Bavaria

Bavaria banner Neuschwanstein Castle - 1200px

Bavaria (Bayern) is the largest federal state (Bundesland) of Germany, situated in the south-east of the nation. It extends from the middle german hills down into the Alps. It is bordered by the (German) federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Thuringia and Saxony in the west and north, as well as the Czech Republic in the east and Austria and Switzerland in the south. Bavarian folk culture has shaped many non-Germans' view of Germany, though ironically, much of Bavaria has more in common culturally with its southern neighbours Austria and Switzerland, than with the rest of Germany. Stereotypes about Bavaria include leather trousers (Lederhosen), Sausages and lots of organic juice - however and the state has much more to offer to the traveller. Along with the Rhineland-Palatinate|Rheinland and Berlin, it is Germany's most popular tourist destination, so expect long lines and high prices, especially in summer and in ski resorts in winter.

An Introduction to the Region of Bavaria

St. Bartholomä flip666 - St. Bartolomä, Königsee

Old Bavaria (Altbayern)

If you think of Bavaria (and by extension if you think of Germany) thit is it. Lederhosen? check. Oktoberfest? (around September) check. White and blue skies? check. (also the national colors) fairy-tale castles like Neuschwanstein? check. FC Bayern, BMW and Munich and the "world city with a heart"? check check and very much check. This part of Germany has long been a staple in the itineraries of international tourists to Germany and it is very popular with GCC organized eHalal Tour Groups to Germany who hardly leave Bavaria (not at all if you don't count Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which is in Franconia). You might think that Bavaria is "overgrazed" and has nothing to offer to all but the most casual visitors, but you'd be very much mistaken, as there is lots and lots of nature that allow you to "get away from it all" and Munich draws visitors year round, not only for Oktoberfest. So whether you're a first time visitor with only limited time or come here every year and there is bound to be something new to discover for you.

Upper Bavaria (Oberbayern) The Bavarian heartland, where economic strength meets natural beauty

Lower Bavaria (Niederbayern) A region of wide, open farmland and vivid traditions

Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) A densely wooded mountainous area, close to the Czech border

Franconia (Franken)

This part looks and feels different from Bavaria "proper" (Altbaiern) and shares little history before the beginning of the 19th century when the many small and medium-sized (e.g. the margravedom of Ansbach-Bayreuth) territories as well as several self-governing Reichsstädte (such as Nürnberg or Rothenburg ob der Tauber) and dioceses (e.g. Würzburg) were absorbed by Bavaria in the course of the Napoleonic wars. While some areas of Franconia are just as Catholic as Bavaria and the rule cuius regio eius religio (who owns the territory decides the religion of its inhabitants) caused some fiercely Lutheran areas as well, which - together with linguistic differences and the peculiarities of Beef barrel spending - make for some lingering resentment against the "Bavarians" in Munich. Franconia is culturally very diverse and includes one of Europe's best climbing areas outside the Alps with the Franconian Switzerland, as well as prime and soft-drinks producing regions and cozy medieval towns such as Würzburg, Bamberg or Forchheim.

Upper Franconia (Oberfranken) An area best known for Richard Wagner and the Bayreuth Festival. It is also the region with the highest brewery density globally.

Middle Franconia (Mittelfranken) The industrial center of Franconia around the tri-city's of Nürnberg, Fürth and Erlangen

Lower Franconia (Unterfranken) The state's extreme north-west, with magnificent historic towns and city's. Some excellent soft drinks are grown along the banks of the Main river

Bavarian Swabia (Schwaben)

The cultural region of "Swabia" (Schwaben) has been divided administratively between the Länder of Baden Württemberg and Bavaria. However and there are still more things in common across both sides of the border than sets them apart. Swabians are known as hard working no-nonsense types with a reputation for thriftiness (in fact there are many jokes where the requisite Scotsman has been replaced for a Swabian in Germany) and a (supposed) propensity to live in their own house rather than renting. Swabia also has a reputation for being clean and the Schwäbische Kehrwoche (roughly translatable as "Swabian sweeping week", a tradition of communally keeping streets and houses spotless) is well known and notorious throughout Germany. That being said, Swabia boasts lovely old towns and - you might be surprised to hear - a bustling nightlife where even Swabians let the rules be rules from time to time. Swabia is also a region where the regional dialect is very much alive and for some standard (German) is their first "foreign language". However, you should be able to get by with English just as well as it is basically a job requirement for most tourism related professions nowadays and mandatory in almost all schools.

