Top 10 Reasons to Visit Bamberg, Germany: A Perfect Day Trip from Nuremberg by Train

Are you looking for an easy day trip from Munich or Nuremberg?

Featuring a UNESCO-listed old town and brewing the smokiest beers on the planet, Bamberg is one of the best places to visit in Germany. Furthermore, it’s easy to visit Bamberg on a day trip from Nuremberg or Munich.

Discover how to make the most of one day in Bamberg, the best places to see and how to get there.

Some articles on this website contain affiliate links. This means that I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

Planning Your Day in Bamberg

As its main sights are conveniently located within walking distance of each other, it’s a breeze to explore Bamberg in one day

Map of Bamberg’s Must-See Sights (Self-Guided Walking Tour)

If you like to map it out, here’s one that I prepared earlier. For an interactive map, simply click here or on the image itself.

For a more structured itinerary, you can use this map as a framework for a Bamberg self-guided walking tour. The distance between the Bamberg landmarks on this map is just over one mile (2 km).

Why You Should Visit Bamberg

1. To experience one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns

Unlike Nuremberg just 40 miles to the north, Bamberg came out of the other side of World War II unscathed. As a result, its old town gives us an excellent picture of a medieval European town. For this reason, Bamberg was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.

Bamberg Old Town comprises three historic districts:

The Episcopal Town on the hills – dominated by the cathedral, this is where the town’s churches and cathedrals were built as early as the 10th century.

The Island Town –  this island in the middle of the river was founded in the 12th century to house a market, homes and businesses.

The Market Gardener’s Town – urban gardening was practised in Bamberg from the 12^th Century and the town expanded to include these gardens behind the houses occupying this district.

Five churches, taking the form of a Latin cross, mark the layout of the town.

2. To visit Bamberg’s beautiful Baroque church

The first of these churches is St Martin’s, located in Grüner Markt.

Consecrated in 1693, this is Bamberg’s only Baroque church. It was built as the university church and the church of the Jesuit College. 

It’s worth taking a peek inside at the magnificent trompe d’oeil dome by Giovanni Francesco Marchini, and an early 14th Century Pietà featuring the skinniest Jesus that I have ever seen.

Grüner Markt sells mostly fruits and vegetables and vendors peddle their wares from Monday to Saturday.

Before you leave this square, take a look at the Neptune fountain (Gabelmann). Featuring the Roman god Neptune with a gilded trident, it was created by Johann Kaspar Metzner in 1698.

3. To take in the view of Bamberg Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus)

Straddling the river is the Old Town Hall, Bamberg’s best-known building and most photographed landmark.

The story goes that the bishop of Bamberg refused the town’s citizens land to build a town hall. Undeterred, the townsfolk rammed stakes into the Regnitz river to create an artificial island, on which they built their half-timbered Altes Rathaus.

Its façade is covered in trompe d’oeil frescoes painted by Johann Anwander (1715 – 1770). On one side of the Old Town Hall, these paintings are allegories of the four elements; on the other side, they represent the four seasons. Try to find the leg of a cherub that appears to be protruding out of the wall.

Today, Bamberg Old Town Hall is used for City Council meetings and official receptions.

4. To marvel at the façade of Böttingerhaus

As you start to climb the hill to Bamberg’s Episcopal Town, pause in front of Böttingerhaus at Judenstraße 14.  

This magnificent baroque palace was constructed between 1707 and 1713 for the alderman Ignaz Tobias Böttinger. Built like an Italian palazzo, it houses a courtyard with rich ornaments.

As Böttinger House is privately owned, you are unlikely you get a chance to view this courtyard. But you can admire its wonderful façade with its wooden carriage gate and richly embellished window frames.

5. To step inside St. Stephan’s Church

The next stop on our Bamberg walking tour is the serene St. Stephan’s Church.

Although there has been a church on this site since the early 11^th century, what we see today was constructed in two phases in the 17^th Century. It has been Bamberg’s most important protestant church since 1807.

Built in the shape of a Greek cross, its whitewashed interior is Baroque with a twist of Renaissance. It features a sublime choir, built by Giovanni Bonalino in 1628.

6. To soak up the splendour of Bamberg Cathedral

Dominating the town’s skyline is Bamberg Cathedral.

Founded in 1002 by King (later Emperor) Heinrich II (Henry II), the sturdy Romanesque Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg (to give it its official name) was completed in the 13^th Century. There is not much to shout about from the outside but step inside for its treasures.

