Our recent weekend getaway in the Bavarian Forest reminded us once again of the stunning vacation spots that Germany has to offer. It’s a shame we’ve overlooked traveling within Germany for so long since there’s so much to explore. And the Bavarian Forest truly lives up to its nickname as the “green roof of Europe“. While it’s no longer a hidden gem among German hikers and nature lovers, it still offers a much more laid-back vibe compared to the Alps. To ensure you’re well-prepared for your own weekend trip to the Bavarian Forest, today’s blog post not only highlights the top eight excursions but also provides information on how to get around, places to eat, and hotel recommendations.
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Where is the Bavarian Forest located?
The Bavarian Forest is situated in the southeastern part of Germany, predominantly spanning across Bavaria. It forms a part of the border between Germany and the Czech Republic and is also a part of the Bohemian Forest mountain range, which extends into Bohemia in the Czech Republic.
The Bavarian Forest can be divided into six districts or regions, each with its own charm and offering numerous activities and attractions for active travelers:
- Upper Bavarian Nature Park
- Deggendorf District
- Straubing-Bogen including Sankt Englmar
- Arberland with the tallest mountain in the Bohemian Forest, the Großer Arber
- Passau District
- Freyung-Grafenau District
Is the Bavarian Forest the right destination for your weekend trip?
Thanks to the Bohemian Forest mountain range, the Bavarian Forest offers fantastic opportunities for hiking, cycling, or skiing in the winter. You’ll discover numerous hiking trails suitable for all fitness levels here. After a challenging hike, you’re never far from a refreshing lake for a swim or a scenic spot for dinner. Plus, you can explore dense forests for a peaceful retreat and enjoy cultural highlights like the “Dragon Slaying Festival” (German: Drachenstich) in Furth.
The Bavarian Forest is perfect for gentle tourism, like mindful hikes and leisurely bike rides, ideal for a relaxed time with friends or family. However, it might not be the best fit if you’re seeking alpine summit tours or extreme off-road mountain biking trails like those in the Alps.
Whether you plan to spend a whole week exploring the Bavarian Forest’s highlights or just a weekend sticking to a smaller area, the choice is yours. We opted for the latter and, as always, put together a balanced mix of time in nature with hikes and leisurely strolls, interspersed with cozy culinary breaks.
1. Silbersee in the Upper Bavarian Nature Park
The Silbersee is a stunning bathing lake where you can find plenty of peace and tranquility. Starting directly from the parking lot, you can take a 7 km easy stroll around the lake, which takes approximately 1,5 hours. The loop trail doesn’t always stick close to the water, part of it winds through the forest, and part is on a paved path, but you’ll always have the lake in view.At the lake, you’ll also find a small beach area with changing rooms and toilets. Thanks to the abundance of large trees, there’s plenty of shade for a relaxing summer afternoon by the lake.
- Just a few minutes' drive away in Tiefenbach is the Gasthaus zum Deutschen Eck. As the name suggests, they serve very traditional German cuisine there.
2. Canopy Walk in St. Englmar
At the Canopy Walk in Maibrunn (German: Waldwipfelweg), you can view the Bavarian Forest from a bird’s-eye perspective and climb up to the 52-meter-high treetop tower. We suggest planning your visit early in the day to avoid the crowds, as the Canopy Walk is understandably popular with families with children. Especially the slide that descends from the treetop tower seems to be a real highlight. We admit, we would have liked to try the shortcut down as well, but during our visit, it was so crowded that we decided to let the little ones go first.
We spent about 1.5 hours on the trail, which was more than enough if you’re mainly interested in the views and plan to stop for a coffee at the Bistrot afterward. If you’re traveling with children, feel free to allocate more time. In addition to the treetop tower, there’s also a nature experience trail to explore and a petting zoo with alpacas and sheep. You can also visit the Upside-Down House, a house of illusions where everything seems to be upside down. However, admission to the house is not included in the ticket price of 12 euros for the Canopy Walk but costs an additional 2 euros.
- In addition to the Canopy Walk in Maibrunn, there's also the Treetop Walk (German: Baumwipfelpfad) in Neuschönau. Both canopy walks are very similar, and there's no difference in admission prices. We would make the choice depending on your chosen accommodation in the Bavarian Forest and how far you want to travel.
