On & along the Romantic Road Germany: Authentic Bavaria & Franconia Road Trip
- 22 hours ago
- 13 min read
Updated: 19 minutes ago
This was my 4th visit to northern Bavaria and Franconia, and was once again amazed by its beauty and versatility of the region on this authentic Bavaria road trip.
There's something about it that keeps pulling me back: the authenticity, the amount of beautiful historic places, and the feeling that you can still discover corners that don’t feel commercialized yet.
While the Romantic Road is a famous thread that runs through this region, the real magic lies in everything around and beyond it.
Why Franconia keeps calling me back
Franconia (northern Bavaria) was for centuries a unique mix of prince-bishoprics, free imperial cities and noble residences. This political fragmentation resulted in an exceptional big offering of castles, palaces, fortified towns and Baroque beauty. Almost every valley and hilltop here has its own unique history & cultural gems.
Here you will find plenty of photogenic towns located near each other, such as: Bamberg’s Unesco-listed old town with its ‘Little Venice’, the perfectly preserved walls of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, authentic Dinkelsbühl, the half-timbered streets of Forchheim or Kulmbach, and the elegant residential towns of Coburg, Ansbach and Bayreuth. Many of these places still feel lived-in rather than staged for visitors.
The concentration of Unesco World Heritage Sites in Bavaria and Franconia are remarkable:
Würzburg Residenz
Bamberg Old Town
the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth
Bad Kissingen (as part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe)
and the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes.
Add dozens of outstanding non-Unesco castles and palaces:
Veste Coburg
Schloss Johannisburg in Aschaffenburg
Marienberg Fortress in Würzburg
and you begin to understand why I keep returning.
The Romantic Road: only part of the story
The Romantische Straße was created in 1950 as a tourism initiative after World War II. It stretches roughly 460 km from Würzburg in the north to Füssen at the foot of the Alps and has around 29 official stops through Franconia, Swabia and Upper Bavaria.
It offers the classic 'storybook Germany' many travelers imagine: walled medieval towns, half-timbered houses, fairytale castles and scenic countryside, and is easy to follow by car or on bike, as it's well signposted.
The downside is its popularity. Cities like Rothenburg and Schloss Neuschwanstein can feel overly crowded, especially with day-trippers and tour buses between 10 AM - 5 PM in high season.
Authentic Bavaria Road Trip: much more than the Romantic Road
On my 4th visit to Bavaria I was reminded again of a better approach: to also spend more time in less-visited but equally beautiful places on or just off the route, such as Erlangen, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Bayreuth, and the Fichtelgebirge nature area further to the northeast. As well as Veitshöchheim (easily reached from Würzburg) and Aschaffenburg for extra variety.
Bottom line: The Romantic Road is absolutely worth it if you like to see the iconic highlights and enjoy a structured journey.
But the smartest way is not to rush the whole route or only hit the famous stops. Mix the ‘must-sees’ with quieter neighboring towns, travel outside peak hours, and you’ll get the romance without the crowds.
Beyond this route you will find:
The wine landscapes of the Main and Steigerwald
The beer culture of Upper Franconia (the world’s highest brewery density)
Dramatic nature: Fichtelgebirge, Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz) with its rock formations and caves, the Rhön, and the Spessart forests
Spa towns, excellent hiking trails, and quiet countryside that still feels local
Stunning cultural sites like Nuremberg (imperial castle, Albrecht Dürer, Nazi Party Rally Grounds) and Bayreuth (Wagner Festival)
Read all about this authentic and historic city in this Nuernberg city trip blog.
Let me share my favourites with you in this blog, including a custom Google map, with all our stops and recommendations marked for your convenience:
My favourite stops in Franconia - Northern Bavaria
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
The undisputed fairy-tale star of the Romantic Road and one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns. Completely encircled by 14th-century walls with walkable ramparts, towers and gates, it feels frozen in time.
The city walls of Rothenburg ob der Tauber are among Germany’s best-preserved medieval fortifications. The old town is still completely encircled by roughly 3-4 km of walls, of which about 2.5 km are freely walkable on a covered sentry walk 5 meters above the ground.
Of the original 70 defense towers, 42 still stand, creating one of the most impressive medieval skylines in Germany.
The city's ramparts survived wars and centuries remarkably intact. And the entire wall walk is free and open day and night year-round!
Must visits & do’s
Walk the full circuit of the town walls, with several free entry points around the city!
Go photo crazy in the city square, at the photogenic Plönlein, the many city gates and in the colorful side streets.
Join the atmospheric Night Watchman’s tour
Climb the town hall tower (rathausturm) for the best views from above.
Visit the Christmas, Rothenburg and Medieval Crime Museum. Read and see more about this in my previous blog.
