Munich is the capital and the most populous city of Bavaria, Germany.

It is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, as well as the 12^th largest city in the European Union.

Munich is famous for its beautiful architecture, fine culture, and the annual Oktoberfest beer celebration.  Munich’s cultural scene is second to none in Germany, with the museums even considered by some to outrank Berlin in quality. Many travelers to Munich are absolutely stunned by the quality of the architecture. Although it was heavily damaged by allied bombing during World War II, many of its historic buildings have been rebuilt and the city center appears mostly as it did in the late 1800s including its largest church, the Frauenkirche, and the famous city hall (Neues Rathaus).

The Benedictine priory and erstwhile abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee in Upper Bavaria in Germany.

Andechs Abbey is world famous for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery Klosterbraueri Andechs.

Seen from miles around atop Holy Mountain above the eastern bank of Ammer Lake, Andechs Monastery is the oldest pilgrimage church in Bavaria and since 1850, an asset of the Benedictine monastery, St. Boniface, in Munich. Every year, thousands of tourists visit the church und hold retreats for body and soul.

Ettal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the village of Ettal close to Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany.

With a community (as of 2005) of more than 50 monks, with another five at Wechselburg, the Abbey is one of the largest Benedictine houses and is a major attraction for visitors.

Ettal Abbey was founded on 28 April 1330 by Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian in the Graswang valley. The foundation legend is that Ludwig’s horse genuflected three times on the site of the original church building, where a marble statuette of the Madonna and Child now stands. The statue was brought by Ludwig from Pisa as a gift for his new foundation. It soon became an object of pilgrimage. The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.

Since the 17^th century, the monk’s distillery has been producing the legendary and world famous Ettal Abbey liqueurs from more than 50 carefully selected herbs. This centuries-old recipe is still distilled at the monastery by the monks.

Bad Kohlgrub is in the Garmish-Partenkirchen district of Upper Bravaria.

It is a small skiing resort and spa on the Ammergau railway between Murnau and Oberammergau. The town’s “home mountain” is the Hornle mountain, accessible by chairlift.

Bad Kohlgrub was Bavaria’s frist “WellVital town,” a Garden of Eden for health and wellness in all its facets.

Oberammergau Passion Play is a passion play performed since 1634 as a tradition by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany.

The play is a staging of Jesus’ passion, covering the short final period of his life from his visit to Jerusalem and leading to his execution by crucifixion.

In 1633, the residents of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany vowed that if God spared them from the bubonic plague ravaging the region, they would produce a play thereafter for all time every 10 years depicting the life and death of Jesus. The death rate among the adults had risen from one person per 1000 per year in October 1632 to twenty in the month of March 1633. After their vow, the adult death rate slowly subsided to one in the month of July 1633. The villagers believed they had been spared and thus kept their part of the vow when the play was first performed in 1634.

On Holy Thursday 1417 a peasant stole a consecrated Host, which, in the course of his journey, escaped from his hands and flew away in the air. He tried in vain to catch the Sacred Host. It was only thanks to the direct intervention of the Bishop that he was able to recover the Sacred Particle. A chapel was immediately built on the site where the miracle occurred. There were many cures and wonders attributed to the veneration of this miracle.

On Sept 19, 1677, Bishop Kaspar Kunner of Freising blessed the new church, which was dedicated to the Most Precious Blood. Various relics were brought to the sanctuary among which was that of the Most Precious Blood of Christ. Since 1992 the sanctuary has been under the care of the monks of St. Paul of the Desert.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Altotting, also known as the Chapel of Grace, is the national shrine of Bavaria dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It is known for the many healings which are said to have taken place there, and is commonly called “the Lourdes of Germany.”
The octagonal chapel which houses the image of Our Lady dates to about AD660, and is the oldest Marian shrine in Germany. The image of Mary venerated there is a Black Madonna of great antiquity (possibly about 1330), carved from lindenwood.
The shrine became a popular pilgrim destination when it became known for the miraculous recovery in 1489 of a young boy who had been drowned, after his mother laid his body before the image and prayed to the Blessed Mother for a miracle.

