Bamberg, a medieval old town in Bavaria

Bamberg is a pretty old medieval town in Bavaria, Germany. I had never heard of it but on the first glimpse, it was evident why this little town has been proclaimed an Unesco World Heritage Site.  Bamberg is well known for its beautiful architecture and its beer!

Bamberg is on the River Regnitz, it sits on seven hills, each hill crowned with a beautiful church. Like all small medieval towns, this one is best seen on foot.  The Old Town is compact, you see a mix of Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic and Romanesque styles.   You can use the Kaiser Dom or Imperial Cathedral to orient yourself:

The original church built in 1004 was destroyed by fire.  The current building has four towers  and was re-built in the Romanesque style by St. Otto of Bamberg in the 13th Century.

The Cathedral's Interior

From the Dom you can walk to the lower town, with the many cobblestone narrow streets, sidewalk cafes and courtyards to have a bite or drink, there was a lively outside market that day.

Bamberg is one of the few cities that were not destroyed in World War II, the beautiful architecture is still intact and you can see it in the ornate houses and mansions that line the streets.

The Old City Hall is a striking building, it sits in the middle of the river Regnitz on its own little island, which joins the Old Town via two bridges, the outside is beautifully decorated with frescoes, definitely worth a look:

From the bridges you have a nice view of "Little Venice", which are small half-timbered houses along the river where the fishermen used to live.

Further out, we headed to Michaelsberg, one of the seven hills, atop sits the Michaelsberg Abbey, founded by Benedictine Monks in 1015.

The beautiful nave and ceiling paintings in the interior of the Abbey are worth a look:

Again outside, circle to the back of the Abbey,

...there are great views of the Old town and the surrounding hills:

You can spend the rest of the day at one of the local pubs, cafes or restaurants in the Old Town.  Bamberg is well-known for its beer, specially Rauchbier or "smoked beer".  There are 8 traditional breweries in the town.  One of the most famous taverns in the Old Town is the Schlenkerla.

As pretty and picturesque as this town was, it wasn't flooded with tourists and souvenir shops as the more well-known towns like Rothenburg, yet...