Würzburg

A baroque bishops' city on the Main and the northern start of the Romantic Road. The Residence (UNESCO), with Balthasar Neumann's staircase under Tiepolo's vast fresco, the Marienberg Fortress across the river among vineyards, and the Old Main Bridge, where people drink Franconian wine from the bridge kiosks in the evening. Wine estates and taverns in the old town; an hour from Frankfurt and Nuremberg by ICE, and the easiest way to Rothenburg.

Highlights

• Würzburg Residence and the Tiepolo fresco
• Court Garden
• Wine on the Old Main Bridge
• Marienberg Fortress
• Franconian wine tasting

Things to do

• Würzburg Residence tour and the Court GardenMorning · 3h
• Old Main Bridge and the cathedralAfternoon · 2h
• Climb to the Marienberg Fortress through the vineyardsAfternoon · 2h 30m
• Franconian wine tastingEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

When to go

Best time: April – October

• Christmas markets across Germany — From late November to about 23 December almost every town holds a Christmas market: Rothenburg's Reiterlesmarkt in its medieval square, Berlin's many markets (Gendarmenmarkt, Charlottenburg Palace), Lübeck's and Hamburg's by their town halls, Stuttgart's large market by the old castle. Opening days vary by town and most close on or before Christmas Eve: check before you plan a December trip around one.