The Best Sight in Germany

Southwest of Regensburg, on the bank of the Danube, stands one of Germany's most spectacular Benedictine abbeys. Constructed between 1716 and 1718, it's commonly regarded as the masterpiece of brothers Cosmas Damian and Egid Quirin Asam, whose extraordinary composition of lavish polished marble, highly wrought statuary, and stucco figures dancing along curving walls is the epitome of Bavarian baroque. Look above the high altar, where a bronze equestrian statue of St. George is dispatching a winged dragon with his flamelike sword.

No Bavarian monastery is complete without a brewery, and Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg serves up excellent frothy beers and hearty German food. You can also buy bottles of beer to go. Kids will gravitate to the riverside beach, which is perfect for skimming stones (beware bathers!)

The most dramatic approach to the abbey is by river from Kelheim, 10 km (6 miles) downstream, where boats wind between towering limestone cliffs that rise above tree-lined riverbanks. There are several departures a day mid-March through October (€11.50 single; €19.50 return). You can also drive, but expect a 2-km (1¼-mile) round-trip walk from the parking lot (€4.50; cash only) to the abbey.