Bavaria

Holidays by Destination Europe Germany Bavaria Where to Go 

Because of their scenery and focus on outdoor areas, the parts of Bavaria traditionally attracting families are those by the Alps. However, there is plenty to take you to other parts of the region, including national parks and nature reserves (more than 500 of those), lovely old towns and villages, plus plenty of child-friendly activities, each area with its own very different appearance and style.

Franconia

Joining only 200 years ago, so a relatively recent addition to Bavaria, this northwestern part of the state is crossed by the Danube and its tributaries making it flattish. There are plenty of bike paths as well as walking trails through the nine national parks which cover more than 50% of the region.

Nuremburg has been described as a living museum to the history of German civilization. The Mastersingers and Hans Sachs flourished in the city and Drurer created his finest masterpieces here. The German National Museum is one of the greatest repositories of art in Germany with German painting, sculpture and the decorative and applied arts. Nearby the Transport Museum contains numerous scale models of trains, a replica of the first train in Germany plus a Toy Museum. (There is a tradition of toy and Christmas ornament production here.) The medieval town walls, imposing Kaiserburg Castle and towers of its churches house a lively city with specialities including Lebkuchen (gingerbread) and small, charcoal grilled sausages. For older children there is also a good exhibition about the Nuremberg Trials at the end of WWII. In season there is one of the most famous German Christmas markets.
Wurzburg is one of the great cities of southern Germany, on a particularly charming stretch of the River Main, with vineyards stretching almost to the riverbank in the heart of the town. Above is the Marienberg fotress, former seat of prince-bishops who once ruled here, is considered the finest baroque palace in the country - the ceiling by Tiepolo above the Grand Staircase is considered worth a trip in its own right. The ancient cathedral and city's many churches contribute to it being one of Germany's major centres of art and architecture with work by Tilman Riemenschneider, the great gothic sculptor and woodcarver.
Bamberg is a 1,000 year old residence of emperors and bishops, until recently relatively little known but beautiful and unspoilt, with only around 70,000 inhabitants. In 1993 the centre of almost a square mile was declared a World Heritage site. Built on seven hills with a historic cathedral, the narrow streets and alleys offer great views. There is a Little Venice quarter of pretty timber framed house, the Town Hall on a tiny island on the river.
Rothenburg ad Tauber in the west, features massive town walls rising above the Tauber valley, pretty narrow streets and half timberd houses, harking back to the 16th century. The Gothic Church of St James contains the famous Tilman Riemenschneider's Altar of the Holy Blood. The place is also home to a Christmas village, Kathe Wohlfahrt , selling German Christmas decorations and traditional gifts.
Coburg in the far north is a centre for toy manufacturing. The Dolls Museum has several hundred exhibits including dolls' houses and carriages from between 1810 and 1950. toy factories still operate in the town. Factory sales are available from Lissi Dolls with other well known manufacturers such as Zapf, Goetz and Engle found in Rodental, teddy bears at Hermann-Spielwaren, Wackel-Dackel at Heinze & Co. The town was also home to the family which in the 19th century ended up with descendants ruling half the world, Prince Albert in direct line to the current British royals for example. The palace of Ehrenburg, the marketplace and town hall, and just outside the town the Veste, the largest fortified castle in Southern Germany.
At Neustadt, not far from Coburg, is the Museum of the German toy Industry where the history of toy making is told through traditional workshops, showing how manufacturing processes have changed over the past 250 years from papier mache to plastics. There are Santa Claus workshops and scenes from fairy tailes and a collection of around 800 costumed dolls from 100 different countries.

Eastern Bavaria (Ostbayern, including Lower Bavaria)

Bordering Austria and the Czech Republic, the area includes swamps, meadows, lakes and intriguing rock formations where the Danube runs between high limestone cliffs, and the largest wooded area in central Europe including the Bavarian Forest (the country's first national park), the Upper Palatinate Forest, the Bavarian Jura, and Southern Lower Bavaria. The other defining feature is the Danube and the towns along its banks from the baroque Passu to the medieval Regensburg. Of the four tourism regions, this is the one with most Kinderland members, and a dedicated brochure on family holidays.

