If you like glass in all kinds of shapes and sizes, then you should know the Glass Route in Eastern Bavaria.

This beautiful route takes you approximately 250 km through the Upper Palatinate and Bavarian Forests. Staying at the Hotel Bergknappenhof puts you directly on the Glass Road. This offers a variety of opportunities to admire and even auction glass in your immediate vicinity. In just six minutes, you'll reach the JOSKA Crystal Worlds of Experience, where you're guaranteed an unforgettable experience. Here, you'll find crystal gardens, the House of Seasons, the Crystal Gallery, and the House of Villeroy & Boch. The experience restaurant with beer garden and children's adventure land invite you to linger. You can tour the glassworks and even try your hand at glassblowing. In the Crystal Shopping World, all doors are open for you to stock up on magnificent glass. The Galerie Herrmann is located in the neighboring town of Drachselsried, just 10 km away. Here you'll find something out of the ordinary, something truly special, as 150 glass artists from 30 nations exhibit their glass works (open from 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and by appointment). The next stop, just three kilometers (roughly 13 kilometers) from the Hotel Bergknappenhof, will amaze you with the Weinfurtner Glass Village in Arnbruck. Like a real village, this complex consists of several buildings, each housing a variety of themed areas. From the traditional glassworks and the Glass Village Gardens to lifestyle, you'll find everything your heart desires. You're welcome to continue further in this direction, to Arrach, Lam, Viechtach, or St. Englmar. From the Hotel Bergknappenhof, you can also head east. Here, in Zwiesel, you'll find several glass companies, about 20 minutes away. Galerie Zwiesel, Zwiesel Kristallglas AG, Galerie Ritterswürden, Wolfgang Schmid Glass Art, and glass engraver Christian Schmidt, to name just a few. Continuing in this direction, you'll reach Frauenau, Spiegelau, and St. Oswald Riedelhütte, where you'll find other interesting glass companies.

Photo credit: JOSKA Bodenmais