Main: laid-back tour, Bamberg – Würzburg

The laid-back tour

The Main bike trail from Bamberg to Würzburg.

Let the Main River take you on an especially pleasurable 7 days bike trip! All you have to do is follow it from the world cultural heritage in Bamberg, very fascinating with its unique historical townscape, and cycle on to the Franconian wine-growing lands until you reach the residence of Würzburg, also classified UNESCO world cultural heritage in 1982! What an amazing destination for an exciting bike trip like this one! Short stages and many worthwhile breaks make this trip especially enjoyable. There will be enough time for all kinds of activities.

1. day Bamberg arrival

Once you have arrived, you should absolutely take your time to visit the Old-town of Bamberg. 

2. day Bamberg - Haßfurt 37 km

Follow the Regnitz for a short moment until you reaching the Main River, taking you now to the beautiful pilgrimage church Maria Limbach. You will soon reach the first vineyards marking the border between the beer-brewing and the wine-growing areas of Franconia. Let a sunny day come to its end in Haßfurt where another historical Old-town will impress you.

3. day Haßfurt - Schweinfurt 24 km

A short side-trip to Theres is recommendable today: After a nice break there, you will continue along the edge of the Main to Schweinfurt. Discover the vestiges of the ancient imperial town and walk on the footprints of the industrial pioneers and discoverers and let the modern Schweinfurt treat you!

4. day Schweinfurt - Volkach 30 km

Passing numerous vineyards, you will cycle through the small, historic wine-growing town Wipfeld, home of the “Zehntgraf”. Take a relaxing break here and marvel at the precious old buildings of the town and its idyllic situation. In the afternoon, you will cross Fahr, town of the “Bocksbeutel”, to reach Volkach, famous for its excellent wines!

5. day Volkach - Kitzingen 29 km

Leaving Volkach behind, you will follow the Main-channel before catching up to the Main River again in Schwarzach. By the side of the channel, you will have the chance to make a stop in Dettelbach, whose city wall has been preserved almost completely. It still has its 30 towers and both gates, making you want to take a walk around. The impressive St. Augustinus church in the centre of the Old-town with its two unequal towers is just as beautiful as the pilgrimage church “Maria im Sand“, known all over Europe as a unique example of architecture from the Late-Gothic and Renaissance period. After this visit in Dettelbach, you will reach Kitzingen in no time thanks to the well-paved and even Main-bike trail. Another historical Old-Town and more wine in Germany’s oldest wine cellar wait for you here.

6. day Kitzingen - Würzburg 38 km

How to find out which one of these lovely places with their wine-growing traditions is the most beautiful one? There will not be very much time to think about it as Ochsenfurt, Sommerhausen and Eibelstadt are waiting for you now on your way to the amazing residence of Würzburg. The market place, the town hall, the old bridge crossing the Main offering an impressive view over the fortress, the pilgrimage church, the Rococo-style face of the Falkenhaus and Tilman Riemenschneider’s sandstone figures of the Chapel of Our Lady, will dazzle you. The highlight is the former residence of the prince-bishop, built between 1720 and 1744 according to plans of Balthasar Neumann. Considering the overall impression, it is the most beautiful castle of the southern German Baroque.

7. day Würzburg departure

After breakfast your nice cycle holiday ends in Würzburg. Departure is possible by German railway. We recommend our transfer service back to Bamberg (each Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, departure 10.30 a.m., duration about 2 hrs.)

Worth knowing about your bike trip Main Bamberg - Würzburg Bummeltour

Please find more information about your bike trip below. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us by phone: 0049 - (0) 6421 - 886890.

Arrival by train

Bamberg is easily accessible from all major cities in Germany by train. We recommend to take a taxi from the station to get to our partner hotels in Bamberg. Current schedule information and price information can be found at: www.bahn.de.

Parking facilities at the hotel

In our partner hotels in the center of Bamberg usually there is no parking. Here you can park for about 8.00 EUR per day in public car parks. Detailed information on parking at the hotel booked for you, you will receive together with the detailed travel documents two weeks prior to departure.

Condition of cycle paths

As Germany's first bike route the Main bike trail got awarded with five stars by ADFC (General German Bicycle Club) in 2008. Important criteria for this award were the almost universal asphalting and the nearly traffic-free routes. The specially signposted cycle track runs mostly every time directly at the Main riverside and is without significant gradients.

Available rental bikes

If you choose to rent a velociped-rental bike for the tour, we take it to your first hotel and bring pick it up at your destination. You can choose between woman’s and men's bicycles either with 7-speed gear shift and coaster brake or 21-speed gear shift and freewheel or electric bikes. All ladies' bikes have a low opening that makes mounting and dismounting much easier. The bikes are suitable for all ladies from 150 cm in height and for all gentlemen from 165 cm in height. Velociped Bikes

Transfer back to the starting point of the journey

Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 10.30am there is the possibility to transfer back to Bamberg with a small bus (with bike trailer). Arrival at 12.00pm. The driver comes to pick you up at your hotel and has much room for you, your luggage and where required your own bicycle. The bus takes you back to your first hotel, thus ensuring a perfect return service without transfer and the hassle of hauling luggage.