The Bavarian Forest was the first National Park in Germany and together with the neighbouring Bohemian Forest in the Czech republic, is, the largest single area of woodland in Central Europe. Once poverty-stricken, the scenery plus low prices have boosted tourism. Cycling and hiking trails lead through the wilderness where there are lynx, black stores, and wolves and bears in spacious enclosures.
The Arber region includes the Rissloch-Waterfalls, moors, the glacial lakes in their steep-walled cirques and the primeval forest add to the distinctive character of this original area. Silberberg (silver mountain) offers a historical mine, open to visitors.
The Museumsdorf Bayerischer Wald is one of the largest open air museums in Europe with 140 buildings from the 18th and 19th century and Freilichtmusum Finsterau shows how the area looked until just 20 or 30 years ago.
Fichtelgebirge is a wooded upland region in northeast Bavaria close to the Czech border. The Luisenburg Labyrinth is Europe's largest rock labyrinth. There is a Steam Engine museum, a Butterfly Paradise, and the baroque gardens of Eremitage and Fantasie, left by the margraves of Bayreuth.
Straubing's centre has remained almost entirely medieval. The town hosts an annual festival second only to the Oktoberfest in Munich. The Jakobs-und Tiburtiuskirche is one of the area's largest and most magnificent gothic churches.
Landshut is home to the world's tallest brick tower and is known for a show staged every four years called the Landhut Wedding, a historical spectacle recreating a 15th century wedding at the foot of Trausnitz castle.
Passau on a bend in the Danube where it meets the rivers Inn and Ilz on the Austrian border, is extremely pretty, the historic city centre if full of narrow, winding streets and alleys plus a the largest baroque church north of the Alps, with the largest church organ in the world, offering regular concerts in the main season.
Regensburg on the river Danube, in the centre of East Bavaria, is a finely preserved medieval city dating back to Roman times, still with its original roman fortress gateway, plus elements like a gothic cathedral. The ruling families in the middle ages built high towers, each trying to outbuild the other. It's fun to stroll, and the churches, from the cathedral downwards, offer a pattern book of ecclesiastical styles. But the towers of the cathedral are higher again ad the boys' choir particularly good. The stone bridge across the Danube is 850 years old. Next to the bridge is the sausage kitchen, said to have been established as a canteen for the bridge builders, and still serving meals.
Burghausen Burghausen has the world's longest castle in Europe with six courtyards along a highly defensible ridge, with a river on one side and what is now an attractive outdoor swimming area on the other. It contains several museums including a photographic one, German paintings, and furniture.

Upper Bavaria (Oberbayern, the southeast)

The prime Bavarian area: home to the capital of Munich, attractive small towns, fine Alpine scenery, charming foothills, 200 lakes, as well as plains and rivers, and because of the tradition of tourism, plenty of activities.

