Burghausen is a town in Upper Bavaria. The longest castle complex in the world watches over a hill above the excellently preserved old town: six castle courtyards strung together make up a length of over one kilometre.

Understand

Burghausen is a town of roughly 19,000 inhabitants (2020) whose main claim to fame is the chemical company Wacker, that also gave name to the resident soccer team Wacker Burghausen. The city is aptly named as "Burg" is the German name for castle.

The city of Burghausen consists of the new town and the old town:

• The old town is the historical core of the city, it is cramped and stretches along on the west bank of the Salzach. The western edge of the old town is the mountain ridge with the towering castle.
• The Neustadt is the urban "modern" district, it lies west of the old town and castle and is separated from the castle by an old water arm of the Salzach.

Get in

By plane

Munich airport (MUC ^IATA) and the airport of Salzburg (SZG ^IATA) are within a reasonable distance of town.

By train

• 1 Burghausen Bahnhof (somewhat outside the old town). There are several direct connections daily to Munich as well as connecting service elsewhere. If you are arriving from within Bavaria, one of the discount offers for regional travel (e.g. the Bayern Ticket) may make sense for you, especially if you are a small group. For more on prices and routes see the website of Deutsche Bahn. 

By bus

See also: intercity buses in Germany

By car

From the west (Munich): on the federal road B12 via Mühldorf and Altötting (partly already as motorway - A94 - extended) to Burghausen.

From the north (Straubing and south of Berchtesgadener Land: via the federal road B20 ("Blue Route").

From the east (Passau) via the federal road 12.

The public parking lots in Burghausen are mostly free of charge, but there are few in the old town.

Get around

Most areas of tourist interest are accessible on foot. The main station is somewhat distant from the old town, so that you might want to take one of the city buses.

See

town hall and library

The old town centre in Inn-Salzach-Stil (style of buildings typical for towns along the rivers Inn and Salzach).

Viewpoints

• 1 Viewpoint across the Austrian border, Duttendorf 62, 5122 Duttendorf, Austria. 24/7. The most popular view point provides a beautiful view over the old town center and the full length of the castles eastern side. Free. (updated Mar 2018)
• 2 Western viewpoint. 24/7. A public parking place right next to the major road B20. The lack of atmosphere due to the traffic is made up by the view over lake Wöhrsee and the castle's western side. Free. (updated Mar 2018)

Castle

Burghausen Castle (Burg zu Burghausen). At over 1 km in length, it is one of the largest castles in the world. . The castle is divided into six wards. The most privileged and secure courtyard was the first one called "Hauptburg" (German for "main castle"). Visitors should start their tour from the sixth ward and work their way into the first one.

In contrast to most other historic buildings the grounds of Burghausen castle can be visited free of charge and are accessibly day and night (with a view limitations as for example new year's eve). A stroll around the castle by night (especially in winter or foggy nights) is highly recommended as it is to watch the sunset there.

Churches

• 3 St. Jakob. (updated Mar 2018)
• 4 Elisabethkapelle. (updated Mar 2018)

Museums

• 5 Haus der Fotografie Dr. Robert-Gerlich-Museum (House of photography). Museum for photography. (updated Mar 2018)
• 6 Foltermuseum (Museum of torture). Museum for medieval torture devices. (updated Mar 2018)
• 7 Staatliche Gemäldegalerie (Public gallery). The museum displays a variety of medieval paintings in chambers originally inhabited by the duke.
  Apart from that the museum provides access to the rooftop with a beautiful view over the river, valley, town and castle. (updated Mar 2018)
• 8 Stadtmuseum (Town museum). History of castle and town. Completely refurbished during 2016 and 2017. (updated Mar 2018)

Further sights

• In den Grüben. Historical alley with lots of small shops.

Do

• 1 Wöhrsee, Wöhrsee 2. Public swimming area in a lake with castle view (updated Feb 2018)
• 2 Hallenbad Burghausen. Public swimming pool. (updated Mar 2018)

Events

• Burghausen Jazz festival: annually. International Jazz festival. A series of big concerts from Tuesday including Sunday and the Jazz night on Saturday.
• Burgfest: annually. Medieval festival on the castle grounds.

Eat

• Knoxoleum, In den Grüben 133, ☏ +49 8677 916 191, info@knoxoleum.de. (updated Jun 2015)
• Golden Moon, Robert Koch Straße 15, ☏ +49 8677 88 16 992, info@goldenmoon.eu. Chinese and Mongolian food buffet and à la carte. Mains €5.50 to €10, buffet from €8.50. (updated Jun 2015)
• 1 Burgcafe, Burg 46, 84489 Burghausen. (updated Mar 2018)
• 2 Weinhaus Pachler. Splurge Austrian restaurant next to the border (walking distance from Burghausen's main square). Parking close to the restaurant is very difficult. It is recommended to use the free parking garage at Stadtplatz and walk across the bridge. (updated Feb 2018)

Sleep

• Bayerischer Hof, Stadtplatz 45, ☏ +49 8677 97 840, info@bayerischer-hof-burghausen.de. Single €76, double €96; including breakfast. (updated Jun 2015)