Nuremburg and Bamberg from Munich
 

Dear All,

Due to unavoidable circumstances our trip to Prague and Munich was called off last May.

This May we will be travelling to Prague and will be there for 5 nights.

Currently we are booked on EK for flying into Prague and flying out of Munich.

We have been to Munich earlier and have seen most of the attractions but would love to go again. This time we plan to do the Herrenchiemsee. Is it feasible to do Nuremburg and Bamberg from Munich as a day trip as I love beer and my husband loves WWII history. What are the must visit sights in Nuremburg? Which brewery we must visit in Bamberg? We will be with 12 year and 11 year old kids. Are they allowed in breweries?
We love the hearty German meals. Which place do you recommend in Nuremburg and Bamberg as must eats?
Any other info is welcome. Currently we have planned to for 6 nights in Munich. We are okay with reducing the number of nights in Prague and Munich as we want to stay in Salzburg and visit Halstatt and the Schafbergbahn. I am sure the kids will love the mountain excursion. Which is the easiest way to get from Prague to Salzburg in case we decide to stay in Salzburg for some nights. Any thoughts?

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

The fastest train from München to Bamberg takes 1:53.
The train from Bamberg to Nürnberg takes 0:44, and the train from Nürnberg to München 1:07, so riding time totals almost 4 hours. It is doable, but strenous.

Bamberg is a beautiful historical city and worth a visit anyway. You can enjoy the beer in any of the historic inns. There is also a brewery museum:

http://en.bamberg.info/en/poi/fraenk...eimuseum-4670/

Most breweries in Bamberg are microbreweries. This means, they are basically inns where beer is brewed. Here is the list of "brewery pubs":

http://en.bamberg.info/en/erlebnis/bierstadt/?check[is_33]=1

Of course, you can take children into the breweries. We are in Europe! They can even drink beer if they are accompanied by their parents.

Here are the attractions of Nürnberg, obviously more than you can see in half a day:

http://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/sig...ie-top-11.html

I agree that Bamberg is a beautiful town and worth a visit. We spent a couple of very pleasant days there exploring the city.

Nuremberg is more of interest to those who are interested in WWII because it is the site of the Palace of Justice where the Nuremberg War Crimes trials were held in the late 40's.I saw only the outside, but my understanding is that the only way to see the interior is with a tour in German. However, there are leaflets in English.

It is also the site of the stadium where Hitler held his party rallies.

There are other options that are close enough for a day trip. Regensburg is one of our favorite cities in Germany and it is less than 1-1/2 hour north of Munich by regional trains. Kneitinger brewery sponsors several good restaurants. This is one that we enjoyed on Arnulf's Platz.

http://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Germany...nger%27s-M.jpg

There is also the Historische Wurstküche (wurst stand) at the foot of Steinerne Brücke (Bridge) which has been serving wursts since the 1100' s when it was opened to feed the men building the bridge and the towns gothic cathedral.

Near the bridge and the wurst stand is Porta Praetoria, a gate to the Roman Fort that once stood this location on the Danube.

The primary historical sights of Regensburg predate WWII. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its medieval structures. I love its many plazas connected by alley ways.

My fave brewery in Bamberg last summer was Spezial. Schaenkerla is in the middle of the tourist center and is the biggest name, but suffers a bit from tourist flow and staff jadedness. Spezial is at the end of the commercial center (across from Faessla) but has a true old-school feel, and great beers. Here's pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougla...7634825632817/

And here's a great guide to Bamberg beers:
http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/bambpubs.htm

It would be a crime to go to Bamberg and not stop by Schaenkerla for a Rauchbier (the smoked Hefeweizen is my fav). After all, it is a UNESCO site and all the traffic it gets is well deserved.

There is a brewery/Bierstube not too far from Schaenkerla called Klosterbräu, Bamberg's oldest brewery. Their Schwarzbier is amazing and it is a fairly even mix of locals, expats, and tourists. And the food is your standard Franconian fare but it's good and reasonably priced.