To the very north of the region is the Altmuhl valley which is now Germany's largest naturpark including a Crystals Museum with the world's largest cluster of rock crystal, Schloss Prun with views over the longest wooden bridge in Europe, Rosenburg Castle, a breeding centre for birds of prey and daily shows, plus Tropfsteinhohle caves, inhabited during the stone age. The area used to be a lagoon during the Jurassic era and there remain fossils of ammonites, small crustaceans, and more. Examples are sold and there is a good collection in the Jura-Museum in Wilibaldsburg Castle, a huge fortress in Eichstatt, which includes the skeleton of a prehistoric bird called archaeopteryx and the skeleton of a mammoth. The town, home to a university, is pretty, largely 18th century.
In the north is Ingolstadt home to the Audi factory and Museum Mobile with attractive exhibition of cars (factory tours can be booked). There is also an old town and one of the country's most impressive fortresses housing a large collection of armour within gleaming white walls.
Neuburg an der Donau overlooks the Danube with a walled upper town and castle going back to Roman times, home to the Residenzschloss which includes a suite of artificial grottoes in shells, tufa, glass and stucco. The Hofkirche, with an interior in ornate white stucco and tasteful touch of gold, might be worth a look too.
The Chiemsee is the largest Bavarian lake, known as the Bavarian Sea, covering 30sq miles, Prien is the main resort with a narrow gauge railway running to the river harbour at Stock. At Prienavera visitors can swim outdoors even in winter in 34ºc water with a 70 metre flume.
In the southeast Berchtesgaden is a tourist spot which, although just 90 miles from Munich, is not over-run by visitors, possibly because few bother with attractions like the Heimatmuseum with traditional carved wooden toys and handicrafts and most explore the National Park, know for its views and its climate. It covers around 210sq m, includes the Konigsee, and Watzmann, Germany's second highest peak, both well known draws. Hitler's holiday home was at Obersalzberg and the Eagle's Nest with its panoramic view offers a mountain restaurant on the 6,000 ft Kehlstein Mountain. If you want guided tours there are plenty of minibus options. There are good hill walks along well mapped trails or if you prefer to go down rather than up, the area includes one of the world's oldest working salt mines (the area's original source of wealth), operating since 1517 . Visitors dress in traditional miner's clothing including a belt with wide leather tail as protection when using the miners' original wooden slides (enormous fun for children). There's travel by train through the old tunnels, multi-language explanations of how mining was and is carried out, and a raft journey across a 100m underground salt lake.
The old salt works, where the salt used to be processed, is at Bad Richenhall which is an old spa town. The Kurpark which includes a 19th century ‘inhalation promenade' where visitors can fill their lungs with salt vapour as the water is poured through a towering wall of twigs.
Travelling eastWieskirche is home to Zum Gegeisselten Heiland, a delightful rococo church known as the Lord God's Ballroom - a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site, meriting a detour if you have any interest in art and architecture.
Oberammergau is known for its trompe l'oeil houses as well as its Passion Play, performed every four years by 1,400 local people over six hours, in a tradition dating back to 1633. Surrounded by the foothills of the Ammergau Alps it is also an important wood carving centre, but very touristy.
Ettal just 5km from Oberammergau, is a big Benedictine Abbey founded in 1330, remodelled in baroque style though not finally completed until the early 20th century. A popular starting point for walks into the mountains. Nearby is Linderhof, Ludwig II's smallest and favourite palace.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is now one of the best known winter sports centres in Germany with convenient motorway link to Munich. In summer there are 186 miles of hiking paths, easy to tough, the Alpspitz-Wellenbad complex of six swimming pools, sauna, restaurant and nightclub, other sports facilities, and Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze can be reached by cable cars and old funicular railway which passes through a number of tunnels.
Freilichtmuseum an de Glentleiten near Grosswei recreates a traditional Bavarian village with cottages and workshops and the surrounding fields are cultivated in the traditional way. Cows, horses, sheep and goats graze nearby.
Mittenwald at just under 3,000 feet above sea level, is the highest health and sports centre in the Bavarian Alps. A winter sports centre, in supper options include tennis, heated pools mountain lake swimming, and hiking - assisted if you choose, by the cable car which takes you to 2,244 metres. Violin making is traditional and you can see them being made in the town museum.

Across the Austrian Border

If visiting the southeastern part of the region you can also reach Salzburg and its attractions very easily including Hellbrunn and its trick fountains, or the Salzburger Freilichtmuseum with 60 farm buildings up to 500 years old, and craft demonstrations, along with an extensive adventure playground with attractions like a water pump as well as a wooden castle. If you like seeing organic cheese made there's Kasewelt with three tours a day or a chance to make cheese yourselves twice a week. There's also Salzburg Zoo and the world's largest ice caves - Eisreisentwelt - icy even on the hottest day.

Munich

The capital of Bavaria and a good contender for the role of Germany's real capital city.
Worth a trip in its own right, it's a relaxed city with world class art, notably in the Old and New Pinakothek. There are world-class ancient collections of Green and Roman works in the Glypothek, and a state museum of Egyptian Art while the Deutsches Museum is a ‘temple' dedicated to science and technology with one of the biggest collections of its kind in the world. Exhibits range for airplanes and sailing ships of musical instruments and telescopes. and a new section specialising in transport and traffic. There is a Child's Kingdom section but for the enthusiast the whole thing would be fascinating. The BMW Museum includes a 19-storey office building is supposed to look like the four cylinders of a car engine. Below in a silver painted structure are exhibits to the history of the factory and its production. In the Old City Hall is a toy museum on four floors.

There is plenty of outdoor space including the English Garden, the world's largest city park. At the Viktualienmarkt - the fresh food market - you can buy sausages to eat and watch the world go by. Indeed, probably the best way to see the city is on foot. If enthusiastic the Museums-Paedagogischess Zentrum (MPZ) offers museum visits and city walks with experts in talking to children and familiesPrice is around €35 per hour.
On the outskirts is the Olympiapark on the site of the 1972 Olympics where you can even climb to the roof of the stadium. The Olympic Spirit offers technology and simulators to let visitors participate in their favourite sport with firsthand experience of how the athletes feel, joining in training sessions, coaching and judging.

