Main: Bamberg radial tour 6 days

Magic Case Franconia

On this star bike tour you open the magic suitcase of Franconia. Starting in Bamberg (UNESCO World Heritage Site), you will discover wonderful destinations such as the impressive Veste Coburg castle, the varied Regnitz Valley or Seehof Castle. You cycle on cycle paths and small country roads through the partly hilly Bamberg countryside. With its approximately 70 small private breweries, this area is considered to have the highest density of private breweries in the world. In the midst of the Upper Franconian brewery diversity, rich in carp ponds and game, gourmets as well as fans of delicious snacks will get their money's worth.

Your hotel: Welcome Residenzschloss Bamberg

You will stay overnight in Bamberg on the banks of the river Regnitz, just a few steps from the old town, in the Welcome 4-star superior hotel Residenzschloss. Enjoy the interplay of baroque and modernity that characterises the ambience of the hotel (built in 1787). Let yourself be enchanted by culinary delights in one of the two restaurants and treat yourself to coffee and cake on the sun terrace, which already makes breakfast an experience. Then round off your day in the lounge with a cool drink. The hotel welcomes you with a drink and invites you to a three-course dinner during your stay (included in the price).           

Welcome Residenzschloss Bamberg

1. day Arrival Bamberg

After your arrival, Bamberg's old town (UNESCO World Heritage Site) invites you for a first sightseeing tour. Your hotel is situated in a quiet location on the river Regnitz in the city centre (good parking facilities, train station 2.1 km, rental bikes at the hotel).

2. day Discover Bamberg by bike (only Mon or Thu) 12 km

Look forward to a highly interesting city tour by bike. An experienced city guide will show you the beauties of the city on a 12 km long route. Except for Domberg and Michelsberg, where you will have to push your bike for a short while, the cycling route is flat and leisurely, mostly on asphalt, in the old town partly on cobblestones. Discover the Old Town Hall, the traditional Schlenkerla restaurant, Kleinvenedig, St. Michael's Monastery, the Old Court, the Cathedral, the Rose Garden, the New Residence, the Concordia moated castle, the historic lock 100, the Old Town, the University, the Gardener's Town, the Hainpark and the theatre. In 3 hours you will not only learn a lot about the history and the sights but also about the country and its people.

3. day In the Regnitz Valley from Bamberg to Erlangen 35 or 51 km

Look forward to a varied bike tour along the Regnitz and start right outside the hotel door! The Regnitztal cycle path leads you idyllically out of Bamberg. You cycle through the wide Regnitz valley with its riparian forests, historic water wheels, through fertile fruit and vegetable country, where freshly caught fish and the best Franconian beer culture are at home. Always alternating, you follow sometimes the idyllic little river course, sometimes the cycle path along the Main-Danube Canal. Discover the Slavic church in Seußling, Germany's oldest single malt whisky distillery in Neuses and the beautiful half-timbered old town of Forchheim with picturesque houses from the Gothic and Baroque eras.  Experience Erlangen, Bavaria's smallest city, stroll through the beautiful palace gardens and the winding narrow streets of the old town, which exudes French flair. In the afternoon, you can travel comfortably by train from Forchheim (35 km) or Erlangen (51 km) back to beautiful Bamberg.

4. day Seehof Castle and Beer Cellar Circuit 37 km

This circular tour combines leisurely cycling through charming countryside with enjoying the special variety of beers and the beer tradition of Upper Franconia. At the gates of Bamberg, discover Seehof Castle, which was built as a summer residence for the prince bishops according to plans by Antonio Petrini (from 1686). Marvel at the White Hall with its impressive ceiling paintings, the sandstone sculptures of the rococo garden and the splashing cascades of the water features. You then cycle along the Sculpture Trail into the "Franconian Tuscany" and reach the small community of Geisfeld with its pretty half-timbered buildings and several private breweries around midday. From here on your cycle tour is peppered with breweries, beer cellars and tempting beer gardens. You then cycle via Strullendorf along the Main-Danube Canal back to Bamberg.

5. day Coburg - Bamberg 60 km

Today you are spoilt for choice. You can either take the train to Coburg and visit the old town with its impressive market square and Ehrenburg Castle. It is also worth paying a visit to the famous castle complex (Veste). The Veste Coburg towers over the town and is rightly called the 'Franconian Crown'. You then cycle through the hilly Coburg countryside to the baroque castle of Tambach and on to Seßlach with its unique old town, which is still completely surrounded by a town wall and has often been used as a film set. The route then continues on flat paths along the Rodach and Itz rivers to the Main River and back to Bamberg.

6. day Bamberg Departure

Unfortunately, the time passed too quickly, because Bamberg and its beautiful surroundings really have a lot to offer! Book an extension or just come back again....

The individual day tours

On this star bike tour we offer you a choice of 4 different day tours. You are free to decide which of these tours you would like to undertake each day and can thus also choose for yourself whether you prefer rather flat stages or whether you would also like to experience more hilly day tours. For some daily stages you can also individually choose how many km you would like to cycle, there is then a shorter and a longer variant to choose from. This way you can decide spontaneously how much time you want to spend in the bike saddle. Only the city tour by bike is bound to two specific days of the week. If you want to stop at as many beer gardens as possible, it makes sense to do the beer cellar circuit on the last day of the cycle tour.

