Bamberg
UNESCO World Heritage Site: Town Of Bamberg (1993); A Franconian Town That Came Through The War Almost Untouched, With The Old Town Hall Standing On An Island In The River And A Smoked Beer Brewing Tradition · Bamberg, Bavaria
Bamberg stands on seven hills around the arms of the Regnitz in Upper Franconia, about an hour north of Nuremberg by regional train. UNESCO inscribed it in 1993 largely because it came through the war almost intact: a whole Baroque and medieval town rather than a reconstruction, which is why it reads quite differently from Nuremberg down the line. The set pieces are the Altes Rathaus, the old town hall built on an island mid-river, with painted facades and a trompe-l'oeil cherub whose leg breaks out of the fresco in real plaster; the four-towered cathedral with the Bamberg Horseman and the only papal grave north of the Alps; the rose garden of the New Residence looking over the roofs; Little Venice, the fishermen's cottages leaning over the water; and Altenburg castle on the hill above. What Bambergers mention first, though, is beer: nine breweries in a town of around 75,000, and Schlenkerla's Rauchbier, smoked over beechwood, which tastes of bonfire and ham and splits opinion on the first sip. It suits anyone happy to walk a compact town slowly for a day or two.
Bamberg old town across its seven hills and the arms of the Regnitz, northern Bavaria, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
The old town is open street and costs nothing at any hour. The cathedral is normally open daily with free entry and closes to sightseers during services - confirm. The New Residence state rooms and rose garden, the Historical Museum in the Alte Hofhaltung, the Diocesan Museum, the Sammlung Ludwig faience collection in the Altes Rathaus and the Franconian Brewery Museum keep museum hours, most of them closed Mondays as Bavarian museums generally are, and several either shut or cut back sharply between November and March - check before you travel rather than after. The Altenburg courtyard is open daily and free; its restaurant keeps its own days. Taverns and brewery taps run from late morning to late evening, though some Franconian pubs still keep one closing day a week. Shops shut on Sundays.