If soccer is what you want to know about, there is a soccer trail through the town . FC Bayern Munich offers tours in the official bus to the Allianz arena, Olympic stadium and Bayern Munich club grounds.
The Tierpark Hellabrunn is a zoo started in 1911 now with 480 species and almost 5,000 animals in more than three square km.

A Munich Welcome card offers reductions on entrances to attractions and on sightseeing tours, as well as free public transport or there is a Partner Card for up to five adults with two children 6-14 years counting as one adult.
There is no Kinderland hotel members in Munich, though there are hotels catering to children - details available from the tourist board listings.

The Allgau and Bavarian Swabia (the southwest)

The Allgau is one of the least industrialised regions, known for cattle farming, dairy produce, and tourism particularly in the southern, Alpine part where Ludwig II built has fairytale castle at Neuschwanstein. There are Roman remains in Kempten and Augsburg and intact medieval town walls at Nordlingen for example, and fine town halls pretty much everywhere.

Augsburg , the oldest city in Bavaria, merits even several days in its own right and could be a base for exploration. Founded by the Romans, it is one of the loveliest Bavarian cities with a great cathedral and churches, elegant fountains, handsome palaces and mansions, founded on trade and banking. The city was known for its applied arts, particularly by goldsmiths and silversmiths, The seven-storey Renaissance town hall and market square come alive during the Christkindlesmarkt.
To the west of Augsburg is the Westliche Walder, a big forest reserve popular with hikers.
The Allgau Mountain Farm Museum looks at life on a mountain farm with animals and activities.
Kempten is the Allgau's capital, at one time divided into monastic and secular districts. There are some Roman excavations, an Alpine museum on skiing nd mountaineering, and natural environment, gothic town hall and some fine buildings including The Residence, particularly fine baroque monastery buildings.
The Ries, surrounded by rolling, wooded hills, is an area known for its microclimate and rich soil, inhabited since Paleolithic times. The Ries Basin itself is a crater 25km across, made when a meteorite hit the earth some 15 million years ago. The impact melted the rocks, making identical to rock on the moon. There's a sample at the Rieskrater Museum.
Nordlingen, still circled by defensive (and walkable) walls, is the main town of the Ries Basin and one of the prettiest towns in Swabia, attractive to explore with half timbered houses and colourful window boxes, and the gates and towers along the walls.
Ulm on the Danube has a magnificent gothic Minster, the largest church building in southern Germany, the spire the world's tallest while the interior houses mediaeval art and architecture. Nearby is a mediaeval town hall with painted fa?ade and astronomical clock. There is also a 16th century Fishermen's Quarter.
Ottobeuren Abbey near Memmingen is one of the finest baroque monasteries in Germany The abbey church was remodelled in the 18th century lavishly in rococo style with domes. It and sits on wooded slopes overlooking the River Gunz.
Schwangau is home to two of Ludwig's castles, notably Neuschwanstein, fulfilling Ludwig's vision of an old German castle, complete with Byzantine style throne room, but there are also old farmhouses, carved village fountains, wayside crosses and a pilgrimage church plus nearby the Tegelberg mountain railway in the Ammergebirge nature reserve and 120km of walking and rambling paths.
Fussen at the foothills of the Alps, surrounded by lakes and overlooking the river Lech, and its proximity to Newuschanstein and Hohenschwangau mean its always full of tourists. It has its own medieaval castle, Benedictine monastery, and more.
Obersdorf is the best known health resort and holiday centre in the Allgau. On the Iller river valley, also known for its ski jumps. Around four miles away is the Breitach river gorge, where a high track winds for just over a mile above the water rushing between sheer cliffs of up to 100 metres. Only suitable if kited out with waterproofs and hiking boots.
Lindau is the only town on the Bodensee in Bavaria. The old part is on an island in the lake, connected to the mainland by rail and road bridge. Founded as a Roman fishing settlement, it still has its medieval plan. There's a harbour and promenade and a tower from 1200 at one time used as a lighthouse and watchtower.