Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [339]
Marktl is a very brief stop on an Inn-hugging branch line between Simbach and Mühldorf (€5.10, 20 minutes), from where there are regular direct connections to Munich, Passau and Landshut.
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BAVARIAN FOREST
Together with the Bohemian Forest on the Czech side of the border, the Bavarian Forest (Bayerischer Wald) forms the largest continuous woodland area in Europe. This inspiring landscape of peaceful rolling hills and rounded tree-covered peaks is interspersed with little-disturbed valleys and stretches of virgin woodland, providing a habitat for many species long since vanished from the rest of the region. A large area is protected as the surprisingly wild and remote Bavarian Forest National Park (Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald).
Although incredibly good value, the region sees few international tourists and remains quite traditional. A centuries-old glass-blowing industry is still active in many of the towns along the Glasstrasse (Glass Road), a 250km holiday route connecting Waldsassen with Passau. You can visit the studios, workshops, museums and shops and stock up on traditional and contemporary designs.
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Orientation
The low hills of the Bavarian Forest stretch northwest to southeast along the German-Czech border. One of the bigger towns, and an ideal base for its transport links, is Zwiesel.
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Information
Grafenau tourist office ( 08552-962 343; www.grafenau.de; Rathausgasse 1; 8am-5pm Mon-Thu, 8am-1pm Fri, 10-11.30am Sat)
Zwiesel tourist office Town centre ( 09922-840 523; www.zwiesel-tourismus.de; Stadtplatz 27; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat); Zwiesel-Süd ( 10am-noon Mon-Fri) The latter has English-speaking staff and is just outside town on the main road towards Regen.
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Sights
The forest, local customs and glass making are the main themes of exhibits at Zwiesel’s Waldmuseum (Forest Museum; 09922-840 583; Stadtplatz 29; adult/concession €2/1; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-noon & 2-4pm Sat & Sun mid-May–mid-Oct, reduced hours winter). Also in Zwiesel is the Dampfbier-Brauerei ( 09922-846 60; Regener Strasse 9; tours €3.50; tours noon Tue & Fri) where you can join a brewery tour and sample its peppery ales.
Frauenau’s dazzlingly modern Glasmuseum ( 09926-941 020; Am Museumspark 1; adult/child €5/2.50; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun) covers four millennia of glass-making history, starting with the ancient Egyptians and ending with modern glass art from around the world. Demonstrations and workshops for kids are regular features.
On the southern edge of the Bavarian Forest, in Tittling, there’s the Museumsdorf Bayerischer Wald ( 08504-8482; Herrenstrasse 11; adult/child €4/free; 9am-5pm Apr-Oct). This 20-hectare open-air museum features 150 typical Bavarian Forest timber cottages and farmsteads from the 17th to the 19th centuries, with displays ranging from clothing and furniture to pottery and farming implements. Take frequent RBO bus 6124 to Tittling from Passau Hauptbahnhof.
BAVARIAN FOREST NATIONAL PARK
A paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, the Bavarian Forest National Park stretches for about 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. The three main mountains, Rachel, Lusen and Grosser Falkenstein, rise up to between 1300m and 1450m and are home to deer, wild boar, fox, otter and countless bird species.
Around 1km northeast of the village of Neuschönau stands the Hans-Eisenmann-Haus ( 08558-961 50; www.nationalpark-bayerischer-wald.de; Böhmstrasse 35, Neuschönau; 9am-5pm), the national park’s main visitor centre. The free, but slightly dated, exhibition has a hands-on displays designed to shed light on topics