Bavaria was the first German state we visited, with Munich and the famous Oktoberfest festival initiating us into the culture of beer, sausages and pork knuckle in 2011. Since then, we have traveled to Munich on two occasions, the most recent trip including stops at two of Bavaria's largest cities - the UNESCO listed medieval center of Regensburg and the home of Germany's most famous Christmas market - Nuremberg. Although to avoid the crowds, we arrived the week before Christmas market season began - a wise move to avoid peak season costs and thick tourist crowds.
Initially, we had planned a cultural tour of Germany that stretched from the UNESCO listed middle Rhine River Valley to Heidelberg and onward along the 'Castle Road' that crossed towns such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nuremberg and Bamberg. However, reality set in and we realized that this route would be too ambitious in a single trip. Updating the itinerary into two parts - we kept the Rhine and Heidelberg for Easter 2015; and continued with the Bavarian component as a weekend trip.
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| Visiting Bavaria for the beer and food |
But even with the best logistics in mind, it was deemed impractical to cover Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Regensburg in a single Saturday - Sunday visit. Therefore, the two northern destinations were culled and we settled for a fly in to Munich on a Friday night with Easyjet; and then a fly out from Nuremberg with Ryanair. Using one-way tickets with different providers gave us more flexibility with destinations. We recommend shortlisting the places you wish to visit, then getting out a map and pin-pointing the major airport hubs; and then using a flight-search website like Skyscanner to plan your perfect route.
Selecting Regensburg and Nuremberg
Regensburg is a survivor of World War II in the sense that it suffered very little damage from Allied bombing and the nearly intact medieval city centre has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We chose Nuremberg initially to get an understanding of the historical events that had taken place there - the rallies and the trials. However, when we arrived (as the photos will testify) we found a pretty city that had been rebuilt after suffering severe damage during World War II. After the cheerful atmosphere of beer halls and drinking mulled wine, we chose not to visit the sobering museums of the past and instead just enjoyed the town in the mild Autumn sunshine.
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| A weekend exploring medieval Bavaria |
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| Both Regensburg and Nuremberg were Imperial Free Cities during the Holy Roman Empire |
Travel by Train
During our earlier trips to Germany, we had discovered the Deutsche Bahn (DB - German Railway) 'Lander' (regional day) tickets that provide for unlimited travel within a state for up to five people for a set price. As Germany's railway system is easy to use and efficient, train travel is the best way to get around.
The direct train from Munich to Regensburg took a little over 1.5 hours and there was no need to book in advance. Regensburg to Nuremberg was of a similar travel time and the service was frequent. As a tip - the DB website is very user-friendly and if you don't have the benefit of European data plans (companies like O2 offer a Travel bolt on for £1.99 per day, unlimited data) or wifi; then just head into the station and look up the yellow Departure timetable boards to plan your journey in advance.
Munich - our third visit
Arriving at one of London's airports on a Friday evening is always an experience. There are the expats flying home after a week of work in the city who are winding down with a beer at the pub. The next group are the 'stag-do/hen party' groups that are usually off to sunny party towns like Ibiza, Benidorm or Magaluf; with at least one person in fancy dress. And lastly, there is the frequent weekend travel set with only carry-on luggage and are the first to jump into the queue at the gate to avoid having their luggage 'sent to the hold'.
We arrived at Munich airport around 10pm and after the short trip on the S-bahn, arrived at the München Hauptbahnhof (main train station) where our hotel was located a 5 minute walk away. We stayed at the Treff Hotel Munchen City Centre - the same accommodation as our trip in 2013. The hotel is great value for an overnight stay and centrally located, although it does have some interesting adult entertainment business neighbours.
With most businesses closing up close to midnight, our options for dinner were limited to a sausage van outside the station that served currywurst and bottles of beer - a perfect start to our visit to Bavaria.
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| Tucking into the currywurst |
Arrival in Regensburg
First thing Saturday morning, we were back at the central station and on our way to Regensburg. Despite the clear sunny skies, the temperature was down to single digits and Mei had to detour to the local TK Maxx clothing store to buy a woolen hat. Although it was early, we were able to check into our hotel - Hotel Munchner Hof und Blauer Turm, located in the heart of the historical old town (Aldstadt).
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| Our hotel in Regensburg |
Neupfarrplatz
On leaving the hotel, our first stop was the Neupfarrplatz where the Neupfarrkirche (church) building dominates the square. As Christmas Market season was due to start the following weekend, tradesmen were busy setting up the little chalets and wiring up the decorations.
St Peter's Church (Regensburg Cathedral)
The skyline of Regensburg is dominated by the twin Gothic spires of St Peter's Church - built in the 12th century.
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| St Peter's Church |
Stone Bridge (Steinerne Brücke)
Another famous landmark that dates back to the 12th century is the Stone Bridge. Unfortunately at the time of our visit, it was under heavy renovation and covered by layers of scaffolding that detracted from the beauty of the structure. The bridge was the only crossing over the Danube River for 800 years and was used by armies of the 2nd Crusade on their way to the Holy Land.
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| Stone Bridge under renovation |
Despite the scaffolding, it was still possible to take a nice photo of Regensburg's skyline from the Stone Bridge.
