The little-known town in the Northern part of Bavaria is truly a hidden gem. Situated halfway between Munich and Berlin, Bayreuth has a lot to offer to tourists- it has its own UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is known as the home of composer Richard Wagner and it holds a couple of palace complexes, the most beautiful of which is the Hermitage. Although you can easily enjoy a few days in Bayreuth, especially if you're visiting because of the annual Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, the charming town is a perfect destination for a day trip. Have you been to this place before...or rather have you heard of it at all? Well, you're here now, so I guess you'd be curious to know what you can cover in Bayreuth for a day.
And it’s honestly quite a lot. In fact, I managed to visit all the main sights without rushing them and I even had some time left for wandering carelessly around the city centre and enjoying a nice meal. So let’s take a look at the main places of interest in this lovely town.
The Hermitage
Not gonna lie: I accidentally came across pictures of The Hermitage (Eremitage) and without knowing where or what this place was, I was so stunned by its beauty, that I just had to plan a visit at some point. So the main objective of my trip to Bayreuth was namely this- The Hermitage palace complex.
The complex consists of the Old Palace, the rather stunning New Palace, with its Sun Temple, as well as beautiful gardens and some other small buildings and facilities.
The word hermitage itself also means a secluded residence or private retreat. In the spirit of the name, the palaces are situated on the outskirts of Bayreuth, so you’d have to rely on public transport in order to get there. From the city centre (bus stops: Bayreuth Opernhaus or Bayreuth Luitpoldplatz) you can catch bus lines 302 or 303 to bus stop “Eremitage” or to the last stop. The ride lasts for 10-11 min, but the buses come only once in every 30min. The single ticket is 1,70€ or 4,50€ for a day card. I personally bought the day card, but I ended up only using it for two trips- to the Hermitage and back. Everything else in the city centre is easily covered on foot, so it’s up to you which tariff you’d opt for. Just keep in mind that not buying a ticket or “Schwarzfahren” might cost you 60€.
The Margraves of Bayreuth have been in possession of the land, where today the Hermitage stands, ever since 1616. At first there was nothing there but a zoo and a forest, used by the local noblemen for hunting. It wasn’t until 1715, when markgrave Georg Wilhelm came into possession of the land, that the Old Palace was built. But the palace park reached its full glory and beauty, as we know it today, after 1753, when Margrave Friedrich took over the ownership and the government of the margraviate and gave it as a present to his wife Wilhelmine for her birthday. She quickly initiated various ambitious projects of extending the Old Palace and the garden areas, as well as building the New Palace with the Sun Temple. The innovations to the gardens that she brought make them stand out among other gardens of the 18th century, since they included baroque elements, which were never before seen in Germany.
The Margravial Opera House
Another local sight, which emerged between 1745 and 1750 thanks to margravine Wilhelmine is the Margravial Opera House. The beautiful baroque building is a UNESCO World Heritage site not only because of its outstanding architecture, but also because of the preservation of the original materials used for the construction of its auditorium. It was not a part of a palace complex, but an independent court opera house and the only preserved Baroque opera, in which the audience can experience the authentic acoustics. That’s right- the opera house is still operating and not just as a museum. It can accommodate an audience of 500 people and it hosts the annual Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival. The entrance fee is 8€ for adults, 7€ for seniors and students (if you provide a student ID) and free for everyone under 18 years of age. The opera can be entered with a guided tour, which includes a short video and detailed information about the history and architecture of the building.
The New Palace in Central Bayreuth
Like the previous two points of interest, this one was also commissioned by margravine Wilhelmine. The old town palace was no longer meeting the needs for a fabulous lifestyle of the noble couple Friedrich and Wilhelmine. They were planning to build a new residence for long enough, when in 1753 a big fire destroyed a major part of their home and the erection of a new residence became necessary. Wilhelmine played a decisive role in the designing and planning of the New Palace. In one of her personal letters she even claims that she designed it herself.
The New Palace is merely 3 min walking from the Margravial Opera House and the entrance fee is 5,50€ (or 4,50€ with a discount), so I recommend not skipping on this one. You can easily combine the two sights and then stroll for a while in the beautiful gardens, surrounding the palace. There is no guided tour inside the New Palace, so you can take all the time you need to explore on your own. However, at the ticket office on the first floor, the staff would give you some directions and would happily answer any questions you might have.
The Home and Centre of Inspiration of Richard Wagner
Bayreuth is known as the town of Wagner, although it can just as easily and even more accurately be named the town of Wilhelmine, as for everything said so far. Wagner is a famous German composer, mostly known for his operas. Truly devoted to the arts, he stood out from other composers by writing not only the music, but also the libretto for his “music dramas”. He moved to Bayreuth in 1871 and had his own opera house, namely the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, in which some of his most famous works premiered (The Ring, Parsifal). They are still played today at the Bayreuth Festival, the tradition for which was initiated by Wagner himself.
The true music lovers and admirers of the great composer might enjoy a guided tour On the Trails of Richard Wagner. It is organized on certain dates in the summer months and it would cost you 8€, but it provides valuable information about his life and influence in the town and will cover all the important places of interest connected to him. For those of you who prefer to explore independently, you might want to check the Richard Wagner museum, the Walk of Wagner or even to buy tickets for the annual opera festival with his name.
Strolling Along the Streets of Bayreuth
Plan some time to just wander around the charming town aimlessly. There are many beautiful historical buildings and churches in the city centre, as well as flowers- many many flowers, a beer museum and catacombs. You’d be happy to “get lost” on the narrow streets in the older neighbourhoods and to breathe in some of the town’s atmosphere. The place is also very picturesque, so capturing amazing photos for your archive or social media is guaranteed.
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