Bavaria

Germany

Bavaria has a way of drawing you in with its quiet confidence. Call it Bavaria or Bayern, this southern realm of Germany leans against the Alps with an easy poise shaped by centuries of craft, folklore and architectural flourish. It shares its borders with Austria and the Czech Republic, and within Germany it touches Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Thuringia and Saxony. The result is a region defined by crossings, cultures and landscapes that slip from mountain drama to river valleys and broad lake country.

Munich sits at the heart of it all. The Bavarian capital, München, balances courtly heritage with a contemporary stride. Its streets carry the Baroque and Neoclassical visions of Leo von Klenze and Friedrich von Gärtner, while modern quarters hum with design studios, galleries,and the city’s famously laid-back café culture. Landmarks such as the Frauenkirche, the Residenz and the Englischer Garten set the tone, yet Munich is also the natural gateway to the Alps, its southern horizon framed by peaks that feel close enough to touch. Trains and autobahn routes sweep you straight into mountain valleys, lakes and storybook villages.

This sense of legend shapes much of Bavaria’s appeal. Neuschwanstein Castle rises out of the Allgäu as if sketched from a childhood dream, its towers mirrored in countless retellings of fairy tales. The walled towns of the Bayerischer Wald carry a similar spell, their Medieval silhouettes edging the Bavarian Forest National Park. Here, the Brothers Grimm would find familiar shadows among the pines. Further north, Würzburg and the broader Franconia wine region add a different cadence with Baroque palaces and vineyards that roll into the horizon, each one a reminder that Bavaria’s pleasures extend far beyond the mountains.

The region’s cultural spectrum arcs from folk traditions to avant garde experiment. The image of Lederhosen, Dirndl and brass bands remains part of the Bavarian rhythm, especially in festival season, yet this is also the land that shaped radical voices such as Bertolt Brecht, Klaus Nomi, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog. Their legacy threads through theatres, film houses and contemporary arts spaces across Munich, Augsburg, Regensburg and Nuremberg.

Nature remains the constant anchor. The Chiemgau Alps offer a softer Alpine profile where lakes, forests and villages settle between soaring limestone peaks. Bayrischzell brings crisp air, mountain passes and winter ski lines that feel wonderfully secluded. Amberg, with its pastel facades and Medieval walls, adds a more urban charm shaped by trade routes and river life. Together, these destinations sketch an itinerary that is both grounded and wildly scenic.

Travel to Bavaria rewards all seasons. In winter, the Bavarian Alps serve up ski trails, hearty mountain huts and that irresistible pause over Schweinshaxe and Weißwurst. In summer,fields brim with wildflowers that drift toward deep blue lakes. Beer gardens remain a rite of passage from mid-April to October, each one an open invitation to sit beneath chestnut trees and taste a little of Bavaria’s easy-going soul.

- Chiemgau, Germany

Agrad

Timber chalets in the Chiemgau Alps unite self-catering ease with Bavarian soul, sustainable craft and lake to peak adventure, set between Munich and Salzburg beside Chiemsee’s reeds, moorland and mountain light calm.

- Amberg, Germany

Bootshaus

A beautiful narrative of restoration and design, this riverside perch of style sits in the heartland of historic Amberg, its aged facade plays host to a seductive remit of subtle design and crafted interiors overlooking the river Vils.

- Dinkelsbühl, Germany

Goldene Rose

A regal abode of rich heritage rethought for the creative set, founders, fashionistas and entrepreneurs who feel equally in residence in Bavaria's downtown beauty, Dinkelsbühl.

- Bayrischzell, Germany

Der Schmiedhof

A five-hundred year old farmhouse in Geitau, Der Schmiedhof pairs Bavarian heritage with calm, design led apartments framed by Wendelstein and Aiplspitz, creating a quiet Alpine retreat shaped by craft and clarity.

JOURNAL

The International Mountain Film Festival

Bavaria's culture hotspot, the International Mountain Film Festival, is set to open its doors October 15 - 19, 2025 by beautiful Lake Tegernsee.

Ellen von Unwerth's Heimat photography book, a tribute to Bavaria

JOURNAL

Ellen von Unwerth’s Heimat has us All Hankering for Bavaria

Ellen von Unwerth's HEIMAT, a photographic ode to her homeland, Bavaria, has the whole world talking, and we can sure see why

JOURNAL

Alpstein Architects, designers of Amrai Suites

With an immersive sense of place, their structures merge perfectly into their environments, creating buildings with soul, that seem intrinsically linked to nature.

JOURNAL

Gilded in the Gable: Goldene Rose’s Attic Spa

Medieval rooftops cradle a hidden spa. Goldene Rose in Dinkelsbühl, fuses heritage and wellness with a rooftop infinity pool, saunas and timeless timbered design.

Wörnitz River with gothic towers on the skyline Dinkelsbühl Bavaria: Design, Boutique Hotels and Travel Guide

JOURNAL

Roman Echoes and Bavarian Brews: The Living History of Dinkelsbühl

Where Roman grit collides with Bavarian beats: Dinkelsbühl’s medieval walls, design dens and raw festival energy make this historic town a must for Germany’s travel radar.

Arc Architects: Churches, Schools to Design Hotels

JOURNAL

Arc Architekten: combining tradition with modernity

We like the way in which partners Manfred Brennecke and Stefan Kohlmeier from Arc Architekten approach the business of architecture – bringing the client into the heart of the process and using it as their humble raison d’etre.

APARTMENTs - Bayrischzell, Germany

Der Schmiedhof

Chalets - Chiemgau, Germany