Bavaria (Bayern) And The German Alps Travel Guide

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The southern German state of Bavaria (Bayern in German) is one of the most popular parts of Germany for travelers to visit. Not only can you visit Munich, the largest city in Bavaria and home of Oktoberfest, you can spend time in the German Alps, drive the Romantic Road and visit picturesque towns and villages along the way, and tour the famous fairytale Neuschwanstein castle – and more! To get you started, click on of our guides below:

TIP: if you have our Germany Travel Planner/Bundle be sure to check out the interactive planning map so you can see where the best sights are located. Seeing where these sights are on the map, along with our up-to-date photos and tips, makes planning your trip SO much easier. If you don’t yet have it, click here to get access.

Where To Stay in Bavaria

You can find all kinds of hotels, B&Bs, guest houses, apartments, and vacation houses throughout Bavaria and in the Alps.

We recommend using Booking because you can easily search for hotels and apartments (and we’ve actually found apartments we’ve found on Airbnb are actually cheaper on Booking!), you can book places without having to pre-pay, and they have a price guarantee.

Plus, it’s SO convenient to have most or all of your reservations in one place, rather than scattered around various website and email inboxes.

Click here for our Munich hotel guide and our Oktoberfest hotel guide!

If you’re looking for an apartment in Bavaria or the Alps, do a search on Booking. We’ve found several great apartments there (less than what we saw on Airbnb for the same apartment) and it’s SO nice to have all hotel and apartment reservations in one place.

TIPS:

If you have our Germany Travel Planner/Bundle you’ll find recommended hotels on our interactive planning map. Seeing where these hotels are in relation to the top sights makes it a lot easier to find the perfect place to stay. If you don’t yet have it, click here to get access.

Book your Bavaria or the Alps accommodations in advance! They tend to fill quickly during peak travel times (summer, Christmas, etc) so I recommend seeing what’s open for your travel dates.

Tickets, Tours and Day Trips in Bavaria

One of the best things about visiting Bavaria is that no matter where you go you have endless things to do and countless day trip options. You can plan your own day trips for maximum flexibility or book a guided tour for maximum relaxation and convenience. Here are some ideas to get your planning started.

TIP: If you have our Germany Travel Planner/Bundle look at our interactive planning map to see do-able day trips. Seeing the castles, towns, and other must-see sights on the map (along with our photos and up-to-date tips) makes it much easier to decide what to add to your itinerary. If you don’t yet have it, click here to get access.

Munich

Going to Munich?

Find the best things to do, places to stay, and more in our Germany Travel Planner/Bundle!


Know Before You Go

Main Airport: Munich International Airport (MUC)

Currency: euro
Language: the official language of Germany is German (Deutsch)
Time zone: Centra European Time (CET / GMT+ 2 / 6 hours ahead of US EST)
Germany Visa: tourists from the US, Canada, and several other countries do not need a visa to visit Germany for under 90 days
Germany Electricity Socket: Germany uses different voltage and sockets than in North America, the UK, and other parts of the world. Read our guide to adapters and converters so you can safely use your tech in Germany.
Germany SIM card: Read our guide here to SIM cards and other ways to use your phone in Germany.
Germany Car Rentals: We find great deals on rental cars here. You can also check out our scenic Germany road trips article here.


Bavaria & German Alps FAQs

Where Is Bavaria Located?

Bavaria is in southeastern Germany and borders the countries of Czechia, Austria, Switzerland (barely) – see the map below.

map locating Bavaria

Where Are the German Alps Located?

The German Alps are in the southernmost part of Germany in the state of Bavaria along the border with Austria – see the map below.

map locating the German Alps

Thinking About Neuschwanstein Castle?

Read our tips for visiting Neuschwanstein castle here!


What’s the Best Time to Visit Bavaria?

Bavaria and the Alps are a popular destination to visit year-round. The best time of year to visit depends on what you’re looking for.

For the best weather: If you’re looking for lots of daylight, sunny skies, and hot weather, summer is the best season. The summer months are, however, a popular time to travel to this area, so expect crowds and higher prices. Book hotels, rental cars, train tickets, and guided tours well in advance!

Winter is another popular time of year to visit Bavaria and the Alps due to the many beautiful December Christmas markets and winter sport opportunities in the mountains. It can get cold, rainy, and even snowy so pack accordingly. It also gets dark by around 4:30pm in December, and some exhibits and sights have reduced hours or close altogether.

The spring and fall seasons are lovely times to visit Bavaria and the Alps because you have more daylight than in the winter but it’s not as hot as in the summer. You’ll likely encounter days with beautiful weather…and probably a few overcast or rainy days as well. Do note that prices rise during Oktoberfest (September to early October) and Munich becomes much more crowded.

For the best prices and value: Rest assured, even though prices do go up during the popular summer travel season and Oktoberfest, you can find great deals any time of year if you start planning and booking early enough! If your priority is getting the lowest prices, January, February, and March are your best bets.

