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.

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.

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.

Regensburg is the capital of the administrative region Upper Palatinate in Bavaria.

Cathedral © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

It is located at the confluence of Danube and Regen. The medieval centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the city you find many historical places, fountains and patrician houses. Also the impressive inner courtyards are special in this city near the Bayerischer Wald (Bavarian Forest). Besides the normal inhabitants about 17,000 university students live here.

In the centre of Regensburg you find the Haidplatz on which medieval jousts took place. Today it is a place to stroll and to relax.

Many cafés are to be found in the area around the Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter’s with its high steeples (105 metres). The magnificent glass windows were made in the 13th and 14th century. The official choir for the liturgical music are the famous Regensburger Domspatzen.

Porta Praetoria © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

On the other side of the historical city centre of Regensburg is the St. Emmeram Palace, the home to the Thurn and Taxis family.
Food in Regensburg is very tasty. You can find Dampfnudeln, some sort of sweet dumplings as well as other typical dishes in the restaurant “Wurstkuchl”

A special historic landmark of Regensburg is the stone bridge with 16 stone arches, built in the 12th century. It has a length of almost 340 metres and one of the three towers is sill existing. In that tower you find the Brückentor Museum (the bridge museum). For 800 years this was the only bridge across the River Danube in Regensburg.

Not far from the bridge you can go on cruises along the river. From here you can go on a trip to the Walhala. It is a reproduction of the Pantheon, erected as a Teutonic temple of fame.

Stone Bridge © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

From Regensburg you can also go on trips to Brennberg to the ruin with look-out, to the walking region of Höllbachtal and to Wörth with an ozone indoor pool and the castle. The Bayerischer Wald and the Altmühltal are worth a visit after having seen this beautiful city of Roman origin. The reminder of ancient times is the “Porta Praetoria” built in 179 CE which used to be the northern gate of “Castra Regina” (the Roman name of Regensburg).

A recipe from Bavaria.

2 cups flour, 0.6 oz baking powder, salt, 5 slices of brown bread, 5 rolls, 5 eggs, ¼ cup  bouillon or vegetable stock, 1 fl oz of milk

Take a large dish and mix flour and baking powder. Add two eggs to the bouillon add the milk and stir. Put in the 5 rolls without crust and turn hem over from time to time. Dice the brown bread. Mix the 3 eggs well with the flour and add the brown bread and a little salt. Take the rolls one by one and cover them with the mixture. Cook in boiling water for about 25 minutes.

Good with sour or smoked meat.

It is Germany’s first national park! Its large area offers all facets of a wild landscape, with swamps, mountain streams and lakes. The nature here really is still untouched.

The Bayerische Wald is located in Bavaria in the southeast of Germany between the Danube and the mountains, on the Czech border. In Germany the national park is called Bayerischer Wald and Oberer Bayerischer Wald. In the Chech Republic it is called Sumava National Park.

In the area you still find numerous glass factories which are there since the times of the ancient trade routes in 1010. The art of glass-making probably came to the region with the trade between Bohemia and the Salzkammergut in Austria. So if you are looking for a unique souvenir, in one of the glass factories you certainly find one.
Hikers interested in culture and religion will find several pilgrim churches, chapels but as well historic monuments in the area. Old mills, town walls, fountains and bridges are only some of the architectural monuments in the Bayerischer Wald.

And lovers of castles and palaces will find a lot to discover too. There are the castle complex of Ranfels, the ruins of Kaltenstein of Fürsteneck and many others.

And as it is a national park there is lots of nature in the Bayerischer Wald too. South of Waldkirchen there is the nature reserve Saussbachklamm. Here you can walk along the stream and see large rocks in the midst of a shady forest. The path was built in 1905. In the region between the mountains Rachel and Lusen you will find the last white waters, the River Ilz. It is flowing through the mountainous region into the Rivers Danube and Inn at Passau. Here you find many hiking and cycling trails. If you rather see the swamp areas you should choose the Sonndorf and Klosterfilz regions.

Everywhere you get of course Bavaria’s liquid bread, the traditional beer, but also local specialties like sausages from Regensburg, smoked meat or carp. Also very tasty are the potato and pastry dishes like the typical dumplings from Deggendorf. The Schnaps “Blutwurz” and “Bärwurz” are not everybody’s taste.
In summer you can go swimming in one of the several lakes in the region and in winter you can go skiing.

Bayerischer Wald©flickr/dev null

For more than 500 years the Kloster Andechs, the monastery of Andechs, has not only been a destination for pilgrims but also for many tourists.

Kloster Andechs 1©flickr/Allie Caulfield

Kloster Andechs is located about 30 kilometres southwest of Munich, Bavaria on a hill between Ammersee and Lake Starnberg. Apart from being a pilgrimage and a meeting point for many people it also is a famous brewery and beerhouse.

