Bavaria

Bavaria is every bit the storybook fantasy you’ve seen in movies and has a wealth of fabulous countryside outside of it's beloved Munich. Visit Neuschwanstein Castle, the model for Walt Disney’s "Magic Kingdom", or one of the many Medieval walled towns lining the Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald (Bavarian Forest National Park) that influenced the infamous Brothers Grimm.

You can also drive through fields of wildflowers to one of Bavaria’s hip urban centers, home to a thriving arts and culture scene, or spend a day sampling wines in Würzburg or the Franconia wine region. If you’re traveling in winter, ski the Bavarian Alps and stop by a traditional hut to sample Schweinshaxe and Weißwurst (white sausage). No trip to Bavaria, however, would be complete without a visit to one of the area’s numerous beer gardens — just remember that beer garden season starts in mid April and runs through October. When you think of Bavaria you may think of Lederhosn and Dirndl donned by a traditional folk band, but the area also birthed cutting-edge creatives, from Klaus Nomi and Bertolt Brecht to filmmakers Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog. So get ready to be inspired.