Günzburg: River Landscapes, Trails and Culture

The district of Günzburg combines the river and floodplain landscape along the Danube with long hiking trails, pilgrimage sites and a range of cultural destinations. The Mindel flows through the district and joins the Danube near Gundremmingen. On its way to the Black Sea, the Danube passes Leipheim, Günzburg and Offingen, forming part of the region’s river and floodplain landscape. This offers several ways to shape your stay: spend time outdoors, discover leisure activities or explore history and faith.

Hiking trails between the Danube and the hillside forest

The DonAuwald hiking trail is the first premium hiking trail in Bavarian Swabia and runs for around 60 kilometres between Günzburg and Schwenningen. The 18.5-kilometre DonauHänge circular trail between Günzburg and Offingen offers a much shorter route through the hillside forest. The different lengths and the circular route format make it easier to plan an excursion around the time you have available, without treating the routes as equivalent. The certified Streifzüge walking trails also lead along streams and ponds and through gently rolling countryside.

The Hansenhohl nature trail in Thannhausen is around 1.5 kilometres long and has eight play and information stations. For an additional puzzle-solving activity, there is the free crime app quiz tour “Sabotage im Hansenhohl”; check in advance whether the app is available. Visits are not recommended in winter due to the risk of slipping. The Celtic Trail in Ichenhausen also combines exercise with learning: at six listening points, visitors can hear about the lives of the Celts and Druids. The distance from the first to the last listening point is three kilometres. Listening point 6 is currently inaccessible; check the current route status before your visit.

Water sports and activities for children

In Thannhausen, the Turncable Wakepark offers wakeboarding and water skiing. Courses are available for beginners and advanced participants, as well as for individuals and groups. If a course is to be a highlight of your stay, check operating days and availability in advance.

In Günzburg, LEGOLAND® Deutschland has 11 themed areas and 68 attractions. The amusement park and its attached holiday village offer experiences for children aged 2 to 12; MINILAND is the heart of the park. This provides a distinct excursion option focused on children, alongside the trails and museums. The experiences you prioritise can therefore also shape your stay.

Pilgrimage, museums and architecture

Maria Vesperbild near Ziemetshausen in the district of Günzburg is considered the largest pilgrimage site in Bavarian Swabia. Each year, the image of grace of Our Lady of Sorrows attracts 400,000 to 500,000 pilgrims. A Way of the Cross leads from the pilgrimage church to the Fatima Grotto, which was built in a nearby forest in 1957 and restored in 2011. More than 1,000 votive plaques at the grotto bear words of thanks and testify to the help received from the Mother of God.

In Ichenhausen, the Bavarian School Museum traces the development of the school system over thousands of years. A historic classroom gives a sense of how around 50 children once fit into a single room. The Museum of the City of Burgau tells the story of the town from the Middle Ages to the recent past across two floors and more than 700 square metres. The two museums have different focuses: one on the history of schooling, the other on the development of a town.

In Wettenhausen, the monastery museum, which opened in 2021, offers insights into a tradition spanning almost a thousand years. The Imperial Hall is known for its monumental stucco ceiling and hosts concerts, conferences and ceremonies. Together, these examples offer different ways to experience culture in the district: through historic rooms, the history of a place or the long tradition of a pilgrimage.

Plan your journey and choose where to stay

The Leipheim, Günzburg and Burgau exits on the A8 Stuttgart–Munich motorway lead directly into the district of Günzburg. For help finding your way by bike, the GünzBike cycling map provides an overview of the district’s river valley cycling routes, as well as the Danube Cycle Path, the DonauTäler Cycle Path and the LEGOLAND® Family Route.

When looking for accommodation in Günzburg, it helps to first decide what you want to focus on during your stay: hiking trails and river landscapes, activities for children, or pilgrimage sites and museums? Base your choice on the excursions you have planned.

Discover more destinations: Haldenwang, Aletshausen, Günzburg, Waldstetten, Leipheim, Burgau, Jettingen-Scheppach, Krumbach, Thannhausen, Ichenhausen, Ursberg, Breitenthal, Bibertal, Kötz, Bubesheim, Deisenhausen, Ziemetshausen, Neuburg an der Kammel, Offingen, Burtenbach, Kammeltal.

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