Bavaria

Bavaria has no sea, but it has a strong lake-bathing habit. South of Munich, the Starnberger See, Ammersee, Tegernsee and Chiemsee have meadows, wooden jetties and small pebble or grass beaches. Shallow lakes such as the Staffelsee and the Waginger See warm up first, reaching about 22-24°C in a good summer. The mountain lakes stay noticeably colder. In Munich itself people sunbathe and take quick dips on the gravel banks of the Isar.

The season is short, roughly June to early September, and a cool, rainy week can stop swimming altogether. Lake swimming fits a summer trip well, but anyone who wants beach life as the main point of a vacation will be disappointed.

Drinking defines eating here. Munich's beer gardens, with shared tables under chestnut trees, and its old beer halls are national institutions. Upper Franconia, around Bamberg, has more small village breweries than almost anywhere, and Bamberg's smoked beer is its own style. Around Würzburg, Franconian Silvaner is poured in wine taverns and sold in the squat Bocksbeutel bottle.

The cooking is hearty and fairly narrow: roast pork with dumplings, white sausage at breakfast, Nuremberg's finger-sized grilled sausages, pretzels, Obatzda cheese spread and pastries in the cafés. Munich adds a strong fine-dining scene and a good food market at the Viktualienmarkt. Away from the cities, choice falls to inns serving much the same menu.

Bavaria's heritage is wide and of high quality. Munich has Old Masters at the Alte Pinakothek, design and modern art at the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Blue Rider painters at the Lenbachhaus. It also has the Residenz palace, Nymphenburg and the Deutsches Museum, one of the world's great science and technology collections. Nuremberg has its walled old town and imperial castle, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum and the Nazi party rally grounds.

The smaller towns are often the highlight. Bamberg and Regensburg are UNESCO-listed old towns whose medieval streets are largely intact. Würzburg's Residenz has Tiepolo's great ceiling fresco, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber keeps its full ring of walls. In the south are Ludwig II's castles, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee, and the rococo Wieskirche. Seeing the best of it means moving between several bases.

Going out happens mostly in Munich. There are cocktail bars in Glockenbachviertel and Maxvorstadt, a respectable club scene, student bars in Schwabing, and the beer halls, which get loud and convivial in the evening. Bamberg, Würzburg and Regensburg have student-driven pub streets, and Nuremberg has a modest bar scene.

The great exception is Oktoberfest in late September and early October, when Munich's festival tents fill with millions of drinkers. In the rest of the year the nights are pleasant but orderly, and many evenings end in a beer garden or tavern rather than a club. In the Alpine and lake resorts, going out usually ends with dinner.

The best of Bavaria's outdoors lies along its southern edge. Garmisch-Partenkirchen sits beneath the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak, with the Partnach gorge and high trails nearby. Berchtesgaden has a national park around the Watzmann and the fjord-like Königssee, which you cross by quiet electric boat. Between the two, the Ammergau Alps, the Tegernsee valleys and the Allgäu around Oberstdorf offer hut-to-hut hiking, via ferratas, mountain biking and, in winter, solid skiing.

Further north the landscape is gentler. The Bavarian Forest National Park covers large areas of wild woodland on the Czech border. Franconian Switzerland has limestone crags for climbing. Long cycle paths follow the Danube, the Altmühl and the Main. Summer and early autumn are best for hiking, and winter for snow.

Bavaria is excellent for day trips, and you can build several from almost any base. From Munich, Augsburg is about half an hour by train and Nuremberg about an hour. Regensburg, Landshut and the Dachau memorial are also close, and Salzburg is just over the border. The lakes bring the island on the Chiemsee and the villas around the Tegernsee and Starnberger See. Innsbruck is another option.

Franconia, in the north, works as a second region in its own right. From Nuremberg or Würzburg, it is an easy trip to Bamberg, to the wine villages along the Main such as Volkach and Sommerhausen, and to the Romantic Road towns of Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen. In the south, Oberammergau's painted houses and Mittenwald's violin-making street round off the list.

