Two days in Bayreuth

You can spend an exciting two days in the cultural city of Bayreuth in the footsteps of Margravine Wilhelmine or Richard Wagner.

A weekend trip to Bayreuth

Two days in the cultural capital of Bayreuth can be spent in various ways. The team at the tourist infor­ma­tion office in Bayreuth can recom­mend a weekend trip with a colourful mix of cultural and culinary highlights.

Day 1: Expe­ri­ence some world cultural heritage

The morning

To gain a first impres­sion of the city, we recom­mend starting your stay with a guided tour of the city. The tours give you an over­view of the historic city centre and the history asso­ciated with it. The meeting point for these tours is the Tourist Infor­ma­tion Office. Please note that advance regis­tra­tion is neces­sary to take part in the tours. You can register with the Tourist Infor­ma­tion Office team by phone or email.

After your guided tour, we recom­mend you visit a restau­rant in Bayreuth’s city centre. Here you can choose from good Fran­co­nian cuisine to Asian or vegan restaurants.

The after­noon

After a midday snack, you can visit the Margra­vial Opera House, which you will probably have already seen from the outside during one of your guided tours. It has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heri­tage Site since 2012 and is considered the most beau­tiful baroque theatre in the world. During the opening hours from 9 am to 6 pm, tours of the inte­rior take place every 45-minutes.

If you are more partial to Fran­co­nian brewing culture than Bayreuth’s musical history, Maisel’s “Bier­er­leb­nis­welt” is the place to go. The brewery offers daily tours and you can immerse yourself in the world of the art of brewing there. For a fitting end to the day, we recom­mend you round off the evening in the adjoi­ning brewery restau­rant “Liebes­bier”.

Day 2: Richard and Wilhelmine

Depen­ding on what you prefer, you can either spend the second day of your weekend excur­sion enti­rely dedi­cated to Richard Wagner, or continue to explore the world of Margra­vine Wilhel­mine with all its archi­tec­tural gems.

Option 1: Richard Wagner’s Bayreuth

The morning

Begin your second day with a visit to the former home of the Wagner family in House Wahn­fried, which has housed the Richard Wagner Museum since 1976. Espe­ci­ally during the festival season, the museum offers attrac­tive events such as chamber concerts, lectures or book presen­ta­tions. In addi­tion, various perma­nent and special exhi­bi­tions are hosted here, to immerse you in Wagner’s life. The museum is directly adja­cent to Bayreuth’s “green lung”, the “Hofgarten” park. A stroll through the park is espe­ci­ally wort­hwhile from spring to late summer, when you can marvel at the colourfully planted flower beds.

You can either have lunch in one of the nearby restau­rants in Maxi­mi­li­an­straße – the choice here ranges from tradi­tional Fran­co­nian brewe­ries to Asian and vegan, or rech­arge your batte­ries at one of the brat­wurst stalls – the most popular and tradi­tional is the one in Richard-Wagner-Straße.

The after­noon

A high­light in the after­noon is a guided tour of Bayreuth’s most famous land­mark, the Fest­spiel­haus (Festival Theatre). During the tour, you can find out more about the special features of the archi­tec­ture and the unique acou­stics of the house. From September to April, you can take part in a guided tour every day. You can reach the Fest­spiel­haus either on foot, in a good half hour on the “Walk of Wagner”, or also by public trans­port (bus lines 305 and 309).

Option 2: The World of Wilhelmine

Wilhel­mine, the favou­rite sister of Frede­rick the Great, succeeded in making her mark not only in the field of poli­tics but also spiri­tually and in the arts. She became the repre­sen­ta­tive of the Age of Enligh­ten­ment, thereby playing an active role in shaping Bayreuth’s history. Evidence of the Margravine’s accom­plish­ments can still be found in and around the city today.

The morning

Begin the final day of your weekend excur­sion with an extended visit to the New Palace, built by Margra­vine Wilhel­mine. The magni­fi­cent inte­rior design of the rooms and annexes has largely been preserved in its original state. In addi­tion to the Mirror Cabinet and the Palm Room, the Italian Palace in “Bayreuth Rococo” style is also well worth seeing. You can arrange your stay in the New Palace accor­ding to your own prefe­rences or take part in a guided tour.

If the weather is good, you can also take a walk through the adjoi­ning “Hofgarten” (Court Gardens), the magni­fi­cent “green lung” of Bayreuth’s city centre. Locals like to use the Hofgarten to enjoy their lunch break on one of the many park benches there. However, as you are also close to the pede­strian zone, you can also have your lunch in one of the many eateries there.

The after­noon

In the after­noon you can visit the Hermi­tage land­scaped park. This park, too, was signi­fi­cantly deve­loped and enhanced by Margra­vine Wilhel­mine, giving it its present form. Allow yourself to be enchanted by the exten­sive park and the romantic grottos, as well as by the whim­sical Bayreuth Rococo in the magni­fi­cent buil­dings. The park can be easily reached by public trans­port. Simply take bus line 302 from the central bus station. If you would like to travel by car, there is a large free car park on site where buses can also stop without any problems.