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Exploring Bavaria In Winter: The Ultimate Bavarian Road Trip
Known for it’s picturesque alpine landscapes, medieval towns, lederhosen and beer, Bavaria is the perfect place for a European road trip adventure! From the world famous Oktoberfest in Munich to the historic UNESCO World Heritage sites and fairy-tale mountain castles, there’s something for everyone.
With most of Bavaria easily accessible from it’s state capital Munich, it’s no wonder it’s popular with both domestic and foreign tourists. In fact it’s one of the most visited areas of Germany!
Planning a road trip can be daunting, especially if you have time constraints. Below, we’ve laid out our top stops for your road trip itinerary. This includes hiking recommendations, top sights, favourite food stops along with hints and tips for planning your Bavarian road trip adventure!
Exploring Bavaria: FAQ's
- FAQs
- What is the Capital City of Bavaria?
- Is it easy to drive in Bavaria, Germany?
- What is the best time to visit Bavaria?
- Is Bavaria expensive?
Where is Bavaria?
Bavaria is the largest state in Germany. It’s capital is Munich and it covers all of the south-east section of Germany. It’s bordered by Czechia, Austria and the German states of Hessen and Baden-Württemberg.
What is Bavaria famous for?
Bavaria is world famous for it’s Sound of Music alpine meadows, snow-capped peaks, lederhosen, sausages and beer. From fairy-tale castles, small medieval towns and bustling cities, to the highest peak in Germany, Zugspitze. Picture-perfect lakes, the world famous Oktoberfest and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Bavaria will never get boring.
Top Tip: Try some famous Bavarian dishes, Weißwurst – A white sausage made from veal that is boiled rather than fried, often eaten with a pretzel and sweet mustard for breakfast! Or Käsespätzle – A vegetarian dish, combining spaetzle noodles, grated mountain cheese, and fried onions.
How many days are enough in Bavaria?
Around 7-10 days in Bavaria is ideal. You could easily spend several weeks exploring the idyllic alpine landscape but a week is enough to absorb and experience the cultural traditions and visit the picturesque castles and towns.
Where to hire a car in Bavaria?
The easiest place to hire a car in Bavaria is from Munich Airport. It’s easily accessible from within the terminal so you can pick up quickly and easilyy once you land. We hired from Europcar via Stress Free Car Rental. It was budget friendly and it was an extremely easy and smooth collection/drop off process compared with some other suppliers, whose lines were lengthy and stressful looking.
Our Bavarian Road Trip Stops
If you don’t know how long you want to spend in Bavaria, instead of an itinerary, we’ve detailed the top stops to plan into your adventure. These can be done in whichever order you prefer!
1. Munich
Munich is a hub for arts and culture, and as well as it’s beer, is famous for it’s traditional Bavarian cuisine. With over 50% of the city destroyed from bombing during World War II, there is an amazing range of architecture, cobbled streets and historical sights combined with more modern buildings and infrastructure. It was here that Adolf Hitler rose to power and became the leader of the Nazi party.
Munich’s also famous for it’s annual Oktoberfest celebrations bringing visitors from all over the world, looking to taste some of the world famous beers. With over 60 beer gardens and 6 breweries within the city, you will be spoilt for choice!
We’ve made a 48 Hours in Munich guide, with top tips and recommendations including a visit to Dachau.
Getting There
The easiest way is to fly into Munich Airport. From there getting to the city centre from Munich Airport is fairly simple. There are great public transport connections. The S-Bahn connects central Munich to the airport and surrounding areas so you can catch either the S1 or S8, both take around 45 minutes.
Accommodation
There are plenty of Hostels and Hotels in Munich, with something to suit every budget. We visited over New Year in 2022/23 and stayed within easy access to Munich city centre via the U-bahn at Stiglmaierplatz.
Where: Hotel Erzgiesserei Europe
Cost: ~£105 per night (In December 2022 – Booked via Hotels.com)
Facilities: Free breakfast, Laundry Facilities, 24/7 Front Desk, Free Wifi and Parking available.
Top Tip: We always book through Hotels.com for the rewards nights so we get a free night every 10 nights booked! The more you book with them the bigger discounts members get.
Nearby (ish)
Nuremburg – 2 hour drive North of Munich
Rothenburg ob der Tauber – 3 hour drive North of Munich
2. Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
Dachau was the first of the horrific Nazi Concentration Camps and is located just outside of Munich. Established in 1933, just weeks after Hitler’s rise to power, to contain political prisoners and opponents. A visit to Dachau is a profoundly somber and emotional experience, offering a vital and educational opportunity to safeguard the memory of the harrowing atrocities which took place there.
It’s around 16km north of Munich, on the outskirts of the medieval town of Dachau. It is only around a 30-45 minute journey from Munich, therefore many people opt to visit Dachau as a day trip when visiting the city.
