Experience the best of Bamberg

Bamberg lies in Upper Franconia on the Regnitz river, and its medieval and baroque old town, spread over seven hills, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. The four-towered cathedral holds the tomb of Emperor Henry II and the Bamberg Horseman, a mysterious knight carved in stone in the thirteenth century. The Old Town Hall stands on an artificial island in the river, linked by two bridges, with painted frescoes on its facade.

Little Venice, a row of old fishermen's houses leaning over the water, is the best-known view. On the cathedral hill the New Residence has a rose garden overlooking the rooftops, and Michaelsberg Abbey commands the next ridge. Franconian Switzerland, a countryside of limestone crags, caves and castles, lies to the east, the baroque pilgrimage church of Vierzehnheiligen to the north, and Nuremberg to the south.

Rauchbier, a smoky beer brewed with malt dried over beechwood fires, is the signature of the city's many breweries, drunk in taverns and in beer gardens on the hills. Franconian cooking brings roast pork shoulder with dumplings, bratwurst and the Bamberg onion, stuffed with minced meat. Summer evenings are best spent in a hillside beer garden.