Bavaria is home to fourteen UNESCO World Heritage Sites and more than 1,300 museums. It also offers landscapes where you can enjoy nature on signposted trails, by bike or, in winter, on groomed cross-country ski trails. Visitors to Bavaria can focus on architecture and history, explore collections or spend time in Bavarian Forest National Park.
Discover World Heritage and architecture
Bamberg’s Old Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 11 December 1993. It includes 1,200 architectural monuments dating from the 11th to the 18th century. This long time span makes the historic buildings a subject in their own right to explore. The Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth offers a different facet of architecture: it is considered a masterpiece of Baroque theatre architecture and is one of the few original theatre buildings of its time preserved in Europe. Operas and concerts are still performed there today. If you would like to attend a performance, check the programme for your dates.
Neuschwanstein Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2025, along with the other Bavarian royal palaces of King Ludwig II. A few weeks after Ludwig II’s death, the castle was opened to the public; this early opening is part of its visitor history. For current visitor information, check separately. Würzburg Residence also offers a glimpse of Baroque design: its magnificent staircase features a ceiling fresco by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. At Linderhof Palace, you’ll find the Venus Grotto, an artificial stalactite cave with a lake, waterfall and electric lighting. Access may be seasonal; check visiting arrangements for your dates.
Trails and nature in the Bavarian Forest
Bavarian Forest National Park stretches along the Bavarian-Czech border between Bayerisch Eisenstein in the district of Regen and Mauth in the district of Freyung-Grafenau. It opened on 7 October 1970 as Germany’s first national park. More than 13,700 species in total are found among the peaks of Falkenstein, Rachel and Lusen.
The trail information shows different ways to explore the national park: around 350 kilometres of signposted hiking trails, more than 200 kilometres of designated cycle routes and around 80 kilometres of groomed cross-country ski trails. This lets you distinguish between hiking, cycling and winter sports without treating the different trail networks as equivalent. Guided national park experiences with expert leaders are offered all year round. Check the specific programme before making plans.
The Lusen National Park Centre near Neuschönau has an information building and an adjoining wildlife enclosure. Check the current status of these facilities before your visit. The national park’s visitor service provides information on getting there and local public transport. The King’s House on Schachen offers a different experience: it is located in the Wetterstein Mountains at an altitude of 1,866 metres and can only be reached on foot.
Museums, water and regional experiences
Bavaria’s more than 1,300 museums cover history and art as well as science, crafts and local traditions. Around 80 Bavarian museums have joined thematic networks designed to make it easier to find your way around. To get a glimpse of Roman times, visit the five Roman museums on the Bavarian Danube Limes in Kelheim, Regensburg, Straubing, Künzing and Passau. There you can see Roman finds and learn more about the lives of the Romans along the Danube. At the Stone Age village of Pestenacker, highlights include a reconstructed house and replicas of the settlers’ Neolithic pottery, tools, weapons and clothing.
The Augsburg Water Management System comprises 22 World Heritage sites, including weirs, water pumping stations, power plants, fountains and a canoe route. It shows how water engineering and technical installations can be explored as a connected cultural heritage. Groups in Bavaria have various ways to enjoy beer culture together: beer hikes in Franconia, monastery breweries along the Danube and beer gardens in the heart of the city.
One specific beer hike is the ten-kilometre Five-Seidla Trail in northern Franconia, Bavaria. The route connects five small breweries, each with its own craft beer specialities. As participating breweries may change, check the current stops before setting out.
Plan your journey and hotel search
For travel to Bavaria, the official Bavarian tourism service provides information on travelling by car, train and plane. Check the information before you leave. This way, you can start your search with a clear idea of what you’d like to discover in Bavaria.
Discover more destinations: Allgäu, Bavarian Forest, Lake Chiemsee, Fichtel Mountains, Lower Bavaria, Franconian Jura, Berchtesgadener Land, Bavarian Swabia, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Main-Spessart, Rhön, Haßberge, Coburg, Franconian Forest, Franconian Switzerland, Steigerwald, Franconian Wine Country, Romantic Franconia, Nuremberg Region, Franconian Lake District, Altmühl Valley, Bavarian Jura, Upper Palatinate Forest, Upper Bavaria, Munich, Lake Ammersee, Starnberg, Pfaffenwinkel, Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Lake Tegernsee, Wendelstein, Inn-Salzach, Chiemgau, Amberg, Aichach-Friedberg, Altötting, Amberg-Sulzbach, Ansbach, Aschaffenburg, Augsburg, Bad Kissingen, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Cham, Dachau, Deggendorf, Dillingen an der Donau, Dingolfing-Landau, Donau-Ries, Ebersberg, Eichstätt, Erding, Erlangen-Höchstadt, Forchheim, Freising, Freyung-Grafenau, Fürstenfeldbruck, Fürth, Günzburg, Hof, Kelheim, Kitzingen, Kronach, Kulmbach, Landsberg am Lech, Landshut, Lindau, Miesbach, Miltenberg, Mühldorf am Inn, Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Neustadt a.d.Aisch-Bad Windsheim, Neustadt an der Waldnaab, Neu-Ulm, Oberallgäu, Ostallgäu, Passau, Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Regen, Regensburg, Rhön-Grabfeld, Rosenheim, Roth, Rottal-Inn, Schwandorf, Schweinfurt, Straubing-Bogen, Tirschenreuth, Traunstein, Unterallgäu, Weilheim-Schongau, Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen, Wunsiedel in the Fichtel Mountains, Würzburg, Kempten, Lichtenfels, Ingolstadt.
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