Where To? (Wohin?)

A German Lesson in Going Places

Berlin street style portrait — lechatnoir/Getty Images

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Updated on June 16, 2019

When you want to get around in a German-speaking country, you'll need to know some basic travel vocabulary. In this lesson, you'll learn the German names for common places like the bank, hotel, and school. You'll also find out how to ask and respond to the question, "Where are you going?"

It's a very useful lesson for travelers and one that is relatively easy because you can practice as you go places around your own town. Pair this lesson with one that teaches you how to ask for directions and you'll be on your way.

Where To? (Wohin?)

Before we dive into the vocabulary, there are a few important reminders to take care of. First of all, when someone asks you Wohin? in German, they're asking "Where to?"

Then, there is the little matter of in (meaning "in") versus zu (meaning "to"). What is the difference between saying Ich gehe ins Kino and saying Ich gehe zum Kino? While both state that "I am going to the movies," there is a distinction.

Using ins Kino implies that you are going inside (to see a movie).
Using zum Kino implies you are going to that location (to meet someone out front, etc.).

Places to Go in Town

Asking for Directions in German

By Hyde Flippo

There are many common places to go "in town" (in der Stadt). You will find many of those in this first vocabulary list and you might even notice many similarities to the English translations.

Both the basic word and the "to" phrase are given for each location. For example, die Bäckerei is "the bakery." When you want to say "to the bakery," it's zur Bäckerei (the short form of zu der Bäckerei).

Some of the phrases may have more than one way to say "to." In these instances, the most common way is used in the chart.

You will also want to keep the following contractions in mind:

ins = in das
zum = zu dem
zur = zu der

Englisch	Deutsch
bakery to the bakery	die Bäckerei zur Bäckerei
bank to the bank	die Bank zur Bank
bar/pub to the bar/pub	die Kneipe in die Kneipe
butcher to the butcher	der Fleischer/der Metzger zum Fleischer/zum Metzger
hotel to the hotel	das Hotel zum Hotel
market/fleamarket to the market	der Markt/der Flohmarkt zum Markt/zum Flohmarkt
cinema to the movies/cinema	das Kino ins/zum Kino
the post office to the post office	die Post zur Post
restaurant to the restaurant	das Restaurant ins/zum Restaurant
to a/the Chinese restaurant	zum Chinesen
to an/the Italian restaurant	zum Italiener
to a/the Greek restaurant	zum Griechen
school to school	die Schule zur Schule
the shopping center to the shopping center	das Einkaufszentrum zum Einkaufszentrum
the traffic light/signal (up) to the signal	die Ampel bis zur Ampel
the train station to the station	der Bahnhof zum Bahnhof
work to work	die Arbeit zur Arbeit
the youth hostel to the youth hostel	die Jugendherberge in die Jugendherberge

Going Elsewhere (Anderswo)

There are times when you will want to go somewhere else, so a quick study of other common places is a good idea as well.

Englisch	Deutsch
the lake to the lake	der See an den See
the sea to the sea	die See/das Meer ans Meer
the toilet/restroom to the toilet/restroom	die Toilette/das Klo/das WC zur Toilette/zum Klo/zum WC

Questions and Answers (Fragen und Antworten)

Next, we'll study a few sample questions and answers related to asking and giving directions. This is an introduction to German grammar as well. What's most important is to learn the patterns for the various articles (der/die/das) for each gender (masculine/feminine/neuter).

Keep in mind that if you are walking, you will use gehen. If you are driving, use fahren.

Englisch	Deutsch
Where are you going? (driving/traveling)	Wohin fahren Sie? / Wohin fährst du?
I'm going to the lake tomorrow.	Ich fahre morgen an den See.
I'm going to Dresden tomorrow.	Ich fahre morgen nach Dresden.
How do I get... ...to the bank? ...to the hotel? ...to the post office?	Wie komme ich... ...zur Bank? ..zum Hotel? ..zur Post?
Go two blocks (streets) and then right.	Gehen Sie zwei Straßen und dann rechts.
Drive down/along this street.	Fahren Sie diese Straße entlang.
Go up to the traffic light and then left.	Gehen Sie bis zur Ampel und dann links.

Extra Expressions (Extra-Ausdrücke)

In your travels, you will also find these phrases to be very useful. They tell you how to get where you're going and can be used within some of the answers used above.

Englisch	Deutsch
past the church	an der Kirche vorbei
past the cinema	am Kino vorbei
right/left at the traffic light	rechts/links an der Ampel
at the market square	am Marktplatz
at the corner	an der Ecke
the next street	die nächste Straße
across/over the street	über die Straße
across the market square	über den Marktplatz
in front of the train station	vor dem Bahnhof
in front of the church	vor der Kirche