WUERZBURG – A SPECIAL WAY OF LIVING 

TIPS FROM THE VISIT-THE-CITY EDITORS 
FOR YOUR 3-DAY TRIP TO WÜRZBURG

World heritage, wine and music are just some of many reasons to visit Würzburg, once the seat of prince bishops. The palace with a famous ceiling painting by Tiepolo, numerous towers, fountains and the Old Main Bridge dominate the appearance of this idyllic town on the river Main, home to a famous Mozart festival and also to Europe’s biggest festival of African culture.

The texts and images on our website are to help you get your bearings and plan your trip to Würzburg. All information has been carefully researched by the 3-Days-In editorial team and continually updated. Nevertheless, it is possible that individual details are incomplete or out of date. We are therefore grateful for every correction or addition to our information. Please send your hints to: info@3-tagein.de

You will find detailed information in our guidebook “3 Days in Würzburg”, which you can buy from autumn 2017 as a paperback or eBook direct fron the BKB Shop or from bookstores!

UNIVERSITY CITY

WORLD HERITAGE

WINE REGION

TRAVELLING TO WÜRZBURG

The best way to reach Würzburg is by car or train. Intercity trains stop every hour, coming from Frankfurt, Hanover and Munich, with more than 350 trains arriving every day at the central station. From here it is only a few minutes to the city centre. You can find connections here:

A cheaper way to travel is by overland bus. There are direct connections to and from Berlin, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Cologne, Munich and Rostock-Warnemünde. Find details here:

Those who arrive by air have a choice between the international airports in Frankfurt and Nuremberg, both of which are about one hour from Würzburg. From the airport you can continue the journey by train or hire a car.

You can easily find flights here:

If you would like to book a hire care for the transfer to Würzburg, we recommend you search here:

WÜRZBURG DAY 1

AT THE CENTRE IS THE CATHEDRAL

Würzburg is best explored on foot, beginning with a walk through the Old Town, where many sights testify to an eventful city history. The heart of the city is the Romanesque St Kilian’s Cathedral, one of the great churches in this style in Germany. The Schönborn Chapel was built onto its northern transept to plans by Balthasar Neumann to serve as a place of burial for the prince bishops from the house of Schönborn. Just round the corner is the Museum am Dom, where religious art from eleven centuries is displayed in an exciting encounter of old and new, according to the motto “Riemenschneider meets Beuys”.

CHURCHES THAT TELL STORIES

Right next to the cathedral is the Neumünster (New Minster) with a splendid Baroque façade and a huge dome. In the crypt St Kilian and his companions Kolonat and Totnan are buried. Don’t fail to make a detour to the back of the church to the Lusamgärtchen, a green oasis in the middle of the city. In the remains of a Romanesque cloister is a funeral monument to the medieval poet Walther von der Vogelweide, who lived in Würzburg in his old age.

A break in historic surroundings

The lovely marketplace is an inviting place to take a break. Its upper part is adorned by the Falkenhaus with its elaborate Rococo façade, the lower part by the late Gothic Marienkapelle, a chapel painted red-brown and white. From its north doorway, sandstone figures of Adam and Eve by Tilman Riemenschneider look out over the bustle of the market. Take a look at the tympanon (the space in the arch), where the Immaculate Conception is graphically illustrated as the mouth of God in the ear of the Virgin Mary. And of course there is lots of space on the marketplace to linger in one of the many street cafés, to drink a cup of coffee, eat some ice cream and watch who is coming and going.

THE JULIUSSPITAL

It is definitely worth visiting the magnificent Juliusspital, one of Germany’s great charitable institutions. Thanks to donations by Prince Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, today it still has 163 hectares of vineyards, about 1,040 hectares of farmland and 3,400 hectares of forest, and is thus one of Würzburg’s three largest wine estates. In the courtyard, the park with a garden pavilion and Baroque fountain is a good place to stop for a while. A highlight is the Rococo pharmacy with its unique original furnishings, which can be visited only as part of a guided tour.

