera was my overnight choice but unfortunately it really didn’t deserve a write up. I remember it from 20 years ago, when the city was young and vibrant, full of students. Now it was like a ghost town. Shame. I hope it will go back to its full potential one day.
As for me, it was time to drive across the border and continue my road trip to see my family in Poland. Can’t wait!
Have you decided, Erfurt vs Gorlitz, who wins the prettiness award? I told you it won’t be easy. Best to visit both!
See my other blogs, comparing places:
Dresden winter vs Dresden summer
ERFURT
GORLITZ
(post 159)
