Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we visit Bavaria, Germany! Bavaria is an amazing region, with the capital city of Munich and some of the best castles in Germany. As you know, here at Wolters World, we like to prepare travelers with the good, and the bad, of visiting a new travel destination. So these are the five things you’ll love, and the five things you’ll hate when you visit Bavaria, Germany.
Hate #1: Beer Gardens of Bavaria
No, you won’t hate the beer gardens, but you might hate trying to find a seat at the beer gardens when the weather is nice. Bavarians love their beer gardens and at the first peak of sunshine, the beer gardens fill up, so it can be hard to find a spot. Even on a sunny winter afternoon, you’ll see Bavarians enjoying the beer gardens. Tourists also love the beer gardens, so if you want to make sure you are able to get a seat, you either need to go early or make a reservation.
Hate #2: Heavy Food and Drink
Bavarians are big fans of pork dishes and beer. Hamhocks, pork knuckle and sausages are all heavily featured in Bavarian food, as are dumplings. The beer in Bavaria is delicious, too. I love food, so why is this on the hate list? Well, it can be hard to eat healthy in Bavaria, and you might even gain a few pounds. It’s not a bad idea to have some Tums, Pepto-Bismol or Gas-X packed in your traveling kit, especially if you are not used to so much rich food.
Hate #3: Bavaria Budget
This is probably the place in Germany where you’ll probably spend the most money. It’s not the most expensive place in Germany, but there are so many things to do in Bavaria that you will inevitably spend a lot of money while you’re here. Eating out a lot gets expensive as well; pay attention to what the locals do. You’ll often see them picnicing in a park and enjoying the weather while saving money from eating out. The Bayern-Ticket is another great way to save money while you travel in Bavaria. It’s a group ticket that can save you a lot of money on the regional trains.
Hate #4: Tourists in Bavaria
Yes, Oktoberfest is a huge draw, but even at other times of the year, tourists flock to Bavaria. It’s the quintessential German experience, with mountain villages, castles and half-timbered houses, so this is the part of Germany that everyone wants to see. Even Germans from other parts of the country come here on vacation, so Bavaria can get really crowded with tourists. Make sure you reserve your hotels far in advance. The same goes for Oktoberfest hotels and beer garden reservations.
Hate #5: Not Experiencing All of Bavaria
It seems that most travelers only find out that there’s so much more to Bavaria than Munich on their last day in town. So many people come to Munich and explore all the great things to do, and they forget to get to the other cool towns of Bavaria, like Regensburg or Nuremburg. There are so many neat areas to explore in Bavaria, so even though you can easily fill up a week in Munich, try to plan some time in other parts of Bavaria while you’re here.
Five Things You’ll Love & Hate About Munich
Love #1: Bavarian Villages
To keep with the theme of Hate #5, if you get out to see some other parts of Bavaria, you are going to love it! Each Bavarian village has a unique history and interesting stories to learn. Bamberg has one of the prettiest town halls in Europe, and Bavaria is home to some of the best castles in Germany. Of course, there’s Neuschwanstein, but there are tons of other castles in Bavaria. As you travel around Bavaria, you can learn about crazy King Ludwig and how he drowned in just three inches of water….or did he?
Love #2: Quintessential Germany
When you pictured Germany in your head before arriving, you were picturing Bavaria. When you think of beer halls and giant pork knuckles and lederhosen and giant mugs of beer, that’s Bavaria! Why is this the part of Germany that comes to mind for Americans? Well, the US controlled this area of Germany after WWII, so most of our soldiers were in Bavaria, and brought those images and memories back home with them. They have mastered the art of beer here, including my favorite beer in the world, Bamberg’s Rauchbier.
Love #3: Bavarian Cuisine
Well, I tried to list this one as a hate, but there’s nothing to hate about Bavarian cuisine, other than my inability to resist it! This is the epicenter of hearty, German cuisine, with the pork knuckles, the sausages, dumplings, streudel. I could go on and on about Bavarian food because I love it so much. Make sure you try the sweet mustard, too. And don’t forget the beer!
Love #4: Natural Beauty of Bavaria
The towns of Bavaria are great, but so is the nature of Bavaria. There is skiing, hiking and so many great cycling paths throughout Bavaria. The entire southern border of Bavaria, which is adjacent to Austria, is part of the Alps, so you have beautiful snow-capped peaks of the Bavarian Alps, hidden lakes and hot springs (baden) resorts throughout Bavaria. If you love being outdoors, then you are going to love Bavaria.
Love #5: Christmas Markets
Bavaria has some of the best Christmas markets in Germany. Bavaria is a very Catholic area of Germany, so they are not only very religious about Christmas, but they also love to celebrate this time of year. Each small town has their own Christmas market, and you can easily travel around to explore them all.
The Best Christmas Market Foods to Try
Bonus Love: Bavarian People
I can’t forget to mention Bavarian people as something you are going to love about Bavaria. They are some of the nices Germans you will meet. I’ve brought students here, and traveled here on my own or with my family, and they are always so helpful. If you get the chance to meet some locals in Bavaria, it’s completely worthwhile.
Bavaria is an amazing region of Germany, and one of my favorite places to visit. If you can’t tell, the “hates” aren’t really “hates” at all, just a few things to keep a head’s up on rather than a reason not to visit Bavaria. Want more travel tips for Germany? Check out these other blog posts: