
Fortunately, it is not on the over-crowded tourist routes so it is possible to enjoy this city without hordes of visitors for most of the year.
In parts, Bamberg looks like one of those classic imperial German towns that time has forgotten. This is one of the reasons Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city has meandering streets, lined with both half-timbered and highly decorated baroque houses and other buildings. The first one we discover is the improbably shaped but delightfully attractive Altes Rathaus (the old town hall), which sits on a tiny island. Locals tell us that the bishop of Bamberg refused to provide land for a town hall, so the locals made an island for it. The Altes Rathaus is a remarkable structure, with baroque and rococo touches - including painted walls.
Old Town Hall This is a great area to linger. There are many taverns, pastry shops offering all kinds of tempting specialties, and cheerful crowds strolling past. We joined locals sitting on the bridge railings, talking and drinking, and we had a great time.
The area on the high ground to the west of the River Regnitz is quite different. Its centre is the Domplatz-the square ringed by Bamberg's imperial cathedral, the massive New Residence palace, and the former bishop's palace, the Old Court. A visit to the plaza ticked off some of the city's highlights right away.
The 13th-century Roman Catholic Cathedral, with its four spires, towers over the city. Begun in 1200, the building is a masterful combination of Romanesque and Gothic. The two entrances are grand and inside there is much to see.
Cathedral We see the Bamberg Horseman, a statue created around 1235, which depicts a young ruler on horseback, and the dazzling quality of the carved wooden marienaltar finished in 1523. We also see the tomb of Henry II and his wife, and another of Pope Clement II, the only Papal tomb in Germany.
We go for a walk around here at night and the narrow cobblestoned streets, empty of all traffic, take us back to the time when Bamberg was a small independent state ruled by an elected Prince-Bishop.
The nearby New Residence was once the home to the prince-bishops and it displays a series of lavish rooms that portray their grand lifestyle. There is antique furniture, numerous grand rugs, elaborate stucco work, and a collection of old German and Baroque paintings.
Altenburg Castle, which sits at the top of the city's biggest hill, provides a fantastic view. You see the red-tiled rooftops, with spires here and there and on the other side, the green rolling hills of Franconia.
Back on the other side of the river, Bamberg's long, pedestrian-friendly Gr ner Markt is full of caf s and boutique stores and it's also home to a popular weekday market. There are also many important historic structures here, including the St. Catherine Hospital and Seminary, the Gabelman fountain with its statue of Neptune, and the Baroque Church of St. Martin that contains many interesting features and artefacts.
Close by is Little Venice filled with half-timbered buildings, built mainly in the Middle Ages, crowded together along the riverbank, and surrounded by little gardens. The best way to see this is from a boat or from across the river.
Around the world, this city is known for its wonderful symphony orchestra but in Germany, it is synonymous with Rauchbier, or smoke beer . This is an age old style of beer where the malt is roasted over a beech wood fire instead of being dried in an oven and the smoke from this fire imparts a distinct flavour when the beer is brewed. It is unusual but we thought it was excellent.
Benedictine monks came to Bamberg in 1008, and began brewing beer shortly afterward. Today, with 9 breweries and brewpubs, the city is still well served. A trip here wouldn't be complete without tasting a couple of the local brews. Schlenkerla is arguably Bamberg's most famous brewery, producing six smoked beers.
The brewpubs don't differ much in style as all have plenty of dark wood and country-style furniture. In many, you drink standing up and patrons spill out onto the road, but they share that certain conviviality that is attractive. While here, try the Bamberg onion which is filled with minced meat and cooked in the oven, served with mashed or boiled potatoes in a bath of beer sauce.
Brew pub For some, the Franconian Brewery Museum is an attraction. Built in the magnificent vaults of the former Benedictine monastery, the brewery museum is a fascinating journey through the history of beer.
If a different type of culture is your thing, check the calendar of the Bamberg Concert Hall which hosts multiple performances a week. You might even catch the orchestra.
Getting there There are non-stop flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Frankfurt, and one-stop flights from Durban. Bamberg is about three hours by train from Frankfurt airport and the trip involves one change of train.
South African passport holders require a Schengen visa to enter Germany, and youneed to apply at one of the four Intergate Visalink Visa Application Centres.
www.LenRutledge.com
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
18/06/2026
Linda May Han Oh Receives Guggenheim Fellowship The Berklee professor, bassist, and composer will use the fellowship to debut Dreams of Knowing, an interdisci...