One of the THE BEST Pils I have had was at some random hole in the wall pub in Bamberg called Einhornkeller. It is on Jakobsberg 8.

Thanks all for the quick and informative replies.

I now feel that Prague for 5 nights may be too much so we could reduce it to 4 nights. Currently we are booked at Hotel Salvator. Any info on the location of the hotel would help.

We will try to do the day trip to Bamberg from Munich if possible just for the beers.

In a new thread I will ask for advise for travelling from Prague to Salzburg.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

Nürnberg has the Nazi Documentation Center which is well worth the visit. It is located on the south end of the city at the old Nazi parade grounds/zeppelin field. I would allow 3-4 hours to see just the museum. There is a street car that runs from that main train station to the Documentation Center.

While in Nürnberg, be sure to eat the Nürnberger sausages. Pretty much every place sells them.

There are some good breweries in Nürnberg but you have to seek them out.

Okay - it's spelled SCHLENKERLA - at Dominkanerstrasse 6

Their specialty, the "Bamberger Zwiebel" is the perfect dish to go with the Rauchbier.

How are you getting to Munich from Prague? You can take a bus and be in Nuremberg in under 4 hours and Bamberg (connect to a train) in 5 hours. If you really want to experience each, you could leave Prague early and head for Bamberg, spend the afternoon and evening and then visit Nuremberg the next day on your way to Munich. It gives you a single 1 night stop but takes a long day trip when it will be very difficult to see both of them. Or, if you don't want any one nighters, you could try something like this;

Prague 4
Nuremberg 2
Salzburg 2
Munich 3

Nuremberg to Salzburg is 3 hours.

Thanks all for your reverts. For ease of travel and to see new places we are also looking at Dresden or Nuremburg instead of Salzburg. What are your thoughts? Please advise. We love the weekly farmers markets. Is there enough to keep ourselves occupied for 4 days if we base in Dresden or Nuremburg.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

Please also help with hotels or B&B in Dresden and Nuremburg which are close to the Main train station.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

I just had to cancel a trip to Nuremburg but maybe you could benefit from some of the research I did.

I had booked myself into this B&B right near the train station

http://www.booking.com/hotel/de/b-b-...id%3D417745548

Do you think your kids are too young to watch Leni Reifenstahl's "Triumph of the Will"? You can watch the entire thing for free on YouTube and make a decision about how much your kids would get out of seeing it. But it might mean something to them when they later see today's Nuremburg for real.

Also, "Judgment at Nuremburg" is on YouTube and while I don't recommend it all for kids as young as yours, it might be interesting if they could see just the first 10 minutes of it. The movie opens showing the city in runs just after the end of the war. It is real news footage. So they would have a sense of what amazing thing it was that the city was so carefully rebuilt.

In addition to a climb up to the castle, there is a railway museum in Nuremburg (right near the hotel I mentioned) that looked to me to be impressive and fun. You might want to read up on the craft works center and the toy museum to see if your family might be interested.

My main interest in going to Nuremburg was to visit Albrecht Durer's house since I am interested in drawing. Your kids might not be but if they remotely interested in drawing than Durer is one of the easiest artists for kids to "get" with lots of amazing pictures of rabbits and people's bare feet!

Nuremburg also makes gingerbread cookies that I had hoped to try.

Hope your trip is fun.

Nürnberg has a large "farmers market" on Saturdays. It's in the Altstadt on Königstraße near the river.

What is your hotel budget?

Thanks all for your replies. We have got some offers from Hotel Am Josephsplatz, HOtel Garni Probst and B&B Hotel Nuremberg City. Will book at one of them. Please share any ideas for day trips from Nuremberg. Keen on going to Bamberg and Regensberg. Kindly advise must sees and must eats in this area of Germany. Plan to stay for four nights if there is enough to keep us occupied.

What is the cheapest way to travel? I read somewhere that there are two types of tickets VGG (not sure if the name is right) and the Bayern ticket. Any thoughts? Can I get the train schedules of VGG from the dbahn site? Are they the same trains?

