I spent much of my summer last year travelling through Germany, including a two-week roadtrip through Bavaria, Schwarzwald and parts of western and central Germany – with a few detours to Austria and Switzerland too. After some wonderful days in the beautiful Bavarian Alps, I’d spent some time travelling through other parts of Germany, but then decided to return to Bavaria some days later. Only this time, I wasn’t down south by the Alps. Instead, I visited the northern part of Germany’s largest state and three very romantic destinations.
The Würzburg Residence, a UNESCO sight
I woke up at 10 AM after a nice sleep at a motel, one of those rare nights where I didn’t sleep in the car. Since I was on a quest to visit as many UNESCO sites as possible while in Germany, I drove to Würzburg first.
The city of Würzburg is home to the Würzburg Residence, a Baroque palace from the 1700’s which is considered to be one of the most important palaces in Europe from its time. In fact, the palace was reportedly named “the nicest parsonage in Europe” by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte.
Unfortunately, the palace was severely damaged during WW2 bombings, but it has since been restored and included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
I paid 3,40 euros to park my car on the palace grounds, and another 9 euros for entrance, but it was a small price for the beauty that awaited me as I stepped inside the palace. The first thing that met my eyes was a grand staircase leading me up to one exquisitely decorated room after the other. My favourite was the Mirror Cabinet which is a room covered in mirrors framed in gold leaf. The elaborate frescos were also very impressive to me, not least the ceiling fresco above the staircase. It was painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1753, and it depicts the four continents known at the time; Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Covering the entire vaulted ceiling, the fresco is actually the largest of its kind in the world.
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the residence so I can’t show you the beauty (but do google it – or even better, go see it for yourself!). Thankfully, photography is allowed in the palace gardens which are beautifully arranged with colourful flower beds, neat hedges and sculptures and fountains throughout. However, the gardens pale in comparison to the gorgeous palace interior.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, home of romance
Tired from all the impressions from Würzburg Residence, I cherished switching my mind off for a while as I drove further south into Bavaria to the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This town always seems to sneak its way onto travel itineraries for Bavaria, and for good reason. When researching what to see and do in Bavaria, Rothenburg kept popping up with mentions of it being the prettiest town in the region – and some would even say in all of Germany (although I have to disagree – I liked Schiltach in Schwarzwald much more). Rothenburg is one of the main attractions on Bavaria’s Romantic Road, and it was not difficult for me to decide to include it on my roadtrip itinerary as well.
According to many travel blogs out there, Rothenburg is severely overcrowded, especially during the summer. My visit was also during summer time, but for once, Covid was an advantage. Sure, I was hardly the only tourist there, but I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary for Germany. And even with the crowds, I believe Rothenburg is worth the effort. Sometimes there’s a good reason why a place is well-visited!
Many of the medieval buildings and cobbled streets of Rothenburg have been preserved, including the wall that surrounds the town and adds a ton of character and charm. It’s also one of only three intact Medieval town walls in all of Germany!
I found a parking lot just outside the town wall, and was gifted a parking ticket from a kind man which still had an hour and fifteen minutes left on it. That amount of time is obviously not enough for a place like Rothenburg, but what don’t you do to save a bit of cash when on a budget?
So I slipped it under the car window, and headed into the town through one of the town gates. One thing I really wanted to do in Rothenburg was to walk the entire length of the walls on the Tower Trail which is around four kilometres long, and offers breathtaking views of the old town and endless photo opportunities. I figured I would be able to do it in time for when my ticket would expire, and then I could return to the parking lot to buy more time.
Walking on the Medieval walls, it brought me back to my visit to Visby on Gotland where I also walked the town walls. Unfortunately, only about half of the walls in Rothenburg are walkable, the rest of the route follows a trail that takes you to the other side of the wall with lovely views of the countryside and the old town centre in the distance. My many many photo breaks meant that I was suddenly short on time, so I had to hurry through the last part in order to make it back to the car in time. Rothenburg is just so pretty that I couldn’t stop myself from pulling out the camera!
I made it back to the car five minutes late, but there were no traffic wardens to be seen. I purchased a new ticket and walked back into the town centre.
