Bavarian Forest Motorcycle Tour: Grosser Arber, Lam and the National Park

The Bavarian Forest is the long wooded range along the Czech border in eastern Bavaria. It is less famous than the Alps to the south, which is exactly its appeal: the roads are quiet, the hotels are good value, and there are hundreds of kilometres of forest bends between small glass-making towns. Together with the Bohemian Forest on the Czech side it forms one of the largest forest areas in central Europe, and you can ride it for a week without running out of roads.

Planning a Bavarian Forest trip

Zwiesel and Bodenmais sit in the middle of the forest and make the best bases for this loop. Regen, Lam and Grafenau are good alternatives. Allow two or three nights: one day for the Arber and the western forest, one for the National Park and the south, and a third if you want to cross into the Czech Republic.

The A3 runs from the Dutch border near Arnhem all the way to Deggendorf and Passau, so for Dutch riders the Bavarian Forest is a long but simple motorway run. Danish riders come down the A7 and A9 or the A93 through Regensburg. From Deggendorf, the B11 climbs north into the forest to Regen and Zwiesel.

The route

Zwiesel to Bodenmais (about 15km). Leave the B11 at Zwiesel, a town known for its glassworks, and ride west through Langdorf to Bodenmais at the foot of the Arber. It is a short warm-up on wide, open bends.

Bodenmais over the Arber to Lam (about 30km). From Bodenmais climb north toward the Grosser Arber, at 1,456 metres the highest summit in the Bavarian Forest. The road climbs through dense spruce past the Bretterschachten cross-country ski centre to the Grosser Arbersee, a dark glacial lake under the mountain, and the base of the Arber cable car. The summit itself is reached by cable car or on foot, not by road. From the lake the road drops north toward Lam, and the bends tighten and the gradients steepen: this is the best stretch of the morning.

Lam, Arrach and the Scheibensattel (about 35km). The roads around Lam, Arrach and the Scheibensattel are a tangle of short forest climbs and descents with constant direction changes. Then ride south-west toward Bad Kötzting and Viechtach on the faster roads along the Regen valley.

St. Englmar and down to Deggendorf (about 45km). From Viechtach climb to St. Englmar, a small resort on a ridge above the Danube plain, with the Hirschenstein and Pröller summits around it. The roads here are some of the twistiest in the forest. Descend south toward the Danube and Deggendorf.

Up the Rusel and on to Grafenau (about 55km). Climb back into the forest over the Rusel above Deggendorf, a traditional hill road with steep gradients and tight bends. At the top ride east through Schönberg toward Grafenau on the southern edge of the forest.

The National Park and back to Zwiesel (about 70km). North of Grafenau lies the Bavarian Forest National Park, centred on the Lusen and Rachel summits. Some roads into the core of the park are closed to private traffic or limited at busy times, but the roads around its edge through Spiegelau, Neuschönau and Frauenau are fine riding: long forest bends with the trees close on both sides. Frauenau, with its glass museum, is the last stop before Zwiesel.

Add-on: across into the Czech Republic

At Bayerisch Eisenstein, north-east of Zwiesel, the B11 crosses into the Czech Republic at Železná Ruda. On the far side, the Šumava (the Bohemian Forest) carries on with emptier roads, lakes and small towns. Czech rules differ from German ones: the drink-drive limit is zero, and dipped headlights are required at all times. Check the current rules with the Czech police or your motoring club before you go.

The roads

Surfaces are generally good, but forest roads mean shade, damp patches and the odd load of bark or gravel from forestry work. Deer and wild boar are common at dawn and dusk. The B11 and B85 are main roads with lorries and speed cameras; the minor roads are quiet but narrow, with farm traffic and tractors in summer. Fuel is easy to find in the towns, harder deep in the forest on a Sunday.

A warm layer is worth packing even in summer. The forest is high and the trees keep the sun off the road, so the air around the Arber and in the National Park is often noticeably colder than in Deggendorf or Passau. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August; they pass quickly, but the roads stay wet under the trees for a long time afterwards.

When to go

May to early October. The Bavarian Forest is a winter sports area, and the higher roads around the Arber can have snow into April and from early November. June and September are the best months: settled weather, long days, fewer coaches. Mornings are often foggy in the valleys in autumn, then clear by late morning.

A three-day plan

Day one: the loop above. Day two: the south of the forest, from Grafenau through Freyung to the Dreisessel on the Czech and Austrian border, then down to Passau, where the Danube, Inn and Ilz meet, and back up into the forest. Day three: cross at Bayerisch Eisenstein into the Šumava and return over another border crossing further south.

On the way in from the north or west, the Danube gorge at Weltenburg, near Kelheim, is worth a stop: the river squeezes through limestone cliffs past a baroque abbey with its own brewery. It is a short detour from the A93 and the road east to Deggendorf. Expect hearty Bavarian food in the forest inns, and a warm welcome for riders in most of the bigger guesthouses, many of which have garages or covered parking.

Where to stay in the Bavarian Forest

Zwiesel, Bodenmais, Lam and Regen make good bases for the north; Grafenau and Freyung for the south. See our Bavarian Forest biker hotels for places with secure parking. The Bavarian Alps are about three hours south-west via Munich, and the Thuringian Forest about three hours north (see the Thuringian Forest guide). Riders continuing south into Austria can reach the Grossglockner High Alpine Road in around four hours via Passau and Salzburg.