17/06/2026
EVS has announced it has received the EcoVadis Gold Medal for sustainability performance, ranking among the top 5% of companies globally in the Technology/Mid-S...
17/06/2026
Chyron has released Weather 2.4, an update to its weather suite for broadcasters and meteorologists. The release focuses on enhancements to the DataFlow module,...
17/06/2026
VSiN, The Sports Betting Network, has announced the launch of Best Bets TV, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel. The 24/7 channel is currently avail...
17/06/2026
DAZN's Team Whistle and Snap Inc. have announced a creator program centered ...
17/06/2026
LiveU is providing video transmission technology for broadcasters, production companies, and public safety agencies across North America's busy Summer of So...
17/06/2026
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) has announced that Laurens Grant and Jacob Ullman have joined its Board of Directors. Chief of Staf...
17/06/2026
Akta, the AI-First SaaS video platform for modern broadcast and streaming operations, today announced that its video platform is now generally available on Orac...
17/06/2026
This recent graduate from Houston found inspiration in technical directing and now eyes a future career in sports production...
17/06/2026
Audio-Technica (booth C7959) arrives at InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas with a slate ...
17/06/2026
SNS has published a guide addressing growing demand for AI-powered video indexing, transcription, facial recognition, and searchable metadata across media libra...
17/06/2026
Providius has announced Providius Direct, a workflow for investigating network i...
17/06/2026
NEP Group has announced the commercial availability of NEP Platform, a software ...
17/06/2026
A new white paper examining Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) and Reliable Interne...
17/06/2026
New research from subscription bundling platform Bango finds that younger sports fans are increasingly consuming sport through highlights, clips, and social med...
17/06/2026
SMPTE has announced that its complete Standards catalog is now freely available to the global media technology community, including all published SMPTE Standard...
17/06/2026
Harmonic has completed the sale of its Video Business to MediaKind for $145 mill...
17/06/2026
Omaha Productions will produce the 2026 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vega...
17/06/2026
New features, changes & bug fixes
SoundBridge have just released another update for their remote collaboration-focused DAW - reviewed here in SOS March 2026...
17/06/2026
Valve-based front end for digital & modelling rigs
The latest addition to Fryette's product range delivers a packed-down, pedalboard-friendly version of...
17/06/2026
GearExpo UK - 27 June 2026
Sound On Sound are proud to announce GearExpo UK, a major new recording and music technology exhibition in London! This is the bi...
17/06/2026
SAM monitoring line-up gains Dante and AES67 support
The latest expansion of Genelec's UNIO monitoring ecosystem introduces a new device that provides D...
17/06/2026
The R&S PR300 portable receiver from Rohde & Schwarz sets new standards in spect...
17/06/2026
Elt Group and Rohde & Schwarz sign a cooperation agreement to explore commercial...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
The Immersive Supervisor Emerges as Hollywood's Next Production Role
Brie Clayton June 17, 2026
0 Comments
Above image: On set live immersive revi...
17/06/2026
Vertical Musical Playback Shot with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton June 17, 2026
0 Comments
Large format sensor and DaVinci Resolve workflow used fo...
17/06/2026
DAZ 3D Launches New Game-Ready Character Assets Built for Modern Engines and Pro...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
17/06/2026
Montr al, Quebec, June 11, 2026 Kiloview, a leading provider of AV-over-IP and NDI -based video transmission solutions, today announced a distribution partner...
17/06/2026
Changsha, China, June 15, 2026 Kiloview officially announced the launch of U4 IP Video Dock, a compact IP video decoder and output dock designed to bring prof...
17/06/2026
Save 50% on All Ivory II Pianos and Collections
Were halfway through the year, and we're cutting prices in half for the Ivory II Summer Sale!
For a limite...
17/06/2026
Wednesday 17 June 2026
Two in three fans will connect to venue WiFi this World ...
17/06/2026
Visibility builds credibility - the tools you use every day, now visible on your LinkedIn profile Published on Jun 17, 2026 Categories: Company News, Product ...
17/06/2026
Transaction Positions Harmonic as a Pure-Play Broadband Company SAN JOSE, Calif. - June 17, 2026 - Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in virtual...
17/06/2026
FOX Advertising To Launch Industry's First End-to-End Agentic Advertising Pl...
17/06/2026
How SGN is future-proofing critical national infrastructure with Arqiva Managed Connectivity.
When disruption becomes the norm As Storm Eunice tore across the ...