Dreamt.Planned.Travelled: Bavaria (excluding Munich)

Order of Sections
- Landshut
- Passau
- Chiemsee
- Regensburg
- Other Towns
- Top Experiences in Bavaria (except for Munich)

This post has information about some places in Bavaria, excluding the capital city, Munich. For Munich, check my other post here.

The places mentioned here are in no particular order.

Burg Trausnitz

LANDSHUT
Landshut is a city located around 75 km from Munich, and it's in Lower Bavaria.

View from the Burg Trausnitz

The main sights in Landshut
are undeniably the castle and
the old town.

Church of St Martin

The castle called Burg Trausnitz,
is located pretty close to the
Old Town (Altstadt). The collection of buildings is pretty
nice to look at. Since it's on a
hill, there's a viewpoint
overlooking the city, but at the time of visit, there was some construction work going on so the viewpoint was inaccessible. You can go inside the castle where there is a museum with artifacts from various places such as Turkey, Egypt and Sri Lanka. Photography is not allowed.

Inside Church of St Martin

Another church; outside the Altstadt

As you exit the castle complex, get on to the road called Alte Bergstrasse. The road would lead you to the Altstadt. Nearby is the famous Church of St. Martin, the tallest brick tower in the world. You can go inside the church; the interior is pretty good too.
This road is the main tourist street in town and has everything you might need: shops, restaurants, banks etc.

Ländtor

Continue walking around this road in the nearby side streets and then you'll soon come across the Ländtor. This is an arch and is close to the end of the Altstadt. Keep on going and you'll cross the river Isar. On this other side of the river is another church.

If you do not want to eat in the Altstadt, you can eat in this part of town which is much less touristy but still has its share of pretty streets and restaurants.

PASSAU - around 170 km from Munich
Passau is another city very close to the Austrian border. The city is touted as the "Venice of Bavaria". Three rivers flow into this city, the Danube (Donau), the Inn and the Ilz. Two of them converge in the city while the third converges with this stream a little beyond.

Passau; from the river cruise

Passau

If you're new to the city, you might want to get oriented with the city before deciding what and where to explore. You can start by visiting the viewpoint on the hill near the Old Town. The viewpoint affords good views of the city and the surrounding countryside including hills in Austria.

A popular tour here is a river cruise in the Danube lasting approximately 40 minutes. Enjoy good views of the city whilst digging into some food, maybe an Apfelstrudel (apple strudel)?

Cathedral (Dom)

The main attraction in Passau is the Dom (cathedral). Built in a very Italian style, the cathedral has a very beautiful interior. The cathedral is located at Domplatz (Cathedral Square).

Before reaching the Domplatz from where the river cruise stops, you will reach the Rathaus (Town Hall). This area is the Old Town, and has pretty and narrow streets.

Inside the Dom

Another church near Ludwigstrasse

Other attractions include other small churches in the city. The main pedestrian street is Ludwigstrasse. This is a fine street to roam around, seeing
the nice architecture and there are many shops and restaurants around.
There's a mall nearby too. It's pretty big (5 floors) and has the usual brands and shopping besides a big electronic store called Saturn.

Chiemsee

CHIEMSEE
Chiemsee is a lake located around 90 km from Munich.

The main sight here is the palace called Schloss Herrenchiemsee. Built by Ludwig II, this castle is somewhat similar to Versailles in Paris, as it was supposed to be.

Schloss Herrenchiemsee

Gardens at Schloss Herrenchiemsee-
slightly reminiscent of Jardin du
Luxembourg in Paris

To get to the castle, you need to take a ferry to the island. The scenery is very beautiful, and the Bavarian Alps can be seen. Try to
visit in good weather!

After disembarkation at the island, there are a few shops- souvenirs and food. The palace is a 10 min walk away.

Visiting the palace is by guided tour only. Photography isn't permitted.

The tour shows various rooms including Ludwig's bedroom, his bathroom and the room where his throne is located.

REGENSBURG
A city with excellent medieval architecture, located around 120 km from Munich, is Regensburg.

The main sights here are the Dom (Cathedral) and the Steinbrucke (Stone Bridge).

You can just walk around the area around the Dom which has many other pieces of good architecture.

Also walk around the Rathaus (Town Hall).

There are a few good souvenir shops near the stone bridge. Also closeby is a tourist center.

The main cathedral (Dom)

The stone bridge

You can take guided tours from the Tourist Office- close to the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall).

View from the stone bridge

Central Regensburg

The Altes Rathaus

Inside the Dom

OTHER TOWNS

Other sights include the BMW Factory at Dingolfing. A little off the beaten track: slightly picturesque town of Reisebach and the town of Landau an der Isar (Landau a.d. Isar). There's a nice church in Landau.