Würzburg, Bamberg & Nuremberg

Destination 01

Würzburg

8 places

Baroque palace, wine taverns and a riverside fortress; 1–2 nights.

• Photo: Triplec85 · CC BY 4.0

  Würzburger Weihnachtsmarkt

  Stalls fill the Marktplatz around the Gothic Marienkapelle, with a tall tree and a nativity scene.

  SeeAltstadtFree60 minAfter dark
• Photo: Lunitun · CC BY-SA 3.0 de

  Würzburg Residence

  UNESCO-listed prince-bishops' palace with Tiepolo's ceiling fresco over the grand staircase.

  Tip The state rooms are seen on a guided tour; English tours run daily.

  DoResidenzplatz$$1.5 hrMorning
• Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Alte Mainbrücke

  Stone bridge over the Main lined with baroque saints, facing Marienberg Fortress across the river.

  Tip Come at blue hour, when the fortress is floodlit.

  SeeAltstadtFree30 minBlue hour

• Festung Marienberg

  Hilltop fortress above the vineyards on the west bank, with walls and terraces looking over the old town.

  Tip Walk up through the vineyards from the bridge in about 20 minutes.

  OutdoorsZellerauFree75 minAfternoon
• Photo: Tors · Public domain

  Käppele

  Balthasar Neumann's pilgrimage church on the Nikolausberg, reached by a stepped Way of the Cross.

  SeeNikolausbergFree60 minAfternoon

• Würzburg Cathedral

  St. Kilian's Cathedral, a Romanesque church rebuilt after 1945, at the end of the Domstrasse.

  SeeAltstadtFree30 min

• Bürgerspital Weinstuben

  Wine tavern of a hospital foundation and estate dating to 1316, serving Franconian Silvaner and hearty plates.

  Tip Reserve for dinner; the wine shop next door sells Bocksbeutel bottles to take home.

  EatAltstadt$$1.5 hrDinner

• Alte Mainmühle

  Restaurant in an old mill at the foot of the bridge; its window sells the glasses for the bridge-side wine.

  DrinkAltstadt$$45 minEvening

Destination 02

Bamberg

8 places

UNESCO old town of smoked beer and river houses; 1–2 nights.

• Photo: Silviomerci1971 · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Altes Rathaus

  The old town hall stands on an island in the Regnitz, half-timbered on one end and covered in painted facades.

  Tip The best view is from the Untere Brücke.

  SeeInselstadtFree20 minBlue hour
• Photo: Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Bamberger Weihnachtsmarkt

  The Christmas market on Maximiliansplatz, with a large nativity scene and a children's carousel.

  Tip Pick up a Krippenweg map here to follow the nativity scenes around town.

  SeeInselstadtFree60 minAfter dark

• Bamberg Cathedral

  Four-towered imperial cathedral on the Domberg, home to the Bamberg Horseman and the tomb of Henry II.

  SeeDombergFree45 minMorning
• Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Neue Residenz

  Prince-bishops' palace on the Domplatz; its rose garden terrace looks across the roofs to Michaelsberg.

  Tip The state rooms are shown on guided tours.

  DoDomberg$60 minAfternoon
• Photo: Ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Klein-Venedig

  A row of former fishermen's houses with small gardens and balconies right on the Regnitz.

  Tip See it from the Untere Brücke or the riverside path on the opposite bank.

  SeeInselstadtFree30 minMorning
• Photo: ermell · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Schlenkerla

  Historic brewery tavern pouring Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, a smoked beer, from wooden barrels.

  Tip Order the Märzen and the Bamberger Zwiebel, an onion stuffed with meat.

  DrinkSandgebiet$$1.5 hrEvening

• Brauerei Spezial

  Family brewery and inn near the station, the town's other long-running smoked-beer maker.

  DrinkGärtnerstadt$60 minEvening

• Hotel Nepomuk

  Hotel in a former mill on the Regnitz, a few steps from the Altes Rathaus.

  Tip Ask for a river-view room.

  StayInselstadt$$$

Destination 03

Nuremberg

8 places

The Christkindlesmarkt, bratwurst and the Kaiserburg; 2 nights.

• Photo: DALIBRI · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Christkindlesmarkt

  Around 180 red-and-white striped stalls fill the Hauptmarkt, selling Lebkuchen, plum-people figures and Glühwein.

  Tip Glühwein comes in a souvenir mug that changes design every year.

  SeeAltstadt St. SebaldFree2 hrWeekday morning
• Photo: DALIBRI · CC BY-SA 4.0

  Markt der Partnerstädte

  Stalls from Nuremberg's twin cities around the world on the Rathausplatz, beside St. Sebaldus.

  ShopAltstadt St. Sebald$30 minAfter dark

• Frauenkirche

  Gothic church on the Hauptmarkt whose 1509 clock runs the Männleinlaufen figure parade every day at noon.

  Tip Stand in front of the church a few minutes before 12.

  SeeAltstadt St. SebaldFree20 minNoon

• Schöner Brunnen

  A 14th-century spire-shaped fountain at the corner of the Hauptmarkt, with a brass ring set in its railing.

  Tip Turning the ring is said to bring luck.

  SeeAltstadt St. SebaldFree10 min
• Photo: DALIBRI · CC BY-SA 2.0 de

  Kaiserburg

  The imperial castle on the sandstone ridge above the old town, with the Sinwell Tower and a 50-metre well.

  Tip The garden terrace below the castle has the best free view over the roofs.

  DoBurgviertel$1.5 hrAfternoon

• Albrecht-Dürer-Haus

  The half-timbered house below the castle where Albrecht Dürer lived and worked from 1509 until his death.

  DoBurgviertel$60 min

• Germanisches Nationalmuseum

  Germany's largest museum of cultural history, from Dürer paintings to the oldest surviving globe.

  Tip Closed on Mondays.

  DoAltstadt St. Lorenz$$2.5 hrMorning

• Bratwursthäusle

  Grill house beside St. Sebaldus serving finger-sized Nürnberger Rostbratwürste over a beechwood fire.

  Tip Order six or eight with sauerkraut and potato salad.

  EatAltstadt St. Sebald$$60 minLunch