The Oberpfalz, or Upper Palatinate in English, is a region in the German state of Bavaria. Regensburg, Amberg and Weiden are some of the larger cities of the region. Here are five things worth doing if you happen to find yourself in the area:
- Hike along the Jurasteig – the Jurasteig is a 230 km long-distance trail around the Oberpfälzer Jura (Oberpfalz Jura or Bavarian Jura in English). It’s broken into 12 stages: Kelheim – Bad Abbach, Bad Abbach – Schönhofen, Schönhofen – Pielenhofen, Pielenhofen – Kallmünz, Kallmünz – Schmidmühlen, Schmidmühlen – Hohenburg, Hohenburg – Habsberg, Habsberg – Deining, Deining – Holnstein, Holnstein – Dietfurt, Dietfurt – Riedenburg, Riedenburg – Kelheim
- Kallmünz – the Pearl of the Naab valley, is a cute, little artists’ colony, where Kandinsky lived in the early 1900′s. While you’re there, stop for a bite to eat at the tiny restaurant Zum Bürstenbinder (Am Graben 5). They specialize in Schupfnudeln (finger-shaped potato dumplings), and that’s pretty much the only thing on the menu, but don’t let that bother you, cause they’re really good (and cheap too).
- Seidl Confiserie – If you’re driving on the A3 between Regensburg and Nürnberg, exit at Laaber to visit the Seidl Confiserie chocolate factory. Seidl supplies chocolates to Lufthansa airlines as well as many five star hotels. They are especially well known for their macadamia nut chocolates and products. Not in the area? You can also visit the Seidl online shop.
- Take a bike ride (or drive if you’re lazy like us) through the Labertal (Laber Valley) – You can start at the train station in Deuerling and follow the Schwarzen Laber river through beautiful wilderness and the towns of Laaber, Beratzhausen, Parsberg on up to Neumarkt. If you get hungry for some good Bavarian eats along the way, you can stop at Gasthof Schrammlhof just before Laaber, Landgasthof Friesenmühle, near Beratzhausen, or Hotel Hirschen Wirtsstuben in the center of Parsberg. All the towns also have train stations for the trip back.
- King Otto stalactite cave, Velburg – the König Otto Tropfsteinhöhle isn’t Luray or Carlsbad Caverns, but it’s still a pretty cool stalactite cave. It’s open from April-October. Make sure to check out the town of Velburg as well.
If you liked this post, check out more Off the Beaten Path Guides.
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The formations in King Otto’s Cave look fantastic. Most of the caves around here are narrow muddy passages
John | English Wildernesss last blog post..Straw Stalagtites, White Scar Cave
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