Riding the Rails for Beer Between Munich and Salzburg

If you’ve spent any time at all in Germany, chances are you’ve been to Munich. And you may even have visited Salzburg in neighbouring Austria, either on your way to Munich from points east like Vienna or Budapest, or as a day trip from Munich.

But did you know there’s a wealth of breweries and Wirtshäuser in the towns and villages along the trainline between Munich and Salzburg? As long as you’re not taking the express train, you can get out at almost any station along the way for good beer. All you need is a bit of free time.

And so, heading east from Munich to Salzburg, here’s a sampling of what Upper Bavaria has to offer — all of it within a few kilometers of the nearest train station. If you spend a few days in this corner of Upper Bavaria, you could visit all of these towns before continuing on your merry way in either direction.

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The best way to visit these places is with a Bayern Ticket, that deal of a day pass valid on just about all forms of public transportation in Bavaria that aren’t express trains (like the IC, EC, or ICE). Even better: You can travel in a group of up to five people. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery.

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Chiemsee

After you pass through Rosenheim from Munich, the landscape becomes more pastoral, the jagged peaks more dramatic. Before long you’ll be in the Chiemsee region, home to a sapphire lake framed by the Alps. The two main towns are Prien, with its lively town center and bustling lakefront promenade, and Bernau, a more bucolic place where the pace of life is slower. Whether you’re in the Chiemsee region for cycling, hiking, or relaxing, here are a few places worth seeking out.

Gasthof zum Alten Wirt, Bernau

Zum Alten Wirt is a classic Wirtshaus in the shadow of the church and an ideal spot to build up your reserves for cycling or long walks in the region. On any given afternoon or evening, the tavern bustles with locals out for a drink and groups of elderly folks playing cards into the night.

It’s a prodigious place, with Stuben off to each side of the vaulted breezeway where the occasional person slips in for a quick pint. Paulaner/Hacker-Pschorr is the mainstay of the beer menu, but you’ll also find a lean and crisp Pils from Auer Bräu in nearby Rosenheim. Food: Go for the Milzwurst if you’re adventurous. (I won’t tell you what it is.)

*NB: If lakeside strolls are what you’re after, keep in mind that it’s a solid walk north from the center of Bernau to the lake. It might work best to save those strolls for Prien, where you can get a narrow-gauge train to the lake.

Gasthof Feldwies, Übersee

This Alpine chalet east of the lake is close to the cycling path that rings the Chiemsee. If you’re not on two wheels, it’s a pleasant half-hour stroll north from the Übersee train station through quiet neighbourhoods and tranquil fields. It’s even nicer on crisp evenings when the sky is strung with starlight.

The sun has just set as I push through the heavy wooden door and make my way across well-worn wooden floors that have welcomed their share of locals. I follow the sounds of merriment to one of the large Stuben off the main hall, order a Doppelbock to shake off the evening chill, and let my eyes wander around this tidy inn. Compared with its cousins, Feldwies is almost spartan, with a few paintings in an interwar style paying tribute to the workers of the region.

Spare as it is, the interior exudes a casual warmth, and not only on account of the green-tiled Kachelofen in the corner. Extended families gather around larger tables for their weekend meals, hikers toast the day’s exertions, and young couples greet the older regulars on their way to their favourite spots underneath the hop garlands dangling from the heavy-beamed ceiling.

Not only do Übersee’s inhabitants gather here to celebrate life’s passages, they also own a stake in the establishment. In 2004, six hundred inhabitants banded together to purchase the Wirtshaus, renovate it, and run this rustic inn that serves beer from local legends Hofbräuhaus-Traunstein and delicious Bavarian cuisine sourced from the region’s farmers, fishermen, and hunters.

Traunstein

If you have time for only one stop between Munich and Salzburg, make it Traunstein, a scenic regional center home to three breweries. I wrote about two of those breweries, Hofbräuhaus-Traunstein and Wochinger, a few years back. Here’s the goods on the brewery that had always eluded me. (It took several visits for the stars to align, given the vagaries of opening times, the delightfully frustrating Ruhetag, and my own travel schedule.)

Privatbrauerei Schnitzlbaumer

Tucked away behind the market square, Schnitzlbaumer is the chic counterpoint to the more traditional inns of HB-Traunstein and Wochinger. Renovated recently, Schnitzlbaumer boasts vaulted ceilings and large feature windows with views of the valley. The bar is backlit in that early 2000s atmospheric kind of way, and copper kettles glimmer in the subdued light. It’s a nice, airy space perfect for whiling away the early evening with a few beers.

As for those beers, Schnitzlbauer’s range tends toward novel interpretations of German classics. For example, the Helles has a distinctly minty characteristic, almost as if Polaris hops had made it into the kettle. On the “craft” end of the spectrum, the Chiemgauer Pale Ale is well thought out, with a touch of honeydew melon and aromas of tangerine. For my money, the best of the lot is their Weissbier, a richly textured beer that, with its elegant notes of banana custard and sprinkle of allspice, drinks almost like a Vitus.

