Most people living or travelling in Munich move towards the Alps at some point. It’s the top mountainous destination in Bavaria, which offers an endless abundance of beautiful hiking areas for all levels. However, many places close to Munich are packed with tourists. After almost five years in Munich, I started looking for less crowded and more off-the-beaten-path destinations that fewer people consider for a weekend trip. Finally, my friend Luise and I ended up in the Bavarian Forest, about 2.3 hours by car north of Munich. And I must say, it’s such a beautiful region that is totally underrated!
A sauna covered in snow
We had chosen the perfect weekend in November to experience our first snow in beautiful, traditional villages! First, we walked through the small town of Lam, where we were staying at a spa hotel for the weekend. Completely frozen and wet after a snowstorm, we treated ourselves to a warming coffee before spending the rest of the day testing out different saunas and whirlpools at our spa hotel. Our final cooling down ritual consisted of a screamy jump onto the snowy deck in the sauna garden – such a fun winter experience!
Our first day was filled with conversations, coffee and relaxation at our spa hotel. That was exactly what I needed. After weeks of high workload and skin irritations, my face and arms finally turned into smooth body extremities again. And I felt so lucky and happy to have some quality time with Luise again!
Snow walks in Arrach
On our second day, we wanted to enjoy the snowy landscapes. We enjoyed Bärchenweg 1, one of 5 trails adapted to families. Luise and I are highly enthusiastic girls. Like children, we enjoyed the beautiful, deserted, snow-white landscape of the Bavarian Forest. After my first encounter with alpacas near Munich some weeks ago (you can read about Alpaka Beach Alling here), I also happily joined my friend Luise greeting the alpaca and deer farms on our way – 2023 leads me to mammals quite often!
To top it all off, Luise then boarded a small regional train to take her back home. I got into my car, which got me back to Munich in half the time compared to public transport. Honestly, travelling by public transport is always a good option, especially in times of discounted nationwide tickets like the current Deutschlandticket. However, you must be patient because getting to your destinations will often take you twice as much time and may not always be reliable to the minute.
This weekend was my first time in the Bavarian Forest, and definitely not the last time!
![14 memories from 14 days in Tanzania mainland 🇹🇿
[1-3] Coffee farming and hiking at the foot of Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro around Materuni
[4] Carsharing with Mo and Ludovic from the French Peking Express near Arusha
[5-6] Meeting a Maasai community with Allen on our way to the Serengeti
[7-10] Serengeti
[11-14] Ngorongoro Crater](https://www.isitoexplores.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Thank you for sharing your experience. It seems you had a great time.
More alpaca content! I’m here for it 🦙🤍 Glad you found such a nice spot to relax and unwind. It can be so difficult to find a good option away from the typical spots that are often overrun and overpriced.