The Upper Franconian town of Bamberg is the secret “beer capital” of Germany. The density of breweries and the range of beer on offer are great – but holidays in Bamberg offer much more!
Bamberg lies on the edge of the Steigerwald and was built on seven hills in the Middle Ages. The oldest inhabited hill is the Domberg with its imposing church building. The other six hills are the Michelsberg (where there is a monastery), the Kaulberg (with the Upper Parish), the Stefansberg (where the church of St. Stephen stands), the Jakobsberg with the church of St. James, the Altenburg and the undeveloped Abtsberg.
The historic old town of Bamberg has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1993. A stroll through the winding alleys and a visit to the local breweries is one of the most popular tourist activities in the city.
Holidays in Bamberg – what to do
I wasn't just in Bamberg to move from one brewery to the next. Of course, I also wanted to gather some city impressions and discover Bamberg's sights.
Franconia is beer country and Bamberg is considered the beer capital - is that really true? I set off for Bamberg to discover Bamberg beer, the breweries, the cellars and the city's beer scene.
In Berlin I visited the Old Malt House and learned something about the history of malting. In Bamberg I was now allowed to visit the highly modern Weyermann malt house. I wonder if there are still similarities.
If you look at pictures of Bamberg, you will always see a beautiful half-timbered house on an island. This is probably the best-known and most important building in the city - the old Bamberg town hall.
Bamberg travel information
Arrival
By plane
Nuremberg International Airport is about 56 kilometres away. The much larger Frankfurt airport, which is served by many more airlines, is over 200 kilometres away.
By train
ICE trains regularly stop at Bamberg’s main station on the Berlin-Munich route. There are also connections to Halle or Leipzig. Regional trains offer connections to Nuremberg, Würzburg and Hof.
It only takes a few minutes to walk from the station to the historic old town.
By bus
Bamberg is easy to reach via a long-distance bus line. The long-distance bus stops near the main railway station.
The city is also part of the Nuremberg metropolitan region and is connected to the public transport system via the Verkehrsverbund.
By car
The A 73 and A 70 motorways run in the immediate vicinity of the city. Bamberg is also connected to the federal roads 4, 22, 26 and 279.
By ship
There is a harbour in Bamberg that is a port of call for river cruise ships. The Main-Danube Canal begins in the town and runs towards Nuremberg as far as Kehlheim.
By bike
The Main cycle path runs through the town. This is also the starting point of the Aischtal cycle path.
This is especially nice for cycle tourists: There is a bicycle parking garage in the town. In addition, there are parking spaces and luggage storage facilities at the tourist information office.
On the way in …
By public transport
There is a well-developed city bus system in the city.
Bus line 910 runs from the main railway station to the old town. It passes the most important sights.
By car
Bamberg’s city centre is a maze of one-way streets for uninformed drivers. It is not really fun to find your way around. Many areas of the old town are also closed to car traffic and there are very few parking spaces.
There are two large P&R car parks (Heinrichsdamm or on Kronacher Straße) where you can park easily.
On foot
The historic old town can be explored very well on foot.
With the gondola
Rides in a Venetian gondola are offered on the left arm of the Regnitz.