Explore Enticing Enchanting Beautiful Bavaria at the Heart of Europe

Lonely Planet has awarded Bavaria its 2025 Best in Travel destination. This is a well-deserved accolade since Bavaria has something to offer every type of traveler. Bavaria is in the heart of Europe with a robust economy, rich cultural history, and traditions. Its charm, conviviality, and Gemutlichkeit (warmth, friendliness) will endear you to this state’s desirability for welcoming tourism.

 Fly directly from Chicago to Munich International Airport, “a masterpiece of fine-tuned logistics.” to explore Bavaria. MUC has technological advancements and facilities that accommodate travelers and local communities alike with German efficiency and laid-back Bavarian hospitality. There is world-class shopping, observation decks, a spa, egalitarian recreational lounges with amenities, shower facilities, the Sportalm Sun Terrace, and a Visitor’s Park with a playground. Culinary delights of Bavaria welcome you, as well as international foods from sixty-five restaurants, cafes, and markets.​​ Unique to the airport is the cozy Airbräu beer garden. It is the world’s first airport brewery. It has its own maypole, home-brewed beer, and a menu of hearty, comforting regional specialties. Comfortably seating six hundred, it is Europe’s largest covered beer garden.

Just outside the Airport campus is Hallbergmoos, Germany’s first surf park. From the panoramic terrace of the “Lookout” restaurant, which airport subsidiary Allresto runs, you can watch the surfing action in the wave pool open all year round. Stop by for a small breakfast, snacks, salads, burgers, and a changing lunch and dinner menu.

 For the savvy, sophisticated traveler, the cosmopolitan city of Munich, where the former Bavarian Kings resided, is an economic and technological powerhouse. It is a major European hub for culture, arts, architecture, and science. Amazingly, along the Isar River in Munich’s urban Englisher Garten, there is the man-made Eisbach Wave for surfers year-round. You can view this fantastic activity from a bridge or the banks. About a half hour outside Munich is the Brauereigasthof in Aying, a four-star hotel. This is a traditional, charming, romantic guesthouse dating back to a tavern in 1835. It has been a family-owned business for over 200 years and seven generations. There is Ayinger Brewery, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a premier guest house. 

History buffs must see Nuremberg, home to the Germanic National Museum, World War II Tour, a nuclear bunker, the Nazi Rally Grounds, the Medieval Dungeons Tour, and other rich historical sites. Wuerzburg – embedded in the region of Franconia – is a baroque university city famous for the Mozart Festival, Silvaner and Bacchus wine festivals, and the Wurzburg Residence Castle with the world’s largest continuous breath-taking ceiling fresco. Fussen, renowned for its violin and lute making, is 250 miles from Wurzburg on the Romantic Road. Concerts are part of Fussen’s cultural repertoire and identity.

Exploring the outdoors is a must when visiting Bavaria, particularly in the Alps bordering Austria. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a top Alpine resort in Germany, offers a wide range of activities throughout the year. It is particularly appealing in the winter for skiers and snowboarders. Near Neuschönau, Bavaria, there is an easy, family-friendly 1.1-mile out-and-back trail; It takes an average of 25 min to complete. This is a trendy area for hiking, so you’ll likely encounter other people while exploring. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Cyclists can choose routes along riverbanks, undulating hills, or mountains and cross into neighboring countries. The Bavarian Forest borders Germany and the Czech Republic. It is famous for its mining towns, tourist attractions, climatic resort towns, and hiking and mountain biker trails. There is so much for families with young children in Bavaria, including Berchtesgaden, a charming Alpine town near Salzburg, and the Berchtesgaden National Park. The Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest) is located in the area. You can take the salt mine adventure in Berchtesgaden. A miner’s train transports you 2,133 feet into the mountain to a giant salt cathedral with an exciting miner’s slide.

Munich’s Oktoberfest (beginning in September) is the world’s largest beer festival. If you only consider visiting Bavaria for Munich’s largest, most famous Oktoberfest, you are missing out on a host of other unique festivals occurring from after Easter through September, such as Almabtrieb, “when the cows come home” from the high mountaintops for the winter. The Christmas town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber always feels like a holiday festival every day of the year. Visit Käthe Wohlfahrt, a premier source of German-inspired and finely crafted holiday and seasonal décor items. The family-run company Käthe Wohlfahrt is an ambassador for the traditional German Christmas tradition.

There is a Medieval Drachenstich Festival (Dragon Slaying Fest) in Furth im Wald. 
Spend an evening in a beer garden such as Munich’s Chinesischer Turm or the Forchheim Kellerwald. Then, head south to the madly popular Neuschwanstein Castle, Ludwig II’s most iconic fairy-tale palace set among the Alps. If you need assistance planning your trip to Bavaria, seek Peter Rohde of Prime Tours Germany. He can help.

Photos Courtesy of: Franken Tourismus,Simply Munich, and Brauereigasthof Hotel Ayin