Bavarian Forest National Park

Regensburg & the Danube


A thickly wooded paradise for lovers of fresh air, the Bavarian Forest National Park extends for around 24,250 hectares along the Czech border, from Bayerisch Eisenstein in the north to Finsterau in the south. Its thick forest, most of it mountain spruce, is criss-crossed by hundreds of kilometres of marked hiking, cycling and cross-country skiing trails, some of which now link up with a similar network across the border. The region is home to deer, wild boar, fox, otter and countless bird species.

Around 1km northeast of the village of Neuschönau stands the Hans-Eisenmann-Haus, the national park’s main visitors centre. The free exhibition has hands-on displays designed to shed light on topics such as pollution and tree growth. There’s also a children’s discovery room, shop and library.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Regensburg & the Danube attractions

1. Waldmuseum

3.54 MILES

Housed in a former brewery, Zwiesel’s 'Forest Museum' has exhibitions on local customs, flora and fauna, glass-making and life in the forest.

2. JOSKA Bodenmais

4.86 MILES

The glass highlight of the small town of Bodenmais is JOSKA Bodenmais, a crystal theme park complete with crystal shops, public artworks, beer garden,…

3. Glasmuseum

6.85 MILES

Frauenau's dazzlingly modern Glasmuseum covers four millennia of glass-making history, starting with the ancient Egyptians and ending with modern glass…

4. Gläserne Wald

7.72 MILES

One of the more unusual sights along the Glass Route is the Gläserne Wald near the small town of Regen. Here glass artist Rudolf Schmid has created a…

5. Museumsdorf Bayerischer Wald

22.93 MILES

On the southern edge of the Bavarian Forest is Tittling, home to this 20-hectare open-air museum displaying 150 typical Bavarian Forest timber cottages…