In Nuremberg, expect to find bratwurst, Rotbier and the quiet side of Bavaria

The mention of Bavaria tends to conjure up certain images: of fairytale-like Neuschwanstein Castle rising against snowy peaks, and beer gardens in Munich where locals sip cloudy weissbier and eat weisswurst sausage. Head to the northern half of the German state and you’ll encounter a subtly different scene. As the Alps retreat, forests and rivers take over. The classic beer here is copper-hued rotbier, accompanied by miniature bratwurst. This distinct region, Franconia, receives comparatively fewer visitors than spots to the south, but it’s no less compelling a candidate for a weekend away.

Franconia’s unofficial capital is Nuremberg, one of the republic’s most quietly beautiful cities, surrounded on three sides by forests, its red rooftops enclosed by a horseshoe of greenery. You could lose days wandering the city’s walls and pacing the corridors of its museums, but it’s worth riding Germany’s very first railway line northwards to neighbouring Bamberg, whose own medieval townhouses straddle a smattering of river islands. With extra time, more sights await a short distance away: the towns of Rothenburg and Bayreuth, and even the ‘other’ Switzerland — all offering a rousing coda to any Franconian adventure.

Day 1: City sights & sausages

Morning
Outsiders associate Nuremberg with two events: the rallies that unleashed National Socialism in the 1920s and 30s; and the trials that brought its reckoning after the Second World War. But history here goes deeper, which is apparent at Nuremberg’s Imperial Castle, a medieval stronghold of the Holy Roman Empire. Its towers have brooded over burghers for almost a millennium and the parapet still affords views over much of Franconia. Not far off is the home of 15th-century printmaker and painter Albrecht Dürer. Amid low ceilings and creaking floors, you get a sense of the master at work — and a city that flourished around him, busy with trade.

Afternoon
The city’s speciality sausage, Nürnberger bratwurst is so slim it should supposedly fit through a keyhole. Die Wirtschaft — a restaurant near the castle — serves them by the dozen, alongside a heap of cabbage and dollop of mustard. It’s good fuel for exploring the Old Town, rebuilt after the Second World War. You could spend hours here, pootling among half-timbered townhouses with geraniums in window boxes, and touring the willowy banks and stone arch bridges of the Pegnitz. South of the river is a cluster of museums; the Germanisches Nationalmuseum exhibits the world’s oldest surviving globe, made in Nuremberg in 1492.

Evening
Nuremberg is at its loveliest come dusk, when crowds thin, lamplight glows off cobbles and the hum of chatter resonates from riverside beer gardens. For a fine evening, head east of the centre along the banks of the Wöhrder See, an urban lake where fishers cast their lines, swans glide and locals paddle by reedy banks on balmy evenings. Having worked up an appetite, amble back to the Old Town to Albrecht Dürer Stube, a venerable inn where Franconian cuisine is at its heartiest, and order a classic schäufele, pork shoulder served alongside a dumpling. For a nightcap, visit Cafe Wanderer and Bieramt, a tiny shack propped against the city walls.

Day 2: Trains & tipples

Morning
Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof is the main gateway for train travel into Franconia, but first detour to the nearby Deutsche Bahn Museum. Germany’s foremost rail museum has rolling stock of all kinds, none more sublime than the private train of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, with ceiling murals and gilded carriages. More humdrum trains make the half-hour journey north to small, picturesque Bamberg. Its medieval core is spread over a series of islets in the River Regnitz — there’s something faintly Venetian in the way its townhouses teeter over canals and rushing weirs. Most striking is the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) set on its own river island, tapering at both ends and looking like a ship at anchor.

Afternoon
Bamberg has one of Germany’s most eccentric beer traditions: rauchbier, or smoked beer, created by drying barley over an open flame. Some love it, others liken it to drinking from an ashtray, but all should try it once. Ideally, do so at Schlenkerla, a pub and brewery with origins stretching to the 15th century, where drinkers hunch in shadows beneath monastic-looking arches. From here, it’s a tipsy stumble uphill to Bamberg’s grand if austere cathedral, its roof crowned by four spires. Look west and you’ll spy the tower of Schloss Altenburg; it’s a 30-minute walk through woodland and meadows to the castle, the residence of the bishops of Bamberg between the 14th and 16th centuries.

Evening
Bamberg’s day-trippers tend to abscond by late afternoon. Linger a while for some peace in a riverside cafe, then return to Nuremberg. Just north of the station, the Imperial offers a refreshingly contemporary take on German cuisine. Intricate dishes riff on local flavours, from a ‘Franconian ramen’ with a ginger and gherkin broth to much-vaunted asparagus with rhubarb vinaigrette. Digest it with a walk to Hausbrauerei Altstadthof, a microbrewery atop sandstone cellars. There’s a wide repertoire of beer, though none as beloved as rotbier, a sweet malty lager. It’s been Nuremberg’s brew of choice since the days when Dürer painted in his house just around the corner.

Top five Medieval spots in Nuremberg

1. City walls
Dating to Nuremberg’s medieval heyday, these are among the most formidable defences on the continent, forming a three-mile ring around the centre. Follow their course on a two-hour stroll from the castle, stopping midway at the Handwerkerhof Nuremberg, an artisans’ enclave in a nook in the fortifications.

2. Frauenkirche
First commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor in the 14th century, this is the prettiest of Nuremberg’s churches. Its interiors are rich in religious sculpture. Outside, it’s just as beguiling: at noon, a little clockwork procession sparks to life on the facade, and mechanical figures ring tiny bells to the coos of an admiring audience.

3. Heilig-Geist-Spital
This hospital in the midst of the Old Town is a much-overlooked landmark, built in 1339 to cater to the poor and infirm of Nuremberg. Today, it continues this ministry in some part as a retirement home. Visitors can stroll its shady courtyards and find a semi-secret restaurant and wine bar in its depths.

4. Hangman’s Bridge
Perhaps Nuremberg’s loveliest view is to be had at this grimly named covered bridge straddling the Pegnitz. It was along these rickety boards that executioners would enter the city in the Middle Ages. These days, it’s a fine spot to execute a game of pooh sticks.

5. Schöner Brunnen
In the town square is the Schöner Brunnen (‘beautiful fountain’), a wedding cake of an edifice, bedecked by painted figures of saints and classical thinkers. You’ll find a brass ring in its metalwork; legend tells that if you spin it, you’ll be rewarded with good luck.

Where to eat bratwurst in Nuremberg

Bratwursthäusle
In business since the 14th century, this squat restaurant in the shadow of St Sebaldus church is widely considered the spiritual home of the bratwurst. The sausages are made using a top-secret recipe and cooked over an open beechwood fire. A popular alternative is saure zipfel, for which the little sausages are boiled in a rich, oniony broth.

Schlemmer Eck
An old-school imbiss (German snack kiosk) set on a street corner, Schlemmer Eck is a good place to try a drei im weggla, Nuremberg’s satisfying — if not especially sophisticated — fast food. Three bratwurst shoved inside a soft bun and often lathered in mustard, it’s a match-day classic for local football fans. Brunnengasse 33

Bratwurst Museum
While you can’t eat here, this tiny museum is the place to chew over the heritage of these civic sausages, allegedly beloved by 18th-century German poet and polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Admire historic bratwurst-making implements and purchase themed memorabilia like bratwurst socks. You’ll find the museum, appropriately enough, on a street named Bratwurstgasse.