Bavaria travel guide
Southern Bavaria is perhaps the most glamorous part of Germany, and certainly the most popular part of the country for holidaymakers, with villages of timber houses clustering round onion-domed churches against an Alpine background of lakes, forests and high peaks.
This is where ‘Mad King’ Ludwig II sited his impossibly romantic castles, including Neuschwanstein Castle, and the visitor is frequently reminded that Bavaria was a kingdom almost within living memory. Even today, it is proud to be not just a run-of-the-mill Land, but Freistaat Bayern (the Free State of Bavaria), with a right royal capital, Munich.
Only incorporated into Bavaria in relatively recent times, the area around Nuremberg and northern Bavaria seems to encapsulate much of the essence of Germany. Here are beautifully preserved or immaculately rebuilt historic cities, ranging in size from old provincial capitals like Nuremberg and Würzburg to exquisite small towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl strung out along the country’s most popular holiday route, the Romantic Road.
Places to visit in Bavaria
Munich
Lying on the River Isar, with the majestic Alps and several Bavarian lakes a short drive away, the cultural and beer-loving city of Munich has many draws. Read more about Munich...
• Read our Germany editor's top tips for a day in Munich
Nuremberg
The former unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations is notorious for its links with Nazism. Read more about Nuremberg...
The Romantic Road
Explore one of the most scenic routes in Europe - a 350km-long tourist route between Würzburg in the north and Füssen in the south, taking in some of Germany’s most idyllic medieval walled towns and blockbuster sights along the way. Read more about the Romantic Road...
Berchtesgaden
An archetypal Bavarian town set in stunning Alpine surroundings. Read more about Berchtesgaden...
Neuschwanstein Castle
The fantastical castles and palaces built by King Ludwig II may have bankrupted his kingdom, but they proved to be a wise long-term investment, having become some of Germany’s most visited tourist attractions.
Foremost among them is the almost impossibly romantic Schloss Neuschwanstein (Neuschwanstein Castle), perched high up on a crag above a gorge. Begun in 1869, it’s a vision of what the Middle Ages might have been, and was inspired by Ludwig’s musical mentor, Richard Wagner (its interiors are filled with references to Wagner’s operas). Some of the castle’s interiors, like the Minstrel’s Hall and the Throne Room, are decorated with the utmost extravagance, but the castle was never completed, and the unfortunate Ludwig spent little time here. The best view of Schloss Neuschwanstein in its wild setting is from the little bridge high above, the Marienbrücke.
While Neuschwanstein castle was being built, Ludwig kept an eye on its progress from the neighbouring castle of Hohenschwangau, just 1km (0.5 miles) away. This neo-Gothic building had been constructed by his father, Maximilian II. In fact, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau collectively are known as ‘die Königsschlösser’. Take a look at the music room, with its display of Wagner memorabilia (the composer stayed at Hohenschwangau) and Ludwig’s bedroom, noted for its star-studded ceiling.
The third attraction here is the impressive Museum of the Bavarian Kings (www.museumderbayerischenkoenige.de) housed in a former hotel on the shores of the scenic Alpsee lake, a short walk from the Neuschwanstein/Hohenschwangau ticket office. The interior, filled with refracted light from the lake, tells the story of the Wittelsbachs’ 700-year tenancy of the Bavarian throne, though due to the museum’s location the focus is naturally on Maximilian II and his son, Ludwig II.
If you want to reach the castles from Munich by public transport, take an early train from the Hauptbahnhof to Füssen, then change to local bus or taxi for the short ride out of town.
Ammersee
Ammersee (35km/56 miles southwest of Munich on the A96) is a delightful place for long walks along the lake or up into the wooded hills. Make for the Benedictine Abbey of Andechs that overlooks Ammersee from the east. The 15th-century church was redecorated in the rococo style by Johann Baptist Zimmermann. The monks still brew first-rate beer (Andechser) here and the monastery runs a very popular beer hall and garden.
To reach Ammersee, take the S8 to Herrsching. The trip takes 50 minutes.
Chiemsee
Chiemsee (70km/43 miles southeast of Munich) is the largest lake in Bavaria and the location of Ludwig II’s most ambitious castle. Herrenchiemsee is situated on an island, the Herreninsel, at the western end of the lake and reached by ferry. Ludwig started work on it in 1878, but ran out of money and time, in 1886. Nevertheless, he made a valiant attempt at recreating the grandeur of Versailles, and the magnificent Spiegelsaal (Hall of Mirrors) can certainly bear comparison with the Galerie des Glaces.
Using trains from the Hauptbahnhof, head to Prien (one hour) from where ferries to the Herreninsel depart.
Dachau
Dachau (17km/11 miles northwest of Munich) used to be known primarily for the remains of a 16th-century château and its fine 18th-century facades. Then, on 20 March 1933, after Hitler had been in power for a mere 48 days, Dachau was designated as the site of the first Nazi concentration camp. Today, while you can still appreciate the charming town centre, the main dark tourism attraction is the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site which occupies the former camp. Exhibitions document the camp’s sinister history in a moving and often disturbing way (it’s not recommended children visit the museum). Dachau was not an extermination camp but served as a detention centre for political prisoners; even so, 31,951 deaths were recorded between 1933 and 1945. You can see the original crematorium and gas chambers (labelled ‘Bad’ for showers), built but never used, as well as reconstructed prison barracks.
To reach the concentration camp, take the S2 to Dachau then change onto regular city bus 726, alighting at the KZ-Gedenkstätte stop.
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