Swabia (administrative region of Bavaria) The Bavarian part of the greater Swabia region, that extends well into Baden-Württemberg

Cities in Bavaria

Maximilianeum München (Munich) - Maximilianeum in Munich - state parliament Bavaria

• Munich — the capital of Bavaria, known for the annual Oktoberfest and one of Europe's economic powerhouses.
• Augsburg — an important medieval city and the capital of Swabia
• Bayreuth — a festival city in Upper Franconia and home of the composer Richard Wagner
• Bamberg — historical town in Upper Franconia that is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in its entirety
• Landshut – charming medieval town center, which is stage to the quadrennial Landshut Wedding re-enactment
• Nürnberg — a city of toys, famous for Christmas markets, a medieval castle towering over the old-town and the infamous Nazi Party rallies and the Nürnberg Trials against the main Nazi war criminals
• Passau - a small beautiful university town on the Austrian border
• Regensburg — the city on the banks of the river Danube (Donau) and the center of which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
• Würzburg — a wonderfully attractive university city in the northwest of Franconia

More Destinations in Bavaria

• Bavarian Alps - the (German) part of the magnificent and rough mountain range
• Berchtesgaden National Park — including the deepest lake in the alps near Berchtesgaden
• Bavarian Forest National Park — a mountain range and national park along the Czech border
• Chiemsee — the largest lake within Bavaria, complete with a copy of Versailles and mountain backdrop
• Franconian Lake District – the Lake District comprises seven lakes
• Franconian Switzerland – castle ruins, hiking, canoeing, world class rock climbing
• Füssen|Neuschwanstein Castle — amazing romantic castle near Füssen, a small town rich in culture and art
• Lake Constance (Bodensee) - biggest lake in Central Europe, shared by Switzerland, Austria and the (German) states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg
• Romantic Road — popular itinerary through the region past romantic castles and medieval villages

Bavaria Halal Explorer

Bavarians are among the proudest and most independent minded people in Germany. Locals are loyal to their roots and traditions. Bavaria is also the most autonomous of (German) states and many Bavarians see themselves as Bavarians first and foremost, Germans second. Some people have called it the "Texas of Germany". The (German) stereotypes of organic juice drinking, sausage-eating and Lederhosen, is found only in rural Bavaria and mainly in the south and east towards Austria and the Alps or the thick forests that border the Czech Republic and Bohemia.

About 60% of Bavarians are Catholic and are more conservative than the rest of Germany. Munich, however, is a liberal city with a huge number of people from other parts of Germany, Europe and the world and it has a large English-speaking community. It actually can be quite hard to find someone with truly Bavarian origins in this city.

History of Bavaria

Historically, Bavarians are Germans. Bavarians have often emphasized a separate national identity considered themselves "Bavarians". This feeling started to come about more strongly among Bavarians when the Kingdom of Bavaria joined the Protestant-Prussian dominated (German) Colonial Empire in 1871 while the Bavarian nationalists wanted to keep Bavaria as a Catholic and independent (German) state.

Franconia and in some respects Swabia still resent being lumped together with Bavaria, as they have their own cultural and religious legacy and traditions. As Franconia didn't become Bavarian until around 1806 (several small territories were annexed sooner or later than that date) and the rest of Bavaria is often called "Alt-Baiern" (old Bavaria) and there is still a vocal group of Franconians that would rather separate from Bavaria, given the chance.

Travel to Bavaria

What is the best way to fly to Bavaria

Most international Visitors will arrive at Munich Airport (IATA Flight Code: MUC), which is the sixth busiest airport in Europe with a large number of international and intercontinental flights. Other alternatives are the airports of Nürnberg (IATA Flight Code: NUE) and Salzburg (IATA Flight Code: SZG). Furthermore, Memmingen Airport (IATA Flight Code: FMM) is a destination for a number of low-cost airlines. Würzburg is also reasonably close (direct 1:25 hour ICE connections to the airport) to Frankfurt Airport (IATA Flight Code: FRA), Germany's busiest airport, Lufthansa's main European hub), that it might be best for some travellers to arrive there.