AN EVENING BY THE RIVER

Wine taverns, bars and restaurants all over the Old Town invite you to enjoy your evening. But whether you want to try a typical Franconian dish like sauerbraten or eat pizza, in good weather there is only one place to go: the rendezvous is the Alte Mainbrücke (Old Main Bridge). Young and old, Würzburgers and tourists meet here to listen to buskers, have a chat, do some people-watching or simply to enjoy the scene, with – after standing in the queue – a glass of wine (or a wine spritzer or a cocktail) from the Alte Mainmühle inn.

WÜRZBURG DAY 2

VISIT THE PRINCE: FIRST THE GARDEN …

In the morning take a ship from the Alter Kran (Old Crane), an emblem of the city on the river bank, to Veitshöchheim to see the Rococo garden. The trip takes 40 minutes, passing the old and new harbours, the monastery at Oberzell and the village Zelt am Main, until you reach picturesque Veitshöchheim north-west of Würzburg. The prince bishops built their summer residence here. The twelve-hectare garden with more than 300 sculptures and green pergolas is a lovely place to stroll. The centre of the garden is an artifical lake, adorned by a group sculpture of Parnassus. The fountains are a great attraction.

… THEN THE PALACE

In the afternoon it is time to visit the residence of the prince bishops in Würzburg. Designed by Balthasar Neumann, the Residenz is a key work of south German Baroque architecture, with World Heritage status. The undisputed highlight is the staircase, where the Venetian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, the leading fresco painter of his time, created the world’s largest continuous fresco. It is worth joining a guided tour to hear explanations of the ceiling painting. This will also take you to the most impressive rooms, which are otherwise not open. Round off the visit with a walk in the court garden with its two fountains, numerous sculptures, wonderful trees and roses. Then you have earned a break in the beer garden of B.Neumanns Residenzgaststätte.

IN VINO VERITAS

 Wine and Würzburg are inseparably linked, so don’t miss out on a tour of a wine cellar. After viewing the bishops’ residence, a good option is a public tour of the Staatlicher Hofkeller (State Court Cellar). Down in the vaults you will see a lot of wooden barrels, learn about the history of wine and how it is stored, and other interesting stories from the world of wine.

In the evening: wine festival, theatre or cabaret?

If one of the many wine festivals or other cultural special events is not taking place, the theatre is a good place to spend an evening. Whether you opt for the Mainfranken Theater, the well-known cabaret venue Bockshorn, one of the numerous small theatres or an open-air performance, there is a wide range to choose from.

WÜRZBURG DAY 3

HIGH UP ON THE HILL …

From a distance you have already seen the Marienburg fortress on the left bank of the Main. The medieval castle, named after a church dedicated to St Mary that was consecrated in the year 706, was converted to a Renaissance palace around 1600, the home of the prince bishops until they moved into the Residenz. From here you not only have a wonderful view of the city – you can also visit the castle keep and fountain house inside the four-wing palace, and in the Museum für Franken admire the world’s largest collection of works by Tilman Riemenschneider.

… A QUICK PILGRIMAGE

If you are a good walker, take the Way of the Cross with its 14 chapels up to the Käppele, one of the most famous pilgrimage churches in Franconia. It too is an architectural masterpiece by Balthasar Neumann, and stands on the Nikolausberg hill above Würzburg. The unique view is the reward for the effort of the climb (bus no. 35 goes up from the Nikolausstrasse bus stop). Don’t miss the “miracle passage” with its votive offerings by Christian believers who have prayed here for divine assistance.

A RELAXED STROLL

To finish the tour, descend and cross the Old Main Bridge to reach the Old Town, where a shopping expedition in the numerous stores will round off your visit to Würzburg. As a large part of the city centre between the main station and the Vierströmebrunnen fountain is a pedestrian zone, shopping is enjoyable here. Along the way are lots of little cafés for a refreshing break.

Bildnachweis: Alle Fotos BKB Verlag außer:Autobahnwegweiser A3 fotolia.com, Urheber: cevahir87, Foto-ID: #81702953