Discover art, gardens and trails in Freising
Accommodation in Freising
Freising combines its historic old town and Domberg Hill with places of art, gardens and trails through the district. The Amper Valley is also part of the region’s character: it is designated a landscape conservation area and is used for hiking and cycling in the Freising district. So when looking for a holiday apartment, it helps to ask a simple question: would you like to focus on Freising’s culture, or also include trails and places to visit elsewhere in the district?
Blick vom Domberg auf die historische Stadt Freising.
Photo: Zairon via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Amper Valley and trails for different days
The Amper Valley is home to numerous animal and plant species that are particularly worthy of protection. These include four of the 16 dragonfly species in Bavaria that are threatened with extinction. If you enjoy spending time outdoors, the valley offers a tangible connection to the region’s nature; hiking and cycling are among the ways people enjoy the Amper Valley as a local recreation area.
For cycling trips, the Freising district cycling map covers the entire local cycle network. It also features the Isar Cycle Path, the Ammer-Amper Cycle Path, which has a four-star classification, and around 20 suggested cycling routes. This range can be useful when planning different days of cycling, without having to settle on a single route. The leisure bus connects places to visit in the Freising district and provides an environmentally friendly way to get to cycling trips, hikes and spontaneous day trips.
The trails themselves also vary considerably in length and theme. The Culture & Nature Circular Trail is 13.5 kilometres long and leads to important sights in Freising. The St James’ Pilgrimage Route from Freising also begins on Domberg Hill: this approximately 11-kilometre route is a northeastern approach to the Munich Way of St James. In the Freising Forest, the approximately 2-kilometre forest discovery trail is a circular route with a total of 23 stops featuring information boards, information and play activities. This gives you a choice of different trip ideas: a longer route to sights, a pilgrimage route, and a shorter circular trail with stops.
Domberg Hill, the old town and art in Freising
Freising Cathedral on Domberg Hill has a crypt and the Beast Column. Services at the cathedral feature choral, brass, orchestral and organ music; the cathedral music ensembles also host an extensive concert series in the churches on Domberg Hill. Those interested in Freising’s history can discover around 350 selected objects and object groups at the City Museum.
The historic old town around Marienplatz is lined with townhouses and canons’ houses dating from the Gothic to the Baroque periods. There is also a Marian column from 1674. For a view across Freising, visit the viewing platform in the tower of St George’s Church: it is about 45 metres high, and the tower can be climbed from May to October.
There are two different places to discover contemporary art. Schafhof is a centre for contemporary art in Upper Bavaria and hosts year-round exhibitions of works by international and local artists. Every year, it also hosts the Johannismarkt and an Advent market, where selected arts and crafts makers present high-quality one-of-a-kind pieces. The Weihenstephan Art Trail runs across the campus past almost 30 contemporary works by regionally and internationally acclaimed artists. It consists of two circular routes, each lasting a little over an hour.
Gardens and brewing history
The Weihenstephan Gardens are located on the grounds of a former Benedictine monastery and are managed by Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences. A viewing terrace in the Hofgarten in Weihenstephan offers views of the Alpine panorama. The five-hectare trial garden for perennials and woody plants evaluates the practical value of perennials, woody plants and new rose varieties. In Weihenstephan, these gardens offer a range of different features alongside visits to Freising’s art and historic town.
Another special attraction is the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery. It offers brewery tours; the brewery also has a small brewery museum and the adjoining Braustüberl Weihenstephan restaurant.
For orientation in Freising, a tactile bronze model of Domberg Hill and the old town stands beside the fountain on Untere Hauptstraße. Sights and streets are labelled in both standard and Braille lettering.
Discover more places
For more places to consider: Freising, Zolling, Moosburg an der Isar, Mauern, Rudelzhausen, Wang, Eching, Hallbergmoos, Neufahrn Bei Freising, Attenkirchen, Allershausen, Hohenkammer, Marzling, Langenbach, Kranzberg, Au In Der Hallertau and Fahrenzhausen.
For the broader travel overview: Bavaria.
