Bavaria travel guide

Planning a trip to Bavaria, Germany

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a classic Bavarian town on the Romantic Road.

Germany's southern Bavaria region is a land of beer gardens, Romantic castles, half-timbered villages, green countryside, and baroque churches. Bavaria is, in short, pretty much exactly what we think of when we think: "Germany."

Top destinations in Bavaria

Munich - Hoist a liter-sized beer stein and discover how a city can harbor both the oompah-band cheeriness of Bavaria and the refinement of a cultural center financed by a cutting-edge industrial sector...

Neuschwanstein Castle - Ever wonder where Walt Disney got the idea for that precious Cinderella castle at his theme parks? He drew direct inspiration, and even some architectural blueprints, right from Bavaria's storybook castle, Neuschwanstein...

The Romantic Road - The 180-mile Romantischestrasse from Würzburg to Füssen meanders through Franconia, Swabia, and Bavaria to the foothills of the Alps, passing hamlets, medieval walled villages, and towns established by the Romans, including Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl (pictured), Nördlingen, and Augsburg...

Castle hotels - Did you know you can sleep in many of Germany's medieval castles for less than the price of a local hotel? Several of these castles are in Bavaria, including Schloss Hohenstein and Burg Colmberg...

Weiskirche - One of the masterpieces of the exceedingly flamboyant architectural period called rococo sits in the middle of an unassuming cow pasture in the Alpine foothills, an enormous pilgrim's church whose stuccoed, frescoed interior is a sight to behold....

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