The Town of Bamberg was the World Heritage Site I was most looking forward to when I traveled to Germany in March 2019. The distinctive half-timbered addition to the Old Town Hall, or Altes Rathaus, cantilevered over the Regnitz River was featured in many travel guides, and that was the first site I zeroed in on upon arriving in Bamberg. The legend I heard about the town hall was that neither the church nor the merchants were willing to donate land for the town hall, so the citizens constructed an island in the middle of the river on which to build their town hall. Although the bridges leading to the town hall were crowded with tourists, there were some good spots to view the beautiful frescoes on the side of the building, as well as the photogenic neighborhood known as Little Venice perched on the banks of the river below the town hall.

After wandering around the islands on the Regnitz, my friends and I traveled back up the hill to the Bamberg Cathedral, an imposing Romanesque structure towering above the town. The cathedral was under construction when I visited, so I didn't find it as impressive as other churches I saw while in Germany. I did enjoy walking around the nearby Alte Hofhaltung, the Old Court where the bishops of Bamberg resided before they moved to the Neue Residenz. The courtyard of the Alte Hofhaltung, as noted below, was worth visiting both as an escape from crowds, and for the fully-engrossing half-timbered quarters enclosing the space.

The medieval heart of town was a joy to explore, but before the day left, our group made sure to head up another of Bamberg's hills to see Michaelsberg Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery. An event was going on at the abbey, so we were restricted to the courtyard. We were free to walk around the outside walls and through the gardens, however, and were treated to an amazing view over the town of Bamberg. Since our visit to Bamberg coincided with the first full day of sun we had seen during our trip to Germany, the Town of Bamberg more than exceeded my expectations, and I would gladly return.

Logistics: There are parking lots throughout Bamberg, with the main structure near the visitor center on the Regnitz River; the city can be easily explored on foot.