Sehenswürdigkeiten besichtigen

You use the noun Sehenswürdigkeiten with the verb besichtigen.

The noun is long but very logical.

Sehen means to see.

Würdig means worthy.

So, they are literally "see-worthy things."

The verb besichtigen is for places and objects.

You don't besichtigen a person.

That would be very weird and creepy!

Keep it for buildings, museums, and monuments.

In a sentence, besichtigen often moves to the end.

Use it when planning a vacation.

It fits perfectly in a travel guide.

Tell your friends about your weekend trip.

"We want to see the sights in Berlin."

It works in professional settings too.

Maybe your company organizes a city tour.

It sounds organized and polite.

Use it when you want to sound cultured.

It shows you are there for the history.

Don't use it for a quick coffee.

If you go to a park to sleep, don't use it.

It implies activity and focused attention.

Also, avoid it for people.

Use besuchen for your grandma.

If you besichtigen your grandma, you are inspecting her!

She might think you are checking her for dust.

Don't use it for shopping trips either.

Germans are world champions at traveling.

They love history and architecture.

A vacation isn't just for the beach.

It is for "Bildung" or self-improvement.

Visiting sights is a way to respect history.

You will see many Germans with guidebooks.

They actually read the plaques on the walls!

It is a sign of being a "cultured" traveler.

They take their sightseeing very seriously.

Younger people might say Sightseeing machen.

It sounds a bit more casual and modern.

You can also say eine Stadttour machen.

If you just want to walk around, use bummeln.

But for the big monuments, stick to besichtigen.

It makes you sound like a sophisticated visitor.

You can also just say Sights angucken in slang.