Bavaria, Germany — Bella Via Travels
Germany
Bavaria
Castles, lakes and alpine villages
Bavaria is the Germany of the imagination — a landscape of fairy-tale castles, alpine lakes, beer gardens and a culture so distinct from the rest of the country that Bavarians have been known to refer to Germany as a foreign country.
Neuschwanstein is the defining image — a nineteenth-century castle built by the mad King Ludwig II on a rocky outcrop above the Alpsee, with the Alps behind and the plain of Swabia stretching to the horizon. It is extraordinary, it is crowded, and it is best seen from the Marienbrucke bridge at dawn before the tour buses arrive.
The Bavarian Alps offer some of the finest walking in Germany: the Zugspitze, the highest peak in the country; the Berchtesgaden National Park, with the Konigssee and the Watzmann; the Allgau Alps, with their flower-filled meadows and their cheese-making culture. The Tegernsee and the Chiemsee are the most beautiful of the Bavarian lakes, each with its own character and its own pleasures.
Munich is the cultural capital — the Deutsches Museum, the Alte Pinakothek, the English Garden and the Viktualienmarkt — but the real Bavaria is found in the smaller towns: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bamberg, Regensburg, Passau. Bella Via designs Bavarian itineraries that combine the famous with the forgotten.
“The Konigssee at dawn, with the mountains reflected in the still water and the sound of the alphorn echoing across the lake — it is one of the great experiences of German travel.”
What to Expect
The Bella Via Experience in Bavaria
Neuschwanstein Castle
The most famous castle in Germany — best seen at dawn from the Marienbrucke bridge, before the tour buses arrive.
The Berchtesgaden National Park
The Konigssee, the Watzmann and the Kehlsteinhaus — a national park of extraordinary beauty in the south-east corner of Bavaria.
Bamberg
A UNESCO World Heritage city of extraordinary completeness — a medieval town on seven hills, with a Romanesque cathedral, a baroque town hall and a smoked beer culture that is unique in Germany.
The Bavarian Beer Culture
Beer gardens, Masskrugs and the Reinheitsgebot — a brewing tradition that has been producing some of the finest beer in the world since 1516.
Bavaria rewards those who arrive with time and leave with a deeper understanding of what makes this region unlike anywhere else in Germany. We will help you find the journey that does it justice.