Eastern Bavaria

Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate, traversed by the Danube, best represented by the old city of Regensburg, Passau, the City of Three Rivers, and the Bavarian Forest.

This region corresponds to Eastern Bavaria (Ostbayern) in the division used by the Bavarian tourism board, combined by whole administrative districts, and includes the two districts of Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate, with cities such as Regensburg, Passau, Landshut, Straubing, Amberg and Weiden and their surrounding districts. It borders Upper Bavaria to the southwest, Franconia to the northwest, the Czech Republic to the east and Austria to the southeast.

Highlights: the stone bridge, cathedral and Historic Sausage Kitchen in the Old Town of Regensburg (a World Heritage site); the Danube Gorge near Kelheim with Weltenburg Abbey and the Liberation Hall; Passau, where the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers meet, whose St. Stephen’s Cathedral has a huge organ; Landshut’s Trausnitz Castle and the Landshut Wedding, held every four years; the treetop walk and primeval forest of Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany’s first national park; Bad Füssing and Bad Griesbach in the spa triangle; and Amberg, Cham and the Glass Road in the Upper Palatinate.

Classic itinerary: 1–2 days in Regensburg, half a day on a Danube Gorge boat trip, 1 day in Passau and 2 days in the Bavarian Forest, for 5–6 days in total; the Danube Cycle Path from Passau to Vienna is also very popular.

Getting there: Regensburg and Passau lie on the Nuremberg–Vienna railway line, and Munich to Regensburg takes about 1.5 hours; in the forest area you can use the GUTi guest card for buses.

Note: Low-lying areas along the river in Passau are occasionally flooded; watch road conditions in the mountains in winter.

Destinations

Itineraries