Deggendorf is not necessarily on most people’s travel itinerary but we found ourselves here in the autumn for some family commitments. It’s located north of Munich, and takes about two hours and two train rides from Munich Central Train Station. At the end of our week there, and after trying to have a sense of what it could be like to live there at some point in one’s young life, we came away enjoying it’s ‘little village’ energy – a place where there is really only one town square, the calm force of the Danube river, and so much life orientates around the international Institute of Technology. Here are some of our recommendations.

To stay – Scotty & Paul

Based on our online research, Scotty & Paul seemed to be the most modern and practical place to base yourself in and at prices that are comparable to Asia. An 8 Euro taxi ride from the train station, a 5 minute walk from the town square, a 3 minute walk to the nearest and largest Aldi Supermarket and a 2 minute walk to a cozy park overlooking the Danube river. We booked Paul’s Suite, the largest suite, which had a spacious balcony, a large sitting room with a sofa that convert into a bed and a bedroom area. There was no fridge and we had to ask for a kettle, so if you plan to have a long stay, be aware that you won’t be able to store perishable food. We were extremely satisfied with our stay here.

In our exploration at the town square, we also caught sight of Hotel Gasthof and made a mental note that this was probably the best that Deggendorf had to offer in terms of style and location. A sneak into their website indicates that it offers the full works, spa, gym, charming and traditional decoration and is about 170 Euro a night.

To eat

We were not looking for Michelin dining spots or stylish eateries here – just enough halal certified fuel to get us by. Our humble visits to Ankara Grill, a Turkish-Syrian place for Middle Eastern food, and Goldener Spiess a Syrian kebab joint (which only accepts cash and seemed to be very popular) all at different off-roads off the town square were sufficient for us. We went one step up when dining on Mughlai food at Taj Mahal restaurant, also off the town square which had the full works – butter chicken, prawn tikka masala and biryani rice.

To shop for souvenirs

Our approach to souvenir shopping this autumn was to target mainly food products and skincare/ cosmetics that you couldn’t find outside the region. It was easier to obtain the former – we bought copious amounts of different flavours of Choceur chocolates, a brand that is only found at Aldi Supermarket which tasted amazing and was a huge hit with family. For the latter, I stumbled into an incredible sale at TK Mex beauty area and managed to get bags of eye creams, contouring sets and deep cleaning masques but they were not necessarily local brands – a mix of different international brands from France to Korea (!). Still, they were not necessarily popular brands back home and so they were nice gifts to share.

To see

Deggendorf was named ‘Gateway to the Bavarian Forest’ given its proximity to the Bavarian National Park and the hilly landscape has made it super popular with hikers, climbers and even skiers. For this initial trip, we did not get to explore any of that but even from the little that we saw, it was clear that it would be a place popular with nature lovers. Endless parks, beautiful waterfront views, rolling hills and the one main square which looked like a medieval storybook of cobble streets, a beautiful roofed church.

Perhaps in future, on another visit, we could go into better depth of at least one of its famous offerings. For now, it was a sweet introduction.