If there’s one place that has put Rothenburg on everyone’s minds, it’s the intersection at Plönlein. It may sound strange that an intersection is the most popular sight in Rothenburg, but I have to admit that it’s a pretty gorgeous setting with a yellow half-timbered house and tower gates on either side of it, complete with cozy cobbled streets. Beautiful as it is, I actually enjoyed people-watching at this spot more than the sight itself. One photographer had set up his gear and was patiently waiting for people to get out of his shot. Which just never happened…. I have a really hard time understanding why everybody wants to take the same photos; I don’t get what’s so special about taking a high-quality photo of Plönlein when every photographer ever has done the same before you? Somebody enlighten me, please! I, for one, would rather spend my time seeking out lesser-known places in Rothenburg and photograph those than compete for the best picture of the same spot that thousands of photographers have captured before me.
Leaving the photographer to fight for himself, I walked further into the old town to the Markplatz, the main square and the heart of Rothenburg. This is where the Rathaus (Town Hall) is located, as is the beautiful Baumeisterhaus from 1596, as well as shops, cafés and restaurants in abundance. Tucked away in an alleyway was a small flea market supporting animal welfare which I supported by purchasing some beautiful ornaments.
A cozy night at a campervan site in Baunach
Evening arrived, and it was time to leave Rothenburg behind and head north to another one of Bavaria’s famous picturesque towns, Bamberg. But with nightfall approaching, I decided to save it for the next day, and instead find a good spot to sleep near the town.
I settled for a small free parking lot in the tiny town of Baunach where three motorhomes were already parked for the night. I soon got talking to the family sleeping beside me, and they invited me along for a drink and fries in Baunach’s cozy main square. The family, which consists of Jessi and Philipp, their adorable son Franz and their cute dog Beara, had just returned from a roadtrip in Denmark. They are from Munich, and we found it rather funny that they’d come from my home country and I’d come from their city, and we’d somehow met in the middle!
We shared a lovely evening, and after over a week on the road alone, I was thankful to finally have meaningful conversations with someone else than myself. I’d really missed that part of travelling!
Bamberg, the town of seven hills
The next morning, I said goodbye to my new friends and headed to Bamberg. With help from a kind waiter in Baunach, I found a free two-hour parking space just 700 meters outside of Bamberg’s centre. Two hours was enough to see the highlights of the town which was all I had time for and honestly all I could be bothered to do. After seeing so many towns and villages on this roadtrip, I was on the brink of being over it. But I just knew that I couldn’t miss out on Bamberg.
Bamberg is known as ‘the town of seven hills’ as it was built on (you guessed it) seven hills. The town is divided into three parts; the mountain town with the oldest part of the town, the island town with the town centre, and the historic market gardener’s town. Altstadt (the old town) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and it’s certainly not without reason.
Because Bamberg is brimming with crooked half-timbered houses, neatly situated along narrow cobblestone streets and the river Regnitz which flows through the town. Many buildings date back to the Medieval period and are incredibly well-preserved. My favourite building in Bamberg was without a doubt the iconic Rathaus (Town Hall) from 1386 which is situated on an island in the middle of the river, and in fact makes up the entire island! It’s connected to the rest of the town by two picturesque stone bridges. With its yellow half-timbered architecture and trompe d’oeil frescos, the Rathaus might just be the most beautiful of its kind in the world.
I was also blown away by the beautiful interior with elaborate murals of the Obere Pfarre Church from 1325, but I wasn’t quite as impressed by Bamberg’s cathedral, Bamberger Dom. It was founded in 1004 but unfortunately burned down twice, and the current cathedral dates back to the early 13th century and features both Romanesque and Gothic architecture as well as four spires. While it’s quite the sight from the outside, the interior is rather bland, especially in comparison to the Obere Pfarre Church.
Next to the cathedral stands the Neue Residenz, a luxurious palace built in 1613-1703 that pales in comparison to Würzburg Residence. But behind it is the beautiful Rosengarten which offers not only a lovely rose garden, but also some incredible views of the lower parts of Bamberg. However, I found an even better view of the town by St Michael’s Monastery after climbing a steep hill.
Satisfied with my two hours of strolling through Bamberg, I headed back to the car with the intention of driving up to see Altenburg Castle from the early 12th century which is located high above Bamberg.
But I must’ve been exhausted as I forgot all about it and instead drove to my next destination without even realizing I’d missed the castle. Oh well, I guess there’s always next time!
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