Forchheim is a small town in Franconia with an interesting old town.

Understand

Town wall

Forchheim is an old place even by German standards, and as it had lost most of its relevance by the 20th century it is quite well preserved. Forchheim owes its former importance to being a Kaiserpfalz, or a place where the emperor could rest and hold court during his travels and as such it served as one of several "capitals" (there being no one fixed imperial residence) during the 10th century and beyond.

Get in

By train

Forchheim has regular S-Bahn service from Nuremberg and Erlangen as well as Bamberg and is part of the VGN network. The 1 Forchheim train station is located east of to the center.

By plane

The next airport is in Nuremberg (NUE ^IATA) and is connected to the main station via the subway (~12 minutes) which is part of the VGN network as is the S-Bahn from there to Forchheim. Other airports offer more connections, but you will still pass through Nuremberg when taking the train to Forchheim.

By car

Both B470 (busy on weekends in the summer) and A73 offer connections to Forchheim.

By boat

The Main Danube Canal passes through Forchheim.

Get around

As Forchheim is rather small and wasn't built with the automobile in mind, walking is a good way to see the old town. If you stay longer a car or bike might be a good idea, especially for day trips that can't be done by train.

See

The Schusterhaus, a late Gothic half-timbered house that has been used as an extension of the Town Hall since 1900

• 1 Kaiserpfalz (Burg Forchheim), Kapellenstraße 16, ☏ +49 9191 714327.  
• 2 Town Hall (Rathaus). Built in the 15th and 16th century.  
• 3 Kellerberg (Kellerwald) (Citybus 261 or by road (large car park available)). From 11:00 daily. 23 beer gardens in on an idyllic wooded hillside. Site of the world famous beer and music festival "the Annafest" taking place annually over 10 days at the end of July. (updated Apr 2018)
• 4 Burgruine Streitburg, Wiesenttal. This ruined castle is on a hill right next to the hill Neideck stands on (see below) "Streit" means "quarrel" in German and the tale goes that the two neighboring castles had a quarrel with each other leading to the destruction of both. The actual history doesn't confirm that tale but locals like to tell it regardless. (updated Jun 2018)
• 5 Burgruine Neideck, Wiesenttal. Next to Streitburg on a neighboring hill, this castle ("Neid" means envy) is said to have fallen victim to the same quarrel as Streitburg although, again, the actual history was different. (updated Jun 2018)

Do

Regular events

Annafest is probably the most noteworthy event in town and regionally second only to the Bergkrichweih in Erlangen. It is usually held around late July, early August and draws crowds from throughout the region.

Eat

• Zollhaus, Hauptstraße 4, ☏ +49 9191 970990, info@zollhaus-forchheim.de. Mains €10-15. (updated Jun 2015)

Drink

Forchheim retains four breweries that all produce mostly for a rather local market. If you like beer, sample them all and take a bottle or two home.

Sleep

• Roter Ochs, Kirchplatz 3, ☏ +49 9191 4511. €29 per person higher rates during Annafest. (updated Jun 2015)

Go next

• Forchheim is the perfect entry point for (though not located inside of) Franconian Switzerland
• If you enjoy old towns Bamberg makes for a fascinating - and easy - day trip, as there is a direct train connection

Routes through Forchheim

Bamberg ←

Main  Danube

→ Erlangen → Nuremberg