These include the marble tomb of Henry II and his wife, Cunegundand (Empress Kunigunde). Carved between 1499 and 1513, this is considered to be a masterpiece of the Gothic sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider (1460 – 1531).

The cathedral also houses the tomb of Pope Clement II, the only pope to be buried north of the Alps.

Another famous treasure of Bamberg Cathedral is the Bamberg Horseman (Der Bamberger Reiter). This equestrian statue is thought to depict the Hungarian King Stephen I and was created in the early 1200s. 

7. To visit the Old Court

The Old Court (Alte Hofhaltung) is also on Domplatz.

This complex once served as the bishop’s residence and its inner cobblestone courtyard is lined with half-timbered buildings. Today, the Old Court is home to the Bamberg Historical Museum and St. Katherine’s Chapel.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that The Old Court looks like a movie set. In fact, this was one of the filming locations for the 2011 adaptation of The Three Musketeers.

8. For awe-inspiring views from the Rose Garden

The Rose Garden of the Neue Residenz was my favourite place in Bamberg.

Until 1802, the New Residence (Neue Residenz) was the seat of Bamberg’s princes and bishops. It comprises two early 17^th Century Renaissance wings at the rear and two later Baroque wings facing the cathedral square.

The Neue Residenz Rose Garden was laid out in 1733 under Prince-Bishop Friedrich Carl von Schönborn. The lovely garden pavilion was added in 1757 and sculptures in 1760/61.

It’s a chilled spot with plenty of benches on which to sit and take in wonderful views over Bamberg and Michelsburg Abbey. Best of all, it’s absolutely free.

9. To photograph Bamberg’s Little Venice

Wind your way back downhill and you’ll arrive at a row of flower-bedecked, half-timbered houses hugging the river’s edge.

Formerly a fishermen’s district, the gloriously wonky homes of Little Venice (Klein Venedig) were built during the Middle Ages. Today, it’s the perfect place in Bamberg for a short stroll and to take a few photographs.

10. For the smokiest beer on the planet

Leaving one of the best reasons to visit Bamberg until last. Even in a country that is as renowned for its breweries as Germany, Bamberg is beer Mecca.

Rauchbier is a beer speciality of Bamberg. Its distinctive smoky character is produced by drying malt over an open flame in a smoke kiln.

If you have just one day in Bamberg, make Schlenkera your beer stop. Established in 1405, their famous Rauchbier – Märzen is worth the price of your train ticket to Bamberg alone.

Prost!

Visiting Michelsburg Abbey

Founded in 1015, St. Michael’s Monastery (Michelsburg Abbey) is the former Benedictine monastery of St. Michael. Although it is one of Bamberg’s most famous buildings, it is closed for renovation until 2025.

How to Visit Bamberg on a Day Trip by Train

Thanks to its excellent train connections, it’s easy to visit Bamberg as a day trip from Nuremberg, Munich, Würzburg or Coburg. You can check train times here.

READ THIS NEXT: 6 Magical Day Trips from Nuremberg by Train

Nuremberg to Bamberg day trip by train

I visited Bamberg as a day trip from Nuremberg Old Town, an excellent base from which to explore the Franconia region of Germany. It has glorious medieval architecture, a meandering river crisscrossed with historic bridges, a clutch of excellent museums and arguably the tastiest sausages in Germany.

Thanks to direct, fast and frequent rail connections from the stately Hauptbahnhof, Bamberg is one of a number of easy day trips by train from Nuremberg. The journey time is from 30 minutes and there is roughly one train an hour.  

READ THIS NEXT: One Day in Nuremberg Old Town, Germany: Itinerary & Self-Guided Walking Tour

Munich to Bamberg day trip by train

Although Munich is further south of Bamberg, you can still travel there by train in less than two hours. Expect at least two trains per hour but most require a change of train at Nuremberg.

Bamberg day trip from Würzburg or Coburg

Würzburg to Bamberg by train

The journey time from Würzburg to Bamberg by train is from 55 minutes and there are usually at least two trains per hour.

Coburg to Bamberg by train

The journey time from Coburg to Bamberg by train is from 25 minutes and there are usually at least two trains per hour.

Getting from Bamberg Train Station to the old town

Bamberg railway station is a 20-minute walk to Grüner Markt in the heart of the old town. Just follow the signs for Innenstadt from the station.