Any info on this region will help.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

VGN is the transportation network that serves Nürnberg and the greater-Nürnberg area (all the way up to Bambgerg).

The Bayern ticket is offered via Deutsche Bahn and allows for unlimited travel on <i>regional</i> trains/buses/trams/etc. in Bavaria for one day. That means <b>no</b> ICE trains.

VGN schedules are available on the DB website as well as the VGN site. The DB site is much more user friendly.

As for which si cheapest, it really depends on hopw many of you there are. within the VGN network, a Tages Ticket Plus is good for two people for travel between Point A and Point B (within the VGN network) and it is 15-20 Euro. Cheaper than a Bayern ticket. If you want to travel outside the VGN network, a Bayern ticket might be your best bet but you won't really know until you check the fare from Point A to Point B and double it and compare it to a Bayern ticket price.

The Nazi Documentation Center in Nürnberg is worth a visit and is good for 3-4 hours, and that doesn't include walking around the old zeppelin field and parade grounds. There is also the Deutsche Bahn Museum, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum,
Naturhistorisches Museum, the Kaiserburg Nürngerg, Lorenz Church, and the zoo.

As far as "must eats" go, the Nürnberger bratwurst are recommended. Pretty much everywhere sells them. There is a restaurant in the Handwerkerhof called Bratwurstglöcklein im Handwerkerhof and they have some pretty good Nürbergers. Yeah, the prices are just a bit on the high side and it is a bit of a tourist trap but every time I have been, it has been a healthy mix of locals and tourists. The horseradish there is tasty.

There is also an excellent Turkish restaurant called Istanbul that is located in the Altstadt on Königstrasse about a block past Der Beck. It has a good mix of Germans and Turkish eating there.

Speaking of Der Beck, while it is a chain, it is a Franconian chain and in my opinion, it is the best chain bakery in the area so it's a good place to stop for a coffee and a snack.

If you want to truly eat like a German, stop at the Metzgerei Walk on Königstraße 34 and order something from the window. Their Nürnbergers are quite good, and their Leberkäse is one of the best I have had. It's a great place to get some Franconian food.

I have stayed at the Hotel am Josephsplatz. It is a little more centrally located than your other two options, but the other two are a short walking distance from the train station. So, Josephsplatz is better for day to day walking in the Altstadt.

Here are the distances from the train station

Josephsplatz 1200m
Probst 400m
Nuremberg City 700m

Thanks for the wonderful info. We are 2 adults and 2 children of 13 years and 11 years. On the dbahn site do I need to select any option for getting the VGN schedules? What is the difference between Lander ticket and Bayern ticket which I have used earlier?

Info on Der Beck is fantastic as my daughter can live on pastries day and night and I love the marzipans and all of us enjoy the market days where some of the stall sell home made pastries which one rarely gets to see in shops.

I surely want to visit Bamberg because of the beer. Please let the info keep flowing. How far is Herzogenaurach from Nuremberg? Is it possible to do a day trip? Understand that Adidas and Puma have their HQ in this town and the factory outlets sell stuff at good discounts?

Bayern ticket is the state-specific name for a Länderticket. They are essentially the same.

The DB site gives the schedule for VGN as well. The self-serve kiosks have English menus so when you purchase your tickets you will be given the option of whether you want to buy tickets from Deutsche Bahn or another transportation service/network. the latter option is VGN.

Herzo is near Nürnberg but to get there you will either need to rent a car, take the bus, or take a taxi. To be honest, the discounts at the outlets are not all that great but if you want to go just to say that you have been there, I understand.

To get to the Adidas Outlet by bus (or taxi), take the train (S1, RB, or RE) from Nürnberg to Erlangen. From the Erlangen hauptbahnhof, you will want to catch the 201 bus to Herzo and this bus leaves from the Busbahnhof located behind the train station. Take the 201 to Herzogenaurach An der Schütt or Herzogenaurach Atlantis and transfer to the 268 towards Herzogenaurach Ortsteile Nord and get off at Herzogenaurach Base Konrad-Wormser-Strasse and walk 10 min to Olympiaring for the Adidas Outlet.

