Bavaria has so much history and beauty! It’s an area we made sure to give yourselves time to explore and we’re so glad we did! We spent time in three different places within Bavaria each one a little different. In this post we go over 3 places to visit in Bavaria, Germany that you shouldn’t miss!
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Germany is a country that we absolutely loved and could see ourselves coming back to really soon! The unique architecture, the strong culture and the delicious food had us wishing we could spend much longer. We spent time in Munich, Ochsenfurt, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We think all three of these places have something to offer travelers and are all worth a visit!
1. Munich
Munich is located in southern Germany and is one of the largest cities in the country. Because of it’s location in the south it has a lot of original buildings with beautiful architecture!
Getting to Munich
Munich has multiple train stations that can be reached by many other nearby cities. You can get to Munich Hbf (Munich Central Station) from Frankfurt in about 3 hours, Berlin in 4 1/2 hours, and Salzburg in under 2 hours.
Travel Truth: You might see Muenchen around especially when looking at the names of train stations in Munich. They both mean the same thing so don’t be alarmed when you’re looking for the name of a stop.
There is also an airport in Munich. You can actually take the train from the airport to wherever you’re going. We flew from Athens, Greece to Munich, Germany and then walked to the train station (still within the airport) and took the train to our hotel outside the city. It’s really easy and there are plenty of signs!
- The train from the Munich Airport to our hotel as well as the train to Oktoberfest were all included in our Eurail Global Pass. Trains in Europe are really easy to use and the pass saved us so much money!
What To Do in Munich
Munich is a colorful city with so much culture and so much to see! Whether you have a day or a week, you can easily keep yourself occupied in this city.
Walk through Englischer Garten
Englischer Garten is a park right in Munich that is actually larger than Central Park in New York City. It’s huge and sits right in the heart of Munich which creates such a nice escape from the city.
It wasn’t crowded at all (because it’s so large) and it was so nice to see people out walking, running and just enjoying being outdoors. You could easily spend a few hours exploring this large park or even have a picnic if you’re traveling on a budget!
Enjoy a snack at Viktualienmarkt
Viktualienmarkt is a large outdoor market in Munich that you should definitely walk through especially if you’re hungry! It’s outdoors so come prepared for the weather and be ready to walk around. There are 140 stalls so you have plenty of options to choose from!
There are stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese, flowers, and so much more. Then there are stands selling bratwurst and other types of sausages, pork sandwiches, pretzels and other baked goods, and seriously anything else you could imagine eating.
- Dave got a pork shoulder sandwich (we think that’s what it was) that he talked about for the next 3 days straight!
Have a Beer at Hofbrauhaus
Hofbrauhaus is an almost 500 year old beer house in Munich. It’s very well known and is a great spot to go and have a beer. Upstairs is a fancier sit down style restaurant and a large hall type area. At first that’s all we saw and we were really confused. But then next door on the first floor is the large beer hall that has tables and tables of people eating and drinking. There was a band playing music and it was a nice spot to get out of the rain and get a drink!
- Hofbrauhaus was very similar to the beer tents at Oktoberfest. If you don’t have a chance to visit during Oktoberfest this is a great alternative. Even if you are able to visit during Oktoberfest we would still recommend going to Hofbrauhaus for a break while exploring Munich!
Participate in Oktoberfest (in September – October)
If you’re lucky enough to be visiting at the end of September or beginning of October than you have to participate in Oktoberfest! You’ve likely heard about this large festival and even though it makes everything in the Munich area expensive, it’s such an experience to visit!
- Make sure to book a place to stay well ahead of time if you are going to Oktoberfest as things book up really fast!
Read our complete Guide to Oktoberfest for tips!
2. Ochsenfurt
Ochsenfurt is located about 100 kms northwest of Nuremburg, Germany. It’s a really small town but features a downtown area with beautiful half timbered houses. If you’re looking for a quaint, German town to spend a few days Ochsenfurt is the town for you!
- Ochsenfurt was also the most affordable place we went to in Germany! A large private room in an Airbnb with a kitchen and washer and dryer cost us under $40 USD a night. That’s one of the cheapest accommodation costs we had during our whole three months in Europe. Plus we were right in the middle of the town area and only about a 10 minute walk to the train station.
Getting to Ochsenfurt
There is a train station in Ochsenfurt about a 10 minute walk from the town area. It’s a really easy walk and completely doable without needing a car. There are also buses at the train station if you’re staying a little farther away.
We took the train with our Eurail Global Pass from Munich, Germany in under 3 hours. You can get there from Frankfurt in under 2 hours and about 4 hours from Berlin or Salzburg or an hour and a half from Nuremburg.
