Finsterau offers routes of very different kinds: from the 180-metre-long boardwalk in the Finsterauer Filz to cycling and winter routes with specified lengths. The open-air museum complements nature and sports destinations with small exhibitions, as well as festivals and markets. If you are planning a stay, you can first decide whether to focus on scenery, activities or culture, then choose suitable things to do.
Moor Trail and Nature Experience
The Wistlberg Nature Experience Visitor Centre near Finsterau caters to people with disabilities, wheelchair users, families with pushchairs and visitors who have difficulty walking. At the Finsterauer Filz, a 250-metre-long, wide sandy path leads from the accessible Finsterauer Filz bus stop to the boardwalk. The boardwalk at the Wistlberg Nature Experience is 180 metres long in total; information boards on a platform explain the moor habitat and the species that live there. Benches provide places to rest. The two measurements refer to different sections: the sandy path from the bus stop is 250 metres long, and the boardwalk is 180 metres long.
Cycling Routes with Different Profiles
The moderately difficult Finsterau Tour is a 12.6-kilometre cycling loop. It starts and ends at the Finsterau Ski and Sports Centre, passes the Finsterauer Filz and the historic Hammerklause, then continues to Finsterau. The route alternates between paved sections, gravel paths and unpaved forest roads; some stretches can be slippery in wet weather. Its length, loop format and changing surfaces give you specific points of comparison when weighing this tour against other activities.
Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing
The Finsterau Ski and Sports Centre has a ski roller track in summer and cross-country ski trails, skating routes and a biathlon facility in winter. The challenging Buchwald trail starts there, is about nine kilometres long and leads to the German-Czech border near Bucina (Buchwald), where it connects to the Czech trail network.
The 9.8-kilometre Siebensteinkopf – Fernblick ohne Grenzen snowshoe loop offers a different kind of route. It also starts at the Ski and Sports Centre and leads through the Finsterauer Filz. While the cross-country ski trail runs to the border, the snowshoe trail is a loop through the moor. If you are planning this tour, check local conditions before your trip.
Open-Air Museum and Getting There
The farmhouses at the Finsterau Open-Air Museum permanently house small thematic exhibitions on selected topics. Festivals and markets featuring folk music, crafts and children’s games are also held there. If a festival or market is important to your trip, check the dates in advance.
The open-air museum can be reached by car via Freyung and Mauth, by on-demand bus from Freyung, on regional bus route 605 and by the Igelbus. By bike, it lies directly on the National Park Cycling Route between HaidmĂĽhle and Bayerisch Eisenstein. This gives you several ways to plan your journey to the museum; for a cycling trip, the National Park Cycling Route is the specifically named route.
Mauth in the Regional Context
The municipality of Mauth lies directly beside the Bavarian Forest and Bohemian Forest national parks. The 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.
For the broader travel overview: Mauth.
