Apparently, the era of choosing between culture, beer, and staring at the night sky like our ancestors did is over. Bavaria, Germany's biggest state, is here to sell you on doing all three at once, preferably while wearing leather shorts.
Speaking at the ITB Berlin travel trade show, Claudia Mitchell, Partner and Network Manager at Bayern Tourismus Marketing, described the state's offering with the enthusiasm of someone who's really, really proud of their homeland: "It has everything from nature, to culture, to cities, to quaint villages... Plus, there’s always something going on. Even in winter, you’ll find festivals and traditional events."
Naturally, the big draw has always been the outdoors - think Bavarian Alps and Bavarian Forest. But recently, tourists have noticed a delightful side effect of hiking away from civilization: you can actually see the stars, because there's no light pollution ruining the view. The state leaned into this hard, and in 2025, the Bavarian Forest Nature Park and Bavarian Forest National Park were certified as an International Dark Sky Reserve. Mitchell described it as a "Sternenhimmel show" - which we're told is German for "really dark and pretty."
Then there's Munich, home to Oktoberfest, where beer flows like water and traditional dirndl and lederhosen are not just for tourists. "It’s not that we put on our dirndl dresses and put up the beer benches as a show for tourists - the locals really go there," Mitchell assured. Apparently, the magic is in the communal tables, where you can join strangers and start a conversation, which is either charming or terrifying depending on your level of social anxiety.
For those who want to dig deeper into Bavarian culture, the Bayerische Landesausstellung exhibition in Freyung is happening in 2026, themed around music and local dance customs. And as a bonus, the Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria - including Neuschwanstein, which Disney shamelessly copied for Sleeping Beauty's castle - were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site last year.
So whether it's Christmas markets, summer beer bench sessions, or just standing in a field looking up, Bavaria insists there's no bad time to visit. "That’s what makes Bavaria so special - the Bavarian lifestyle," Mitchell said, presumably while holding a stein.