What To Do in Ochsenfurt
The town area of Ochsenfurt itself is small but so captivating with the traditional buildings. We spent three days in Ochsenufurt and really enjoyed it! We could have even spent a few more days there!
We loved that there were almost no other tourists in Ochsenfurt when we visited. Plus all the people we met in Ochsenfurt were really friendly! Even in the grocery store, people were so nice and trying to help out at any chance.
Explore the Town of Ochsenfurt
We loved walking around the town area looking at the half timbered houses. They are so unique and detailed. To enter into the town area you walk through an really pretty tower. The buildings in the town are colorful, intricate and just as impressive as we expected them to be.
There are some shops and quite a few restaurants. There are plenty of areas to sit outside and enjoy a beer if you’re visiting during good weather. Or there are a few bakeries to pop into and warm up!
Eat Schnitzel & Drink a Beer at Zum Kauzen
We usually aren’t ones to eat a ton of meat but schnitzel is a different story. Even though schnitzel originated in Austria it was all over Germany so we had to try it and why not at one of the bierhauses in town. Zum Kauzen is right next to the Tourist Information office and is actually also a hotel which is why you will find a lot of hotel reviews online.
We walked in one night and sat down at a table we think the waitress was pointing to. We honestly had no idea though because we really just gestured to each other. Luckily we got the last open spots in the restaurant and had the most amazing schnitzel!
We’re still dreaming of that meal to this day and no other schnitzel quite lived up to that one, even the ones we had in Austria! For those unfamiliar schnitzel is thin meat that is breaded and fried. It’s tender and delicious on the inside with the crispiest outside. It came with two very large pieces with either French fries or German potato salad. As you can see we pretty much licked our plates clean and had one of our favorite meals!
Walk around the Perimeter of the Town
If you walk through the town area on Hauptstrabe to the main road you will see Spielplatz Stadtgraben (a playground), a park and a wall that protects the town and the surrounding area. It’s quite beautiful and we actually had no idea it was there until our last day. There is a pathway next to it that you can walk or run on as well!
Read More: Complete Guide to Visiting a German Christmas Market
3. Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a medieval town located about 90 kms west of Nuremburg. It is known for its beautiful architecture. Half timbered buildings and a charming town area draw visitors looking for a taste of Bavaria. Even though it’s well visited, it’s still 100% worth going to!
We spent the day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and had an amazing time! It’s a little more expensive to stay right in Rothenburg ob der Tauber which is why we chose to do it as a day trip from Ochsenfurt but there are plenty of hotels. You can spend one full day or even a few days here depending on how much time you have.
Getting to Rothenburg ob der Tauber
You can easily take the train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber from anywhere else in Germany. From Ochsenfurt it took us under an hour. The Rothenburg ob der Tauber train station is about a 10 minute walk from the main town area and really easy to find.
What To Do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
We spent a full day exploring Rothenburg ob der Tauber and had plenty to do. If you have more time you can easily spread things out over more time but definitely don’t skip this cute town!
Walk the Rothenburg Medievel Wall
We actually didn’t even know Rothenburg ob der Tauber had a medieval wall until we were walking into the town area and saw it. It stands impressively large so we decided to walk up the staircase and see.
The Rothenburg Medievel wall extends around the town except for about 600 meters which was destroyed in World War II. It’s completely free to walk around which to us was so surprising! We couldn’t believe this beautiful wall was free to enjoy after paying for so many similar experiences in other parts of Europe!
There were almost no other people walking the wall while we were up there. It was so quiet with stunning views everywhere! The Rothenburg Medieval Wall was by far the highlight of our day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber!
We spent over an hour walking around the wall. We got up on the staircase at Röderturm and walked north. At that point the wall ends and you can choose to walk in to the town area or continue on the outskirts that looks out onto the German countryside. In the fall it was insanely beautiful!
Read More: Day Trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Try a Schneeball
Schneeballs (or snowballs) are basically a ball of dough. You will see them sold at a lot of bakeries in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. A simple sugar one costs around 2 Euros and some of the more intricate ones cost around 3-5 Euros. They are delicious and made of sugar, dough and whatever other toppings you get.
- They are really common in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and something we didn’t see anywhere else except for this small town.
Wander through the Town
The town area of Rothenburg ob der Tauber was more crowded than the wall was but still not nearly as crowded as other places we’ve visited. There are beautiful half timbered houses lined up next to each other and rows of colorful buildings. You will notice a lot of the old German street signs that still hang today. You can find plenty of places to stop and get a snack, a beer or even lunch.
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber is very photogenic so make sure to bring your camera! You can get some really great photos here!
- Käthe Wohlfahrt is a really well known Christmas store that sells ornaments and decorations. It’s based in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and is worth popping into!
