Bavarian Forest
Accommodation in Bavarian Forest
Nature experiences take centre stage in the Bavarian Forest: In the national park, you can encounter forest and wildlife, while signposted hiking and cycling trails offer different ways to explore. You can also learn about the region’s geological history and its glassmaking tradition, which connects historic glassmaking towns with art and craft businesses. When choosing where to stay, it may therefore be important to consider whether you mainly want to hike, cycle, or combine nature and culture.
View from the summit of Lusen in the Bavarian Forest National Park
Photo: Raphaelsgreen via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wildlife and plant life at the Lusen National Park Centre
At the TIER-FREIGELÄNDE (wildlife enclosure) of the Lusen National Park Centre, you can observe around 40 mammal and bird species across more than 200 hectares. The animals live in spacious, naturalistic enclosures and aviaries. The PFLANZEN-FREIGELÄNDE (plant area) around the HANS-EISENMANN-HAUS covers four hectares and showcases several hundred plant species in their natural habitats and communities. The house also features the permanent exhibition “Paths into Nature – A History of Forests and People” for anyone interested in the connections between forests and people.
The region’s geological history is also explored here: the GESTEINS-FREIGELÄNDE (geology area) offers insights into the region’s geological past; some of the rocks on display are more than 500 million years old. Wildlife, plant life and geology provide different ways to explore nature. The 1,300-metre-long BAUMWIPFELPFAD (tree-top walk) rises up to 44 metres above the forest floor, offering views into and across the Bavarian Forest National Park.
Planning hikes and cycling tours
The Bavarian Forest Nature Park has around 7,000 kilometres of signposted hiking trails. The Bavarian Forest also has around 1,100 kilometres of long-distance hiking trails. For local navigation, hiking trails in the nature park are marked with green signs and white lettering. If you’re looking for a hike linked to the railway, you can take inspiration from the nine featured hikes along the Viechtach–Gotteszell railway line.
The Lusen National Park Centre offers a specific option for a day out: a seven-kilometre circular trail invites you to explore. Shortcuts are possible; the grounds are suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, cleared in winter and freely accessible all year round. This information can help you plan your day without having to commit to the full loop. You can use the Waldbahn railway and GUTi bus routes for hikes in the nature park, making one-way walks and sections of circular routes possible.
The region can also be explored by bike. The Bavarian Forest National Park has more than 200 kilometres of clearly signposted cycling trails. Bike tours from the Bavarian Forest National Park can also be used to explore the neighbouring Šumava National Park. Border crossings for trips across the border are located at Bayerisch Eisenstein, Finsterau and Gsenget. The national park offers a varied programme of guided tours and events almost all year round.
Glassmaking history and visitor facilities
The Bavarian Forest’s glassmaking tradition can be seen in both historic glassmaking towns and today’s art and craft businesses. Nearby, the Frauenau Glass Museum explains how glass is made and refined, the different work areas in a glassworks, and life in a glassmaking town in the past. Its history of glass ranges from sand-core vessels made by early civilisations and medieval prunted glass to Art Nouveau vases decorated with flowers and machine-made glass from the industrial age. Discoveries in nature and cultural interests can therefore form different focal points for a stay.
National park visitor facilities include the Falkenstein National Park Centre, with the Haus zur Wildnis, a wildlife enclosure and a Stone Age cave, as well as the Lusen National Park Centre, with the Hans-Eisenmann-Haus, wildlife, plant and geology areas, and a tree-top walk. Other facilities include the St. Oswald Forest History Museum, the forest playground near Spiegelau and six information points. All these facilities are free of charge and designed to be accessible.
Choosing the right place to stay
When looking for a holiday apartment, you can use your planned activities as a guide. If you plan to spend your holiday mainly hiking, consider the trails and the option of one-way walks using the Waldbahn railway or GUTi buses. For a cycling holiday, the signposted routes and possible trips across the border are a separate focus. If you want to combine nature and culture, you can include the facilities at the Lusen National Park Centre and nearby glassmaking attractions in your plans. This lets you choose where to stay based on the experiences that matter most to you.
More destination pages: Chiemsee, Traunstein, Hof, Franconian Forest, Straubing-Bogen, Miesbach, Inn-Salzach and Kempten.
See the main travel overview: Bavaria.
