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.

The Tauber Valley, also known as “Madonnen-Ländle”, is a great region for hikers and cyclists.

It is located between Spessart and Odenwald and is well known for moderate temperatures until late autumn. It is a pretty romantic area with many castles and palaces and Franconian cuisine and wine.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber © flickr/ashleypalmero

The Tauber Valley is called Madonnen-Ländle (Madonna land) because of the many Madonna statues in the villages with half-timbered houses, in the vineyards and in the fields.

One of the most beautiful routes is the so called “Panoramaweg” between Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Freudenberg on the Main River.  128 kilometres along the river Tauber. On your tour you can not only enjoy the beautiful landscape but also the Hergottskirche church in Creglingen or the Baroque Garden of Weikersheim palace.

And you should of course go on a sightseeing tour in Rothenburg too. The historical town is one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Germany. From there you go through the Mill Valley (Tal der Mühlen) to Creglingen.

In the Herrgottskirche church at Creglingen you can see an altar with a height of 9 metres carved by Tilman Riemenschneider.

On you go through forests and vineyards to Weikersheim, the former residence of the sovereigns of Hohenlohe. There you can visit the Renaissance Palace and garden at the market place before you travel to Lauda. If you like the Frankonian Bratwurst (sausage) with Sauerkraut you should stop at Markelheim where you can get a whole metre of Bratwurst at the restaurant “Taubertal”.

Weikersheim © flickr/jorbasa

You travel on to Reichholzheim, where the famous Müller-Thurgau wine comes from. Müller-Thurgau is one of a number of famous white wines from Germany exported and enjoyed around the world. It was made by Hermann Muller in the 19th century and cultivated worldwide.

The final part of the trip takes you to Wertheim where the Tauber River meets the River Main. Wertheim is a beautiful town with magnificent half-timbered houses. And from the castle and the tower you have a great view of the Tauber Valley.

You can reach the Tauber Valley easily from Würzburg, Stuttgart or Frankfurt. Special offers for hikers with half-board, luggage transport and guided city tours are available. Of course there are special offers for cyclists too.

Würzburg is the capital of  the administrative region of Lower Franconia, Bavaria.

In Würzburg the visitors will find one of the most important palaces in Europe. The Residential Palace is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was designed by Balthasar Neumann and built from 1720 to 1744. Neumann also designed the magnificent staircase with its self-supporting vault. The brilliant ceiling paintings by G. B. Tiepolo and stucco ornamentation by A. Bossi  also are unique.

Residenz © flickr/melalouise

The Hofkirche church also designed by Balthasar Neumann is worth a visit too but unfortunately closed until 2010 due to restoration works. But you can still visit the beautiful palace gardens with numerous rococo sculptures and cast iron gates by J. Georg Oegg.

The fortress “Marienberg” towers above the city. It was used as a refuge around 1000 BC and consecrated as Virgin Mary Church in 706 AD. From there you have a great view of the city and the Main River. There are also a beer garden and a restaurant.

From the old bridge “Alte Mainbrücke” you have fantastic views of the fortress and the vineyards. The same view you get from a boat when you decide to go on a little boat trip.

Würzburg has also a lot to offer for music enthusiasts. The Bach Music Festival, the Mozart Festival, the Jazz Festival and the Africa Festival are held during the year.

Residenz © flickr/vince42

If you like to taste some wine of the region you should visit Germany’s third largest vineyard, the Juliusspital, with 250 metres of arches and huge wooden wine casks.

From Würzburg you can either cycle or drive by car on the Romantic Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber or go to Nuremberg.

Worth a visit also are the “Mineralogisches Museum” (Mineralogical Museum) with an exhibition called Planet Earth and the “Mainfränkisches Museum” with the world’s largest collection of works by Riemenschneider.
From the “Frankenwarte” on the Nikolausberg Mountain you also have a great view of the city. 173 steps lead up to the viewing platform at a height of 38 metres.

Black Forest Gateau is one of the most popular German cakes.

