Lonely Planet Munich, Bavaria & the Black Forest

MUNICH, BAVARIA & THE BLACK FOREST

THE JOURNEY BEGINS HERE

For some it’s hard to put their finger on why southern Germany, and Bavaria in particular, is unique in central Europe. But for me it’s clear – it’s that special blend of supermodern and well-established, an intermingling of thigh-slapping tradition with clear-headed modernity like nowhere else on earth.

Munich is the place this juxtaposition of the 21st and all the other centuries comes most into focus. It’s a city that keeps all its clichéd promises, with Lederhosen, 1L tankards of frothing lager and Weisswurst galore. But at dawn, when the dust has settled on the taverns and beer gardens, the locals head off to their high-tech jobs, designing the sustainable future the city so desires.

And then there’s the Alps, a place the denizens of Munich escape to in their electric BMWs for reassurance that the wholesome life is still out there if need be. For me there’s no better place in all Germany.

St Bartholomä, Königssee | Benjamin Graulich/shutterstock ©

Marc Di Duca

Marc has been a travel guide author for two decades and has covered destinations as diverse as Siberia and the Caribbean for Lonely Planet. Marc wrote the Munich and Bavaria chapters.

My favourite experience is gliding along the Königssee on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Alps rising sheer from the water, the onion domes of St Bartholomä coming ever closer.

WHO GOES WHERE

Our writers choose the places which, for them, define Munich, Bavaria and the Black Forest.

Ekaterina Pokrovsky/shutterstock ©

For me, Freiburg (pictured) has all the best of Germany in one town. Sustainability, snowfields, breweries, half-timbered houses, historic canals, hilltop hikes, Christmas markets and a stunning old town dominated by a soaring steeple. And with the Black Forest just a short drive away, it’s the perfect base to explore a little further.

Kat Barber

@katbarber_, katbarber.com

Kat is an Australian writer who spent three years learning German and collecting Glühwein mugs from Christmas markets. Kat wrote the Stuttgart & the Black Forest chapter.

Kanuman/shutterstock ©

I fell for the Salzburg region when I first set foot on Austrian snow more than 20 years ago – and I’ve been returning ever since as a Lonely Planet author. Salzburg (pictured) gets me every time with its big hit of culture, baroque Altstadt and mountain views, but it’s the Alps beyond with their sky-high trails, castles, salt mines and ice caves that are the clincher.

Kerry Walker

@kerryawalker, kerryawalker.com

A lifelong Austria lover, Kerry has authored scores of Lonely Planet guides. She divides her time between the Alps and her home in England. Kerry wrote the Salzburg chapter.

FOR THE LOVE OF LAGER

Those pesky Czechs and Belgians might disagree, but Bavaria really does brew some of the best beer in the world – and locals certainly know how to enjoy the froth better than most. The Free State specialises in beer gardens where you can select from myriad lagers, the vast majority complying with the strict Reinheitsgebot (beer purity law). And, of course, Munich puts on the biggest beer bash of them all, the unrivalled Oktoberfest attracting over six million disciples of the hop.

Oktoberfest | rawf8/shutterstock ©

Hoppy Horticulture

In the summer months, southern Germans like to slurp their beer alfresco in pretty, chestnut-shaded gardens that seat thousands under strings of fairy lights.

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Mine’s a Mass

A half-litre glass simply won’t do in these parts – lager-loving locals prefer a Mass, a 1L tankard they can bang down with gusto.

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Not Just Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest may be the highlight of the drinker’s calendar, but there are several other blockbuster beer festivals such as Straubing’s Gäubodenfest and Munich’s Starkbierzeit.

BEST BEER EXPERIENCES

Wander 1 Forchheim, a village in the woods of Franconia where every house is a pub, and every yard a beer garden.

Experience the world’s most iconic beer hall, the grand 2 Hofbräuhaus, with its oompah band and swift-footed waiters.

Order a Mass or two at Munich’s 3 Hirschgarten, the world’s biggest beer garden that seats almost 900 beer lovers.

Taste the unusual beer pulled in Bamberg’s brew-pubs and traditional taverns, the smoky 4 Rauchbier.

Join six million drinkers for the planet’s greatest celebration of lager, fun and all things Bavarian, the 5 Oktoberfest.

FORTRESS FEVER

If you like castles, you’ll love southern Germany. The region is celebrated for producing the sort of fairy-tale Schloss that a six-year-old might draw, and even Walt Disney took inspiration for his cartoon fortresses here. Some of the most incredible castles and palaces you’ll find in central Europe were purpose-built for one King Ludwig II, who transformed his romantic fantasies into real bricks and plaster. One of those is the castle of all castles, Neuschwanstein.

