Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria,
Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower
Franconia, Bavaria's most famous wine producing area. Würzburg is a Baroque city considered the Pearl of the Romantic Road to Rothenburg and the Bavarian Alps. It holds the tragic distinction of being the last city destroyed by Britain's Royal Air Force. On March 16, 1945, 87% of Wurzburg was pulverised in a massive bombing air raid that lasted only 20 minutes and the resulting fire storm. Today, its population is 133,000 citizens living in an area of 88 sq km.
How to Get There:
Würzburg is approximately 120 km from either Frankfurt or Nuremberg by road. Würzburg is not served by an airport. However, if you fly into Frankfurt, Nuremberg or Munich, the Deutsche Bahn will get you to Würzburg. Get on an ICE train, which will take you an hour until you reach the Würzburger Hauptbahnhof; from Munich you will need to drive about 3 hours. Würzburg can be reached directly from most any train in western Germany. To get there from Berlin will require a change at Göttingen. The city's main station is at the southern end of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line and offers frequent InterCityExpress and InterCity connections to cities such as Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Munich, Kassel, Hanover or Hamburg. Würzburg has an excellent connection to the German "Autobahn" (highway)-system, with three Autobahns linking it countrywide. In the confines of the city, Würzburg has a good public transport system, mainly trams and buses.
What to See:
Würzburg hosts the Mainfranken Museum, with artifacts from prehistory until modern times, a Museum of the cathedral, galleries for ancient and modern art, and the "Kulturspeicher" from 2002; the Würzburg Residenz where the main sights are: Hofkirche: The church interior is richly decorated with paintings, sculptures and stucco ornaments; Treppenhaus: The largest fresco in the world and Kaisersaal: The centerpiece of the palace; The Fortress Marienberg and Würzburg's Old Main Bridge (Alte Mainbrücke), among others.
Where to Eat:
If you want to eat cheaply, you should try "Zum Lamm". Great Doner at the West end of the AlteMainbrucke, it is called MC' Doner. Fresh pitas regularly. Otherwise, apart from the ubiquitous fast food joints, you could try Backoefele, Alte Mainmuhle, Nikolaushof and Letzter Hieb, some of the 150+ restaurants in the city.
Wine: Franconian wine is amongst the best in the country and Würzburg has been growing grapes since its first contact with the Romans. Be sure to pick up a bottle of wine. Franconian wine is sold in special bottles named "Bocksbeutel".
Where to Stay:
There are over 50 hotels in Würzburg. You have a wide choice in price range, from plush hotels like Maritim Hotel Congress Centrum to the mid-range Barbarossa Garni Hotel, down to low-budget Etap Hotel Wurzburg Ost, the Jugendherberge and the Babelfish Hostel.
