FEBRUARY 2026

On our way back from our skiing holiday we decided to stay the night in Bamberg, which was located perfectly halfway. I had heard about Bamberg’s vibrant old-town, filled with fachwerk houses and the iconic Altes Rathaus. Somehow every German seems to how beautiful Bamberg is, but foreigners often skip this city and favor Munich and Nuremberg. I must admit I love those cities as well, but Bamberg is on another level of greatness. We got super lucky and got to see the city covered in a light dusting of snow, which made it even more magical. If you are still looking for Christmas vibes in January, Bamberg is great as well, as we still caught some small Christmas markets.

Where we stayed

We ended up staying the night in the Ibis Budget hotel, near the train station. This hotel was excellent value for money, as we had a three person room including breakfast and a parking spot for under € 90. The breakfast buffet was good and the personnel was very kind. We originally planned to stay in Hotel Weinhaus Messerschmitt, which would have been a more romantic choice. Unfortunately, we had a change of travel companions and had to cancel our booking. Even though the Ibis Budget was good, I would recommend to stay closer to the old town, so you can fully indulge in Bamberg. For our visit to the city we used the Tiefgarage Geyerswörth which worked fine.

Some of my favorite sights in Bamberg

Altes Rathaus

The Altes Rathaus is the unofficial symbol of Bamberg and it cannot be missed. Located in the heart of the altstadt, the old town hall now hosts a porcelain museum. It’s location is quite remarkable, it is built on an island and is connected to the town with two footbridges. Besides it’s spectacular location, the exterior features a gorgeous fresco. You can easily take unobstructed pictures of it, from the opposing bridge (Geyerswörthsteg).

We also loved the views at the Geyerswörthsteg in the other direction. We even found an eisstockbahn at Henrii restaurant. If you are visiting before Christmas it should be operational.

Bischofsmühlbrücke

This bridge is slightly farther out of the oldtown, but I found that it offered some refreshing views of lesser known parts of Bamberg.

Klein Venedig viewpoint

With that many bridges and a river crossing, it is no surprise that there is a “Little Venice” viewpoint in Bamberg. It didn’t remind me of Venice, but I did like the charm of this viewpoint. When you walk to this viewpoint from the Rathaus, you pass to a very cute part of town, filled with fachwerk houses, breweries and boutique stores.

Domplatz

Just a short walk up from the old town you will find the Domplatz, with the main cathedral and the Historical museum. You can visit the courtyard of the museum for free, definitely worth checking out. The snow made these streets even more magical.

Grüner markt

The area surrounding the grüner markt was particularly lovely over the Christmas period. Here we still found some Christmas market stalls selling glühwein and sausages. I absolutely loved the colorful Christmas tree that we found here. If you are here, make sure to walk into the Langestrasse, which features the quintessential colorful houses which belong in a German city.

Hofbräu

Whenever we are visiting Bavaria we have to have dinner at a brewery. I selected Hofbräu for that and luckily they still had a table. Service was really good, with delicious traditional dishes.