Bamberg is in Upper Franconia, a region in Bavaria, Germany. The town has slightly over 70,000 residents. For its historical architecture and preserved heritage, the whole town of Bamberg is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Get in

Obere Karolinenstraße 5, former Curia St. Pauli, currently Archbishop's Palace (Erzbischöfliches Palais)

By train

Deutsche Bahn (or DB) serves Bamberg with frequent and dependable train service. Frequent trains run to Wurzburg, Nuremberg, and Bayreuth, and there are even express trains to Munich and Berlin. See Deutsche Bahn's website for more information.

Bamberg is part of the VGN (at least for travel that is not within the city, they will fully join in 2015) meaning that for all regional trains from Nuremberg and many surrounding areas the VGN rates (usually cheaper than standard DB) apply. Note that VGN ticktes are not valid on ICE or IC trains. For fares and schedules within VGN see http://www.vgn.de/en/bamberg

By plane

The nearest airport is in Nuremberg, with cheap local transport able to get you there for about 10€; however, if you are coming from very far away, Germany's main hub of Frankfurt Airport may very well work out to be cheaper and more convenient with discount train tickets (one way, book well in advance) starting at 29€ and rail&fly, an offer that combines your flight with a train ride to any point in Germany and is often cheaper than a domestic connecting flight. See here for more information.

By bus

Intercity buses in Germany are a very new thing as they where basically outlawed until 2012. That said the market is growing and as of 2015 prices are not as low as they once were (one offer was anywhere in Germany for 9€), but still quite affordable and often cheaper than a train or Mitfahrgelegenheit (ride sharing). However as the market is consolidating expect rising prices (buses pay no toll on German roads, a thing for which there is currently little political support) as well as a denser network. The biggest companies are Flixbus/Meinfernbus and Postbus. German railway company DB also operates buses under the names IC BUS and Berlin Linien Bus (mostly to and from Berlin). Expect to spend more time with less comfort on a bus than on a train.

Get around

Walking is best throughout the Altstadt (old city center). The Hauptbahnhof (train station) is less than 2 km northeast of the Altstadt. Walk or take a bus.

See

Altes Rathaus (old townhall) over the river

Front of Bamberg Cathedral

• 1 Bamberger Dom (Bamberg Cathedral), Bamberger Dom. contains the intruiging Bamberg Rider sculpture. No one knows for sure who the young royal rider is. 
• 2 Kloster Michelsberg (Michaelsberg Abbey). 
• 3 Altes Rathaus (old townhall). is perched in the middle of a bridge above the Regnitz River and is a must-see. 
• Alte Hofhaltung. 
• Neue Residenz. 
• Bamberg State Library (Staatsbibliothek Bamberg), Neue Residenz, Domplatz 8. Temporary exhibition of rare books and manuscripts. Free of charge. 

Do

• Sandkerwa (site in German). Is held over the last weekend in August, Sandkerwa is a six day folk festival that consumes the entire town, with some 300,000 people attending. It is a festival with offerings of beer and food that rivals or even exceeds the likes of Oktoberfest and includes local traditions such as "fish jousting". 
• Walk around and simply enjoy.

Eat

• 1 Ambräusianum, Dominikanerstraße 10, ☏ +49 951 5 09 02 62. Gasthausbrauerei 
• 2 Restaurant Altenburg, Altenburg 1, ☏ +49 951 5 68 28. 

Drink

• Try Rauchbier (English: Smoked beer), unique to Bamberg. The two main brewers are Schlenkerla and Spezial, both of which have taverns where you can sample the beers.

Rauchbier is a traditional Franconian beer style made all or in part from beechwood-smoked barley malt. Before modern kilns became common, most malt was dried over an open flame and most beers featured some smokiness. Today, Bamberg is one of very few locations where the old-school smoking takes place. Most Rauchbiere are medium-to-full-bodied lagers with pronounced smoke & malt character, light bitterness, and minimal hop flavor. Smoked versions of Weißbier and Bockbier are also available. Around Christmas Schlenkerla also produces a special Bock made with oak-smoked malt; called Eiche (meaning oak) and during Lent produces another special called Fastenbier available only on draught at the Schlenkera tavern. Schlenkerla malts and smokes their own barley, and Bamberg-based malting giant Weyermann produces a comparable version available for export around the world for home and commercial use.

• Spezialkeller, Sternwartstraße 1 (up the stairs near Concordia, turn left and left again), ☏ +49 951-54887. The open air location to drink Spezial-Beer with typical local food having a panorama view over the city. 

Sleep

Botanical Garden

Budget

• 1 Backpackers Bamberg, Heiliggrabstraße 4. 
• DJH Jugendherberge Bamberg-Wolfsschlucht, Oberer Leinritt 70 (across the river (via footbridge) from the tip of Hainpark with car access via Am Rengnitzufer), ☏ +49 951 56002. Paddleboating and swimming opportunities are just a few minutes walk away in the Hain, and restaurants and bars are equally close around the corner in Bug. The Bamberger Altstadt is a very pleasant 30-40 minute riverside walk. A DJG/Hostelling International membership is required and available for purchase upon check-in. .

• Jugendgästehaus am Kaulberg, Unterer Kaulberg 30, 96049 Bamberg (im Zentrum Bambergs), ☏ +49 951 29952890. 

• Apartment mitten in Bamberg, Unterer Kaulberg 13, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 5 95 85. .

• Brauerein Fässla, Obere Konigsstraße 19-21, 96052 Bamberg. .

Mid-range

• Gästehaus Steidle, Frauenstraße 32, 96047 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 2 08 72 39. 

• Hotel Alt Ringlein, Dominikanerstraße 9, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 9 53 20. 

• Arkaden Hotel im Kloster, Karmelitenplatz 1, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 5 09 84 10. 

• Hotel Central, Promenadestraße 3, 96047 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 98 12 60. 

• Hotel garni Berliner Ring * * *, Pödeldorfer Straße 146, 96050 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 91 50 50. 

• Hotel Ibis Bamberg am Schillerplatz, Theatergassen 10, 96047 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 98 04 80. 

• Hotel National * * *, Luitpoldstraße 37, 96052 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 50 99 80. 

• Barock Hotel am Dom, Vorderer Bach 4, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 5 40 31. 

Splurge

• Hotel Brudermühle, Schranne 1, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 95 52 20. .

• Hotel Europa, Untere Königstraße 8, 96052 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 3 09 30 20. .

• Villa Geyerswörth Hotel * * * * *, Geyerswörthstraße 15, 96047 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 9 17 40. .

• Hotel-Restaurant St. Nepomuk, Obere Mühlbrücke 9, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 9 84 20. .

• Palais Schrottenberg, Kasernstraße 1, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 95 58 80. .

• Romantik Hotel Weinhaus Messerschmitt, Lange Straße 41, 96047 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 29 78 00. .

• Bamberger Hof Bellevue * * * *, Schönleinsplatz 4, 96047 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 9 85 50. .

• Best Western Hotel Bamberg * * *, Luitpoldstraße 7, 96052 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 51 09 00. .

• Tandem Hotel, Untere Sandstraße 20, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 51 93 58 55. .

• Welcome Hotel Residenzschloss Bamberg * * * *, Untere Sandstraße 32, 96049 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 6 09 10. .

• Welcome Kongresshotel Bamberg * * * *, Mußstraße 7, 96047 Bamberg, ☏ +49 951 7 00 00. .

Go next

Nearby towns and cities:

• Coburg
• Erlangen university town and site of Franconia's biggest beer-fest
• Nuremberg biggest city in Franconia with a lovely castle
• Würzburg
• Forchheim former imperial residence has charming old town