Southern Germany – primarily Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg – but also southern Hesse or even Rhineland-Palatinate, depending on your perspective. Since we have already dealt elsewhere with these federal states and possible excursion destinations that can be reached by train, we are now talking about the Alps, the Black Forest and much more. And even if there are only two federal states, it is still a huge area in which you can explore a lot with the regional express. We show you the best destinations. It is important to us that you don’t need more than twenty minutes to walk from the train station.
Bayern
The state capital and Bavarian metropolis Munich is – like all big cities – a destination in itself and would be a separate text with destinations. However, we use Munich as a starting point for other, somewhat more remote destinations.
The Bavarian Regiobahn (RB 57) takes you every hour from Munich to Gmund and Tegernsee. In addition to a hike on the lake, you can, for example, visit the Monte Mare lake sauna, Tegernsee Castle or the Braustüberl, which is right next door, within a twenty-minute walk.
Everyone has probably heard of the town of Bad Tölz on TV. Greetings from the bull from Tölz. The RB 56 takes you there. In addition to a museum about the Bullen von Tölz, you can see, for example, the Marktstraße and the Kalvarienberg including the church, from where you have a great view.
Get off the train and walk to Austria? This works, for example, if you take the RB 54 from Munich to Kiefersfelden. The train station is only a few hundred meters from the Inn. After 13 minutes walk you can be in Austria.
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The RB 6 takes you from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The place is at the foot of Germany’s largest mountain, the Zugspitze. A cable car takes you to the summit. It is only a few meters from the city train station to the ground station of the cog railway. And you can also reach the ski jump with brisk steps in about twenty minutes.
The RE 7 line from Augsburg will take you to the Allgäu. To reach them from Munich, you have to change trains in Buchloe. The Roman town of Kempten in the Allgäu then offers you numerous sights and is also the starting point for trips to the Allgäu – for example to Blaichach, Sonthofen or the old towns (RE 17/RE75/RE76) or further to Oberstdorf. Cable cars, hiking trails and alpine panoramas await you.
Franken
The Franconian region is located in northern Bavaria. With Bamberg, Bayreuth and Nuremberg, the region has several larger cities worth seeing. All three places can be reached with a wide variety of regional express lines. Not only the cathedral awaits you in Bamberg, the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth and the Kaiserburg in Nuremberg – each city has numerous other highlights to offer. You can also visit a whole range of breweries in Bamberg – the first is just eight minutes from the train station.
Another interesting destination in the region: Kronach. The Rosenberg Fortress in the 1,000-year-old town is just one kilometer from the train station. It is considered one of the most beautiful and largest fortifications in Germany – and it was never taken. You can reach Kronach with the RE 14 from Nuremberg and Bamberg as well as Saalfeld.
And if you like hiking, we recommend a trip to Ebermannstadt (RE 22 from Bamberg). On Sundays and public holidays (for a surcharge) you can take the Franconian Switzerland steam train to Beringersmühle – past various castles and caves.
Baden-Wuerttemberg
In the “Ländle” you have many excursion destinations, which are mainly characterized by the landscape. Be it Lake Constance, the Black Forest or the Rhine Valley. The state capital of Stuttgart is the center of everything. As with any big city, the same applies here: the city alone is already a destination in itself: funicularcog railway, TV tower with viewing platform, StadtPalais and New Palace await visitors.
From Stuttgart you can get to Singen (Hohentwiel) without having to change trains. This place is the perfect transfer station for you to explore the Badensee region. Because from there you can take the RB 33 to Schaffhausen, for example. Schaffhausen is known for the Rhine Falls, a 150 meter wide waterfall of the Rhine at Laufen Castle. The destination is further from Schaffhausen train station than our usual 20-minute walk, but you can take the S9 to Neuhausen Rheinfall train station. You can also walk to Switzerland from Schaffhausen train station. Attention: Make sure that your mobile phone does not log into the Swiss network! You can read all about roaming in Switzerland with us.
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From Singen you can also take the train to Constance. The train station is almost directly on Lake Constance. Kaiserbrunnen, Imperia and other sights invite you – as does a walk in Switzerland. The same applies here: Pay attention to roaming.
Black Forest
The Black Forest attracts with numerous different cities and so many travel options that we cannot list them all here. But with a journey to Freiburg im Breisgau you are already doing a lot of things right. The Black Forest capital invites you to linger – also gastronomically. For example, the RE7 from Offenburg and Karlsruhe takes you to Freiburg, but there are numerous S-Bahn lines. Other major train stations on the outskirts of the Black Forest: Waldshut-Tiegen, Rottweil and Freudenstadt (both directly accessible from Stuttgart) and Villingen.
Baden-Baden is more than an insider tip for hikers. The city on the northern edge of the Black Forest was in 2020 for the most beautiful hiking trail in Germany excellent. You can reach Baden-Baden with the RE 2 from Karlsruhe and Konstanz.
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