Quedlinburg

The Schlossberg abbey, the Feininger Gallery and the Münzenberg

A weekend is the right length for Quedlinburg. Climb the Schlossberg early for St Servatii, the tombs of Henry I and Matilda and the abbey treasury, spend the afternoon at the Lyonel Feininger Gallery and the Fachwerkmuseum in the Ständerbau, and save the small houses of the Münzenberg for the evening.

Day one, morning. Start on the Markt, where the Renaissance town hall carries a stone statue of Roland, then follow Hohe Straße and Blasiistraße toward Finkenherd. Climb the Schlossberg early to reach St Servatii as it opens. The crypt holds the tombs of Henry I and his wife Matilda, and the treasury displays reliquaries and manuscripts from the abbey's heyday. Next door, the Schloss museum covers the abbesses who ruled from this rock.

Afternoon. Drop down to the Lyonel Feininger Gallery and the Klopstock house, then head to Wordgasse, where the 14th-century Ständerbau now houses the Fachwerkmuseum and explains how timber joints and bracing changed over the centuries. Finish with coffee and cake on a side lane.

Evening. Walk up the Münzenberg, where small cottages sit on the walls of a former Benedictine convent, and watch the light go off the castle opposite.

Day two. Take the regional train to Thale and walk the Bode gorge between the Hexentanzplatz and the Rosstrappe. Alternatively, ride the Selketal narrow-gauge line to Gernrode, whose 10th-century church of St Cyriakus is a quieter partner to St Servatii, and continue to Alexisbad for a forest walk.

Harzer Käse, autumn game and potato menus on Breite Straße

Quedlinburg eats Harz country food at prices low by German standards. Try Harzer Käse, a pungent sour-milk cheese marinated with onions and caraway, and in autumn order venison goulash, wild boar or roast hare. Kartoffelhaus No1 on Breite Straße builds its menu around potatoes, and Münzenberger Klause has a terrace.

Food in Quedlinburg follows the Harz pattern: filling, rural and cheap by German standards. The one product every visitor should try is Harzer Käse, a small, pungent sour-milk cheese often served marinated with onions and caraway, eaten on dark bread with a beer. The forests to the south supply game, so autumn menus fill with venison goulash, wild boar and roast hare with red cabbage and potato dumplings.

Potatoes are a theme of their own at Kartoffelhaus No1 on Breite Straße, a rustic place that builds most of its menu around them. Münzenberger Klause on Polle has a relaxed tavern feel and a terrace for warm evenings, while the Theophano hotel on the Markt runs a bistro with a beer garden and seasonal dishes; it struggles when it is very full, so arrive early.

Daytime eating happens outdoors whenever the weather allows. Small cafes along the lanes off the Markt set out chairs on the cobbles, and an afternoon slice of cake with coffee is close to a local ritual. For drinks after dark the choice is modest, mostly wine bars and hotel bars around the Markt. In December, the Advent courtyards turn into a grazing trail of mulled wine, grilled sausages and baked apples, with food stalls tucked into yards that are closed to the public the rest of the year.

A dry Harz rain shadow, the Kaiserfrühling and St Servatii concerts

Quedlinburg is drier than most of Germany, with no month above about 57 mm of rain, because the Harz shelters it. The main events are the Kaiserfrühling medieval festival at Pentecost and the summer concerts in St Servatii from June to September.

The Harz shelters Quedlinburg from the worst of the Atlantic weather, so it is drier than you might expect: no month averages more than about 57 mm of rain. Winters are raw, with January highs of 2 C and nights below freezing, while July and August reach 22 to 23 C with cool nights around 12 C.

Spring starts slowly. March highs sit near 8 C, but the weekend before Easter brings the Spring Awakening fair around the castle hill, and by May temperatures climb to 19 C. At Pentecost the Kaiserfrühling restages the Ottonian court with a medieval market, costumed processions and music, the busiest weekend of the first half of the year.

Summer is concert season. From June to September the collegiate church hosts a music series, the Blasii church runs its own programme, and a Dixieland and swing weekend takes over the streets in June. The theatre company of the northern Harz performs drama, ballet and musicals through the season.

Autumn is underrated: October highs of 13 C, golden beeches on the Harz slopes and far fewer coaches. Then comes the big finale. On Advent weekends private courtyards across the old town open for the Christmas market, and despite the cold the town is at its fullest. Book a room well ahead for those dates, or come midweek in early December.