Discover places worth seeing — from historic sites to mountain trails.
Churches & monasteries
Altötting
The Chapel of Grace on Kapellplatz in Altötting is regarded as Bavaria's national shrine and is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Germany. Inside stands the Black Madonna, a small carved figure of Mary, and in wall niches around…
Mountains & peaks
Bayerisch Eisenstein
The Großer Arber is the highest mountain in the Bavarian Forest, rising to 4,775 feet (1,455.5 m) on the border region between Bavaria and the Czech Republic. Locals call it the "King of the Bavarian Forest." A gondola lifts you almost to…
Old towns & squares
Nürnberg
The Hauptmarkt in Nuremberg is the main square of the Old Town and one of the most famous market squares in Germany. Two of the city's icons, the Gothic Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) and the gilded Beautiful Fountain (Schöner Brunnen),…
Museums
München
Few museum buildings in Germany carry their origins as heavily as the Haus der Kunst on Prinzregentenstraße. Hitler had it built from 1933 to 1937 as the "House of German Art", a temple for the art the regime approved of. Today, without a…
Mountains & peaks
Kochel am See
The Herzogstand is a 1,731-meter mountain in the Bavarian Pre-Alps, rising above the lakes Walchensee and Kochelsee, about 70 kilometers south of Munich. A cable car takes you most of the way up, so you can enjoy sweeping alpine views with…
Lakes
Berchtesgaden
Little rocky islets with a few spruces, clear green water and the walls of the Hochkalter behind: Lake Hintersee in Ramsau is one of the most photographed lakes in the Bavarian Alps. Right next to it lies the Zauberwald ("magic forest"), a…
Museums
Regensburg
If you want to understand why Regensburg is a UNESCO World Heritage city, the Historical Museum on Dachauplatz tells the backstory. Housed in a former 13th-century Minorite friary, the city museum covers the history of Regensburg and easte…
Gardens & parks
München
The Hofgarten in Munich is a Renaissance garden right behind Odeonsplatz and one of the most pleasant green spaces in the old town. Laid out in the early 17th century, it is centered on the Diana Temple and framed by arcades and neat flowe…
Castles
Füssen
The High Castle of the Prince-Bishops of Augsburg stands on a hill above Füssen's old town and is regarded as one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Bavaria. Stand in the courtyard and you notice what makes it special: many of the o…
Other
Grainau
The Höllentalklamm near Grainau is one of the most dramatic gorges in the Bavarian Alps. The Hammersbach stream has cut deep into the limestone of the Wetterstein range, and a narrow trail runs through tunnels and across footbridges right…
Landmarks
Würzburg
The Juliusspital has been a hospital, care home and winery all at once for more than four centuries. Behind the long yellow façade on Juliuspromenade lies an arcaded courtyard with a Baroque fountain, then a park with a garden pavilion, an…
Nature
Nürnberg
The water here does not simply run downhill; it flows over little moss-green steps, pools and cascades. The sinter terraces in the Lillach valley near Weißenohe were built by the stream itself: limestone dissolved in the spring water is de…
Viewpoints
Berchtesgaden
The Kehlsteinhaus, better known as the Eagle's Nest, sits on a rocky ridge high above Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps. Built in the late 1930s for the Nazi party, it is now a mountain restaurant with one of the finest views in Germany,…
Churches & monasteries
Andechs
Andechs Abbey (Kloster Andechs) crowns the "Holy Mountain" above the Ammersee lake, about 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Munich, and is one of the most rewarding day trips from the city. Here a dazzling Rococo pilgrimage church, a working B…
Churches & monasteries
Bad Staffelstein
Banz Abbey (Kloster Banz) crowns a hill above the Main valley near Bad Staffelstein in Upper Franconia. Facing the Basilica of Vierzehnheiligen across the valley, the former Benedictine monastery forms the heart of the scenic area known as…
Churches & monasteries
Benediktbeuern
Benediktbeuern Abbey lies in the Alpine foothills not far from Lake Kochel, the twin towers of its basilica set against the mountains. It is one of the oldest monastic foundations in Bavaria, with a history known far beyond the region: the…
Churches & monasteries
Ettal
Ettal Abbey (Kloster Ettal) is a Benedictine monastery in the Bavarian Alps, about 90 minutes south of Munich, and one of the most impressive baroque buildings in Upper Bavaria. Its huge green dome rises from a narrow valley between Oberau…
Churches & monasteries
Metten
Metten Abbey lies between the foothills of the Bavarian Forest and the Danube valley near Deggendorf and is still a living Benedictine community. It is best known for its Baroque library: powerful atlas figures support the vaults, crowned…
Churches & monasteries
Bamberg
For fourteen years the church on the Michelsberg was hidden behind scaffolding; now it is open again. St Michael's was rededicated with a service on 25 April 2026. The former Benedictine abbey sits on one of Bamberg's seven hills, and its…
Churches & monasteries
Ottobeuren
Ottobeuren Abbey in the Bavarian Allgäu is one of the finest Baroque monasteries in Germany, often called the "Swabian Escorial." The Benedictine community has lived here since 764, and its basilica, with three domes, frescoes and white-an…
Churches & monasteries
Dachau
Where Benedictine monks pray today once stood the ancestral castle of one of Europe's most powerful families: the Counts of Scheyern later called themselves the Wittelsbachs and ruled Bavaria until 1918. When they moved to their new castle…
Churches & monasteries
Kelheim
Weltenburg Abbey near Kelheim sits on a bend of the Danube River, right at the entrance to the Danube Gorge, where the river squeezes between towering limestone cliffs. This Benedictine monastery is famous for three things: a breathtaking…
Lakes
Kochel am See
Lake Kochel (Kochelsee) is a clear Alpine foothill lake in Upper Bavaria with views of the Herzogstand, Heimgarten and Jochberg mountains. It lies about 70 kilometers south of Munich and works as an easy day trip: you can swim, walk the sh…
Palaces
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
After hours of climbing in the Wetterstein mountains, the King's House on the Schachen first looks like a modest timber chalet with shutters and fretwork balconies. Only upstairs do you see why King Ludwig II built up here: the Turkish Hal…