Shortpastry:

1 ¼ cups flour, ½ cup sugar, salt, 7 oz cold butter, 1 egg, butter for the form

Sponge:

3.5 oz butter, 3.5 oz sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla-flavoured sugar, 4 eggs, 3.5 oz ground almonds, 3.5 oz cocoa powder, ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup starch flour, 2 tsp baking powder

Filling and topping:

3 cups (drained weight) jar cherries, drained, juice reserved, 1 tbsp starch flour, 2 pt cream, whipped, 2 tbsp cherry jam, 8 tbsp Kirschwasser (schnaps), 12 cherries, 1oz chocolate shavings

Shortpastry:

Put the flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl and add cubes of the cold butter, use your fingertips to mix the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with no large lumps of butter remaining. Try to work fast before it gets greasy. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin. Put it into a 10 ½ inch springform cake tin, pierce with a fork and bake at 390 ° F (200 °C) for about 15 minutes until it is light brown. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

Sponge:

Mix soft butter, sugar, vanilla-flavoured sugar and whisk well until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs, ground almonds and the cocoa powder, stir it well and add flour, baking powder and starch flour and stir carefully. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform cake tin and bake it at 390 ° F. Take it out and leave it in the baking form until it is cold.

Filling:

Heat the cherry juice and add the starce flour, mix it with the cherries and leave it to cool.

Cut the cooled sponge into three layers using a sharp bread knife.

Spread the jam on the shortpastry and put the first layer of sponge on top spread one third of the Kirschwasser , cherries and a quarter of the cream, put the next layer on top and do the same, the same again with the third layer. Spread the sides of the cake with the rest of the whipped cream and decorate the cake with 12 whirls of cream and a cherry on top of each.

Chill it before you serve it.

Black Forest Gateau/Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte©flickr/Mikelo

The Black Forest certainly is one of the most popular travel destinations in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Black Forest/Schwarzwald © flickr/Stephan A.

The area in south-west Germany at the border to France and Switzerland is a wooded mountain range with the Feldberg being the highest peak with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). The region has a length of about 200 kilometres (120 miles) and width of about 60 kilometres (37 miles).

The forest mainly consists of pines and firs which to some extend are commercially used. The Black Forest is famous for its cuckoo clocks, the Black Forest gateau, Black Forest Ham and the Bollenhut hats which are part of the women’s traditional costumes and worn on special occasions only. People in more than 40 countries also know the TV-series “Black Forest Clinic” (Schwarzwaldklinik).

It is said that hiking was invented in the Black Forest, and here you find more hiking possibilities than anywhere else. There is a real network of hiking trails either in the high mountains or in the cosy forests and there are many typical “Vesteperstuben” – snack places – which await the visitors with a rustic snack. Often they are situated at mountain summits from where you have a great view over the region.

Black Forest/Schwarzwald © flickr/Allie_Caulfield

In winter the Black Forest is a real winter wonderland and you can of course go skiing in one of the numerous ski resorts. The Black Forest is also known as the birthplace of skiing in central Europe. Here the first ski club was founded and the first wooden skis were produced.

Visitors who seek relaxation should visit one of the thermal baths in Baden-Baden, Badenweiler or Bad Wildbad with their long tradition. No other German region has that many springs in such close proximity.
And there of course is the mythological side of the Black Forest with werewolves, sorcerers, witches and devils but also helpful dwarves.

Popular tourist destinations in the Black Forest are Freiburg with the famous minster, Titisee and Schluchsee lakes, where you can go diving and sailboarding, the Höllental (Hell Valley) with the statue of a jumping deer and the Triberg Waterfalls. And of course France, Switzerland and Lake Constance are not far.

The beautiful town of Ansbach on the Fränkische Rezat River is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia in Bavaria, Germany.

Ansbach is located in the beautiful Middle Franconian landscape about 25 miles (40 kilometres) southwest of Nuremberg and about 90 miles (140 kilometres) north of Munich.

Margrave Palace ©Julia Höfer-von Seelen

One of the first sights you see, when you come to Ansbach is the Palace of the Margraves of Brandenburg-Ansbach in the centre of the town. The palace is open to the public and you can go on a guided tour through 27 magnificent rooms. Special attractions are the two storeyed ballroom, the mirror hall and the tile hall with about 2.800 tiles made in the former faience factory of Ansbach.

Also pretty interesting is the Bavarian state collection “Ansbacher Fayence und Porzellan“  (Faience and China of Ansbach).