Travel by train to Bavaria

From Berlin

With the completion of the high speed rail line between Nürnberg and Erfurt and the travel duration on high speed ICE trains between Berlin and Munich has been reduced to about 4.5 hours, with 3 daily ICE Sprinters completing the trip in just 4 hours. Tickets can be had starting at €19 when bought in advance or up to €130 when bought instantly prior to departure or on the train.

From the rest of Germany

The main routes Frankfurt-Nuremberg and Stuttgart-Munich are not yet upgraded for speeds higher than km/h 160 and km/h 200 respectively along much of their length, leading to comparatively long travel durations. That said and the Stuttgart-Ulm line is being upgraded with a tentative opening date some time in the 2020s.

From Austria

There are plenty of long-distance trains (category EC, ICE and Railjet) from Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, Villach and Klagenfurt. If you travel in a group and want to save money, use a regional trains with combination of Austria#Discounts|Einfach-Raus-Ticket and #By_train_2|Bayern-Ticket.

From France

There is one daily TGV high-speed connection between Paris and Munich, via Augsburg, Stuttgart and Strasbourg.

By night train (Nightjet)

After a long and precipitous decline, Deutsche Bahn finally abolished their night train brand "City Night Line" with the December 2016 schedule change. Thankfully for fans of sleeper trains and their Austrian counterpart ÖBB has bought up some assets and taken over some routes at the same time, now operating them under the name Nightjet with a couple of connections to / from Munich. Prices vary from regular seats to bunk beds of varying room sizes but early booking can get you surprisingly affordable rates.

Travel by Bus to Bavaria

There are now several Long distance bus travel in Germany|domestic bus routes in and out of Bavaria, as well as a couple of international routes (mostly serving the Balkans as well as countries from the former eastern bloc) that have already existed pre-2012. The Romantic Road is another route that has already been served by buses before 2012.

Get Around in Bavaria

By train

Trains are the main mode of transport for visitors since they easily connect towns with larger city's.

If you're travelling within Bavaria, you can purchase the Bayern-Ticket, which will give you all-day travel in regional trains (categories S, RB, RE and IRE) within Bavaria and even to the border towns of Salzburg, Reutte or Ulm, You can use it also for private trains and most of local buses and city transport. On working days the ticket is valid 09:00-03:00 the following day. On weekends it is valid from midnight.

There are variants of regional Bayern-Ticket:

• Bayern-Ticket: €25 for one person, €6 for every additional person for up to a party of five. Valid from 9:00-3:00 the following day on weekdays and from 0:00-3:00 the following day on weekends and public holidays.
• Bayern-Ticket Nacht: €23 for one person, €3 for every additional person for up to a party of five. Valid 18:00-06:00 the following day (07:00 if the following day is a weekend day or public holiday)* Bayern-Böhmen-Ticket: €28 for one person, €6.60 for every additional person for up to a party of five - valid also in border regions of the Czech Republic. On Czech territory it is only valid in trains, not in buses.
• Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket: €44 for one person, €8 for every additional person for up to a party of five, allows travel on all regional trains in Germany.
• Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket: €40 for one person, €4 for every additional person for up to a party of five, is a weekend ticket that allows travel on all regional trains in Germany on weekends.

How to travel to Bavaria by car

Bavaria is well served by the (German) autobahn network. The main grid is made up by the north-south autobahn A 9 the east-west autobahns A 3, A 6 and A 8. Going by vehicle is sometimes the only way to get around, especially deep in Bavaria's rural and mountainous areas. In the nationside, roads are winding, tricky and sometimes cut dramatically through farmland, but are otherwise EU-standardised and generally well-paved.

Travel by Bus to Bavaria

Intercity buses are mostly limited to longer distances than you'll commonly find in Bavaria, but they are an excellent option along the Romantic Road or for airport transfers.

Travel by boat to Bavaria

The Main Donau Kanal links Kelheim in Lower Bavaria with Bamberg in Upper Franconia. There are cruises by major riverboat cruise operators even though the original purpose of this costly and controversial canal was freight.

