Bayreuth first grew to importance in the 16th century, when it became the seat of the Margraves of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, who commissioned many of the town's best known landmarks such as the baroque Opera House and the New Palace. Since the late 19th century the town has been internationally famous for the Bayreuth Festival, an annual 30 day celebration of the operas of Richard Wagner which attracts music-lovers from around the world.
The best option for anyone wishing to travel to Bayreuth by plane is Nuremberg Airport, some 70 km southwest of the town on the A9 autobahn. The airport is serviced by major carriers such as British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Eurowings, Air France and Swiss Air. From the terminal, passengers can take the U2 subway to Nuremberg central railway station and from there catch a train into Bayreuth city centre, a journey of around an hour. Alternatively it is about 45 minutes to Bayreuth by taxi.
Most trains into Bayreuth stop at the main railway station on Bahnhofstrasse, 1 km to the south of the town centre. Travellers can catch buses to the central bus station and other central locations from the stands outside. The railway station is connected by the Regional Express network to neighbouring towns and cities such as Dresden, Bamberg and Nuremberg, and the Interregio-Express service provides fasts links further afield.
For those planning to travel to Bayreuth by bus or coach, journeys usually terminate at the main bus station – the Zentrale Omnibushaltestelle or ZOH – on Hohenzollernplatz, close to city hall and just off Maximilianstrasse. From there, the attractions of Bayreuth's compact city centre can easily be explored with a brief bus ride or on foot. Bus services are provided as part of the integrated VGN regional transport network which operates throughout the Greater Nuremberg area.