Bamberg Bamberg Travel Guide: Best Hotels, Restaurants & Experiences

Bamberg rises from the confluence of the Regnitz and Main rivers, its medieval skyline punctuated by the four towers of its Romanesque cathedral. The Bergstadt — the upper town — clusters around the Domplatz, where prince-bishops once held court in the Alte Rathaus, improbably perched on an island in the middle of the river. Below, the former fishermen's quarter of Klein-Venedig lines the waterfront with half-timbered facades that have stood since the seventeenth century.

The city's gastronomic identity owes much to its brewing heritage: Rauchbier, the smoky lager unique to this corner of Franconia, appears on nearly every table. Local cooks draw on the surrounding countryside — white asparagus in spring, carp from nearby ponds in autumn, wines from the steep hillsides of the Steigerwald. Restaurants here tend toward the traditional, with vaulted cellars and wood-paneled dining rooms that have served generations of regulars.