Bamberg old town, Bavaria, Germany

Bamberg’s old town is one of the largest and best-preserved historic centres in Germany, an unbroken sweep of medieval, Baroque and half-timbered architecture that earned the whole ensemble a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993. Built across seven hills in the valley of the River Regnitz in Upper Franconia — a setting that long ago won it the nickname “Franconian Rome” — the town came through the Second World War almost unscathed and preserves some 2,400 listed buildings. It falls into three distinct historic quarters: the episcopal town on the cathedral hill, the burghers’ island town on the Regnitz, and the old market-gardeners’ district, a rare surviving example of urban horticulture that is part of what makes Bamberg so unusual.

What to See

The town’s signature sight is the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), which sits improbably on its own artificial island in the middle of the Regnitz, reached by two bridges and covered in vivid trompe-l’œil frescoes, with a jettied half-timbered annex that overhangs the water. Just downstream lies Little Venice (Klein Venedig), a picturesque row of former fishermen’s cottages with wooden balconies and little gardens dropping straight to the river. Up on Cathedral Square, the four-towered cathedral is flanked by the medieval Old Court (Alte Hofhaltung) and the Baroque New Residence (Neue Residenz), whose grand state rooms and rose garden look out over the rooftops. Above the town rises the former Benedictine Michaelsberg Abbey, while the lanes in between are full of Baroque churches, palaces and the traditional breweries for which Bamberg is famous — above all its distinctive smoked beer (Rauchbier).

How to Get There and Practical Information

Bamberg sits in northern Bavaria on the main railway line between Nuremberg and Würzburg, with frequent fast trains (Nuremberg is around 40 minutes away) that make it a very easy day trip or overnight stop. From the station it is about a twenty-minute walk, or a short bus ride, into the old town, which is compact and almost entirely explored on foot. Wandering the streets, crossing the bridges by the Old Town Hall and admiring Little Venice cost nothing at any hour, while individual sights such as the New Residence and the city’s museums are ticketed. Bamberg is busiest with day-trippers in the middle of the day, so mornings and evenings are the most relaxed times to explore — and the perfect excuse to linger in one of its historic beer gardens or brewery taverns.