To get to the Puma Outlet by bus (or taxi), take the train (S1, RB, or RE) from Nürnberg to Erlangen. From the Erlangen hauptbahnhof, you will want to catch the 201 bus to Herzo and this bus leaves from the Busbahnhof located behind the train station. Take the 201 to Herzogenaurach An der Schütt and then transfer to the 274 towards Herzo Base and get off at Herzogenaurach Zeppelinstrasse then walk 6 min to the Puma Outlet (PUMA Way 1).

In my opinion, it's just easier (and faster) to take a taxi from the Erlangen Hauptbahnhof to the outlets.

There is also a Puma outlet in Nürnberg: Klingenhofstraße 70, 90411 Nürnberg.

Now, regarding beer and Bamberg, I already mentioned three places in an earlier post but I forgot to mention Spezial-Keller (Sternwartstraße, 96049 Bamberg).

Bookmarking for Dec. trip. I love Bamberg (and Nurnberg.)

Hi Thanks for the very useful indicators. I am looking up the schedule to buy tickets in advance. At the Dbahn site for Nuremberg to Bamberg for fares I get the comment 'fares not available'. The products shown are RE and S. There is no option for seeing the VGN schedule on dbahn site. Please advise where I should click. Also, it does not give the option if I wish to buy tickets from dbahn site or other transportation network. Is this option only available when you buy tickets at the kiosk? Do I need to get this ticket in advance? Also, at the VGN site, not sure which zone needs to be selected for Nuremberg to Bamberg and what stop station name should I select as there are multiple options but none that has Nuremberg Hbf to Bamberg Hbf.

Likewise for Nuremberg Hbf to Regensberg Hbf is the VGN network valid or do I take the Bayern ticket? Do the trains connect these places or buses? Please advise.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP10

The comment "fares not available" means that you buy those tickets (RE, S1, RB) from VGN, not DB. You will need to buy those tickets day of travel from a kiosk. The prices are available on the VGN site. The VGN schedule is available on the DB site, just not prices.

http://s5.photobucket.com/user/spark...at/DB.png.html

Just so you know, VGN gives no discount for buying in advance so buying in advance makes no sense; just buy the tickets day of travel from a kiosk.

The VGN site does have the Nürnberg Hbf and Bamberg Hbf but they are listed as "Nürnberg, Hauptbahnhof" and "Bamberg, Bahnhof". A Nürnberg-Bamberg ticket is Preisstufe 10 /
Tarifstufe 10+T. A Tages Ticket Plus (good for two people) is 17.50 Euro and a one-way is 10.50 Euro per person. So in this case, I would purchase a Bayern Ticket and travel the whole day on it.

Regensburg is not within the VGN network so you'll need to get a Bayern Ticket or a normal ticket.

Thanks Sparkchaser for the clarity. Much appreciate it.
We will now be in Nuernberg for 4 nights so effectively
3 full days. We will keep 1 full day for Nuernberg :
Dokumentation Centre and Nazi Party Rally Grounds
(any other must sees??)
On the other 2 days we would like to visit Bamberg, Regensberg and Wurzburg. Is it feasible to do any of these two towns in one day? Bamberg - for beer and any other attraction, Regensberg for the Town Hall the the medieval torture chambers and Wurzburg for the dom. Any advise is welcome.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP10

Deutsche Bahn has a train museum near the Hauptbahnhof and there is also the Germanisches Nationalmuseum located across the street in from the Hauptbahnhof. There is also a zoo (Tiergarten).

The underground art bunker (Historischer Kunstbunker) is worth a tour, but English tours are currently only offered Sunday mornings: http://www.historischer-kunstbunker.de

And of course the Kaiserburg Nürnberg.

Bamberg (45 mins North), Wurzburg (55 mins Northwest) and Regensburg 60 mins Southeast) are in 3 different directions from Nurnberg, really.

