Parks and the outdoors in Bayreuth

Parks and the outdoors in Bayreuth

1. Drink

   Auf der Theta

   Located in a former farm house outside town, this is about as traditional as it gets in terms of beer gardens in Bayreuth. In the summer, you'll find an interesting mixture of all kinds of people here: bikers, hikers, families, university students, suits, hippies … They have their own amber colored beer brewed for them by a local brewery not far away. Drinks and cold dishes you'll have to order and pick up yourself at the counter. The choice of hot foods depends on what time it is, what day, what season, but at least they will be brought to your table. If you don't like the heavy Franconian cuisine, maybe try the Flammkuchen or grilled fish from the black kitchen. And yes, of course you may bring your own Brotzeit instead as well. Cash only!

   Thu Fri 13:00–21:00, Sat 11:30–21:00, Sun PH 11:30–20:00. Closed Jan to mid-Mar and May 1st

2. See

   Court Garden

   Hofgarten

   The court garden of the Neues Schloss, this park provides a welcome bit of green in the middle of the city. On sunny days, you can find many residents here relaxing or exercising with a little sport.

   Open 24 hours a day year round·Free

3. See

   Ecological Botanical Gardens

   Ökologisch-Botanischer Garten

   The concept behind the Ecological Botanical Gardens is to show plants in an environment that represents their natural habitats as closely as possible. Hence, it is structured in multiple sections, representing different ecosystems from different parts of the world. Opening hours depend on the season and day of the week (closed on Saturdays); the greenhouses have slightly shorter opening hours than the rest of the gardens.

   Free

4. See

   Fantaisie Palace Garden Museum

   Schloss and Park Fantaisie

   The 18th-century palace designed by the daughter of Margrave Friedrich and Margravine Wilhelmine, features Germany's first garden design museum.

   Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow·€3.50 (entrance to the park is free)

5. See

   Hermitage/Old Palace

   Eremitage/Altes Schloss

   The old palace of Margrave Georg Wilhelm on the outskirts of town, the palace was expanded and the gardens created by Wilhelmine as a summer residence. The ornate fountains begin their waterworks on the hour from 10:00 to 17:00. Guided tours are available.

   Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow·€4.50 (Old Palace, entrance to the park is free)

6. Do

   Kreuzsteinbad

   Kreuzer

   The Kreuzsteinbad is a classic outdoor swimming pool as you may find it in any German town. Nothing fancy, but dearly loved by residents, university students and travellers alike, not only because of the incredibly low entrance fees. It has been modernized and features a 50 m competition pool for serious swimming, a wave pool, diving tower, water slide and a children's pool. There's a playground for children and courts for playing beach volleyball, basket ball, football and badminton, but also plenty of lawn to enjoy some lazy time in the sun. Bringing your own food and drinks is allowed (no glass bottles, though!) – and probably a good idea unless you want to survive the day on fries and ice cream. If you want to use the lockers you'll have to bring your own padlock or borrow one from the front desk (for a deposit of €10). If you plan to only spend a few hours, consider coming after 17:00, as entrance fees will be even cheaper then!

   May to Sep: daily 07:00–20:00·Grown-up whole-day ticket: €4.30

7. See

   New Palace

   Neues Schloss

   The new residence of the Margrave Friedrich and his wife Wilhelmine after their old residence burnt down. It was designed and built by the French builder Joseph Saint-Pierre, and completed in 1754. The entrance fee includes entrance to the two museums inside as well as the State Gallery. Rooms of interest include the Garden Rooms, Cedar Room, Old Music Room, and the Cabinet of Fragmented Mirrors (designed by Wilhelmine herself).

   Apr-Sep: Tue-Sun 09:00-18:00; Oct-Mar: Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00·€5.50

8. See

   Richard Wagner Museum

   The composer's old residence (Wahnfried House, Haus Wahnfried) has been converted to a museum chronicling his life and works. The composer, his wife, and two of their many dogs are buried in the garden. Signs and labels are mostly in German, but an English language audio guide can be borrowed at the reception for a small deposit. Extensively renovated and redesigned in 2015, this museum is a tribute to one of the most famous residents in the history of Bayreuth.

   July/August: daily 10:00-18:00 rest of the year: Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00·Adult €8, under 18: free

9. See

   Tierpark Röhrensee

   Park surrounding a small lake (the Röhrensee). It has a small Zoo and a large playground.

   Open now · open 24 hours·Free

10. See

    Wilhelminenaue

    Upstream the Red Main, to the north-east of the city centre, lies the Wilhelminenaue. This section of the river underwent renaturation in the 2010s, and the surrounding fields were turned into a park for the 2016 Bavarian Landesgartenschau ("State Garden Show"). A great place for running, walking your dog, etc., especially when the Hofgarten is just too small for you.

    always open·free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Bayreuth (CC BY-SA 4.0).