Nürnberg Christmas market


How Many Days to Spend in Bavaria and the Alps?

You could spend just a couple days in one city or area as part of your overall Germany trip — or your entire 1-2 week trip.

If you’re aiming for just a taste of Bavaria or the Alps, choose 1 location and add a day trip. For example, Nürnberg with a day trip to Rothernburg ob der Tauber. Or Munich with a day trip to Neuschwanstein castle.

If you’d like to get to know Bavaria in more detail, you could, for example, do a road or train trip around the entire state and include the Romantic Road area, Munich, Neuschwanstein castle, Zugspitze, Berchtesgaden, as well as visits to lakes, hikes, and other fun outdoor activities (or Christmas markets in December).

Is It Safe to Travel in Bavaria and the Alps?

Yes. Traveling in Germany is safe overall. Use everyday common sense and take the usual precautions.

Are Bavaria And The Alps Worth Visiting?

Yes! The Alps are stunning and the state of Bavaria has so much to do and see including vibrant cities, picturesque towns and villages, festivals, local beer, festivals, castles and palaces, lakes, and outdoor activities.

Are Bavaria And The Alps Expensive?

While some parts of this area are popular vacation destinations and prices rise during the peak season or big events (like Oktoberfest), prices are fairly similar to the rest of Germany.

What’s The Closest Airport?

If you plan to visit Bavaria or the German Alps, Munich is the best airport to fly into. From there you can easily and quickly reach all destinations by train or car.

You could , however, also fly in to Frankfurt International Airport, Stuttgart International Airport or Airport Nürnberg.

What’s The Best Way To Get To Your Hotel?

If you’re going from the airport into the nearest city, you can take public transportation, grab a taxi or book a private driver before you leave. We’ve taken all 3 at one time or another. If you want to save money, take public transport.

We do, however, highly recommend booking a private driver who will pick you up at the airport and drive you right to your hotel or apartment. The peace of mind you get with a pre-booked private driver is priceless! Click here to book a private driver.

More Germany Travel Guides


ULTIMATE GERMANY TRAVEL RESOURCES

We’ve gathered some of our essential travel guides, websites, and other information to help you plan the best vacation! We use these resources ourselves and share them to save you money, time, and stress so you can focus on enjoying and making the most out of your time in Germany.

GERMANY TRAVEL BUNDLE: Our Ultimate Germany Travel Bundle gives you the best tools, up-to-date tips, and expert insights to easily and efficiently tackle the travel planning process. You’ll get our custom Trip Planning Map, which shows you the best sights, hotels, castles, and more – because seeing where things are in relation to each other makes trip planning SO much easier! You also get our Trip Planning Spreadsheet, City Cheat sheets, How-to Videos, Germany Trip Planning Guide, and Trip Planning Spreadsheet!

BOOKING FLIGHTS: To find the best flights deals, we recommend checking KayakSkyscannerExpediaTravelocity. These websites are also great for getting rental cars.

ACCOMMODATIONS: We recommend using Booking.com since they have widest range of accommodations available from hostels, boutique hotels, luxury chains, aparthotels, at the best prices. For vacation homes, we suggest checking VRBO. We also have accommodation guides on different destinations (Hamburg, Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart, and more to come!) in our website.

TRAINS & BUSES: For point-to-point or regional train tickets (great for day trips or groups) within Germany, or tickets originating in Germany to other European destinations, we recommend buying them on the Deutsche Bahn (German Rail System) website. If you want to buy a rail pass for Germany (or elsewhere in Europe), buy them on Rail Europe. For buses, FlixBus offers tickets for routes within Germany and to other European countries. FlixBus is often cheaper than trains but can take longer.

TRAVEL CREDIT CARD: One of the best ways to make travel to Germany more affordable is by booking free flights. Using the points accrued with our Chase Ink credit card (and a few others), we haven’t had to pay for flights to Europe in the past 10 years!

TICKETS AND TOURS: We always recommend exploring a new city for the first time with a Hop On Hop Off Bus tour (ride it all the way around for the entire 1.5-2 hour tour). Here is our guide on the best Hop On Hop Off Bus tours for different German cities. For guided walking tours, day trips, private tours, and skip-the-line tickets, Get Your Guide is our go to!

WHAT TO PACK: Not sure what to bring to Germany? Check out our 2-week minimalist packing guide for tips on traveling light, and our Germany packing list for our must-pack items. Bonus: check out our guides on finding the best travel purse and best travel scarf with a hidden security pocket.

TRAVEL CONSULT: If you feel like you need more help and guidance beyond these resources, book a travel consult with us! We offer personal live sessions where we’ll help you with things like planning your itinerary, showing you how to book train or skip-the-line tickets, and answer any other questions you have about traveling to Germany.