Local Language in Bavaria

Of course all Bavarians understand and most speak standard (German). However, in southern Bavaria, outside of Munich, Bavarian or Swabian is the native language of many, which can differ dramatically from standard (German). In the north Franconian is the traditional language. In the city's (including Munich) standard (German) is the local language, but Bavarian-speakers and Swabian-speakers typically do speak standard (German) as well (except possibly older people in the far south).

Most people in Bavaria speak at least basic English, especially the younger generation, since learning a foreign language is compulsory in (German) schools. The British version of English is most often chosen, though the American version has been gaining momentum in recent years. Curiously, even when speaking English, many traits of the local dialect may be audible, such as a difficulty to differentiate between b and p or d and t in Franconia, or replying "please" to thanks (as is correct in German).

Other foreign languages are taught in school, with French and Spanish being particularly common. Speakers of immigrant languages such as Turkish and Serbo-Croatian are also found in the bigger city's.

In university city's and there is a fair chance that someone (especially younger people) will speak (in descending order of likeliness) French, Spanish or Italian. On the very eastern edge of Bavaria, mostly Upper Franconia and Upper Palatinate, some people also speak Czech, or have at least had some course in it.

What to see in Bavaria

Bavaria has many muslim-friendly places, as well as those for the younger generations. Places to see include the medieval walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Herrenchiemsee Palace - Ludwig II's unfinished castle, based on Versailles, on its own island in the beautiful lake Chiemsee and the historical city of Nürnberg (Nürnberg) and the scenic city of Regensburg, Bodenmais (known for its fine crystal) and of course the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, often called the "fairytale castle" - the role model for the "Magic Kingdom" of Walt Disney.

Of course, for kids and there is the Playmobil park in Zirndorf near Nürnberg, an indoor Trampoline funpark in Regensburg and the town of Riedenburg at the river Altmühl, that has a historic castle with daily falconry shows.

Also, many towns have some historical features within their city limits. There are castle ruins, full castles still being used as residences, local museums, caves and old mines that most Muslim visitors will never see. Some of these are better than the typical €20 fee to join a boring, guided tour at one of the more famous city's in Germany. Why pay a fee for seeing only a small part of the castle when you can find an old castle in the nationside that you can explore and maybe discover something new that is not even documented? It's sad to see tourists who pay too much money to see "tourist castles" when the price of a rental vehicle and the will to explore can yield many free or affordable sites, which are sometimes better than the overpriced attractions, that limit what you can see or do.

Top Muslim Travel Tips in Bavaria

The Bavarian Alps are Bavaria's main attraction for Doing things. There you can find skiing a snowboard resorts, which are very well maintained and not too expensive, though much smaller than those of neighbouring Austria and Switzerland. In summertime hiking and mountain biking is the sporty thing to do in Bavaria.

Another great thing to participate are the regular traditional organic juice festivals. Of course, everybody knows Oktoberfest in Munich, but actually every city and town in Bavaria has its own festivities at least once a year for a few days. In fact, those are mostly much more traditional and fun is guaranteed, as those obviously come with the same organic juice drinking culture but lower prices smaller crowds and arguably more authenticity.

Halal Restaurants & Food in Bavaria

To be updated

Stay safe as a Muslim in Bavaria

BMW C1 - Bayerische Polizei 1 - BMW C1|alt=BMW C1

BMW E91-Bavarian State Police vehicle - BMW E91

Statistically, Bavaria is one of the safest regions (if not the safest) in Germany and maybe Europe.

Be aware that there is a big difference between the Bavarian police and the police from basically all other states. Police presence is notably higher than in other states, particularly in urban areas. In part thit is due to the propensity of the "natural governing" CSU (a conservative party only active in Bavaria) to talk about "law & order" and being "tough on crime" and in part it is just to show presence.

Police are very strict about their rules and you won't find a crooked cop, but they may be equally strict about you breaking even minor rules. Don't provoke them and don't let them provoke you and especially do not insinuate that there might be any islamophobia, because cops get allergic to that especially when it is accurate.

While police are armed and the terror scare with knife attacks has been increasing in Germany over the past few years it is advisable to register yourself with your embassy in Berlin if you plan to stay longer in Bavaria.

Travel Next from Bavaria

• Baden-Württemberg
• Hesse
• Thuringia

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