Schloss Neuschwanstein | ecstk22/shutterstock ©

Castle Cost Context

To put the amounts spent by Ludwig II on Neuschwanstein into today’s context, it would cost roughly €50 million to construct now.

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Urban Residence

The Munich Residenz, home to the ruling Wittelsbach family for centuries and one of Munich’s top attractions, is Germany’s largest city centre palace complex.

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Schlösser on the Web

Bavarian has an organisation that oversees many of its most important castles and palaces – schloesser .bayern .de is a mine of information on them all.

BEST CASTLE & PALACE EXPERIENCES

Wonder at the magnificent opulence of Ludwig II’s most celebrated Schloss, 1 Neuschwanstein, the world’s most fairy-tale of fairy-tale castles.

Explore Ludwig II’s 2 Herrenchiemsee palace, an ambitious pile modelled heavily on (and designed in part to outdo) Versailles.

Discover the 3 Munich Residenz, winter retreat for the Bavarian royals and now a major tourist draw slap bang in the Altstadt.

Climb up to medieval 4 Festung Hohensalzburg high above the city of Salzburg for a tour of its unique interiors.

Take a tour of 5 Schloss Nymphenburg and its grounds – for most, the best palace experience in Munich.

FRESH AIR

Geography may have granted Germany a mere narrow strip of the northern Alps, but the Bavarians certainly know how to use it. Countless ski resorts scour the mountainsides and it would seem locals hike from babyhood. But if you are feeling lazy, simply take the train to the top of Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze.

Zugspitze | D.Bond/shutterstock ©

Deutsche Alpenverein

The German Alpine Club (alpenverein .de) has heaps of information on sporting activities in the Alps and operates some of the mountain huts.

Get Wet!

Southern Germany has its fair share of lakes, making all manner of watersports possible from Lake Constance windsurfing to Stanberger See swimming.

BEST OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES

Hike Garmisch-Partenkirchen’s dramatic 1 Partnachklamm to the Königshaus am Schachen.

Let the cable car whisk you up or hike to the top of Germany’s tallest mountain, the 2 Zugspitze.

Float down the 3 Altmühl River in a canoe, Bavaria’s most relaxing DIY river trip.

Take the Königssee boat then hit trails of all levels 4 Berchtesgadener Land.

Pull on boots for some gentle hiking in the hills and low mountains of the 5 Bavarian Forest.

WWII HISTORY

There’s no escaping the uncomfortable fact that Bavaria played a major role in the rise of the Nazis, and dark tourism is big in the region. There are many disturbing locations across the Free State that tell the story of how Hitler rose to power, how WWII affected the region and how Nazi Germany fell in 1945.

Weisse Rose Memorial | Carso80/shutterstock ©

Beerhall Putsch

One Nazi-related site you’ll no longer find is the Bürgerbräukeller, scene of Hitler’s beerhall putsch, demolished in 1979 to make way for the Gasteig.

Nuremberg Trials

The Nuremberg Trials were the first ever international war crimes tribunal – you can still visit the courtroom where senior Nazi figures were tried.

BEST WWII HERITAGE EXPERIENCES

Head to Berchtesgaden to make the ascent to Hitler’s WWII residence, the 1 Eagle’s Nest.

Wonder at the sheer scale of Nuremberg’s 2 Reichsparteitagsgelände where the masses once were mesmerised by a ranting Führer.

Pay homage to a rare act of resistance in Nazi Germany at Munich’s 3 Weisse Rose Memorial.

Wander the concentration camp at 4 Dachau, which provided the blueprint for the Final Solution.

Marvel at the postwar resurrection of 5 Würzburg, a city almost completely destroyed during a massive air raid in March 1945.

TEUTONIC TECH

Three of the world’s most respected car brands – BMW, Audi and Mercedes – hail from southern Germany and Bavarians are rightly proud of their engineering and technological prowess. Away from the autobahn, Bavaria is a land of railways – Germany’s first line ran between Fürth and Nuremberg. Various museums have the lowdown on it all.

BMW Museum | GrumJum/shutterstock ©

Made in Bavaria

Some of the world’s most famous brands originated in Bavaria. From Adidas to Levis, BMW to s.Oliver, and Playmobil to Cube Bikes, all have their origin here.

Climate Neutral Capital

Munich has ambitious plans to become climate neutral by 2035 and is part of the European Commission’s initiative, ‘100 EU climate-neutral and smart cities’.

BEST SCIENTIFIC & TECH EXPERIENCES

See the latest SUVs and beemers of yesteryear at 1 BMW World and the BMW Museum.

