1
Augustiner-Keller
Munich
The purist's beer garden: gravel, chestnut trees and Edelstoff straight from the wooden keg.
4.4· 39552 reviews
Regional beer trail
The beer road trip through Bavaria
Bavaria has more breweries than any other region on earth — almost 590 of them, about 40 % of Germany's total, and the home of Oktoberfest and the 1516 purity law. This trail links the five beer capitals of the Free State in one drivable loop: Munich (beer gardens and the big six), Bamberg (smoked beer, UNESCO old town), Nuremberg & Fürth (red beer and cellar pubs), Franconia (village breweries around Forchheim and Kulmbach) and Regensburg & Kelheim (the oldest monastery brewery in the world). Four to six days, roughly 700 km of driving (about 850 km if you loop back to Munich), 22 breweries worth the detour.
22 stops · 5 stages · ~700 km · Updated October 2026
Drink responsibly — never drive after drinking.Drink responsibly — never drive after drinking.Drink responsibly — never drive after drinking.Drink responsibly — never drive after drinking.
The trail on the map
Five stages from Munich up through Franconia and back down the Danube.
The five stages
Start in Munich, head north into Franconia, come back along the Danube.
Stage 1 — Munich
Beer gardens & the big sixStart here · MUC airport 45 min
Munich is the world capital of beer gardens: chestnut trees, litre mugs and six historic breweries that still set the standard. Augustiner-Keller is the purist's choice, Giesinger is the modern independent, Tap House covers the craft side, and the Hofbräuhaus is the tourist classic you do once.
In a Bavarian beer garden you may bring your own food — buy a pretzel and cheese at the market and only order the beer.
2
Giesinger Bräu
Munich
Munich's modern independent, born from a garage brewery — crisp lagers and a lively taproom.
4.7· 5338 reviews
3
Hofbräuhaus München
Munich
The most famous beer hall in the world, brass band included. Touristy, iconic, do it once.
4.3· 108303 reviews
4
Tap House München
Munich
The craft counterpoint to the big six: 38 taps, German and international, in Haidhausen.
4.6· 2670 reviews
5
Paulaner am Nockherberg
Munich
Historic Paulaner brewery hall — home of the Salvator strong bock every March.
4.3· 6516 reviews
Stage 2 — Bamberg
Smoked beer & UNESCO2h30 north of Munich on the A9/A70
Bamberg is the holy city of beer: around ten breweries in and around a UNESCO-listed old town, and a style you find almost nowhere else — Rauchbier, malt dried over beechwood fire. Schlenkerla is the pilgrimage, Spezial the quieter twin, and Mahrs and Keesmann face each other across the same street in Wunderburg.
Order 'ein Ungespundetes' at Mahrs — the unfiltered cellar lager locals drink in the courtyard.
6
Schlenkerla
Bamberg
The smoked beer temple. Märzen poured from the barrel in a 1405 tavern.
4.2· 3841 reviews
7
Brauerei Spezial
Bamberg
Bamberg's quieter Rauchbier house: brewing since 1536, run by the Merz family since 1898, malting its own smoked malt, with a wood-panelled bar.
4.4· 2046 reviews
8
Brauerei Mahrs
Bamberg
Wunderburg institution — the unfiltered 'U' lager is the beer locals actually order.
4.2· 1251 reviews
9
Brauerei Keesmann
Bamberg
Directly across the street from Mahrs, and the pilsner here is one of Germany's cleanest.
4.4· 413 reviews
10
Klosterbräu Bamberg
Bamberg
Brewing since 1533 on the Regnitz, with the best beer garden view in the old town.
4.6· 1891 reviews
Stage 3 — Nuremberg & Fürth
Red beer & cellar pubs1h south of Bamberg on the A73
Nuremberg brews Rotbier, a copper-coloured lager revived by Hausbrauerei Altstadthof under the medieval castle. Schanzenbräu is the modern city brewery, Landbierparadies pours the small village beers of the region, and ten minutes away Fürth's Grüner Brauhaus pours the town's revived Grüner beer.
Nuremberg's historic rock-cut beer cellars run under the old town — the guided tour is worth an hour.
11
Hausbrauerei Altstadthof
Nuremberg
Under the castle: Nuremberg red beer, whisky distillery and access to the rock-cut cellars.
4.5· 3695 reviews
12
Landbierparadies Wodanstraße
Nuremberg
A shrine to Franconian village beers, poured in a no-frills tavern setting.
4.5· 972 reviews
13
Grüner Brauhaus
Fürth
Fürth's own beer hall, opened in 2014 in the Comödie building: Grüner beer (a Fürth brand dating back to 1709) with the house-only unfiltered Kellerbier, and a beer garden in summer.
4.6· 4795 reviews
14
Schanzenbräu Schankwirtschaft
Nuremberg
The city's modern independent — proper Franconian lagers, neighbourhood atmosphere.
4.6· 2346 reviews
Stage 4 — Franconia's villages
The densest brewery country on earth30 min to 1h30 between villages
Upper Franconia has the highest brewery density in the world — tiny family operations pouring one or two beers in their own inn. Rittmayer in Hallerndorf, Greif in Forchheim and Hummel in Merkendorf are the friendliest introductions; Kulmbach adds the Mönchshof brewery and the Bavarian Brewery Museum.
