Bavaria
Bavaria is Germany's southeast state, known for Munich's beer halls, Alpine villages and medieval towns such as Rothenburg and Bamberg.
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Bavaria in five
- Limit yourself to three basesMunich, one Alpine town and a Black Forest gateway such as Freiburg is a full week by train. Adding more means repacking every day.Munich travel guide
- Price the regional day ticketsThe Bavaria ticket and the Baden-Württemberg ticket cover regional trains for a group on one day. Compare them with the Deutschlandticket and point-to-point fares before you buy.Is a Eurail pass worth it?
- Book ICE seats on Friday and SundayLong-distance trains between Munich and Stuttgart fill on peak days. Buy a saver fare early and reserve a seat if your plans are fixed.
- Plan Neuschwanstein as a booked tripTickets for the castle tour are timed and sell out in summer. Book before you leave, then fit the day around the time slot.Füssen travel guide
- Book Oktoberfest and Christmas rooms firstBeds in Munich are scarce in late September and December. Reserve rooms as soon as your dates are fixed.Oktoberfest guide
Neighborhoods
Munich
Munich is Bavaria's capital and Germany's third-largest city, known for beer halls, royal palaces, large museums and day trips to the Alps.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg is a Franconian city with a medieval old town below the Kaiserburg, a 20th-century history tied to Nazi rallies and postwar trials, and a Christmas market in December.
Augsburg
Augsburg is a Roman-founded university city about 50 km west of Munich, known for the Fuggerei housing estate and a UNESCO-listed water system.
Regensburg
Regensburg is a Danube city where the medieval old town, the 12th-century Stone Bridge and a Gothic cathedral sit within a short walk of each other.
Need to know
- Airport
- Munich (MUC), with Frankfurt (FRA) and Stuttgart (STR) for the west
- Getting there
- ICE: Munich to Stuttgart about 2.3 hrs; Stuttgart to Freiburg about 2.3 hrs
- Getting around
- Regional day tickets, ICE and local buses
- Best base
- Munich, Füssen or Garmisch, and Freiburg
- Time needed
- 7 to 10 days; 4 days for Munich and the Alps
Weather by month
- Festival
- Best
- Good
- Mixed
- Poor
- JanuaryCold, ski trips
- FebruaryCarnival
- MarchChilly
- AprilSpring
- MayBeer gardens
- JuneLong days
- JulyWarm, lakes
- AugustWarm
- SeptemberOktoberfest
- OctoberAutumn color
- NovemberGrey
- DecemberChristmas markets
Festivals: Jul Bayreuth Festival · Aug Bayreuth Festival
Right now in Bavaria
Local time, today's weather and the exchange rate, refreshed through the day.
5
- Feels like
- 3°
- Humidity
- 81%
- Wind
- 9 km/h
- Chance of rain
- 0%
Munich
09:43 PM
Monday, November 2
- Today7°1°0%Monday: Rain. High 7°, Low 1°. Chance of rain 0%.
- Tue6°3°3%Tuesday: Cloudy. High 6°, Low 3°. Chance of rain 3%.
- Wed6°3°0%Wednesday: Cloudy. High 6°, Low 3°. Chance of rain 0%.
- Thu5°2°0%Thursday: Fog. High 5°, Low 2°. Chance of rain 0%.
- Fri5°2°2%Friday: Fog. High 5°, Low 2°. Chance of rain 2%.
- Sat7°1°9%Saturday: Fog. High 7°, Low 1°. Chance of rain 9%.
- Sun8°1°21%Sunday: Rain. High 8°, Low 1°. Chance of rain 21%.
Updated 07:12 PM local time · Powered by WeatherAPI.com · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com
Every year
- Jul–AugBayreuth FestivalBavaria
Before you go to Bavaria
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Rules for Bavaria, checked
- Schengen 90/180-day rule: non-EU visitors may stay 90 days in any 180-day period across all Schengen countries, not only Germany. Count your days before a long trip.Source
- EU Entry/Exit System: non-EU visitors have their passport details and fingerprints recorded at the German border. Check the current status on the official EU travel site.Source
- Dial 112 for fire or an ambulance and 110 for the police in Germany. Save both numbers in your phone before you arrive.
- Tipping is customary in restaurants: round the bill up or add about 5 to 10 percent for good service, and say the amount you want when you pay.
All Bavaria guides
How toRothenburg ob der Tauber: day trip or overnight, and how to get there by train
Head to headFüssen day trip or overnight: what one night adds to NeuschwansteinItineraryMunich to Neuschwanstein day trip by train: timings and a planThings to doThings to do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber: wall walk, lanes and an evening tourHow toHow to visit Neuschwanstein: tickets, the walk up and the bridgeHead to headRothenburg, Würzburg or Bamberg: which Franconian town should you choose?Plan around Bavaria
Cities, castles and coasts
Read the guideMunichBeer halls, museums and day trips
Read the guideFüssenNeuschwanstein and the Allgäu
Read the guideGarmisch-PartenkirchenZugspitze and gorges
Read the guideBlack ForestForest, lakes and cuckoo-clock villages
Read the guideFreiburgA Black Forest gateway with a minster
Read the guideNurembergOld town and Franconian history
Read the guideBavaria FAQ
How many days do you need for Munich, Bavaria and the Black Forest?
Seven to ten days covers Munich, the Alps, Neuschwanstein and a Black Forest base. Four days work for Munich plus one Alpine day trip.
Can you do Munich to the Black Forest by train?
Yes. ICE trains link Munich with Stuttgart in about 2.3 hours, and regional trains continue to Freiburg or the forest. Plan a change at Stuttgart or Karlsruhe.
Is Bavaria or the Black Forest better?
Bavaria for Alps, castles and beer halls; the Black Forest for forest walks, lakes and wine hills. Many travelers combine them in one rail trip.
When is the best time to visit southern Germany?
May to September for hiking and lakes, September and October for harvest, and December for markets. Oktoberfest dates raise Munich prices.
Do you need a car in Bavaria and the Black Forest?
No for towns and sights near stations. A car helps for remote forest villages and Alpine lakes, but trains and buses cover most visitor routes.