The Franconian Switzerland is not only one of the oldest and most popular travel destination in northern Bavaria, but also the region with the highest density of private breweries in the world.

The region got was named Franconian Switzerland by Romantic artists and poets in the 19th century who compared the landscape to Switzerland. It is located between the cities of Bamberg, Bayreuth and Nuremberg.

Franconian Switzerland-Fränkische Schweiz © flickr/Marcus Meissner

And the Franconian Switzerland really has a lot to offer, there are soaring towers, small villages with half-timbered houses, medieval castles and more than 100 caves of all sizes. Not only of them are open to the public, but the biggest are. There are Devil’s Cave (Teufelshöhle), Bing Cave (Ginghöhle) and Sophie’s Cave (Sophienhöhle) which enchant the visitors with bizarre columns of limestone, skeletons of bears and stalagmites and stalactites of different shape and size.

The river Wiesent invites fly fishers, kayak drivers and canoeists and a complex network of hiking and cycling trails meets every level of athleticism.

Particularly interesting for families are the wildlife park of Hundshaupten, the wildlife park ‘Hufeisen’ in the Veldenstein Forest and falconry at Rabenstein Castle. And also the Franconian Switzerland Steam Railway (Dampfbahn Fränkische Schweiz) which is operating between Ebermannstadt and Behringersmühle on every Sunday and all holidays between March and October.

Burgruine Neideck © flickr/David Sedlmayer

A must-see for tourist is the basilica in Gössweinstein. The baroque church was built from 1730 to 1739 by the famous architect Balthasar Neumann. It was probably built on the site of an ancient chapel dating back to 1071. The basilica is a popular pilgrimage destination and part of the Way of St James.

If you come to the Franconian Switzerland you will find the fountains in the villages richly decorated, and during the year many events like church fairs and more take place. And with 72 breweries in the region beer plays an important role on every festivity.

But not only beer also the local cuisine with trout, zander, game or lamb from the local streams, meadows and forests and freshly-baked Schäufele (shoulder of pork) can be recommended. Every year in October the ‘Hot Weeks’ take place, and in many restaurants you can taste special dishes made with horseradish.

A good way to discover the beauty of the Moselle region is on board a boat. You can sit down and relax and let the magnificent landscape pass by.

And when you stop at one of the beautiful towns along the river you can not only go sightseeing but also sample wines. So a Moselle River-Cruise is a wine tasting tour too. The whole region as you might know is not only famous for the beauty of its landscape but also for its great wines.
Along the Moselle you can see not only vineyards but also numerous castles and enchanting towns.

Moselle Cruise/Mosel Kreuzfahrt © flickr/JACoulter

The Moselle is flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany and has its source at the Col de Bussang in the Vosges Mountains. At Koblenz it joins the Rhine and therefore is an important German waterway.
In France Metz and Thionville are located on the Moselle. In Luxemburg the town of Schengen sits on the Moselle and in Germany the oldest German town Trier sits on the river. Another well known town on the Moselle is Koblenz.
The Moselle Valley is snaking through Germany and picturesque villages with half timbered-houses take turns with rocks and hillsides.
Cochem Castle dating back to the 11th century and Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel-Kues are special highlights of this river cruise.

You can get the cruises as full board cruises or with wine tasting and also for visitors who don’t fancy wine too much they are a great experience. Just try it; you might love the famous Riesling. And you can of course combine a cruise with a cycling tour.

Koblenz will enchant you with the castles and magnificent buildings of the old town with its winding alleys. There are the Ehrenbreitstein fortress,  the so called Deutschherrenhaus of the Order of the Teutonic Knights, the residential tower called Deutscher Kaiser (German emperor) built in the 16th century, the Schängel Fountain and the Church of Our Beloved Lady which dominates the skyline of Koblenz.

Another must-see on the cruise and never left out is Trier the oldest German city. In Trier you can see the famous Porta Nigra, the Roman bridge (Römerbrücke), the Roman baths, the Roman amphitheatre and many other buildings. The Porta Nigra is the oldest still existing Roman city gate north of the Alps and is a perfect starting point for a sightseeing tour. And also the Trier Cathedral, the huge Constantine Basilica and the other churches form the cityscape and are open to the public.

Bernkastel-Kues © flickr/Karamellzucker

Lovers of old castles will really enjoy a cruise on the Moselle.  Some of them you can watch when passing by and some of them you can visit on an excursion.

Famous are Arras Castle near Alf, Landshut Castle near Bernkastel-Kues, Cochem Castle, Eltz Castle, Gondorf Castle, the Old Castle in Koblenz, Saarburg Castle and Greven Castle in Trarbach.

Arras Castle dates back to 1830 and has been the residence of the electors of Trier for 1000 years. It went rack and ruin in the 18th century and was restored from 1907 on. Today it houses a restaurant, a café, a hotel and a museum. Worth a visit are the great hall and the dungeon.

You can easily climb up to Landshut Castle by foot. The ruin is really lovely and dates back to 993. It boasts with a glorious history and changing owners.