Walk to the castle park en go outside the city walls and follow the Tower Trail to explore the vineyards via the Weinsteige.
Go on all the way to the Taubertalweg to get to the scenic Tauber Valley for more quiet hiking trails though nature.
Have lunch at photogenic authentic cafés like Lebenlust and Einzartig and dinner in a medieval restaurant, such as Zur Höll or the Altfraenkische Weinstube.
Enjoy a wine festival or other seasonal festival held here throughout the year.
And do stay overnight so you can experience the magic of the empty streets, once the day-trippers have left. Even at 9-10 am in the morning you will still have the most photogenic spots all to yourself!
The perfect hotel for this is Prinzhotel Rothenburg where we stayed in the spa suite with a/c, steam bath shower, freestanding bath tub and amazing views over the city walls.
It's the perfect central, yet quiet location in the center and offers much comfort in a stunning half-timbered historic building. Get an impression through this gallery:
Würzburg
The official northern gateway to the Romantic Road and a lively university city on the Main River. The biggest attraction here is the Unesco-listed Residenz, built in a remarkably short time in the 18th century under the ambitious prince-bishops. The famous ceiling fresco by Tiepolo above the staircase is larger than the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Must visits & do’s
Tour the Unesco-listed Residenz for just €10 p.p. with its extensive gardens and intricate chapel (last 2 are free to visit). The building itself, but also the elaborate Italian gardens are stunning! Read and see more about this in my previous Rothenburg blog.
Have dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants like Gasthaus Alte Mainmühle with the best sunset views along the river, and Aifach Reisers for more high-end, yet casual cuisine in the city center.
Do a wine tasting at the historic Juliuspital Weingut or a sparkling wine tour at the Sektkellerei Höfer. This premium sparkling winery is located inside the historic generator and ice house of a former brewery. Founded by Carsten Höfer in 1994 out of a passion for traditional Champagne methods, this boutique winery transforms classic Franconian grape varieties into award-winning Winzersekt (grower's sparkling wine). We got to experience this firsthand through a cellar tour and sparkling wine tasting!
The production process takes full advantage of its unique industrial heritage. The sparkling wines age and mature 11 meters underground in deep, cool vaulted cellars, which are very cool to see and beautifully decorated.
Today, the entire Bürgerbräu brewery site is a vibrant cultural and creative quarter in Würzburg's Zellerau district, with a museum and Sektkellerei Höfer as a central attraction.
Enjoy the vibrant city center, the stunning Baroque architecture and the dozens of historic churches and cathedrals of the city.
Drink a glass of local Silvaner at sunset on the statue-lined Old Main Bridge.
Walk up to the Marienberg Fortress for panoramic views over the city and vineyards. Stunning to visit, and although the Fortress itself will stay inaccessible and under renovation, probably for the next 5 years, you can walk the ramparts and surrounding gardens for free.
Visit the Museum für Franken, located inside the Baroque armory of the historic Fortress. After the original 1913 city center museum was destroyed during World War II, the collection found its home inside the rebuilt Fortress in 1946. The museum holds 80 masterpieces of the famous late Gothic sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider and exhibits Franconian art, archaeology from the Paleolithic era, historic costumes, furniture and wine-making artifacts. It also has many fun interactive elements.
Open from Tuesday - Sunday and closed on Mondays. Standard adult tickets from Tuesday to Saturday cost €5 p.p. Reduced tickets for students & seniors over 65 are €4, and kids under 18 enter for free. On Sundays there’s a special €1 p.p. admission!
We slept in style this time in a super central city location at 4-star Hotel Rebstock.
This hotel has plenty of rooms to offer with all the comfort you need, like a/c, and includes a delicious breakfast in the historic main building.
The perfect location in the city to explore everything on foot!
Read more about my previous visit to Würzburg with even more sightseeing tips and restaurants in last year's Franconia blog.
Veitshöchheim
A visit to Veitshöchheim on a boat tour from Würzburg should not be missed either! This is fun and easy to do via Schiffstouristik Würzburg, as a return ticket only costs €15 p.p.
The boat has 3 decks with plenty of seating options, including 1 sun deck, and even offers a full menu with food and drinks.
A short, scenic 40-minute boat ride down the Main, passing by the vineyards and small towns, brought us to one of Germany’s most delightful detours. Veitshöchheim town is very quaint and in just 10 minutes you can walk to the Schloss with renowned Rococo gardens that are considered the finest surviving example of its kind in Europe.
Unlike many parks that were later transformed into English landscape gardens, Veitshöchheim remained largely intact keeping its authentic Rococo design from 1763 under Prince-Bishop von Seinsheim.
The Veitshöchheim gardens cover about 12.8 hectares (around 32 acres) with a symmetrical plan featuring wide paths, circular clearings, and geometric hedges.