Extra costs which are not included in the tour price

A possibly applicable tourism tax is not included in the tour price and has to be paid locally.

7 day hotline service

Just in case the bike chain breaks, flooding makes it impossible to continue your tour or any
other nasty surprise: You can reach us seven days a week and we will do anything to help
you as fast as possible.

Passport and visa requirements, health regulations

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Corona travel information:
Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic.

Information on current decisions of the German Federal Government can be found here:
https://www.bundesregierung.de/corona-these-rules-and-restrictions-apply

Current information on entry requirements to Germany can be found here:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus

You can also find more information on our website at:
Corona virus and holiday planning

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Bamberg

As visitors wander through the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bamberg, they are particularly enchanted by the city's many different facets. In the hill city Bamberg portrays itself as the Franconian Rome, the island city with Little Venice is its lively heart, the market gardeners' district a part of town steeped in tradition. Bamberg, this means beer from nine breweries within the city, supped in traditional brewery pubs, this means shopping in modern shops and a historical atmosphere. And in the Old Town everything is very close together: Explore the imperial cathedral just a few minutes from your hotel or holiday apartment!

Bamberg

Maria Limbach Pilgrimage Church

The Limbach pilgrimage church is an impressive testimony to Balthasar Neumann's art of creating great architecture with little effort. Above all, the light and playful design as a double-shell room with a gallery entrance characterizes Neumann's last church construction and shows him as a splendid example of late Baroque. While the exterior façade seems to have calmed down in classicist style, the interior is full of cheerful rococo stucco and sumptuous furnishings.

Maria Limbach Pilgrimage Church

Haßfurt

The large treasure of architectural monuments: the historic, newly renovated town hall, the two-towered parish church, the chapel, the two gate towers that delimit the old town, the town hall, which is of supraregional importance as a venue for conferences, concerts and cultural events enjoy, and the main promenade.

Hassfurt

Schweinfurt

Schweinfurt - Industry and Art: With this motorway sign visitors have been welcomed for quite a few years to a city which was known for many decades in Germany and far beyond as the Ball Bearing City. Schweinfurt is still an industrially characterized city. Yet since the beginning of the 1990s the former Free Imperial City has eminently changed, and has long since rediscovered points of its history which were somewhat forgotten over a longer period. Today Schweinfurt is no longer merely an industrial city, but rather a city in which art, culture, remarkable architecture, science and tradition can be experienced.

Schweinfurt

Volkach

The small, historic city on the Main is an important wine and tourist resort in the Franconian wine-growing region. Volkach and the Mainschleife is unique in Germany because only here the Main has formed this loop. The Mainschleife is also the wine, fruit and asparagus region in the Franconian wine country. Winemakers and wine festivals invite wine tasting everywhere. In autumn, the grape harvest is on. From a culinary point of view, there is a distinctive cuisine. Typical Franconian dishes or exclusive asparagus and fish dishes with the matching wines are on the menu.

Volkach

Dettelbach

Situated in the Main valley, very close to the river, Dettelbach presents itself with its medieval town-wall that is still in very good condition with its two large sally gates and many small towers surrounding the historic town centre. The narrow streets and old half-timbered houses invite the visitor for a walk through the Middle-Ages. 

Dettelbach

Kitzingen

In the middle of the Franconian wine country lies Kitzingen, the historic wine trading town on the Main. Accommodations with a bourgeois atmosphere, historical sights, numerous recreational and recreational opportunities and the idyllic location on the Main offer rest and enjoyment. The center of the historic old town is the market square, framed by Franconian half-timbered houses, imposing town houses and the Renaissance town hall. Architectural highlights are the city church of Petrini with its mighty portal of the Franconian Baroque, the late Gothic church of St. John with its impressive exterior sculptures and the famous cross chapel of Balthasar Neumann. Kitzingen is not only a wine-trading town, but also carnival-friendly. So it is not surprising that the German Carnival Museum, the official museum of the Federal German Carnival, can be found in Kitzingen. While strolling through the picturesque old town, there is more to discover. In any case, you should also allow time for a walk along the Main Promenade.

Kitzingen

Würzburg

‘If I could choose my place of birth, I would consider Würzburg’, wrote author Hermann Hesse, and it’s not difficult to see why. This scenic town straddles the Main River and is renowned for its art, architecture and delicate wines.

Founded in the 10th century, Würzburg served as the home of powerful prince-bishops for many centuries. It is renowned for the Residence, regarded as one of the finest palaces in Europe and a high point of Baroque art (also UNESCO cultural world heritage). Würzburg is also home to one of the oldest churches in Germany, built in the 8th century on top of a former pagan shrine. One of its most famous structures, Festung Marienberg, is a fortress which now surrounds the church.

Würzburg

Residenz Würzburg

The Residence Palace is one of Europe’s most renowned Baroque castles and has been registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1981. The castle was built by Balthasar Neumann and includes a much acclaimed staircase with awe inspiring frescos by the Venetian artist Tiepolo.

Würzburg Residence