Build up a head of steam at the 2 Deutsche Bahn Museum in Nuremberg, one end of Germany’s first rail line.

Get a taste for one of the world’s most iconic car brands at the 3 Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.

Examine all aspects of the technical world at Munich’s excellent 4 Deutsches Museum.

Visit the 5 Bayerisches Eisenbahnmuseum in Nördlingen, a repository of railway history.

WURST-RATE FOOD

It ain’t all about the Wurst (sausage) here in Germany’s south – the region’s cooks plate up much that isn’t just about mopping up the beer. Traditional Alpine and sub-Alpine dishes make use of flavour-packed local ingredients, and seasonality is big here with locals going nuts for spring asparagus and autumn apple strudel. But those sausages are nice, though…

Bavarian Stars

It may come as a surprise to learn that Bavaria can boast 68 Michelin-starred restaurants, 13 of which have two twinklers and one even sporting three!

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Meat-Free Munich

Munich has become easier to navigate in recent years for vegetarians and vegans. Even beer halls and gardens now have a few options on their menus.

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Spargelzeit

‘Asparagus Time’ runs from April to June and sees restaurants add this ingredient to their menus, and stalls sprout across Bavaria selling the stuff.

BEST FOODIE EXPERIENCES

Breakfast on 1 Weisswurst, a pretzel and a mug of wheat beer, the most traditional of ways to start the day in the capital of Bavaria.

Pop the cork on a bottle of wine, produced using grapes that ripen on the slopes around 2 Würzburg, in a traditional tavern or at a wine festival.

Try to pronounce Schwarzwälder Kirchtorte, though most waiters will understand this local waist-expander by its English name – 3 Black Forest gateau.

Munch on Franconia’s most bizarre Wurst, the 30cm-long 4 Coburger sausage, roasted over pine cones before being inserted into a miniature bun.

Experience a winter vibe in summer by ordering a 5 Rothenburg snowball, Bavaria’s most unusual sweet treat.

REGIONS & CITIES

Find the places that tick all your boxes.

ITINERARIES

The Alps

Allow: 9 days Distance: 300km

The Alps are a definite highlight of Bavaria and almost every visitor should make at least one trip to Europe’s premier range. This itinerary includes the best stop-offs and features everything from lakes in the foothills to a train ride to the top of the highest peak.

1 Starnberger See 1 Day

A popular weekend getaway for the harried working folk of Munich, Lake Starnberg is a sublime body of water that Bavaria’s royalty also took a fancy to. But the lake hides a dark secret – it was here at Berg that Ludwig II was evidently bumped off along with his doctor. A sombre cross rises from the water at the spot his body was found.

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2 Oberammergau 1 Day

The quintessential Alpine foothill village, Oberammergau is known for two things: the folksy murals that adorn many of the buildings, and its Passion Play, a once-in-a-decade spectacular with a cast of thousands. You can also hike from here to Linderhof, a delightful palace built by Ludwig II against the backdrop of the snowcapped Alps. After that, take a sip of a monkish liquor at nearby Ettal Monastery.

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3 Garmisch-Partenkirchen 2 days

Top billing in the Germany Alps must go to the double-barrelled winter sports resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (pictured), a short drive or bus ride from Oberammergau. Here you can take the train to the top of Germany’s highest peak, the Zugspitze, or set off on a gentle hike along the Partnachklamm Gorge and on into the Alps. Otherwise Ga-Pa is an upmarket ski resort.

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4 Füssen & Neuschwanstein 2 Days

The high Alps stand between Ga-Pa and Füssen (pictured), but somehow the road manages to burrow through. The town has some light attractions, but the main reason people come here is to visit Schloss Neuschwanstein, the most fairy-talest of fairy-tale castles and the brainchild of King Ludwig II. There’s also a couple of worthwhile museums and skiing in the area.

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5 Chiemsee 1 Day

It’s a good two-hour drive along the foot of the Alps east to Chiemsee, Bavaria’s biggest lake. Though many come here to cool down in the sweltering summer of the plains, another Ludwig II castle is the tourist magnet here for most of the rest of the year. Herrenchiemsee on an island in the lake outdoes even Versailles in some vital stats and is a sight to behold.

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6 Berchtesgaden 2 Days

Another lake beckons – the Königssee near the town of Berchtesgaden (pictured). Take an electric boat along this exquisite Alpine to eat trout straight from the depths or hike in the mountains. There are also popular dark tourism sights including Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, now a restaurant.

Detour: Obtain an Austrian motorway sticker and pop over the border into Austria to enjoy one or two days in Salzburg.