They contain nearly 300 sandstone sculptures of gods, putti and mythical creatures, several lakes, ornamental fountains, and centrally the Great Lake with an hourly fountain show.
Access to the gardens is totally free, and only entry to the summer palace costs €6 p.p. and is free for kids under 18.
Aschaffenburg
Lying just north of the classic Romantic Road, this town offers a refreshing change of pace and made a great ending to our Bavarian road trip. We were here last year as well, but this time I enjoyed it even more!
This city was once the summer residence of the Electors of Mainz and later favoured by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who called it the ‘Bavarian Nice’ because of its mild climate.
The old town is authentic, photogenic and relatively quiet as this city is much-lesser known than most other Bavarian gems, and because of that the prices are still relatively low too.
Must visits & do’s
Explore the red-sandstone Schloss Johannisburg (one of Germany’s finest Renaissance palaces) and unique for its extensive art collection!
The building itself, but also the surrounding gardens are beautiful.
Visit the Pompejanum with its Mediterranean gardens and vineyards, this yellow building is a unique full-scale reconstruction of a Roman villa from Pompeii. Read and see more about both of these historic buildings in my previous blog.
Wander the relaxed riverside banks and explore the authentic half-timbered architecture, beautiful churches, museums and cobble-stoned old town streets.
Enjoy the stunning city park Schöntal with its many lakes, old church ruins and moat.
There are also many beautiful nature areas just outside Aschaffenburg in the Spessart nature reserve,
Here we visited the Erbig, a 285-meter-high hill with an adjacent 60-hectare nature reserve on a former military area. The reserve hosts 10 endangered Przewalski horses and Heck cattle introduced in 2016 as natural landscape managers to preserve the rare steppe-like environment and biodiversity, viewable along a 3-km educational trail.
And just outside the city a must-visit for nature and history lovers is the 18th century Schönbusch Park. Inside this 160-hectare nature area you will find several lakes and historic buildings, with the neoclassical summer palace being the park's centerpiece. Built in the 1700’s Schloss Schönbusch is worth a visit to see its 10 intricate state rooms with stunning Louis XVI interior. Entry is only possible by guided tour for €4 p.p.
Also this year we slept again in comfort at 4 star Hotel Dormero in central city location.
I can highly recommend this hotel for its relaxed vibe, warm welcome and its super complete and delicious breakfast buffet!
Read more about my previous visit to Aschaffenburg with even more sightseeing, museum and restaurant tips in this Bavaria road trip blog.
And find all of them pinned on this Custom Bavaria Road Trip Map.
Bayreuth
A classy, relatively quiet and walkable Baroque city in Upper Franconia that has become one of my personal favourites.
The Margravial Opera House ( from 1748) is one of the best-preserved Baroque theatres in Europe and a Unesco World Heritage site. Richard Wagner designed the Festspielhaus here himself for thr perfect acoustics and this year the festival even celebrates its 150th anniversary.
Must visits & do’s
Visit the beautiful churches and wander the super clean and wide streets of the historic city center.
Don’t miss the Margravial Opera House, with its stunning and intricate theater! A Unesco Site for good reason, which also houses an interesting museum. Entry fees are €10 p.p., €9 reduced and free for kids under 18.
Villa Wahnfried (Wagner’s former home).
The New Palace in the city center with extensive city park.
And especially the Eremitage just outside the city. In 1735, Margrave Friedrich gave the estate to his wife (sister of Frederick the Great) who transformed it into one of Germany’s finest late-Baroque landscape gardens.
Eremitage highlights:
The Old Palace (Altes Schloss) with Japanese and Chinese cabinets and grottoes.
The New Palace (Neues Schloss) with its orangery and the golden Sun Temple topped by Apollo’s chariot.
Artificial ruins, water features, the Lower and Upper Grottoes, and a romantic park that mixes Baroque elements with natural woodland.
And the restaurant looking out upon the Grand Lake with an hourly fountain show.
It’s a peaceful place for walking, photography and soaking up Wilhelmine’s refined world. Guided tours of the interiors are available too.
We finished our day in Bayreuth at Liebesbier with a unique beer experience: an interactive guided tour of the brewery followed by a delicious dinner. Liebesbier ('Love Beer') is Bayreuth’s unique modern beer destination, located in the historic Maisel brewery complex.
Liebesbier
This brand is part of the Maisel & Friends company and is the perfect place to experience Upper Franconia’s world-famous beer culture in a relaxed, contemporary setting.
Liebesbier offers:
Beer tastings, brewery tours and special events.
Over 100 different beers (21 on tap + many bottled), ranging from traditional Franconian styles (Helles, Kellerbier, Rauchbier, Zwickl) to international craft and barrel-aged specials.