Bamberg and Wurzburg are 55 mins from each other so I suppose you could technically do a "loop";

Nuremberg - Wurzburg 55 min hit the Dom early (or did you mean Residenz?)
Wurzburg - Bamberg 55 min hit the beer by mid afternoon stay for dinner
Bamberg - Nuremberg 45 min drag yourself home (notice I put beer after Dom and before bed)

But with time to and from stations, waiting, etc. you are talking about probably 3:30 of transit time.

Regensburg really would not work because it is entirely in the other direction and would take about 2 hours to get from there to either Bamberg or Wurzburg

Thanks Sparkchaser and Aramis for your directions. As suggested we will do Wurzburg and Bamberg in one loop. Have checked the dbahn site and VGN site, please confirm my understanding - Nuremberg - Bamberg is within the VGN network but not Nurem berg-Wurzburg so we need to buy the Bayern ticket? Right? And we can use that ticket to travel from Wurzburg - Bamberg and from Bamberg-Nurenberg? Right?

I thought the Residenz and the Dom were the same thing in Wurzburg. We are not into walking a lot especially with kids as it will be a long and hectic day if we plan to cover two towns. After we arrive by train in Wurzburg is there public transport - bus or tram that takes us to the Residenz or we visit the fortress first, then cross the Marienbrucke bridge and take the next transport to the other side? what do you recommend. Then back to Wurzburg station and head out to Bamberg. Is there any must see in Bamberg? From Bamberg train station how do we head to the old town centre for the beer. Read somewhere about the underground cellars which serve beer? Are these places very expensive?

Will try to do Regensberg from Munich or will ssave it for another time. From Munich we would like to do the Herrenchiemsee and spend a morning / afternoon at the Viktulienmarkt. Son wants to go there especially to eat at Nordsee outlet at Viktulienmarkt. Any must stalls to visit at Viktulienmarkt?

Kind regards,
SKPKCP10

Kind regards,
SKPKCP10

If you are going to do Bamberg and Würzburg in one day, ignore the VGN aspect and just get a Bayern ticket for that day.

Bamberg old city is a 10-15 min walk from the train station. Bierkeller has two connotations: 1. a place where beer was traditionally stored to age and 2. a form of Biergarten. There are Biergartens scattered all over Bamberg and all you need to do is go to the one that has the beer you want to drink.

protip: the Bamberg Rauchbier is best gulped rather than sipped so your whole mouth can experience the flavor. I am partial to the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Weizen. So tasty.

Unless there is a compelling reason to eat at the one in Viktulienmarkt, there are Nordsee restaurants all across Germany. There's even one in the Nürnberg train station.

"Dom" simply means "cathedral".

The Wurzburg Residenz is a palace built by the prince bishops in the early 1700's. It truly is the "must see" of Wurzburg.

It is only 900 metres (a little more than 1/2 mile) from the train station - a 10-12 minute walk. I don't know about public transport. With your limited time planned in Wurzburg, I would suggest that you visit the Residenz and stroll the old town. The "Dom" is only 300 hundred metres away from the Residenz so you can easily see it too.

I don't know that you would have time to also see the Marienberg fortress.

Thanks Sparkchaser and Aramis. Yes, we had planned to take the Bayern ticket since we want to do both places in one day. As suggested we will do the Residenz and the Dom and then move to Bamberg. In Bamberg we will have a look at the Alte Rathaus and then chill out. Is the Schlenkerla and Spezial breweries far from the train station and are they close to each other? Thanks for the tip on Bamberg beer.
To be honest we have only seen Nordsee at Viktulienmarkt in Munich and hence was keen. Since it is also there at Nurnberg train station kids will definitely be keen to grab something on the go. Can you give some names of Metzgerie and Bakery in Munich, Nurnberg, Wurzburg and Bamberg where we can just go if we happen to pass by especially Nurnberg & Munich since we are there now for 4 nights & 3 nights respectively (preferably something close to the train station). Any budget eating places where we can have a decent hearty german meal especially schweinhaxen and soups. I love meats. Tips on eating in Nurnberg are always welcome.