If you go on a guided tour of the town you can also visit the Ansbach Synagogue which wasn’t destroyed during WW2. But as there is no Jewish community in Ansbach it isn’t used for religious purposes any longer. It is unimpressive from the outside but a s a magnificent baroque interior.

Every day except Monday the Markgrafen Museum (Margrave Museum) is open to the public. Here you can learn about Kaspar Hauser’s life in Ansbach and a lot about the history of the town.

In Platenstraße you can see the two statues of Kaspar Hauser. The first shows what he looked like in 1828 when he first appeared in Nuremberg and the second shows what he looked like in 1833 before he was assassinated.

St. Gumbertus Church with its three steeples was built in the 15th century on the site of an old abbey church of which the crypt is still preserved underneath the church.

The Orangery in the palace gardens was built from 1726 to 1728 by Carl Friedrich von Zocha and today is home of concert and congress rooms.

Herrieder Tor © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

One of the town’s landmarks is the town gate “Herrider Tor” which was build under the rule of Margrave Carl Wilhelm Friedrich Brandenburg-Ansbach (1712-1757). The octagonal tower with a height of 47 metres was built in 1750/51. The carillon on the north side of the gate was founded by the Lions Club in 1987 and can be heard every day at 11 am and 5 pm.

If you want to go shopping in Ansbach you can either do this in the more than 270 shops of the magnificent historical town centre or in the Brücken-Center shopping centre which was opened in 1997.

Regular events in Ansbach are the Rococo Festivals and the Bachwoche with many concerts which takes place every two years.

Ansbach is a good starting point for hiking tours in the beautiful Franconian landscape and for day trips to Nuremberg, the Hesselberg region with romantic towns and the Hesselberg, the highest mountain of Middle Franconia with a height of 689 metres, or you visit the lakes Altmühlsee and Brombachsee.

Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg is a very young city founded in 1715.

It was built in the centre of a forest with a fan-shaped outline, and that is why it is called Fächerstadt (fan-city). All streets lead from the city centre right into nature.

Market Square ©flickr/KlausNahr

Along the more than 1300 kilometres of the Rhine River there are many beautiful cities but Karlsruhe is not only a city with a fairly young history but also beautiful and surrounded by nature.

Karlsruhe is suited for a city break and sporty visitors can discover the city and the surrounding Rhine area by bike. For those who aren’t that sporty there are of course Rhine ferries available.

If you purchase the Welcome Card you can travel for fee with the public transport not only in Karlsruhe but also in Ettlingen, and you pay reduced entrance fees in several museums, exhibitions, theatres and the zoo.

Interesting for gamblers probably is the fact that the city of Baden-Baden with the famous casino isn’t far away.

One of the most famous sights in Karlsruhe certainly is the Karlsruhe Palace located in the heart of the city. It is said that Margrave Karl Wilhelm has slept at this very place and dreamt of the foundation of the city. And that is the reason why the city is called Karlsruhe (Karl’s rest). 32 streets run out from here.

Castle/Schloss©flickr/KlausNahr

The palace is surrounded by a beautiful park and the vestibule too is quite imposing. The palace is home of the Baden State Museum (Badisches Landesmuseum). If you climb up the 158 steps of the palace’s tower you have a great view over the fan-shaped city.

Karlsruhe also is a city of fountains. There are 204 in the city and 46 of them with drinking water. Many of the fountains are located in the city centre surrounded by small parks.

The landmark of the city is the pyramid on the market square (Marktplatz) which was built in 1823 on the site of the Concordia Church. Underneath the pyramid in the crypt of the church the body of the founder of Karlsruhe lies.

Karlsruhe has been playing a key role in the modern, democratic state of Germany for more than 50 years, as here are the Federal Constitutional Court, the Federal Court of Justice and the Federal Attorney General.

Between the palace and the market square you can find the Platz der Grundrechte (the Square of Fundamental Rights). On the square you find 24 double-sided street signs, each of them describing one aspect of right and wrong.

More historical places of interest are the Emperor’s Square (Kaiserplatz) with a statue of Emperor William I, the Square for Fredrick (Friedrichsplatz), where you can find the Chamber of Crafts and the Natural History Museum, and the Gottesaue Palace which was destroyed and rebuilt several times and now is home of the University of Music.