A peek into the factory and opportunity to see the brewmasters at work in the Maisel & Friends brewery.
A stylish restaurant and bar with industrial-meets-street-art design, delicious food such as burgers, dry aged steaks and regional dishes and big outdoor terrace and biergarten.
And adjacent the Urban Art Hotel where every room is uniquely designed by street artists.
Fichtelgebirge Nature Park
A city trip to Bayreuth is even better combined with a few days in nature in the Fichtelgebirge. A scenic low mountain range in northeastern Bavaria region, covering about 1,600 km², just a 30-40-minute drive from the city.
Its highest peak is the Schneeberg (1,051 m), followed by the Ochsenkopf (1,024 m). Dense forests, granite rock formations, hiking trails, and lakes define the landscape, which is protected as Naturpark Fichtelgebirge.
Must visits & do’s
Visit the Ochsenkopf, the second-highest mountain in the Fichtelgebirge (and northern Bavaria) at 1,024 meters. It lies between the villages of Bischofsgrün, Fichtelberg, and Warmensteinach, close to the Fichtelsee.
Take the cable car up, a round-trip ticket on the Ochsenkopf cable car (Gondola North or South) costs €18 p.p for adults and €16.50 reduced.
On the summit you’ll find hiking and mountain bike trails, a playground, a tall transmission tower and the historic Asenturm, a viewing tower built in the 1920s with also a cozy restaurant.
The Ochsenkopf hüttn serves a delicious apfelstrüdl and more. 2 cable cars (from the north in Bischofsgrün and the south in Fleckl/Warmensteinach) make the top easily accessible year-round.
This is one of the most visited and activity-rich peaks in the Fichtelgebirge and a popular outdoor hub with beautiful hiking trails
And back down there's an Alpine Coaster on the north side (summer toboggan run), super fun and costs just €7 p.p. for adults, €6 reduced and €4 for kids between 6-15, mountain carts, costing €14 for adults, €13 reduced and €9 for kids, 3 ski jumps, and a climbing forest in the warmer months. And skiing and winter sports are possible here in the colder ones.
Explore the Felsenlabyrinth Luisenburg near Wunsiedel, Europe’s largest rock labyrinth. The giant granite blocks are around 300 million years old and were studied by Goethe in 1785. The site was renamed after a visit by Prussian Queen Louise in 1805 and became a National Natural Monument in 2026. Entry fee is €6 p.p., just €2 for kids under 18 and free for kids under 6.
Enjoy a peaceful walk through the elegant Kurpark in Bad Berneck (just a 20-minute drive away) with its 1899 wooden colonnades, midget golf course, Kneipp facilities and surrounding castle ruins. Free to visit and located right next to the photogenic town, which is worth a visit too!
Where to stay?
I can highly recommend to stay at the lakeside at Waldhotel Am Fichtelsee for the most stunning and tranquil setting and direct forest and lake views.
This hotel offers cozy wood-accented rooms and suites, many with balconies, plus an atmospheric restaurant with big outdoor terrace on the lake, serving Franconian cuisine with regional ingredients.
Get an impression through this gallery with my own pictures:
Here you have direct access to forest trails, water activities, and the surrounding natural paradise, just what I needed after exploring 4 cities, making this stop the perfect combination with a versatile city trip, in my opinion.
Find all of my tips pinned in this full road trip route: Custom Bavaria Road Trip Map.
General road trip tips
The Romantic Road is a beautiful and convenient introduction, but Franconia and Bavaria have many more photogenic historic towns, outstanding wine and beer, and varied landscapes.
Perfect for road trippers who like to explore lesser-known spots that still feel authentic, and want to discover true hidden gems at their own pace.
And that's exactly what we did, yet again, on this road trip with many scenic stops.
Consider traveling in shoulder seasons for less hot weather and fewer crowds, as it was 30-35 °C most days during our visit in August.
Pack your rain gear, good walking shoes and don't forget your camera!
In Germany they use Euro's and cards are mostly accepted, but always bring some cash for smaller towns and restaurants.
Support local businesses for sustainability.
Fuel up in the smaller towns for lower rates.
Use apps like Google Maps alongside your custom itinerary,
and make sure to download the offline map in advance for more remote areas.
Are you ready for your own road trip through northern Bavaria beyond the Romantic Road? You can find more inspiration for your Franconia trip on this website, as well as for other regions, on my Germany page and connect with me via the social media links below for daily inspiration.
I really hope that you can use my recommendations and travel tips for your own unforgettable authentic Bavaria road trip, with my custom Google Map as a guide, to find the hidden gems of this region with ease, beyond the Romantic Road, since there is so much more to discover here!
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