© Lonely Planet 193 Regensburg, Eastern Bavaria & the Bavarian Forest Threading through Eastern Bavaria’s patchwork of bleached gold and green fields, white- washed red-roofed villages, dense forests and vibrant cities is one of the world’s most cel- ebrated waterways, the Danube. This epic river has captured the imagination of poets, painters and composers, and delivered the region power and prosperity. For over two millennia, the Danube has lured Celts, Romans, missionaries, kings, Kaisers, merchants, and, more recently, international cruise goers, to Eastern Bavaria. Even so, its charms remain far removed from the theme-park feel of Neuschwanstein or the see-and- be-seen slopes of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Life is unhurried, the locals are welcoming and genuinely glad to see you, and their traditions haven’t been hijacked by Hollywood or kitsch promoters. The region’s centrepiece, the Unesco-listed city of Regensburg, is a vibrant blend of medi- eval architecture and 21st-century verve, and an ideal starting point for your explorations: Landshut’s proud castle, Straubing’s treasure-packed churches and Passau’s riverside Altstadt (old town) are all easily reached from here. Blanketing the far-eastern edge, the mountains and valleys of the Bavarian Forest shelter a centuries-old tradition of glass-making and pristine hiking and skiing, along with Germany’s oldest national park, the Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald. Combine this with some of the country’s lowest-priced quality lodging, and Bavaria’s east makes an affordable, active and unforgettable getaway. REGENSBURG, EASTERN BAVARIA REGENSBURG, EASTERN BAVARIA & THE BAVARIAN FOREST & THE BAVARIAN FOREST HIGHLIGHTS Scaling the sheer marble staircase to en- counter a pantheon of Germany’s greatest minds and achievers at the opulent temple Walhalla ( p202 ) Forging through the heart of the Bavarian Forest ( p209 ) on its single-track railway as spruce branches smack the carriage win- dows on either side Savouring local brews in river-front beer gardens ( p200 ) with the romantic skyline of Regensburg Walhalla Bavarian Forest Regensburg as a backdrop Dining beneath the vines or in the candlelit cellar of Passau’s historic Heilig-Geist-Stift- Schenke ( p207 ) Passau Taking a pilgrimage to the pope’s home- Marktl am Inn town, the little village of Marktl am Inn (boxed text, p209 ) 194 REGENSBURG, EASTERN BAVARIA & THE BAVARIAN FOREST •• Regensburg lonelyplanet.com 0 40 km EASTERN BAVARIA 0 20 miles Münchberg Selb Lichtenfels Kulmbach A70 Marktredwitz Bayreuth F R A N C O N I A Buttenheim Gössweinstein A93 Plzeñ Pottenstein Pegnitz Neustadt an der Waldnaab Forchheim Weiden A9 B14 Eckental Lauf Hersbruck Sulzbach- B22 Nuremberg Rosenberg Amberg A6 Feucht C Z E C H Schwabach Schwandorf Furth im Wald R E P U B L I C B11 Roth Neumarkt A3 Bohemian Forest Burglengenfeld Cham Bayerisch B85 Silberberg Eisenstein (995m) Sumava Grosser Arber National Park B20 (1456m) Haus zur A9 Wildnis Donaustauf Bodenmais Nationalpark B Ludwigsthal Walhalla a Zwiesel Bayerischer Wald Beilngries v a Frauenau Regensburg r Regen (Bavarian Forest Naturpark Befreiungshalle i National Park) Altmühltal A3 a Klingenbrunn B8 n Spiegelau Kloster Metten Finsterau Riedenburg Kelheim F Neuschönau Eichstätt Saal o Felswandergebiet ὈὈὈὈὈDanube Gorge; B16 Straubing DeggendorfὈὈr Grafenau B15 Kloster Weltenburg Plattling e A93 s t Ingolstadt B8 Dan ube Tittling Neuburg an B299 River der Donau A92 Landau Mainburg Vilshofen Dingolfing Schrobenheisen B301 Landshut Passau ὈὈὈPfaffenhofen B299 A9 Moosburg Bad Griesbach Aichach Vilsbiburg A92 Eggenfelden Pocking Freising River U P P E R B A V A R I A Inn Marktl B12 To Munich Erding am Inn Braunau A3 (10km) Dorfen Mühldorf Dachau Schleissheim Altötting A U S T R I A REGENSBURG and enough engaging sights to keep you busy %0941 / pop 150,000 / elev 330m for at least a couple of days. At once ancient and vibrant, Regensburg is one of Bavaria’s most beautiful cities and History & THE BAVARIAN FOREST & THE BAVARIAN FOREST among the best-preserved medieval towns ‘Regensburg is so beautifully situated, some- REGENSBURG, EASTERN BAVARIA REGENSBURG, EASTERN BAVARIA in Europe. Its magic reveals itself in count- one had to settle here,’ rhapsodised Goethe. less, often surprising, places. You’ll find it And indeed, that’s what’s happened: the in a leafy beer garden on the banks of the Romans built a fortress housing a 6000- Danube, in the Altstadt’s honeycomb of lane- strong legion here in 179 AD, marking their ways and beneath the soaring spires of the northern boundary; St Boniface founded a Dom (cathedral). This is a city where you bishopric; and the Bavarian dukes made the can eat pasta in a former Gothic chapel, lean town their capital. against a wall erected by the Romans and Regensburg’s prominence rose steadily prowl the corridors of a royal residence big- through the Middle Ages, and so did its for- ger than Buckingham Palace. You’ll also find tunes, especially after the completion of the spirited nightlife (thanks to 25,000 university Steinerne Brücke (Stone Bridge), which put students), no fewer than three local breweries the city at the crossroads of both the east–west .