Kind regards,
SKPKCP10

For a Metzgerei in n Nürnberg, I highly recommend Metzgerei Walk. I already gave an address for the one on the main drag in the Altstadt, but there are other locations scattered around Nürnberg. Recommended eats are the Leberkäse (or Pizzaleberkäse) im Brötchen, the Nürnberger im Brötchen (ask for "Drei im Weckla" if you want to order like a Franconian), and the Schnitzel im Brötchen. All of those can be ordered from the walk-up window. If you go inside towards the back, they have a sit-down restaurant and meals, rather than the snacks at the window.

There is another Metzegeri that I like that is located in the U-Bahn station near Lorenzkirche (take the entrance near Karstadt) but the name escapes me.

In the Nürnberg Haupbahnhof, there are several restaurants in the Schlemmer Passage on the ground level, including the Nordsee and a Metzgerei. The Nordsee is good, the Metzgerei is good, and so is the Turkish place but I cannot really recommend the bakery there -- Der Beck is much better. In the main underground level under the street there are also restaurants. The pizza place there is not bad for what it is. Then there is Yorma's. Yorma's is a chain that is located in main train stations all across Germany but mainly concentrated in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. I like their Käsekrainer (a sausage filled with cheese).

As far as bakeries go, in my opinion, Der Beck is the best chain in Franconia and Fuchs ranks #2. I haven't experimented much with bakeries in Nürnberg so I can't really recommend any independent ones. However, in Erlangen there is a bakery near the train station on Paulistraße 6 called Bäckerei Frank that is hands down the best bakery in Erlangen. They are open until 16:00 and are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Word of warning: they sell out fast, there are only two two-seater tables in there, they do not speak English (the baker does but he's normally not in the shop front), and if I go there and you have taken the last Schnitzelbrötchen, I KEEL YOU! ;)

In addition to the Haxen, look for Schäufele. It is a pork shoulder roasted on bone and served with Kloß and gravy. I would give out some names but I don't want my favorite dining spots to become overrun with tourists. I will say that the Klosterbrauerei in Bamberg has excellent Franconian fare and the Haxen and Schäufele there are quite good, as is their beer. And in Erlangen, the Kitzmann Brewery does a good job as well.

Thanks Sparkchaser and Aramis for your wonderful info. We have booked at B&B HOTEL Nuernberg-City, Frauentorgraben 37. We have got a good rate but without breakfast so will seek out the bakeries and Metzgeries as suggested by you. Any cafe close by which you can recommend for breakfast.

I am in the midst of booking our train tickets from Prague to Nuremberg on the dbahn site. I am not getting any train options but I only see bus options. Is it safe to travel by bus especially for our luggage? What is the train station name for Nuremberg main train statin that I should be selecting? Not sure if I am making an error.

Sparkchaser - Do give some recommendations for Haxen and Schaufele in Nuremberg. Most tourist would not want to eat this stuff but we love it. By the way what is kloss.

I am coming to eat the last Schnitzelbrotchen. HAHAHA.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP10

I just took the IC Bus - which is operated by German Rail - last week, on a different route, though. And was surprised how comfortable and quiet the ride was - even in 2nd class. As 2nd class was on the upper deck, you could see more from the countryside than from a train's window.
Your bags will be loaded by the driver, and you get a tag with receipt. Bus has a toilet, and each seat has power. And usually WiFi for free, snacks/ beverages for a small fee (€1-1.50 for water, Coke, etc).

The DB bus is great. Fast, quiet, and comfortable.

There is a Der Back near the B&B on Sandstrasse. If you walk out of your hotel and turn left, walk to blocks and turn left on Zeltnerstrasse. The Der Beck is on the corner of Sandstrasse & Zeltnerstrasse. There is also a Cafe Karussell on Frauentorgraben 61 but I have never been to it.

