Around Würzburg: 8 Day Trips by Train and Bus

The Franconian countryside features vineyards as well as natural and cultural highlights,  which can easily be reached from Würzburg without a car. These 8 day trips are not to be missed.

1 

Rococo Dream Veitshöchheim by Ship

The garden in Veitshöchheim is one of the few preserved French Rococo gardens in Germany. The garden was erected under Prince-Bishop Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim (1755 to 1779). Today, visitors can still stroll between avenues and hedge-lined paths,  where some 300 sculptures by Würzburg court sculptors can be discovered. The figures depict gods, cheerful people and mythical creatures.

As you stroll, you can always find new perspectives on hedge halls, arbours, pavilions and roundels. A highlight is the Great Lake with the water games. An exhibition in the palace provides information about the history of the garden.

Still have time? The Jewish Cultural Museum with its baroque synagogue, which was redesigned in 2019, reflects 300 years of Jewish history in Veitshöchheim. It is located just a few minutes’ walk north of the Rococo Garden.

How to get there: 8 river kilometres to the north-west, April to October several times a day with “Schiffstouristik Würzburg” or “Veitshöchheimer Personenschifffahrt”. Ride time: 45 minutes. Departure: Würzburg “Alter Kranen”. Return from the “Mainlände” in Veitshöchheim

tourismus-veitshoechheim.de (only in German)

2

Bad Windsheim: Franconian Open-Air Museum

In addition to the historic Old Town of Bad Windsheim and the large Franconian thermal baths, the Franconian Open Air Museum is especially worth a visit. More than a hundred buildings invite visitors to embark on a journey of discovery through 700 years of Franconian everyday history and provide insights into the lives of the “little people” of that time.

You will get an authentic impression of how the rural population in Franconia, such as farmers and craftsmen built, lived and worked. You can visit accurately restored farms, craftsmen’s houses, a small brewery, mills, sheepfolds, an official residence, a schoolhouse and a nobleman’s manor house, as well as stables, barns, bakehouses and drying houses. There are four restaurants with beer gardens, and two meadows with picnic tables.

How to get there: Approx. 50 kilometres to the south-east, several times a day in 80 minutes by train, change at “Neustadt a. d. Aisch”

freilandmuseum.de

3

Rimpar: Grumbach Palace with Museums

The origins of Grumbach Palace can be traced back to the 14th  century. In 1593, the palace, located at the gates of Würzburg, was sold to the Hochstift Würzburg. It served as a country residence for the prince-bishops until the early 18th century.

Today, Grumbach Palace belongs to the market town of Rimpar. Inside it, a museum has been opened, which includes various themes: Archaeology Museum, Bakery Museum, Masonry and Carpentry Museum, Crime Museum and Traditional Costume Museum. Open fortnightly on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. from April to October.

How to get there: 8 kilometres to the north, take the 450 bus to Rimpar Marktplatz for fifteen minutes, then walk a good five minutes to the palace

schloss-grumbach.de (only in German)

4

Mainschleifenbahn Train: A Nostalgic Journey

The Mainschleifenbahn was opened in 1909. It is one of the last remaining secondary lines from the era of the Royal Bavarian State Railways in Lower Franconia. As a monument of technical, economic and cultural history, it connects the Volkacher Mainschleife (river Main bend), one of the most beautiful landscapes in Bavaria, with Würzburg.

Passengers can enjoy views that car drivers don’t have. The line branches off from the Ludwigs-Westbahn in Seligenstadt, which connects Würzburg with Schweinfurt, and runs to Volkach-Astheim. Today, the Mainschleifenbahn is a volunteer-run scenic railway. Rail buses from the 1960s are used.

How to get there: Approximately 14 kilometres to the north-east, Seligenstadt railway station can be reached hourly by regional train RB 53 in 12 minutes, the Mainschleifenbahn stop is an additional 5 minutes’ walk away

mainschleifenbahn.de (only in German)

5

Randersacker: In the Museum Vineyard

Randersacker boasts a wine-growing tradition that goes back more than 1200 years. Guests can learn about viticulture first-hand in the “Altfränkischer Wengert”, or the old Franconian vineyard.

A circular route through the museum vineyard starts in Randersacker and leads uphill via the Maingasse. Themed information boards provide facts about the shell limestone on which the wine grows and the different grape varieties. The vineyard chapel is a good place to take a break and enjoy the view.

The route continues uphill into the “Altfränkischer Wengert”, where the historical “Pfahlerziehung”, or stake trellising, of the wine is still practised. The grapes are tended to by hand. No mineral fertilisers or pesticides are used. In the few years that the museum vineyard has been in existence, over a hundred different grasses, plants and perennials have already taken root.

How to get there: 5 kilometres to the south, in about 20 minutes with bus lines 551, 552, 555 from bus stop 9 to the “Randersacker Maingasse” stop, duration of the walk: 2 hours, starting point: town centre

randersacker.de (only in German)

6

Sommerhausen: Franconian Romanticism!

Sommerhausen, which is nestled in the valley of the Main, is a wine village straight out of a picture book. Characteristic wines, mainly white wines, flourish on the shell limestone soils of the Main valley slopes. The town with its narrow, winding alleys is considered a poster child of Franconian romanticism.

Its medieval village wall has been completely preserved or restored, and all the buildings in the centre of the village date back several hundred years. The town hall dates back to the 16th  century. Visitors can enjoy wine experience events, guided tours of the area and many opportunities to taste the products of the local winegrowers.

How to get there: 13 kilometres to the south, in half an hour by bus 554 in the direction of Ochsenfurt

sommerhausen.de

7

Ochsenfurt: With the “Nixe” on the River Main

On the left bank of the Main, south of Sommerhausen, lies Ochsenfurt. The town’s history dates back 700 years, and  it comes alive during a stroll along the main street with its impressive row of half-timbered houses or through the narrow alleys of the town.

The town wall with towers and gates is almost completely preserved, and the magnificent St. Andrew’s parish church with a figure of St. Nicholas by Tilman Riemenschneider is also worth seeing. The old Main bridge is considered the second oldest stone bridge in Germany. Five museums offer a taste of local and cultural history. And from the Old Town ferry “Nixe”, guests can enjoy the city skyline from the Main water.

How to get there: 20 kilometres to the south, in 20 minutes with train RB 80

ochsenfurt.de (only in German)

8

Iphofen: Casts of World Culture

Iphofen will delight wine lovers with over twenty winegrowing families and their vineyards, a vinotheque and the surrounding vineyards.

The Tuscan-like historic Old Town with its preserved fortifications and medieval and baroque ensemble of buildings invites you to take a stroll and discover new things. And it serves as a pleasant backdrop for culinary and cultural events.

The modern Knauf Museum, which has been awarded an architecture prize, is a special highlight. It features more than 200 replicas – masterful casts of famous reliefs – from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, Rome and other world cultures. And thereby saves guests the journey to distant museums. There are also annually rotating, high-class special exhibitions.

How to get there: 30 kilometres to the south-east, half an hour with the RE 10 train

iphofen.de (only in German)