Rust towers over: Germany's most popular tourism stronghold in 2024!
Rust in Ortenaukreis was named Germany's most popular tourist destination in 2025, known for the Europa Park and increasing numbers of guests.

Rust towers over: Germany's most popular tourism stronghold in 2024!
A recent analysis by HolidayCheck found that the small community of Rust in Baden-Württemberg was named the most popular tourist hotspot in Germany. With almost 5,000 residents and Europa-Park, the third largest theme park in Europe, Rust attracts countless guests year after year. Loud Mercury The community recorded a total of 992,010 guest arrivals in 2024, an increase of 6.2 percent compared to 2022. This results in an impressive ratio of 198.3 tourists per resident.
The finding was supported by the analysis based on tourism data from the regional database for 2024, which included over 2,000 German communities with at least 5,000 inhabitants. The results were particularly positive in most of these places, as around three quarters of the communities recorded an increase in guest arrivals all-in.de.
A view of Rust and Europa-Park
Europa-Park plays a key role in Rust's tourism. With around six million visitors in 2024, it is the most visited theme park in Europe. The park's six adventure hotels are also important, including a lighthouse hotel and a castle hotel, which offer guests a special ambience.
But it's not just the theme park that makes Rust special. The surrounding area has a lot more to offer. Attractions such as the Taubergiessen nature reserve and the Balzare Castle invite you to relax in nature. The Rheinauen Nature Center also provides information about the regional flora and fauna and is home to Germany's first climate change garden.
The next places in the ranking
Rust is the undisputed number one, but the East German Baltic Sea resorts of Binz and Heringsdorf are in the running for the next places. According to the analysis, they occupy second and third place with 75.2 and 69.9 tourists per resident. Such a ranking clearly shows where holiday happiness is highest in Germany and that many places, such as Oberding and Willingen, are also fortunately on the rise.
In order to take a deeper look at the overall positive tourism development, it is worth taking an exciting look at the various annual analyzes that provide information about the travel behavior of the German-speaking population. Institutions like that FOR or the ADAC contribute to drawing a comprehensive picture of the trends in German tourism.
With an increase in guest arrivals in Stuttgart of 35.2 percent compared to 2022 and 2,318,270 visitors currently, the future-oriented travel behavior of Germans is also evident here, which, with a good hand when it comes to holiday planning, shows that a visit to Germany pays off.
Overall, the tourism landscape in Germany is changing, with many small insider tips and large, established attractions waiting to be discovered by travelers. It is now up to communities to continue to promote this potential and steer tourism towards a positive future.