Bayreuth

The festival city of Bayreuth in Upper Franconia is relatively quiet most of the year until the Richard Wagner Festival settles in for 30 days every summer. Bayreuth features a wealth of impressive baroque and rococo architecture, as well as freshly-brewed Franconian beer in the local Biergartens. Although the city remains fairly tame compared to the much larger cities in Germany, the presence of more than 10,000 students at the University of Bayreuth means an active nightlife is not difficult to find.

Bayreuth is famous in Germany as the host of the Richard Wagner Festival (Festspiele) each year from July to August. In that respect, most of the tourist industry has evolved around the life and times of Richard Wagner as well as Margravine Wilhelmine, one of the major contributors in bringing the arts to Bayreuth. For most of the year, Bayreuth is quiet, somewhat out of the way of the major tourist itineraries. However, during the Festspiele, the town fills to capacity; hotels are nearly impossible to book and at certain times the traffic in some areas almost slows to a stop.

Winter is normally overcast and wet, with temperatures not deviating too far from freezing. The springtime can be relatively cool, but the weather slowly becomes more pleasant and is welcomed by numerous street fairs and festivals. Summer is also pleasant, punctuated by occasional hot days. During the warmer seasons, outdoor cafes and Biergartens abound in the cobblestoned city centre.

With its wide pedestrian streets, the city centre is easy to stroll, and provides a pleasant contrast to many other South German towns loaded with medieval architecture. During the summer many cafes and ice cream parlors set up outdoor seating on the main shopping streets, Maximilianstraße, Sophienstraße, and Von-Römer-Straße. As with any town in Bierfranken, trying some of the local brews is a must. The default beer in most pubs is some sort of pale lager (Helles), but the real specialities are the darker ones – look for Zwickl, Zoigl, Kellerbier or Dunkles on the menu.

With its wide pedestrian streets, the city centre is easy to stroll. Nightlife is not the thing Bayreuth is famous for, at least as far as clubbing and dancing goes. A really good place for concerts and parties is the Glashaus on the university campus, while a few good pubs can be found near the city centre. When travelling in summer, make sure not to miss the beautiful Theta beergarden. It is in the hills above Bayreuth and it's hard to get there. But even taking a taxi would be worth it. For active people it is possible to do a very nice hike here from the Festspielhaus. This would also give you the opportunity to climb the old Siegesturm (victory tower), which provides a scenic view over (almost) the whole city (free, closed in winter). Catch a movie at the 7-screen Cineplex near the Rotmain-Center. Movies are mostly screened in German, but some blockbusters are also shown with original sound – look for the ones marked OV (original version) or OMU (original with German subtitles).

The University of Bayreuth was established in 1975 and has an enrollment of more than 10,000 students.

The pedestrian zone of the city centre (especially Maximilianstraße) has no lack of smaller shops and some larger stores. Slightly west of the city centre is the Rotmain-Center, a shopping centre with many options. The centre is easily reached on foot and is targeted towards families.

Bayreuth's status as a university city means that a wide variety of restaurants populate the city, including typical Franconian Wirtshäuser, pizza parlors and Asian cuisine (including specifically Chinese, Japanese, and Thai), as well as the normal fast food fare in the train station and along the pedestrian streets. Small food stands (Imbiss) dot the pedestrian areas and offer quick hot meals for those in a rush (the traditional Franconian choice would be a pair of Bayreuther Bratwürste). If you're looking for halal food, the numerous Döner places around the city centre are your safest bet.

The city centre of Bayreuth has plenty of options for having a pint. Most of them fall into the pub or Wirtshaus categories, though, as the city lost its main dance hall, the (in)famous Rosenau, to a fire in 2017. Below is a list of some of the most well-established places, but don't hesitate to just take a walk around the city and see where that leads you.

Bayreuth's sleeping options are mostly reasonable in price and quality, but during the Richard Wagner Festival prices can go through the roof. The Tourist Information can help you find many other smaller guest houses in and around Bayreuth.

Bayreuth is generally safe. The city has a City Police (Polizeiinspektion Bayreuth-Stadt) and a Rural Police for the surrounding district. Federal Police serves as railway police and border security.

While most of the larger modern hotels offer free Wi-Fi, some of the smaller traditional guest houses do not. The state of Bavaria, in cooperation with Vodafone, offers free Wi-Fi connectivity through about 350 BayernWLAN hotspots scattered across the city. If you are a student or employee of an institution that uses Eduroam, you'll be able to use this as a safer alternative at the University and some other places around the city.

Take a trip to the nearby tiny town of Aufsess, which the Guinness Book of World Records recognizes as the town with the most breweries per capita. There's even a beer trail that you can hike with stops at all the local biergartens. Visit Bamberg to see the medieval town and try the local smoked beer (Rauchbier). Take an adventure in the Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz) or Fichtelgebirge and experience the beautiful local flora, fauna, and scenery. Possible activities include hiking, mountain-climbing and canoeing. Nuremberg is also nearby, and an easy, exciting day trip.