Many village breweries close on one weekday and stop serving at 21:00 — check before you drive.
15
Brauerei Rittmayer
Hallerndorf
Family brewery mixing tradition and experiments, poured in its village tavern, with the Rittmayer Gartenkeller beer garden in summer. Closed Mondays.
4.2· 346 reviews
16
Brauerei Greif
Forchheim
Forchheim classic: award-winning dark Annafest beer, a tavern at the brewery and more than 150 years of brewing. Short hours: closed Sundays and from 2 PM on Tue, Thu and Sat.
4.8· 88 reviews
17
Brauerei Hummel
Merkendorf
Village brewery and inn in Merkendorf — the archetypal Franconian brewery experience.
4.7· 426 reviews
18
Mönchshof-Bräuhaus
Kulmbach
Kulmbach's brewery restaurant, in the same complex as the Bavarian Brewery Museum (Bayerisches Brauereimuseum). Closed Mondays and Wednesdays.
4.1· 753 reviews
Stage 5 — Regensburg & Kelheim
Monks & wheat beer2h30 south from Kulmbach (1h15 from Nuremberg)
Finish on the Danube. Weltenburg Abbey, best reached by boat through the Danube gorge, has been brewing since 1050 — the oldest monastery brewery in the world. In Kelheim, Schneider Weisse brews in Bavaria's oldest wheat-beer brewery, and Regensburg closes the loop with Kneitinger's dark lager and the Spitalgarten, the beer garden of a hospital brewery founded in 1226.
Take the boat from Kelheim to Weltenburg: about 50 minutes upstream through the gorge, 25 minutes back (season mid-March to early November; boats are cancelled when the Danube is low, so check schifffahrt-kelheim.de). By car, park in Weltenburg village and walk 850 m. The Klosterschenke closes for the winter in early November.
19
Klosterschenke Weltenburg
Kelheim
The abbey tavern of Weltenburg, brewing since 1050 and widely called the oldest monastery brewery in the world, in the Danube gorge. Seasonal: the restaurant closes for the winter in early November.
4.1· 972 reviews
20
Weisses Bräuhaus Kelheim (Schneider Weisse)
Kelheim
Schneider Weisse's brewery tavern next to the brewhouse, in Bavaria's oldest wheat-beer brewery (brewing in Kelheim since 1607). The family that saved German wheat beer is now in its seventh generation.
4.3· 3492 reviews
21
Brauereigaststätte Kneitinger
Regensburg
The Kneitinger 'Mutterhaus' on Arnulfsplatz: Regensburg's dark-lager institution, brewing since 1530 and owned by a charitable foundation. Open daily; the new bock is tapped on the first Thursday of October.
4.6· 4083 reviews
22
Spitalgarten
Regensburg
The hospital brewery here has brewed since 1226; its beer garden sits on the Danube at the north end of the medieval Stone Bridge, facing the old town.
4.5· 4637 reviews
Where to sleep on the route
Find accommodationOne base per stage keeps the driving short and the tasting long.
MunichFind a stayFind accommodationBambergFind a stayFind accommodationNurembergFind a stayFind accommodationKulmbachFind a stayFind accommodationRegensburgFind a stayFind accommodation
Accommodation links are partner links. They never change our brewery picks.
Munich, in detail
Munich has its own full guide with hand-picked breweries, beer gardens, opening hours and transit tips.
Open the Munich city guideDoing the trail during Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest takes over Munich for 16 days from mid-September to the first Sunday of October (2027: 18 September – 3 October). Arrive a few days early, do Bamberg, Nuremberg and Franconia first, then finish in Munich — our tent guide tells you which one to book and when.
Read the Oktoberfest tent guideBavarian beer trail — FAQ
- How many days do you need for the Bavarian beer trail?
- Three days covers Munich, Bamberg and Nuremberg. Five or six days lets you add the Franconian villages and the Danube stage without rushing.
- Do you need a car?
- For the village stage, yes. Munich, Bamberg, Nuremberg and Regensburg are linked by fast trains (ICE Munich–Nuremberg from about 1h10, Munich–Bamberg about 1h50, Nuremberg–Bamberg about 35 min, Munich–Regensburg about 1h30), and the city centres are best explored on foot. Kelheim and Hallerndorf have no train station (for Kelheim, take the train to Saal (Donau) and then a bus), so many travellers go by rail and rent a car only for Franconia and the Danube stage. Note: the Nuremberg–Ingolstadt high-speed line is closed from 31 October to 11 December 2026, so Munich–Nuremberg trains take longer during that time.
- What is the best time of year?
- May to early October. Beer gardens are open, Bamberg's Sandkerwa is in late August, Forchheim's Annafest runs from late July into early August, and Oktoberfest starts in mid-September (2027: 18 September – 3 October).
- Which breweries are unmissable?
- Schlenkerla in Bamberg, Augustiner-Keller in Munich, Weltenburg Abbey on the Danube, Schneider Weisse in Kelheim and any village brewery in Franconian Switzerland.
- How much does it cost?
- A half-litre runs about €3.50 in the Franconian villages and up to €6 in Munich's beer halls, most breweries serve food for €10-16, museum tours €5-10. Budget roughly €60-90 a day per person including food.
Regional beer trail
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