Passau, Germany: An Underrated Gem in Southern Bavaria

It's a great thing to be an American living in Europe. Right now, my husband and I are loving living in Germany. Not only is Germany a very beautiful and interesting country in its own right, it's also very conveniently located. Over the past couple of months, my husband and I have visited Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Each of these places are within a day's drive from where we live!

Our most recent trip was to Passau, Germany, in honor of my birthday. I had been to Passau last in 1997, when I was on my way home from a two year Peace Corps stint in the Republic of Armenia. I remembered the city, located in Bavaria near Germany's southeast border with Austria, as being very elegant, yet modern with plenty of things to see. Passau also has the distinction of being situated in a place where three rivers converge. The wide Danube and the Inn rivers are on either side of old town Passau, while the narrow Ilz river snakes through the Bavarian Forest to the north of the city and meets the Danube and the Inn just beyond Passau's peninsula.

Passau boasts many good hotels. We happened to stay at the four star Hotel Residenz, which is located just steps away from the Danube. The hotel boasts comfortable rooms, amazing breakfasts, and a very friendly manager who speaks excellent English. We took advantage of a special package deal that included tickets to a river cruise, organ concert, and a city tour. We skipped the city tour because it's in German and neither of us speaks much German. Besides, there was just too much to do without being on a tour. The Hotel Residenz also allows pets.

Because Passau is located near so much water, it's a prime place for river cruises. While we were visiting, we saw many huge river boats docked on the Danube, waiting for vacationers to board for destinations such as far away as Bulgaria and Turkey. We also saw a lot of people boarding day cruises. My husband and I got tickets for a 45 minute river cruise as part of our hotel package, which gave us a quick taste of Passau's river based charms.

Organ music lovers may have heard of Passau because it's the home of St. Stephan's Cathedral, where one of the world's largest pipe organs resides. Until 1994, the pipe organ at St. Stephan's Cathedral was, in fact, the world's largest. My husband and I had the chance to hear this magnificent instrument at a concert held at noon inside the church. St. Stephan's organ has 17,774 pipes and 233 registers. All of those pipes make for an extraordinary listening experience. Visitors can catch daily half hour concerts from May to September with tickets at 5 euros per adult.

Just entering the cathedral was a magical experience, as the inside of it is extremely ornate. St. Stephan's cathedral was designed by the Italian architect Carlo Lurago, with interior decorations by Giovanni Battista Carlone and frescoes by Carpoforo Tencalla. As I sat in the pew, waiting for the organ concert to start, it occurred to me that I could spend hours looking at the cathedral's walls and not see the same thing twice. The walls are adorned with sculptures of angels and incredible paintings depicting scenes from the Bible. I was overwhelmed by the beautiful sights and sounds of the cathedral. It's a must see for Passau visitors, especially those who love music, art, or great architecture.

Passau is also a great place to go for those who love to shop, though my husband and I didn't have much opportunity to do much of that. But if you're interested in bringing home souvenirs, Passau won't disappoint. There are plenty of shopping venues, from large department stores selling clothing and housewares to quaint little galleries selling works of art, large and small. Shopping enthusiasts could spend a whole day getting retail therapy in Passau and not be disappointed.

We also found some good restaurants in Passau. My favorite spot was Rhodes Restaurant, a place serving Greek cuisine within view of the Danube river. The proprietors are friendly and accommodating, the atmosphere is fun and festive, and the food is outstanding. We liked Rhodes so much that we ate dinner there twice. Near the Rhodes restaurant is a Croatia Restaurant, which we also tried and loved.

Passau is conveniently located near Austria and the Czech Republic, so naturally we took a couple of day trips. Linz, Austria is an industrial city located about an hour away by train. My husband and I went there, walked around a bit, and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Austria's third largest city. Linz has the distinction of being Adolf Hitler's boyhood home, but I wouldn't hold that against this city. Again, it's a prime spot for shopping enthusiasts, cathedral groupies, and anyone who enjoys good beer. We stumbled on a very cool and well hidden biergarten located off the main drag that was surrounded by an impressive canopy of trees. Linz is also a good place to go to catch a train to the Czech Republic, as trains don't go there from the Passau station. Luckily, we had a car, so we were able to drive there the next day!

We got the wild idea to drive to Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic because we knew that was where the original Budweiser beer was made. Luckily, the Czech border is located very close to Passau and getting there involves a beautiful drive on a country road. The border itself is completely unmanned, a fact that astounded my husband, who once guarded the Czech border as an American soldier in the 1980s. We went to Ceske Budejovice, had a lovely lunch and amazing Czech beer, then headed on to Ceske Krumlov, a very charming but touristy town. We happened to be there during their Five Petalled Rose Celebrations, a medieval festival that occurs annually. We did not know about this celebration before we came, so we were very surprised to see many people walking around the city in medieval attire. Seeing so many people in costume really lent an interesting air to the historical city... not to mention plenty of crowds! We enjoyed our taste of the Czech Republic enough to promise ourselves another visit before it's time to move back to America.

I found myself feeling a little sorry that we had to leave Passau after three nights. It's a beautiful city with so much to offer. The one thing I enjoyed most about Passau is the fact that it's not as touristy as some of the other places I've been in Europe, yet it is very tourist friendly. The city itself has plenty of public restrooms, parking, and things to do. Still, it doesn't feel as big and overpowering as, say, Munich, nor is it as obviously touristy as Ceske Krumlov was. Passau may not be the number one tourist destination in Germany, but it is a neat place to visit and a fine base for those who want to check out Austria and the Czech Republic. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has the chance to visit.