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| View of Regensburg Cathedral from the Stone Bridge |
The Historic Sausage Kitchen of Regensburg (Die Historische Wurstkuchl zu Regensburg)
Located on the banks of the Danube is the oldest snack company in the world, housed in a 900 year old building and is noted in history as catering for the workers that built the Stone Bridge next door.
We visited the kitchen and ordered the only item on the menu - sausages served with sauerkraut, mustard in a bread roll.
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| The Historic Sausage Kitchen |
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| Cooking the sausages |
Free Imperial City
When the Stone Bridge was constructed, it opened up trade routes between northern Europe and Venice. As Regensburg is also located on the Danube River, it became a crossroad for medieval commerce and was an independent Free Imperial City during the Holy Roman Empire.
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| Shields of the Imperial states of the Holy Roman Empire |
A timeline of Regensburg's history can be viewed at the Visitor Centre at the Historic Salt Barn (Salzstadel) near the start of the Stone Bridge. The exhibition outlines the city's growth and preservation of the medieval buildings. An archaeological excavation is underway in the nearby market area, where ruins of old houses have been discovered under a car-park.
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| The contrast of a modern car-park and historical ruins |
City Walk
Danube River cruises in the 'floating hotel' barges run by companies like Viking are very popular with visitors to Europe and we saw many boats docked along the river as we went for our walk around town.
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| Viking river cruise ship |
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| Pretty views from the River |
We walked to the eastern city gate and Villa Park - named after King Maximilian II of Bavaria's palace that is located next to the river.
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| City Gate |
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| Royal Villa |
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| View of the channel in Autumn |
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| The plague of locks |
Stadtamhof
The district of Stadtamhof was once an independent town but later incorporated into Regensburg. The main street is lined with pretty buildings, including a cafe that we stopped by for coffee and fruit pancakes.
City Centre
As we made our way back to the city centre, we saw a 13th century building with a large painting of David and Goliath.
Wirtshaus
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| Main street in Stadtamhof |
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| Coffee break |
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| Fruit pancakes |
City Centre
As we made our way back to the city centre, we saw a 13th century building with a large painting of David and Goliath.
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| Famous painting of David and Goliath |
Walking further along, we were at the Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) where the Reichstag met during the 17th-19th centuries to agree on matters facing the Holy Roman Empire.
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| Old City Hall |
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| Decorations on the City Hall |
Wirtshaus
Feeling hungry, we headed to a beer hall - Wirtshaus for a serve of the local sausages and beer.
Hofbrauhaus Regensburg
We returned to the hotel to relax, before heading out in the late evening for dinner at the Hofbrauhaus, eating the traditional Bavarian meal of pork knuckle and bread dumpling washed down with HB beer.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg train station is located outside of the Old Town area. Heading in that direction, we saw plenty of activity in preparation for the follow week's Christmas market season. The chalets had been constructed and decorations (Nuremberg is famous for handmade toys) were hanging from the main buildings. We located a mulled wine stall and enjoyed a hot drink whilst wandering around the city.
As part of the restoration, several buildings continued to use signage and facades in a traditional style - a lot nicer than the exterior of modern shops on a typical high street.
Churches
Nuremberg is home to many churches including St. Sebaldus Church (Sankt Sebaldus Kirche), St Lorenz and the iconic Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche).
We returned to the hotel to relax, before heading out in the late evening for dinner at the Hofbrauhaus, eating the traditional Bavarian meal of pork knuckle and bread dumpling washed down with HB beer.
During our after dinner walk, we saw many Christmas decorations strung up in the narrow laneways.
Schloss Thurn und Taxis
On route to the train station, we passed by the impressive St. Emmeram's Abbey and gardens that are now used as the residence of the Princes of Thurn and Taxis - one of Germany's wealthiest families.
Nuremberg train station is located outside of the Old Town area. Heading in that direction, we saw plenty of activity in preparation for the follow week's Christmas market season. The chalets had been constructed and decorations (Nuremberg is famous for handmade toys) were hanging from the main buildings. We located a mulled wine stall and enjoyed a hot drink whilst wandering around the city.
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| Look - there is Santa |
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| Traditional Christmas toy decorations |
Pretty waterways
Nuremberg is linked to the major rivers of Europe via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal - a waterway that links the North Sea / Atlantic Ocean with the Black Sea. In medieval times, Nuremberg was a Free Imperial City and the town grew in prosperity due to these trade links. On our visit, we saw many bridges over canal ways - all beautifully reconstructed as the city had been heavily bombed during World War II.
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| Pretty canals |
As part of the restoration, several buildings continued to use signage and facades in a traditional style - a lot nicer than the exterior of modern shops on a typical high street.
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| A street of colourful wooden frontages |
Churches
Nuremberg is home to many churches including St. Sebaldus Church (Sankt Sebaldus Kirche), St Lorenz and the iconic Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche).
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| Frauenkirche |
Nuremberg Castle
Our final sightseeing stop was at Nuremberg Castle, the highest point in the city on top of a sandstone rock and offered picturesque views across the landscape.
For lunch, we were again tempted to eat the traditional cuisine, stopping off at another beer hall - Bratwurst Roslein. Sharing a table with strangers, we ordered the local beer, ate pretzels, sausages, pork knuckle and roast goose - a perfect way to finish off our trip to Bavaria.
Next blog post:
Recap of London Life - Winter Spring 2015
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