Bamberg is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Germany and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built on seven hills along the Regnitz River, it escaped major wartime damage and still looks remarkably as it did centuries ago — half-timbered houses, Baroque facades, and narrow lanes climbing up from the waterfront.
The Cathedral, a powerful mix of Romanesque and Gothic, dominates the hill town. Inside you will find the Bamberger Reiter, a 13th-century equestrian statue whose rider has never been identified — one of the great mysteries of medieval art. The Altes Rathaus, perched improbably on a bridge in the middle of the river, is one of the most photographed buildings in Bavaria. Round the cathedral square are the two prince-bishops' palaces — the half-timbered Alte Hofhaltung and the Baroque Neue Residenz, whose rose garden gives the best view of the rooftops. Down by the water, Klein Venedig — the row of fishermen's houses standing directly in the Regnitz — is the city's other obvious photograph.
Bamberg is also a serious beer town. It has more breweries per capita than almost anywhere in Germany, and the local speciality is Rauchbier — a dark, smoky lager brewed with malt dried over beechwood fires. Schlenkerla, in the old town, is the classic place to try it. You will either love it or think someone poured liquid bacon into your glass.