Burghausen is the largest town in the Altotting district of Upper Bavaria in Germany
It is situated on the Salzach river, near the border with Austria.
Burghausen castle rests along a ridgeline, and is the longest castle in the world.
The city is thus aptly named as “Burg” is the German name for castle.

Vilshofen is a small town on the Danube.

Known as the “Little Three Rivers Town,” Vilshofen is situated at the entrance of the Lower Bavarian-Upper Austrian Danube Gorge. The captivating four-block, cobblestone old town sits close to the waterfront, with its streets and alleyways framed by a Baroque town tower and the Church of St. John.

A popular embarkation port for Danube River cruises, the German town of Vilshofen provides a friendly introduction to the charming small towns that you’ll encounter throughout your trip. The river is so important to the town that it’s part of the official name: Vilshofen an der Donau, which translates to “on the Danube.” (The river Vils, which meets the Danube here along with the Wolfach, is responsible for the first part of the name.)

Vilshofen is best known for the Abbey Schweiklberg. The Benedictine Abbey Schweiklberg, with its twin towers, is the dominant sight on the hillside climbing away for the river. The abbey is now home to the Africa Museum.

Passau in the southeast of Germany is located at the Austrian border.

Situated at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz, Passau is worldwide known as “The Three Rivers City”.

The setting of the Old Town, created by Italian baroque masters in the 17th century, shows soaring towers, picturesque places, enchanting promenades and romantic lanes.

In the heart of Passau on the Old Town’s highest point rises St. Stephen’s Cathedral, in which the world’s largest cathedral organ sounds. Sitting high above the rivers, the majestic fortress Veste Oberhaus on the Danube’s side and the Pilgrimage Church “Mariahilf” on the Inn’s side frame the city outstandingly beauty.

Passau with its unique charm and its atmosphere is one of the most beautiful and spectacular German cities on the Danube.

Linz is the third largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria.
The great combination of historical buildings, stunning architecture, vast areas of green space, and modern innovations mean that Linz has as much to offer as such high-ranking Austrian cities as Vienna and Salzburg.
Since 2014 Linz has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities network and this is apparent with the brilliant array of museums you can visit here.
Linz is well known for the Linzer torte, which is said to be the oldest cake in the world, with its first recipe dating from 1653.

Named after the large fortified church which dominates the town (Weissenkirchen = “white church”), the town began in the 9th century as a monastic vineyard.
Today, it is still known for its excellent wines, and attracts many tourists travelling through the Wachau region.

Vienna is the federal capital, largest city and one of the nine states of Austria.
Vienna is Austria’s primate city. It is the 7th largest city by population within city limits in the European Union. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Apart from being regarded as the “City of Music” because of its musical legacy, Vienna is also said to be the “The City of Dreams” because it was home to the world’s first psychoanalyst – Sigmund Freud.
The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, and the late 19th century Ringstrasse lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.

Bratislava is the capital and largest city in Slovakia.
It is situated in the south west of Slovakia, stretches on both banks of the Danube, and in the foothills of the Little Carpathian Mountains. It is also referred to as the Beauty on the Danube.
Bratislava has a very pleasant medieval inner city with narrow, winding streets, a hill-top castle next to the river Danube, and many historic churches and buildings to visit. The Old Town is centred on two squares. Hlavne namestie (main square) and Hviezdoslavovo namestie (Hviezdoslav square, named after a famous Slovak poet).

Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary.
It is the tenth largest city in the European Union. Due to its scenic setting and its architecture, Budapest is nicknamed “Paris of the East.”
Budapest is actually made up of 3 unified cities, with Buda and Óbuda on the west bank of the Danube and Pest on the east bank. Much of the city has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status, and many visitors consider the city to be amongst the most beautiful cities in Europe.
The city successfully mixes its fascinating history with a brilliant, laid-back contemporary artistic style. There are a wide range of different things for visitors to see and do, from museums to thermal spas.