May 2019: The historic centre of the medieval city in Nuremberg.

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Nuremberg & Franconia

Somewhere between Ingolstadt and Nuremberg, Bavaria’s accent mellows, the oompah bands play that little bit quieter and wine competes with beer as the local tipple. This is Franconia (Franken) and, as every local will tell you, Franconians, who inhabit the wooded hills and the banks of the Main River in Bavaria’s northern reaches, are a breed apart from their brash and extroverted cousins to the south.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Kaiserburg
Nuremberg
This enormous castle complex above the Altstadt poignantly reflects Nuremberg's medieval might. The main attraction is a tour of the renovated residential…
Deutsche Bahn Museum
Nuremberg
Forget Dürer and wartime rallies, Nuremberg is a railway town at heart. Germany's first passenger trains ran between here and Fürth, a fact reflected in…
Schloss Ehrenburg
Nuremberg & Franconia
The erstwhile residence of the Coburg dukes, Ehrenburg is a must for fans of the British monarchy – it was here that Prince Albert spent his childhood and…
Markgräfliches Opernhaus
Nuremberg & Franconia
Designed by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, a famous 18th-century architect from Bologna, Bayreuth's opera house is one of Europe's most stunningly ornate baroque…
Bamberger Dom
Bamberg
Beneath the quartet of spires, Bamberg’s cathedral is packed with artistic treasures, most famously the slender equestrian statue of the Bamberger Reiter …
Veste Coburg
Nuremberg & Franconia
Towering above Coburg's centre is a story-book medieval fortress, the Veste Coburg. With its triple ring of fortified walls, it’s one of the most…
Richard Wagner Museum
Nuremberg & Franconia
In the early 1870s King Ludwig II, Wagner's most devoted fan, gave the composer the cash to build Haus Wahnfried, a pleasingly symmetrical minimansion on…
Festspielhaus
Nuremberg & Franconia
North of the Hauptbahnhof, the main venue for Bayreuth’s annual Wagner Festival is the Festspielhaus, constructed in 1872 with King Ludwig II’s backing…