We hadn’t. At least not until we planned a trip to Berlin.

I “discovered” Gorlitz when I was searching for unique day trip ideas from Berlin. Colorful photos of this town, slightly resembling the Polish cities of Wroclaw and Krakow, caught my eye. And just like that, Gorlitz was added to our German road trip adventure.

About Gorlitz, Germany

Gorlitz is a small town in Saxony, Germany. It is the easternmost city in Germany. Gorlitz sits on the bank of the Lusatian Neisse River and just on the other side of the river is Zgorzelec, Poland. Zgorzelec was part of Gorlitz until 1945.

As you can see on a map, Gorlitz is not really near anything, which is why it makes such a great travel destination. If you are the sort of person who likes to get away from the crowds and explore hidden gems, then Gorlitz is your kind of place.

But Gorlitz does have a claim to fame. If you watched “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Book Thief,” or Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Bastards,” then you have seen Gorlitz. This town was the filming location for all of these movies. For “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” a vacant department store was redecorated and used as the filming location for the hotel.

Gorlitz in Photos

If you are wondering if Gorlitz is worth it, check out these 17 photos that show just how beautiful this town (and Zgorzelec) is.

Upper Market Square (Obermarkt)

Looking down Hainwald Street.

A street cafe near Lower Market Square.

Lower Market Square (Untermarkt)

Rathausturm and Lower Market Square

We saw beautiful doors like these throughout the town.

We also saw many streets like these, lined with colorful buildings.

This is the Fat Tower (Dicker Turm). You can climb this tower for views over the city.

For another view over the city, you can climb Reichenbach Tower

Looking across the Lusatian Neisse River to Zgorzelec, Poland

Walking across the bridge into Poland.

A view of the Lusatian Neisse River and Zgorzelec from the bridge.

Zgorzelec also has rows of colorful buildings.

From Zgorzelec, this is the view towards Gorlitz and St. Peter and Paul Church.

Getting Here

From Berlin

By car: 3 hours, 280 km
By bus: Flixbus offers direct service between Berlin and Gorlitz: 4 – 5 hours, prices starting at 12 €
By train: 2h 40min with a transfer in Cottbus, visit bahn.de

From Dresden

By car: 1h 15min, 110 km
By bus: 1h 30 min, 6 € with Flixbus
Train: 1h 30min, visit bahn.de

It can be a little tricky driving through Gorlitz, with its maze of narrow one-way streets. I recommend parking in the parking garage on An der Frauenkirche (labeled Parkhaus Citycenter Frauentor on Google Maps).

Gorlitz is small, so you can wander through it in just a half a day, perfect for a day trip from Dresden or Berlin.

About Our Experience

Tim and I visited Gorlitz as part of a full day road trip from Berlin. We rented a car and drove first to Rakotzbrucke, a very unique bridge just one hour from Gorlitz. We ate lunch in Gorlitz, spent some time wandering the city streets, and then drove west to the Bastei. This is another awesome bridge with a spectacular location. From the Bastei, we drove back to Berlin, arriving around 9 pm.

Read More: Not Your Ordinary Berlin Road Trip

More Information for Your Trip to Germany

• 5 Day Berlin Itinerary
• The Big List of Things to do in Berlin
• Teufelsberg, Is this the Weirdest Spot to Visit in Berlin?
• How We Spent One Week in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
• A Visit to Dachau Concentration Camp in Munich, Germany

You May Also Like:

• Poland:  10 Best Things to do in Gdansk, Poland
• Poland:  Auschwitz-Birkenau: How to Plan Your Visit
• Czech Republic:  A Visit to Cesky Krumlov, a Photoessay
• The Netherlands:  2 Days in Amsterdam: The Perfect Itinerary
• Europe:  10 Epic Days on the Balkan Peninsula: Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina
• Inspiration:  60 Travel Quotes to Feed Your Wanderlust