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ITINERARIES

Stuttgart & the Black Forest

Allow: 8 days Distance: 420km

This itinerary takes you from the big-city lights of affluent Stuttgart through the Black Forest to the shores of Lake Constance (Bodensee). En route you can take the waters in Baden-Baden, take the cake in Triberg and take it easy with the students of Freiburg in front of the medieval Münster.

Marienplatz, Stuttgart | Maksym Deliyergiyev/shutterstock ©

1 Stuttgart 2 Days

Begin with a couple of days exploring the galleries, stately plazas and vibrant nightlife of the regional capital Stuttgart. High on your agenda should be the city’s regal heart, Schlossplatz, the Staatsgalerie’s art treasures and evenings spent sampling local Rieslings in a Weinstube (wine tavern) or hanging out in Theodor-Heuss-Strasse’s lounge bars. Car fans should race to the space-age Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums.

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2 Baden-Baden 2 Days

A member of Europe’s premier league of spa towns, fashionable, UNESCO-listed Baden-Baden is a swish Art Nouveau spa town picturesquely nestled at the foot of the Black Forest’s spruce-cloaked hills. Here you can wallow in thermal waters, saunter through the sculpture-speckled Lichtentaler Allee gardens and try your luck in the casino before heading into the Schwarzwald proper.

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3 Triberg 1 Day

Day three takes you to the Black Forest’s most enjoyable and experience-packed town, Triberg. Here, Germany’s highest waterfall flows, the world’s biggest cuckoo clock calls, and Claus Schäfer bakes the best Black Forest gateau using the original 1915 recipe. Work off all that whipped cream with a walk or cross-country ski in the wooded heights of Martinskapelle or Stöcklewaldturm.

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4 Freiburg 1 Day

From Triberg it is an easy drive to the sunny university city of Freiburg, an easy-going town close to the French border. You can spend the day here absorbing its relaxed flair in the Altstadt’s quaint lanes, watched over by a monster of a cathedral, and wander its canals before heading to a tavern to munch on local, French-influenced dishes.

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5 Lake Constance 2 Days

Shared with Switzerland and Austria, Lake Constance is Germany’s biggest body of water and is known locally as Bodensee. Flanked by quaint villages, vineyards, wetlands and beaches, it’s a holiday paradise and major watersports hot spot. The interestingly located Konstanz only just makes it into Germany and is split by a wide channel. It’s a great place to hang out at the end of this eclectic itinerary.

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ITINERARIES

Long Way Round to Würzburg

Allow: 8 days Distance: 340km

Running between two of Bavaria’s most interesting cities, Nuremberg and Würzburg, this itinerary is definitely for those who like a castle or two, a bit of classical music and trying new types of beer, and for those who have developed a taste for Bavarian sausages. Oh, and there’s wine, too.

Würzburg | Wolf-photography/shutterstock ©

1 Nuremberg 3 Days

As far as history goes, Nuremberg has it all, from the nation’s top railway museum to a medieval castle, and the Nuremberg trials courtroom to Gothic churches. And when you’re done, there’s shopping galore, some of the best beer on the planet and those sausages... There’s a danger you won’t even get started on the rest of the itinerary, but more delights await.

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2 Bamberg 1 Day

Some 60km north of Nuremberg, Bamberg is an architectural highlight where aimless wandering around its old cobbled streets and churches brings the best results. En route, dip into some of the town’s taverns where they serve and often even brew the famous Bamberg Rauchbier, a smoky lager like great-great-grandfather used to make, often accompanied by some hefty platters of filling fare.

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3 Coburg 1 Day

If the name Saxe-Coburg means nothing to you, this is the original surname of the British royals (they changed it during WWI) which entered Buckingham Palace via Prince Albert, a native of little Coburg. Tour the palace where Queen Victoria stayed, then head to the main square for one of Bavaria’s longest sausages. The whole thing can be tackled in a day between Nuremberg and our next stop.

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4 Bayreuth 1 Day

High-brow culture is certainly the name of the game in Bayreuth, 70km to the northwest of Coburg. The composer Richard Wagner pitched up in town in 1871 to build his Festspielhaus and to take up residence in Villa Wahnfried, now the Wagner Museum, behind which the composer is buried. Each August, the town celebrates its classical music associations with the world’s top Wagner festival.

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5 Würzburg 2 Days

We end in Würzburg, a slightly undervisited city that rose from the ashes of WWII in miraculous style. Explore its mix of sights before retiring to a tavern to sample the wine from the surrounding hills. Würzburg is also the start of another famous itinerary, the Romantic Road, Germany’s top holiday route. So you can just keep going if you