- There's a restaurant on-site at the Canopy Walk, but we only had coffee there as the prices were a bit steep. For a really good meal, we recommend heading to Gasthaus Jakob, a restaurant with a Michelin star about a 10-minute drive from the Canopy Walk.
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3. Lake Kleiner Arbersee
The lake Kleiner Arbersee came into being during the last Ice Age and now spans across an area of 8.5 hectares. What makes it special are its three floating islands. True to their name, these islands have no connection to the ground, so their positions shift with the water level and wind direction. Access to the islands is prohibited, as is swimming in the lake. However, you can leisurely stroll around the lake on a picturesque forest path in about 40 minutes
You can’t drive directly to the Kleiner Arbersee. It’s a roughly 20-minute walk from the gravel parking lot at Mooshütte to the lake (day ticket for 3 euros), or you can follow our lead and park at the base station of the Großer Arber (day ticket for 4 euros). Alternatively, starting from the end of April, the “Kleine Arberseebahn,” a quaint train, runs the very twisty 6.5 km route from Lohberghütte to the Kleiner Arbersee. Tickets can be purchased at the cashier in Wenzl Bistro.
- Recharge at Seehäusl right on the Arbersee, where you can enjoy traditional cuisine from Germany and the Czech Republic.
4. Großer Arber, the highest mountain in the Bavarian Forest
Standing at 1,456 meters, the Großer Arber is the tallest peak in the Bavarian Forest mountainrange, earning it the nickname “Roof of the Bavarian Forest.” We knew not to expect Alpine-like views in the Bavarian Forest, but we were pleasantly surprised by the stunning panorama from the summit of the Großer Arber.
You can reach the summit of the Großer Arber via various hiking trails. We opted for a route that took us past the Kleiner Arbersee, covering approximately 14 km and taking us about 4.5 hours. We’d choose this route again and again because it was incredibly diverse, and despite the fantastic weather and weekend crowds, we often found ourselves alone on the trail.
- There are several mountain huts on the Großer Arber where you can stop for food. There’s the Eisensteiner Hütte or right by the cable car station, the Gasthaus zur Gondelbahn. At the Arberschutzhaus, you can not only enjoy hearty hut atmosphere but also rent rooms - it's actually the only accommodation option on the Großer Arber.
5. Wildlife Park at Steinbruchsee near Furth im Wald
In the Bavarian Forest, there are two noteworthy animal parks: the Bayerwald Tierpark in Lohberg and the wildlife enclosure at the Waldmuseum Steinbruchsee near Furth im Wald. Both parks offer opportunities to observe local wildlife. At the wildlife enclosure, you’ll find red and fallow deer, Alpine ibexes, and goats, and you can even feed them. With an entry fee of just two euros, it’s quite affordable, and you can purchase animal feed from a vending machine at the entrance. I have to say, it was really enjoyable.
However, we found the other attractions at Steinbruchsee, such as the Waldmuseum and the clock collection, to be rather disappointing and not worth recommending.
- If you opt for the wildlife enclosure at Steinbruchsee, we suggest heading to Furth im Wald for food. It's only about a five-minute drive away. We can recommend Café Wilhelm Limmer for coffee and cake and the Designcafé for a hearty meal. When we visited in late summer, the Designcafé had just opened and had an incredibly delicious vegan carrot hot dog on the menu. They have since changed their concept a bit, and unfortunately, we couldn't find it anymore, but they now offer many other tasty options.
6. The Drachenstich City of Furth im Wald
If you happen to find yourself in Furth, take a leisurely stroll through the town. From the city tower, you can get a nice overview of Furth. Typically, it’s a pretty quiet place, but that changes once a year when the Drachenstich Festival takes place. The “Further Drachenstich” is an elaborate production that tells the legend of the evil dragon that must be vanquished. The highlight includes a historical procession and an impressive fire-breathing high-tech dragon robot. This year, the festival runs from August 2nd to August 18th, 2024. You can purchase tickets here.
If you can’t make it to the festival but still want to see the dragon in action, there are regular guided tours where you can marvel at the movements of the dragon.