Things to know about the cycling tour Main: Bamberg Sternradtour

Below you will find specific information on the Bamberg Star Bike Tour. If you have any further questions about this tour, just give us a call: Tel.: 0049 (0)6421 - 886890.

How to get there

Arrival by train: Bamberg is easy to reach by train from all major cities in Germany. From Bamberg main station we recommend taking a taxi.
By public bus you first have to go from the station to the ZOB (Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof) with the lines 901/902/907 and then change to line 916, which goes directly to the hotel.

You can find timetable information and prices at www.bahn.de.

Parking facilities at the hotel

Sufficient parking spaces are available in the hotel's underground car park for the entire duration of your cycling trip (approx. € 12.00 per night). A reservation is not necessary.

Condition of the cycle paths

You cycle almost continuously on asphalted roads, only short unpaved forest road passages have to be mastered.
3 day tours are completely flat and 3 stages lead through hilly terrain.

Bikes available for hire

If you would like a Velociped rental bike for the tour, we will bring it to your starting hotel and of course pick it up again at your destination. You can choose between ladies' and men's bikes with either 7-speed hub gears and coaster brake or 27-speed derailleur gears and freewheel. All ladies' bikes have a low step-through and men's bikes are available in various frame sizes. Our ladies' bikes are suitable for all cyclists over 150 cm tall and the men's bikes over 165 cm. Furthermore, 8-speed unisex e-bikes are available. Simply state your desired bike when booking.

The Velociped hire bikes

Extra costs that are not included in the tour price

A possible tourism tax is not part of the tour price and therefore has to be paid at the hotel on site. The tickets for the transfers that are necessary on some days are not included in the tour price:

• Rail journey to Coburg: approx. 12.00 € per person.
• Tickets in the Regnitz Valley: approx. 7.00 € to 12.00 € per person

7 days hotline service

If the bicycle chain is broken, flooding makes it impossible to continue your journey or other nasty surprises await you: We are available for you 7 days a week and organise help as quickly 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

During excursions through the UNESCO World Heritage Site Bamberg, visitors are particularly fascinated by the multifaceted nature of this city. In the mountain town, Bamberg presents itself as the Franconian Rome, the island town with Little Venice is its lively centre and the gardener's town is unique. Bamberg, that's beer from eleven breweries in the city area, enjoyed in rustic brewery pubs, that's shopping in modern shops and historical ambience. And in the old town everything is close together: discover the imperial cathedral just a few minutes from your hotel or holiday flat!

Bamberg sights

Bamberg Cathedral (Dom)

The Romanesque Bamberg Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George is one of the German imperial cathedrals and, with its four towers, is the dominant building in Bamberg's Old Town, a World Heritage Site. It stands on the prominent elevation of the Domberg, which has other historic buildings. Inside, in addition to the famous Bamberg Horseman, are the tombs of the only canonised imperial couple of the Holy Roman Empire, Henry II and Empress Cunegonde, as well as the only papal tomb in Germany and north of the Alps.

Bamberg Cathedral (Dom)

Erlangen

Wide streets, baroque buildings and open squares - Erlangen is considered one of the best-preserved baroque planned towns in Germany and attracts visitors with a very special atmosphere. Experience the versatility of Bavaria's smallest city: the beautiful palace garden in the centre of the city, the Erlangen Old Town with its winding, narrow streets, optimal shopping opportunities with short distances, creative gastronomy, outstanding cultural institutions and events and, last but not least, the living beer tradition. Let yourself be enchanted.

Erlangen

Seehof Palace

Seehof Palacee was built from 1686 onwards as the summer residence of the Bamberg prince-bishops according to plans by Antonio Petrini. After secularisation and neglect in private hands, it was extensively renovated at the end of the 20th century and now houses the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments.

Nine showrooms of the restored flat of the prince bishops are open to visitors, including the "White Hall" with its virtuoso ceiling painting by Giuseppe Appiani.

The restored cascade with its fountains and the preserved sandstone sculptures by Ferdinand Tietz bear witness to the splendour of the former rococo garden.

Seehof Palace

Coburg

Coburg was the residential town of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg from the 16th/17th centuries until 1918 and a garrison town from the mid-19th to the end of the 20th century. One of the largest castles in Germany, the Veste Coburg, rises above the town.

Coburg sights

Veste Coburg

The Veste Coburg, also called the "Franconian Crown", rises high above the city with its mighty walls and towers. Koburgk" was first mentioned in a document in 1056. The beginnings of the present castle complex date back to the time of the Staufers at the beginning of the 13th century. The era saw a cultural flowering at the beginning of the 16th century, when the Saxon electors used their castle for frequent stays. In the 19th century, the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha began to establish world-class art collections there.

Veste Coburg

Forchheim

Forchheim's historic old town is characterised by its picturesque half-timbered buildings, complemented by Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque structures. The late medieval town hall, together with the adjoining magistrate's building, is one of the most beautiful half-timbered ensembles in Germany. The imperial palace, which houses the Palatinate Museum in Forchheim, was once the second residence of the Bamberg prince-bishops and contains precious wall paintings of national importance dating from the 14th and 16th centuries.

Forchheim