For Franconian food, check out Kartoffel (Suedliche Fuerther Strasse 29, 90429 Nuremberg) or Bratwurst-Röslein on Rathausplatz 6, 90403. The Tucher Bräu am Opernhaus on Am Kartäusertor 1. It should be across the street from your B&B.

I almost forgot. Kloss (Kloß) is a potato dumpling. You either love them or you hate them. I love them. :)

Another place to check out is Gaststätte Albrechts-Garten (Eckenstraße 26, 90480 Nürnberg). It's near the zoo and they have Schäufele plus Leberkäse with fried egg (a personal fav of mine) and other Franconian specialties.

Glad to hear you got a good rate at B&B Hotel. It looked like a good bargain and situation to me as well when I booked it. Hope it lives up to expectations.

We had actually scoped out a nearby tapas bar for our eats. The lighter food might not be of interest to you but here's the link, since it is so close by the hotel

http://www.tinto-tapas.de/HOME.html

Tinto Tapas is a bit expensive (for what you get) and trendy but it is an interesting take on local food.

Two more places you might want to check out are:

Alte Küchn/Im Keller in the Altstadt (Albrecht Dürer Straße 3, 90403 Nürnberg) is a local favorite and offers "Medieval style" dining and they do offer Schäufele plus other regional dishes.

Restauration Kopernikus. A Franconian/Polish Restaurant (Hintere Insel Schütt 34, 90403 Nuremberg). The Keberknödelsuppe (liver dumpling soup) is delicious and they have Schäufele but only on Sundays and Holidays.

We had a slow train to Nurnberg but a very quick one coming back to Munich. I love those Nurnberg sausages. My husband did the War history sights and I toured the Churches and shops. Have you been to the BMW plant for a tour? We really enjoyed that.

I was at Der Beck yesterday enjoying a coffee and a pastry and it occurred to me that I should give you a few words of advice regarding Franconian bakeries, i.e., stuff I wish I knew as a first timer.

In no particular order:

1. Coffee. A latte macchiato is basically a cappucino but with the shot of espresso added at the end. Properly done and served in a glass, you will see the bottom 2/3 as hot milk, then a layer of coffee, then foam. A milchkaffe is coffee and hot milk, sometimes with a bit of foam (think of it as a wetter cafe late but with coffee instead of espresso).

2. Croissants vs Bambergers vs Laugencroissants. Croissants and Bambergers basically look the same but they are made slightly differently. As it was explained to me by a baker, for a croissant butter is folded into the dough over many fold & rolls, but a Bamberger has the butter mixed right into the dough directly. In taste, it is almost the same but in appearance, the croissant is flakier. A Laugencroissant is a croissant made with pretzel dough. A French colleague of mine loves them so it has a French vote of confidence. By law a Bamberger may only be made with butter. Bambergers are an Upper Franconian food.

3. Mohn. You will see it in the form of Mohnschnecke, Mohnkuchen, Mohnstrudel, etc. It might look like a type of chocolate or a dark fruits paste but it is neither. Mohn is poppy seed paste. The first time I tried it, I thought it was a type of chocolate and I never fully recovered from that experience. It seems most Americans I talk to don't like it either. You have been warned.

4. Hiffenmark is the Franconian word for Hagebuttenmark. Hagebuttenmark is a preserve/compote/jam made from rose hips. You normally encounter this as a filling in donuts (Krapfen).

5. Overall, German pastries are not as sweet as English and American pastries.

I think that's it.

WOW! Thanks a ton! Thanks for the recommendations. My mouth is watering.

I am definitely coming to eat the Schnitzelbrotchen and the Schaufele plus Leberkäse and the haxen and goulash. Just thinking of it makes me feel in heaven. Wow! You are lucky to be there and enjoying such goodies.

Do the marzipan pastries have any special name?

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

We really enjoyed "the Lumberjack" platter at Kachelofen in Bamberg.

Haha. I also am not a fan of anything mohn. I once saw something that looked like a cinnamon roll and was so excited. Until I realized it was mohn.

My kids and I also enjoy a good "krustenbraten semmel" at the Vmarkt in Munich.