For what it’s worth, Schnitzlbaumer’s beers aren’t my favourite among Traunstein’s three breweries — a few hits, a few misses — but it’s still worth a visit for the ambiance, and because your tastes might be different than mine.

Teisendorf

I don’t know how many dozens of times I had passed through Teisendorf. But I knew there was a brewery in town, so it was only a matter of time before I went exploring. Today was the day. I didn’t have to meet a friend in Munich till later that evening, so I jumped off the train on a whim. With emerald meadows and the snow-capped Alps cheering me on, I covered the short distance from the train station to the village perched atop the hill like a small citadel.

Gasthof Alte Post (Wieninger Braugasthof)

A relatively large regional brewery, Wieninger shares the skyline with the church steeple. Signs for Wieninger’s beer are ubiquitous in this charming village with its pastel facades, bakeries, and bustling shops.

One of those ornate signs hangs above the Alte Post, Wieninger’s tap. Recent renovations such as interlacing wood around the bar have done nothing to diminish the charm of this vibrant center of village life. I arrived just as the stately old tavern opened for the day, but it didn’t take long till the place filled with Sunday strollers and families fresh from church.

Even if the beer itself isn’t the stuff of pilgrimages, it’s solid enough, and the extensive lineup spanning traditional recipes and seasonals has something for everyone. I’ve never been disappointed by Wieninger’s crisp and refreshing Zwickl, an unfiltered beer with pleasant yeast notes (peach, lees, bread dough), citrusy honey, and brioche. Angle for a mug of the Winter Festbier if you’re in town during the frosty months.

Freilassing

Freilassing is a border town, the last stop before Salzburg if you’re heading east. I remember the days before Austria joined the EU when we’d have to wait at the frontier while railway workers switched out the German locomotive for an Austrian one that would reel in the last few kilometers to Salzburg. It took a few decades before I actually got out and had a look around this sleepy town.

Weißbierbrauerei Freilassing

This is one of those places that flies under the radar of many a beer enthusiast, a rare bird that brews only Weissbier — and tasty ones at that. There’s also a cozy beer garden out back and rooms upstairs in their old-school inn.

Old school. It’s an apt description. The Wirtshaus feels like a tavern straight out of the 1960s, replete with trophies of the hunt, curtains the colour of the Bavarian flag, and one of the more unique ceilings I’ve seen. Curiously, given that Freilassing is about as far from the sea you can get in Germany, one corner of the tavern is given over to a nautical theme.

Time may have stood still here, but the day proceeded apace as I traded my now-empty Freilassinger Edelweizen for an equally tasty Dunkelweizen. As afternoon shaded into evening, the entire Stube went from a few old-timers and me to a group of regulars in from work, then another group and yet another, till the house was resonating with the thick accents of southeastern Bavaria.

Gasthaus Zollhäusl

Aptly named, the “tollhouse” is snug up against the river frontier between Germany and Austria at the end of a road through a warehouse district. The inn has been in the hands of the folks who own the Bürgerbräu brewery in Bad Reichenhall for more than a century, so you know the beer’s top-shelf.

The Gasthaus itself is large, a typical traveler’s outpost consisting of a large dining hall with high ceilings and arched windows, a cozy seating area with hardwood floors, and a sun-filled Stube at the front of the house.

It’s mid-afternoon when I arrive. The whole place is flooded with mountain light sifting through the windows and bouncing off the pecan-coloured paneling and cheery yellow walls, the kind of ambiance that brings a smile to my face.

I start off with a Gustl, a pristine golden Vollbier with aromas of Alpine meadows in bloom, fresh hay, lightly honeyed malt, baguette, black pepper, and a hint of slate-like minerality. My lunch arrives, a minced beef and pork patty (Fleischpflanzerl) as satisfying as they come — and the perfect foil for the Ruperti Dunkel that followed hot on the heels of the Gustl.

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I linger in the Gasthaus, content in the glow of afternoon beers washing over me. Salzburg’s not far off. I still have time for another round before I pay up and find one of the trains crossing into Austria.

Odds and Ends: Accommodation

Zum Alten Wirt in Bernau has rooms above its tavern, but these fill up quickly. An alternative that’s just as nice is the fabulous Hotel-Garni Jägerhof down the road. Rates are affordable, the rooms are old-style Bavarian (plenty of wood), and the breakfast buffet superb.

Another fine choice is the Weißbierbrauerei in Freilassing. You might be asking why you wouldn’t just stay in Salzburg, and that’s a valid question. For starters, the rooms at the Weißbierbrauerei are among the most affordable in the region. Beyond that, Freilassing, which is a regional transportation hub, makes an excellent starting point for visits to Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden.

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Related Posts

Beer and Bicycles in Upper Bavaria’s Chiemsee Region

Berchtesgaden and the Königssee: Alpine Breweries and Lakeside Beer Gardens

Bad Reichenhall: Beer in an Upper Bavarian Spa Town

Traunstein: Beer in the Foothills of the Bavarian Alps

Out and About Near Munich: Beer Gardens, Breweries, Beer Halls

Beer Travel Vignettes: The Augustiner Bräustübl in Salzburg

All photos by Franz D. Hofer

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