Getting There
You can drive or catch the train to the Memorial Site, we took the train which was easy and budget friendly.
Train
From Munich Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) take the S-Bahn S2 line towards Petershausen. Approximatley 25 minutes in, get off at Dachau station. Then take the 726 bus to the Memorial site entrance stop, KZ-Gedenkstätte.
We would recommend getting a Single Day ticket (Munich M-1) which covers the bus and S-Bahn. You can purchase these at any of the ticket machines in the station. Approx €10. For help planning your journey you can find more information here.
Car
Dachau is around a 30-35 minute drive from central Munich. The car park at the Memorial Site is located at: Alte Römerstraße 73. and costs €3.00 per car
3. Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle is located around 120km south of Munich, in the Allgäu region of southern Germany.
The castle can be found nestled among the mountains in the quaint village of Hohenschwangau. The nearby villages of Schwangau and Füssen are great places to stay if you need nearby accommodation.
Getting There
To get to Neuschwanstein Castle the easiest method of transport is driving. It’s also possible to get there by public transport too, although this takes a lot more effort and time. If you would like more detail on getting to Neuschwanstein Castle check out our Neuschwanstein post for more information.
Nearby
Alpsee – A picture-perfect lake (Less than 10 minute drive)
- Zugspitze – Germany’s Highest Mountain (1 hr drive)
4. Oberstaufen
Oberstaufen is a quaint and traditional village, nestled in the Bavarian Countryside amongst the alpine scenery akin to that from The Sound of Music. It’s a great base from where to explore the Allgäu Alps and has great connections to hiking trails and tourist spots. The cobbled streets are centred around St. Peter and Paul Church, which is painted a gorgeous yellow and white design. There were even live marching bands playing in the streets when we visited. In addition there is a great little Tourist Information Office in the town with maps and information on the area.
Getting There
By Car
From Munich airport, Oberstaufen is just under a 2.5 hour drive and if you are flying into Munich you can pick up a hire car at the airport very easily. We’d recommend Europcar as it was budget friendly and they had a quick collection and drop off process, whereas other popular companies at the airport had lengthy queues for collection.
Accommodation
There are plenty of options in the village and nearby towns but we would recommend where we stayed:
Where: Hotel Bayerischer Hof Kur & Sporthotel
Cost: ~£145 per night (Prices from December 2022 booked through hotels.com)
Facilities: Free breakfast, Laundry Facilities, 24/7 Front Desk, Swimming Pool and Spa, Parking, Free Wifi
5. Oberstdorf - Nebelhorn
The Nebelhorn, is the highest mountain in the Allgäu region at 2200m. At the base of it is the bustling alpine town of Oberstdorf, which is filled with souvenir shops, cosy cafes and restaurants.
You can catch the gondola up to the summit where the views are just breath-taking! There’s a summit café and incredible wrap around walkway. Although it is quite expensive, in December 2022 we paid €48.50pp for a return pedestrian ticket.
Fun Fact: On a clear day from the summit of the Nebelhorn you can see around 400 peaks.
Getting There
From Oberstaufen, Oberstdorf is a 45 minute drive or 50 minute train journey (with 1 change at Immenstadt).
More ideas…
Zugspitze and Eibsee – 1 hour drive from Neuschwanstein Castle
Würzburg or Nuremberg – 3 hour drive from Munich
Rothenburg ob der Tauber – 3 hour drive North of Munich
Königssee – Germany’s highest lake – 2 hour drive South East of Munich
The Eagles´s Nest – Hitlers command post during WWII – 2 hour drive South East of Munich
Salt Mine Berchtesgaden – 2 hour drive South East of Munich
FAQ's
What is the Capital City of Bavaria?
Munich is the capital city of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany. Check out our 48 hours in Munich guide!
Is it easy to drive in Bavaria, Germany?
Yes, it’s really easy to drive in Bavaria, the roads are wide and well maintained. So it’s the perfect place for a Bavarian Road Trip Adventure! Germany also drive the same as the rest of mainland Europe on the right hand side of the road.
What is the best time to visit Bavaria?
The best time to visit Bavaria depends on what you want to do there. If you plan to winter hike or snowshoe, then December to February is ideal, however if you want to visit during Oktoberfest, then October would be the best time of you. Bavaria is beautiful all year round, from the blanket of snow to the bright sun shining on the alpine meadows.
Is Bavaria expensive?
Bavaria is not expensive, it’s similar to most European country’s, and it is possible to visit on a budget if you stay in hostels and use public transport.
Happy Road Tripping!
Thanks for reading through our Bavarian road trip itinerary. Hopefully you’ve been inspired to discover your next adventure, or have learnt more about a stop you’re already planning to make.
Don’t forget to leave us a comment below and check out our Instagram page!
Thanks for reading,
Eve and Nick