Bamberg

Klein-Venedig, the Bamberger Reiter and a hillside beer cellar

Two days cover Bamberg properly. Spend the first on the Altes Rathaus, Klein-Venedig, the cathedral with the Bamberger Reiter and the Neue Residenz rose garden, ending at a hillside beer cellar. Use the second for the Gärtnerstadt, the Königstraße breweries, the Hain park and the walk up to the Altenburg.

Day one, morning. Start on the Obere Brücke and look at the Altes Rathaus from both sides, then walk upstream along Am Leinritt for the view of Klein-Venedig across the water. Cross back into the island town and wander through the Grüner Markt and Maxplatz.

Late morning. Climb the Karolinenstraße to the Domplatz. The cathedral holds the Bamberger Reiter, the tomb of Henry II and Kunigunde carved by Tilman Riemenschneider, and the grave of Pope Clement II. Across the square are the half-timbered Alte Hofhaltung and the Neue Residenz, with the state rooms and the Rosengarten behind.

Afternoon. Walk up to Michaelsberg for the view from the abbey terrace (the church has been closed for restoration since 2012, so check before counting on going inside), then down through the Sand quarter. Lunch on a smoked beer and a Bamberger Zwiebel at Schlenkerla on Dominikanerstraße.

Evening. In summer, climb the Stephansberg to one of the beer cellars and watch the light fade over the roofs.

Day two. Explore the Gärtnerstadt with the gardeners' museum, then follow Königstraße past the Fässla and Spezial breweries. In the afternoon, take a riverboat or walk the Hain park along the Regnitz, and finish with the hike to the Altenburg for the widest view over Bamberg and the surrounding hills.

The Altes Rathaus stands in the river itself, on an arm of the Regnitz between the cathedral hill and the island town. First recorded in 1387 and rebuilt in Gothic form between 1461 and 1467, it was remodelled in baroque and rococo style from 1744 to 1756. The façade paintings date from 1755 and were repainted between 1959 and 1962; on the east side, a cherub's leg sticks out of the painting in plaster. Inside, the Ludwig collection, on loan since 1995, is one of the largest porcelain collections of its kind in Europe, and the timber-framed Rottmeisterhäuschen clinging to the bridge tower once lodged the guard commanders.

Smoked Rauchbier at Schlenkerla and the stuffed Bamberger Zwiebel

Bamberg's signature drink is Rauchbier, the beechwood-smoked lager poured from wooden casks at Schlenkerla on Dominikanerstraße, with a milder version at Spezial. Pair it with Bamberger Zwiebel, an onion stuffed with minced meat, or Schäufele, and from May drink outdoors at the hillside Keller beer gardens on the Stephansberg.

The essential taste is Rauchbier. Schlenkerla, in a half-timbered tavern on Dominikanerstraße, dries its malt over beechwood fires, and the result is a dark, smoky lager poured straight from wooden casks. Spezial on Obere Königstraße makes a gentler smoked beer. Both are working breweries with their own taverns, and the Ambräusianum brews a lighter range next door to Schlenkerla.

The local food is built for drinking. Bamberger Zwiebel is a large onion stuffed with minced meat and braised in a smoked beer sauce. Schäufele, roast pork shoulder with crackling and potato dumplings, and Franconian bratwurst are on almost every menu, along with carp in winter. The Bamberger Hörnla, a small knobbly potato grown in the town's own gardens, appears as a side; in bakeries the same name refers to a buttery croissant.

From May the scene moves outdoors to the Keller, beer gardens set over old storage cellars on the hills. Locals say they are going "auf den Keller", and the Spezial-Keller and others on the Stephansberg serve beer and plain snacks like cold cuts and cheese under chestnut trees.

Wine has a place too. The Weinstube Nüßlein near the cathedral pours Franconian Silvaner, and Obere Sandstraße has bars and small restaurants. In Advent, try the stalls on Maxplatz for mulled wine and Lebkuchen.

Sandkerwa fish jousting and train trips to Vierzehnheiligen and Coburg

Bamberg's biggest event is the Sandkerwa on the last weekend of August, with fish jousting on the Regnitz. Summer highs reach about 26 °C and July is the wettest month. Day trips by train go to the Vierzehnheiligen basilica near Bad Staffelstein, Franconian Switzerland, Nuremberg and Coburg.

The climate is continental: highs around 26 °C in July and August, but nights near -3 °C in January and February. July brings the most rain, about 79 mm, mostly in thunderstorms, while April is dry and cool.

The big event is the Sandkerwa, a church fair turned multi-day street festival on the last weekend in August. It fills the Sand quarter and the riverbanks with beer stands, music and huge crowds, and its highlight is the Fischerstechen, a jousting contest in which men on boats try to knock each other into the Regnitz with long poles. In December, alongside the Christmas market on Maxplatz, the town lays out a nativity scene trail through its churches and museums.

Day trips go in every direction. North of town, the pilgrimage church of Vierzehnheiligen, a rococo church designed by Balthasar Neumann, faces the hilltop abbey of Banz across the Main valley; trains run to Bad Staffelstein in about half an hour. South-east lies Franconian Switzerland, a region of limestone crags, caves and castles around Pottenstein and Gößweinstein, best with a car or by bus.

Beer lovers can head into the countryside, where small village breweries and their taverns are scattered every few kilometres. Nuremberg is a 40-minute train ride for a contrast in scale, and Coburg with its fortress is about the same distance north.