Bavaria is easy with children. Distances are manageable and the region is safe and tidy. Beer gardens nearly always have playgrounds, and families are welcome in inns. Munich has the Hellabrunn zoo along the Isar, a large hands-on children's section at the Deutsches Museum, and parks such as the Englischer Garten. Nuremberg has a toy museum and a large zoo in the woods, and there is a big toy-brand play park nearby.

Legoland Deutschland at Günzburg makes a good anchor for one day. In summer, the lakes have shallow, grassy bathing spots, and Alpine resorts have summer toboggan runs and gentle cable-car walks. In winter there are Christmas markets and easy ski slopes. Neuschwanstein appeals to most children, though the climb and crowds can be tiring.

Munich is simple to manage. Its compact, walkable centre is served by the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and trams. Regional trains run from the city to Nuremberg, Augsburg, Regensburg, Garmisch, Füssen, Berchtesgaden and the lakes. A regional day ticket covers much of the state, so you don't need a car for the main towns or for many mountain areas.

Things get harder away from the rail lines. Some lake shores, Alpine valleys and Franconian villages depend on infrequent buses, and train delays are a common irritation. A car makes it easier to move between bases, and the roads are good. Even so, summer weekends and long weekends bring long jams towards the Alps, and parking at popular castles and lakes fills early.

Serious shopping is in Munich. Maximilianstrasse and Theatinerstrasse have the luxury houses, and the pedestrian streets between Marienplatz and Karlsplatz have the department stores and high-street chains. Glockenbach and Schwabing have independent shops, and the Viktualienmarkt sells delicatessen.

Across the rest of the region, the draw is traditional crafts. In Munich and Alpine towns there are tailors selling Dirndl and Lederhosen, Oberammergau has woodcarving, Mittenwald makes violins, and the Bavarian Forest is known for glass. Nuremberg has toys and gingerbread. In December, Christmas markets in Nuremberg, Munich and dozens of smaller towns are a shopping trip in themselves. Outside Munich, shopping is mostly modest town centres and souvenir shops.

Bavaria's prices vary a lot by place. Munich is one of the most expensive cities in Germany. Hotel rooms are costly all year and very hard to afford during Oktoberfest and the big trade fairs. Restaurants there are expensive by German standards too.

Further out, costs fall noticeably. Franconian towns such as Bamberg and Würzburg, the Bavarian Forest and family-run guesthouses in Alpine villages are moderate. Inn meals are filling and fairly priced, and regional day tickets make train travel cheap for groups. Popular lake and mountain resorts in high summer are the main exception. Beer gardens let you bring your own food, which is a useful way to save.

Munich is one of Europe's great music cities. The Bavarian State Opera at the National Theatre performs most nights in season, with a summer opera festival. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic are both orchestras of international rank. The Cuvilliés Theatre is a rococo jewel, and the Residenztheater and Kammerspiele are serious playhouses. Smaller jazz clubs and folk-music evenings fill out the calendar.

Beyond Munich, Bayreuth's Wagner festival takes place each summer in the composer's own theatre. Tickets are scarce, but many devotees see it as the reason to travel. Nuremberg and Würzburg have solid state theatres, and Würzburg's Mozart festival is held in the Residenz. In Alpine villages, brass bands and folk evenings are more common than formal venues.

Spa culture is old and deep in Bavaria. The state is full of towns with the Bad prefix, built for taking the cure. Bad Kissingen in Franconia has grand spa halls and colonnades. Bad Reichenhall, near Berchtesgaden, is known for brine inhalation and saltwater baths. In Lower Bavaria, Bad Füssing is a large thermal-water resort. Bad Wörishofen is where Sebastian Kneipp developed his water cure, and Kneipp wading pools appear across the region.

Near Munich, a vast thermal and sauna complex at Erding draws day visitors, while the city's own Müller'sches Volksbad is an Art Nouveau bathing hall. Many Alpine and lakeside hotels have serious spas, and saunas are taken in the German way, mostly nude and mixed. The slow pace of lake villages adds to the rest.