Cochem Castle is a castle on top of a hill and can be seen from afar. From there you have a great view of the town of Cochem. And there also is falconry in the castle and you might be able to see a show.

Eltz Castle looks like a castle in a fairy tale book and is still well preserved. For more than 800 years it has been owned by the Eltz family.

The Old Castle of Koblenz is a moated castle built in the 13th century by the elector of Trier Heinrich von Finsterlingen. Since 2002 it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Oberes Mittlerheintal’.

The Greven Castle at Trarbach also is a ruin but really imposing. It was built around 1350 as seat of government of John III and has a long history with numerous owners. In 1620 it was even conquered by the Spanish, after that by the Swedes and the French tried to keep it for a while during siege. In 1734 it was handed over to the city of Trier but the peace didn’t last very long. Only 21 years later the French blew the whole castle up. The damage was done but couldn’t harm the view of the surrounding area.

Leipzig, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, is located in the north-west of Saxony by the rivers Elster, Pleisse and Parthe.

From 1723 to 1750 Johann Sebastian Bach was musical director of Leipzig and also choirmaster of the famous St Thomas’ Boys Choir which emerged 800 years ago from the practice of music making during service in the former Ausgustinian Canons.

Thomaskirche/St Thomas's Church © flickr/vxla

In Leipzig you can learn a lot about Bach as the city has dedicated itself to maintaining his heritage. There are the Bach Archives, the Bach Museum and the Gewandhaus Orchstra. For more than 250 years the Gewandhaus Orchestra has been playing classical music in Leipzig, either in the Gewandhaus, in the Opera House or with the Boys Choir at St Thomas’ Church.

But you can also find the residence of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig. Today the building houses a museum with his original furniture amongst others on display.

Another famous citizen of Leipzig was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who studied in Leipzig from 1765 to 1768. A scene from his famous ‘Faust’ made the restaurant ‘Auerbachs Keller’ (Auerbach’s Cellar) world-famous.

In Leipzig you can also find the oldest surviving coffee house and restaurant in Europe. It is called ‘Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum’ and was first mentioned in 1556. It was reconstructed in 1719/20 and got its name from a statue at the main gate. Today the building not only houses a café and restaurant but also a museum.

Battle of the Nations Monument/Völkerschlachtdenkmal © flickr-Mara~earth light~

If you come to Leipzig by train you will arrive at one of the largest terminus train station in Europe that today also houses a state-of-the-art shopping and service centre.

The Old City Hall of Leipzig was built between 1556 and 1557 in only nine month and still is one of the most beautiful Renaissance town halls in Germany. Today it houses a museum where visitors can learn about the history of Leipzig.

To commemorate the Battle of the Nations of 1813 the largest memorial complex in Europe was erected near Leipzig. It has a viewing platform at 91 metres above ground that offers a great view of Leipzig and the whole region.

Leipzig was the starting point of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 which led to the reunification of the two German states. You can visit St Nicholas’ Church where the Prayers for Peace were said and the demonstrations started. And what started with only a few people soon became a peaceful demonstration held by 70,000 men and women.

Leipzig is also called ‘mother of all trade fairs’ and opened the new exhibition centre in 1996. In 1997 it celebrated the 500th anniversary of being granted the Imperial Right to Hold Trade Fairs.

If you seek peace and quiet you should go for a walk in the Auenwald, a park and floodplain landscape that is unique in Europe and snakes all the way through the city.

Perfect for a day out with the whole family are the Leipzig Zoo, being one of the oldest and most varied in the world, and the Belantis Amusement Park.

Besides the famous restaurants Auerbachs Keller and Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum Leipzig also has numerous pubs, cafés, bars and beer gardens. Leipzig offers its visitors a wide range of international as well as local cuisine.

If you visit Leipzig you should purchase the LEIPZIG CARD with which you have free access to trams and busses and also get special discounts for museums, sightseeing tours and more. Click here for more information.

Great, not only when it’s hot…

4.4 oz cane sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ t cardamom, ½ tsp coriander, ½ tsp ginger,1pinch allspice, 8 egg yolks, 1 oz chocolate,  1 oz hazelnuts, 4 Aachener Printen (a special form of ginger bread from Aachen), 7 oz cream, 1tsp rose water

Mix the sugar with 3 tbs of water and the spices in a double boiler and stir it until it becomes pasty syrup.  Take it off the cooker and add the egg yolks, whisk well until it is light and fluffy and let it cool down on ice while stirring it. Chop the chocolate, the hazelnuts and the Aachener Printen and add to it together with the whipped cream and the rose water.

If you don’t have an ice-machine put it into the freezer for about 4 to 5 hours. Take it out every 30 minutes to stir so that no solid ice crystals build up.

It is great with chocolate sauce made of 5 oz cream, 1 tbs honey and 1.6 oz chocolate. Boil up 3 oz of cream with the honey, add the melted chocolate and let it cool down. Whip the rest of the cream before you add it.

Aachener Printen © flickr/diekatrin