And even you can bring your own food you should really try the Schweinshaxe (pork hock), Weisswurst or Leberkäs there. You can go on guided tours not only in the abbey but also in the brewery.

From the steeple you have a magnificent view over the surrounding landscape. In the so called Wachsgewölbe you can see a collection of votive candles. The herb garden also is worth a visit as herbs always played a great role in monastic life. A special highlight every year is the Orff-Festival.

You can reach Kloster Andechs from Munich by public transport (S-Bahn S5) to Herrsching and walk from there.

Kloster Andechs 2©flickr/Allie Caulfield

No matter wheter you want to go hiking, skiing or sunbathing, all this you can do on the German Zugspitze.

The Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany with a height of almost 3,000 metres (10,000 ft). When the visibility is good you can see 400 peaks in four countries, Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. You can get right into the Schneeferner glacier by cogwheel train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Grainau or Eibsee. And from there the Glacier Cable Car takes you to the summit at 2,962 meters (9,718 feet) above sea level.

In 1922 the first plane landed on the Schneeferner glacier and in 1931 the first air balloon started from the Zugspitze. The Zugspitze didn’t get a summit cross before 1851 and only because the priest Christoph Ott didn’t like the “naked” summit.

On the Zugspitze you also find Germany’s highest post office from where you can send hand stamped post cards. And if you nowadays prefer e-cards, why not send one from Germany’s highest internet terminal. If you like, you can ride back down in the Eibsee cable car and from there travel back to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria or Grainau in the historical cogwheel train. Or why not take the chance a go for a walk around the Eibsee. It will only take you about 2.5 hours.

Zugspitze©flickr/DHausBT

The Königsee is the highest German lake (603 metres above sea level) and also the cleanest and is located south of the town of Berchtesgaden, Bavaria.

The lake is about 8 kilometres long and has a depth of about 190 metres and is surrounded by high mountain walls, one of them is the Watzmann. You can go on trips on the lake and a special highlight is a stop in the middle of the lake where the horn is played and you can hear the echo from the surrounding mountains.

By boat you get to St. Bartholomew’s Church, the world famous pilgrimage church, which is an inspiration for photographers and painters.

Once there you should also try the smoked fish from the Königsee. The fishermen and their families have been living there for generations and the fish is always of very good quality. You can also go on walking tours or visit the Obersee at the end of the valley. From there you have a fantastic view on one of the highest German waterfalls, the Röthbachfall with a height of 470 metres.

St. Bartholomew's Church©flickr/Allie Caulfield

Munich the capital of Bavaria might be the most expensive German city but also has a lot to offer.

You find castles, parks, churches, museums and many sights around the city. One of the most famous sights certainly is the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) in the city centre. It is the church of the Archbishopric of Munich-Freising and has a late Gothic nave from the 15th century and onion domes. Another famous building in Munich is the “Hofbräuhaus” where most tourists go to experience the Bavarian beer drinking culture.

Frauenkirche and New Guildhall © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

If you love good food you should do your shopping on the also well known Viktualienmarkt. Here you can get hight quality food. In the city centre you can also see the new guildhall built from 1867 to 1909, with the carillon which shows parts of Munich’s history. The famous carillon was made in 1908. And the famous church of St. Peter which is the oldest parish church in Munich. If you climb up the 306 steps of the steeple you will have a great view over the city.

In the museums “Alte Pinakothek”, “Neue Pinakothek”, “Pinakothek der Moderne” you can see art of many centuries from the middle ages to modern times. Another very famous museum is of course the “Deutsches Museum” which is a special highlight for all lovers of technology. One special branch of “Deutsches Museum” is the Verkehrszentrum at Theresienwiese, where the famous beer festival the Oktoberfest takes place every year, and the airfield in Oberschleissheim.

Nymphenburg Palace © Julia Höfer-von Seelen

Especially when the weather is good you should take a walk in the English Garden, the most famous park of Munich. Here you find ponds, shaded areas as well as sunny places and four beer gardens. A special landmark is the Chinese Tower (Chinesischer Turm). The 900 acre park stretches from the city centre to the northern outskirts. Of course you should also visit the Nymphenburg Palace and Park. The baroque palace was the residence of the Bavarian monarchs and is located in the western part of the city. The park with its waterways is ideal for walking and exploring because of the many smaller buildings you can find there.  Of course you can also visit the Botanical Garden nearby.
And of course the good restaurants and shopping facilities of the city should be mentioned as well.
There are many magnificent sights around the city you will be able to read about on this page and you from Munich you can easily get to Austria and Italy.