- At Café Wilhelm Limmer, you can stop by for coffee and cake, and at the Designcafé, we recommend grabbing a hearty meal.
7. Lake Drachensee
The fascination with dragons extends to the surrounding area of Furth im Wald as well. Here, you’ll find the Dragon Lake, which naturally owes its name to the Dragon Festival. This is a reservoir that you can walk or cycle around. Fishing is permitted along the entire lake shore or from rowing boats.
- Right by the lake, there's only Café Mühle Schreiner, where you can enjoy homemade cakes on the terrace overlooking the lake. However, the café is located on the opposite side of the street and therefore not directly by the lake. It's quite simple and, in our opinion, the terrace is a bit uninspired in its design - but why not see it for yourself?
8. Lake Perlsee
We also really enjoyed Perlsee. Since we were staying in the town of Waldmünchen, we were able to take a bike tour to the lake. There are plenty of other recreational activities available, such as pedal boating, fishing, rowing, or sailing. Or you can simply relax and unwind while sunbathing. By the way, right next to Perlsee, you’ll find the beautifully situated camping site, Ferienpark Perlsee.
- At the lake, you'll find the Perlseewirtschaft, this time right by the water, boasting a lovely ambiance. A few minutes' drive outside Waldmünchen, you'll also find the Göttlinger Restaurant.
Best time to travel for a short getaway in the Bavarian Forest
For hikers and cyclists, the months from May to October offer ideal conditions, with pleasant temperatures ranging between 19°C and 24°C. May and August, as well as the autumn and winter months, are relatively dry, and during the summer months, temperatures can reach up to 24°C, making it quite comfortable. If you’re interested in skiing, the period from December to the end of March is optimal.
Getting there and Getting Around in the Bavarian Forest
If you plan to visit many different destinations and want to be flexible with your time, then indeed, the car is the best choice. There are parking spaces at all attractions and most hotels, sometimes free, sometimes for a fee.
However, depending on the region where you are staying, using public transportation may also be a sensible option. The largest cities near the Bavarian Forest are Munich and Nuremberg in Germany, Salzburg in Austria, and Prague in the Czech Republic. You can reach the Bavarian Forest from all these cities in four to six hours by bus and train.
In the Bavarian Forest, depending on the region, you can use the Waldbahn, Oberpfalzbahn, and Ilztalbahn trains, as well as the Igelbuses. Additionally, from mid-May, there are additional hiking and leisure buses in operation. However, using public transportation requires more planning and you should expect longer travel times.
- As a guest in the Bavarian Forest, you'll pay a tourist tax at your accommodation, which grants you the Nationalpark-Card. This card includes the GUTi ticket, short for "Guest Service Environmental Ticket." With this ticket, you can use the bus and train network throughout the National Park during your stay. In winter, you can also use all ski buses for free with this ticket. Additionally, there are discounts available for selected attractions, such as the treetop walkway.
- You might have come across the term "on-demand bus" now. On-demand buses are small minibusses with a maximum of 8 seats that operate on a fixed schedule only after advance booking. While it may seem a bit confusing at first, it's actually quite practical for filling gaps in the public transportation network, allowing access to destinations that might otherwise be reachable only by car. Depending on the provider, on-demand buses need to be booked either 60 minutes or even 2 days before the journey. It's best to use the Deutsche Bahn app to research your trip and then order the bus using the provided phone number or book it online through the provided website. Ideally, when booking, you should provide the route number, exact departure and arrival stops, as well as your desired departure time.
Where to Stay?
You’ll find hotels in the Bavarian Forest to suit various tastes and budgets, offering accommodation options for every preference. We personally enjoy staying in chalets or boutique hotels, but if you’re interested in classic wellness resorts, you’ll also find plenty in the Bavarian Forest. Below are our hotel recommendations, all located within a maximum radius of two hours by car from all our excursion tips. Click on each hotel to visit Booking.com.
If you opt for a short vacation in the Bavarian Forest, we would be incredibly grateful for your feedback on Instagram. Which destinations have you chosen? What did you enjoy, and what other places or hikes have you discovered that we should try on our next visit?
