Things to do in Bavaria

Bavaria is the largest German state. It is also the furthest from the German stereotype, except in the parts foreigners take for German. Lederhosen, beer halls and brass are local here and imported everywhere else. It was a kingdom until 1918, it is Catholic where the north is Protestant, and it has the Alps.

What that means for a visit is simple. The region carries the country's two biggest draws, the mountains and the castles, and they sit within a couple of hours of each other.

What people come out here to see:

• Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. Ludwig II's castles, begun 1869 and 1874, neither of them medieval and both built as private fantasy rather than defence.
• Berchtesgaden and the Kehlsteinhaus. The Eagle's Nest of 1938 on its ridge, and the Koenigssee below it, reached by electric boat.
• Franconia. The northern half — Nuremberg, Bamberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber — with its own dialect, its own beer and no Alps at all.
• Regensburg. A medieval centre that survived the war intact, on the Danube.

Almost everything is sold as a day trip from Munich, in a car with a driver-guide. That is practical rather than habitual. The castles are ninety minutes out on roads the trains do not follow, and the return legs run long.

Group departures exist for the two Ludwig castles and for Berchtesgaden. A private day costs several times as much for one person and roughly the same for four. It buys an early start and no queue. Salzburg and Hallstatt sit across the Austrian border and sell on the same terms.

Practical

• Neuschwanstein tickets. Timed slots, sold out days ahead from June to September. A tour that includes the ticket is worth more than the discount it does not give you.
• The Kehlsteinhaus season. The road opens around mid-May and closes with the first snow, usually late October. Outside that, Berchtesgaden is still worth the day; the summit is not reachable.
• Distances. Munich to Neuschwanstein is about two hours each way, Berchtesgaden the same. A castle day is ten hours door to door.
• Walking. The last stretch up to Neuschwanstein is a steep thirty to forty minutes, or a shuttle bus, or a horse cart. Bring shoes for it.
• Cash. Village guesthouses and mountain huts often take nothing but cash.