The Majolika Manufaktur Karlsruhe is a workshop where a variety of fine ceramic ornaments are made. About everything is produced here, from saucers to decorative elements on church roofs. A line of ceramic tiles runs from the workshop to the palace tower.

Lovers of Baden wine can have a good glass of local wine in the wine bars Heilige Sophie, LetscheBachus or any other in the city. The local cuisine is excellent too and influenced by the French cuisine as the French border is not far.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a well known travel destination for tourists from all over the world.

It is famous for its medieval old town with its town wall. The town is located at the Romantic Road (Romantische Straße) on a plateau overlooking the Tauber River in the district of Ansbach in Middle Franconia, Bavaria.

Plönlein©flickr/Alaskan Dude

No other town in Germany brings you closer to the Middle Ages than Rothenburg. You can either walk through the cobbled lanes lined with half timbered houses or walk on the town wall and have a great view over the town and the Tauber valley. During the Middle Ages Rothenburg used to be one of the most important cities in the South of Germany.

One of the landmarks and a must-see of the town is the Plönlein fork. It is one of the most taken pictures of Rothenburg.
St. Jakob Church is one of the major German pilgrimage sites. The Holy Blood Altar (Heilige Blut Altar) was carved by Tilman Riemenschneider and it is said that it contains a drop of Christ’s blood.

If you are more interested in the Thirty Year’s War, you should visit the historical vaults of the town hall with dark dungeons and exhibitions.

The Criminal Museum also is a place of interest. Here you can learn about the dark side of the Middle Ages and see the instruments of torture, items used for executions and weapons.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber©flickr/khloges

The historic festival called the ‘Meistertrunk’ takes place several time each year. You can see it for example at Whitsun. With the ‘Meisertrunk’ an event is celebrated that took place in 1631. The mayor of Rothenburg saved the town by drinking 3.25 litres of wine in one gulp. You can also see knights on horses and on the Middle Ages Market you can get special food.

All year you can purchase Christmas decoration items in the Käthe Wohlfahrt shops. You find handcrafted items made of wood and glass, twinkling lights nutcrackers and many other souvenirs. The prices are fairly high though but if you travel to Germany in summer these might be the only typical German Christmas decoration you get.

And last but not least one thing you shouldn’t miss is a walk at night with the night watchman. Especially by night you can get an impression of what life might have been like in Rothenburg ob der Tauber during the Middle Ages. From March to Christmas the walks with the night watchman take place each night at 9:30 pm and last for about an hour. Meeting point is the market place in front of the town hall.

Baden-Württemberg

Friedrichshafen:

Zeppelin-Museum

The Zeppelin-Museum is home for the world’s greatest collection of the history of aviation. Besides the technical collection you will also find a large art collection of the Lake Constance region. www.zeppelin-museum.de

Furtwangen:

Deutsches Uhrenmuseum

In the museum with about 2,500 exhibits you can learn about the long tradition of clock-making in the Black Forest. www.deutsches-uhrenmuseum.de

Mannheim:

Landesmuseum für Technik und Arbeit

Here you can learn more about the industrialisation of the country and how scientific experiments can lead to technical inventions. www.landesmuseum-mannheim.de

Sinsheim:

Auto- und Technik-Museum

From the Concorde to locomotives, vintage cars and racing cars you can find about everything here. A visit is really worth it. www.technik-museum.de

Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen:

Porsche Museum

Here you can see 80 Porsche cars and experience the history of Porsche. www.porsche.com

A recipe from Lake Constance

1.3 lb fillets of different fish, celery, 1/2 leek, 1/2 carrot, 1 small spring onion, 6 fl oz cream, 8 fl oz of dry Riesling wine, salt, olive oil, vermouth, dill, 18 fl oz fish stock

Heat the fish stock, add the wine and let it boil till the amount of liquid is reduced, then add the cream.
Sweat the diced carrots, onions, celery and leek in olive oil and deglaze with fish stock. Puree it with a hand blender, heat it again and season it with vermouth.
Cut the fillets of fish into bite-size pieces and cook it for about 10 minutes in the soup. Decorate with dill when you serve it.
Riesling wine is good with it.