I was excited about Wurzburg because I had read that it was an excellent wine region of Germany. Back home in the US, we don’t hear a lot about German wines or try them very often, most of the German wines we see in stores are Rieslings and not much else. Although I knew this region was known for wine, I somehow hadn’t realized that the area would be surrounded by gorgeous vineyards. There were times when I could have blinked and thought I was in Tuscany!
We only had about 24 hours in Wurzburg, but we squeezed in quite a bit in that short time, and here are some great suggestions for your time in town!
The first thing we did was walk right into the town square. It was so lively and there was so much going on. There were vendors set up all over selling cheese, meat, sandwiches, veggies, flowers, etc… to take away. There were small bars set up around the edges and cute little spots where you could grab a seat and people watch. There was one stand in particular that had a line every single time we walked by. They were selling bratwurst and other German delights, and we saw quite a few people walking away with something that looked like a fish sandwich with the skin still on. We weren’t brave enough to check that out, maybe next time.
Then we headed over to the part of town that I had read the most about… the Alte Mainbruke, or “old bridge”. Leading up to our trip, I read about how people hang out on this bridge in the evenings with a glass of wine and enjoy the fresh air and sunset. I was very much looking forward to doing this on our trip. There are incredible views of the whole town from the bridge, it kind of reminded us of the Charles Bridge in Prague! There is a great view of the Fortress up on the hill above the town, and if you walk up to it, you can also get an amazing view looking back down on the bridge from above.
There are a few establishments along the bridge which sell wine and spritz that you can take away for a drink. They give you a glass and charge a deposit to make sure that you return it. You simply pay up front for the glass and drink, and when you return it, they return your Euros. It is a great way to make sure that people clean up and take care of things. There are also bridge patrol people who walk around and remind everyone how to stay safe; they make sure you hold on to your drink, don’t sit on the edges of the bridge, and just generally help keep everyone safe and happy. One of the best parts of our trip was having a spritz on the bridge and enjoying the mix of locals and tourists hanging out and enjoying the beautiful evening together. We also noticed that as we exited the bridge and walked down along the water, a much younger crowd had gathered for more of a self-made cocktail hour. There seemed to be a lot of college-aged kids hanging out and relaxing along the water with some beers and bites. If that is more your vibe, it also looked really nice and beautiful and had a view of the bridge and sunset as well.
The highlight of our time in Wurzburg was our vineyard wine tasting tour with Dr. Markus Frankl. I spent tons of time looking for a wine tour in Wurzburg, but finding a place on a Wednesday to take 2 people for a tour was almost impossible. Luckily, I found Markus and our experience was amazing. We took a taxi to the location he provided, which was a bus stop in a little German suburban neighborhood just outside of town. We arrived a bit early, and when we did, we looked around thinking we may have been lost or gotten dropped off in the wrong place. Then we spotted a little side road and thought we’d check it out to kill some time and see if it may be the right place. We were absolutely stunned when we walked around the corner, the view just opened up into vineyards as far as the eye could see. We immediately became so excited and started snapping pics until we found Markus a few moments later. He was so kind and thoughtful and the tour was so much fun. He started off by handing us each a necklace wine holder to wear, and right away we knew this would be fun and relaxed.
Anyone is allowed to walk through the vineyards in Wurzburg. It felt like walking through a park, people were hanging out with their families, walking dogs, jogging, and strolling among the beautiful scenery. We were surprised because most vineyards in the US are private and you are not able to just walk around them like public parks. As we walked through the vineyards, Markus taught us so much about local history and, more importantly, Franconian wine and we got to try 3 different types. He kept our cups full as we walked around, checked out all of the views, and listened to the impressive 1300 year history of wine in the region. He taught us about the two major producers in the area, which are Juliusspittal and Burgerspital. The crazy interesting thing about both of these wine producers is that they both founded hospitals/retirement homes with the money they made from centuries of wine that are still active and open in Wurzburg today. If we had more time on our trip, we would have loved to visit and tour both of their wine cellars and facilities. I would definitely recommend this for both history and great wine.
At the conclusion of our tour with Markus, we were able to taste a Franconian spirit that was infused with elderflower. Markus let us keep all of the bottles that we tasted, so we had plenty of wine to take home with us and enjoy. The bottles are also really interesting in this area of the world, they are a very different shape than pretty much all other wine bottles. It is called a bocksbeutal, and the bottle type is only allowed to be used in Franconia and is protected by law. They were used for years by people in the fields to carry anything they needed, the shape worked efficiently because it didn’t roll away and could fit easily in a pocket or bag. Now they are a fun symbol of Franonian wines and when you see this bottle shape you immediately will know you are getting a wine from this region.
We were in need of some sustenance after our tour so we Googled “best mac and cheese in Wurzburg” (as one does). German “mac and cheese” is incredible, called Kasespatzle, it is made with German egg noodles swimming in melty emmental cheese and topped with crispy fried onions. It is DELIGHTFUL and we knew we needed it. We lucked out because they serve it in so many places, but we found an excellent one! After reviewing photos on Google, we settled on “Sternback” and I was so glad that we did, the mac and cheese was delicious and the vibe inside was so nice and welcoming. We also had a pretzel here (of course) and then we were ready to get on with our day!
Speaking of food, we also scored big with a great dinner at Alte Mainmuhle. The restaurant is right at the start of the bridge and has a terrace overlooking the whole beautiful scene. We sat inside as it was a chillier evening, but we were able to watch the sunset out the windows. The food was fantastic, I had a salmon dish and my husband had a local pork shoulder dish. On our wine tour, we asked Markus to recommend something to eat in the area and he suggested that pork shoulder was one of the best things on every menu. We were not disappointed, it was a great recommendation. Everything tasted so fresh and was presented so well, we would highly recommend a stop here if you’re in Wurzburg.
Why we wish we had more time:
As I mentioned earlier, we only had 24 hours in Wurzburg and we devoted a considerable amount of that time to wine. If we return one day, here are some of the other things I’d love to do (and some STILL include wine).
Visit Juliusspital and Burgerspittal cellars and learn more about the wines. We really enjoyed tasting these wines in the vineyards, but a cellar tour and tasting is always a fun experience that we’d definitely try if we had more time. These two wineries are a big part of the history of Wurzburg and have interesting stories to tell.
Check out the Ratskeller: It seems that one of these can be found in every German city, but they truly are pretty neat. Often with vaulted beautiful ceilings and traditional food, they are a worthwhile experience and always seem to be a solid lunch or dinner stop.
I’m sure that if you had a good amount of time, it would also be worthwhile to go inside the Marienburg Fortress. We walked up the hill to get the incredible view looking down over the town, but we didn’t have time to go inside because of our wine tour timing and needing to eat lunch.
There were also various churches and city buildings that we didn’t make it inside of that we usually would have checked out had we had more time.
Overall, one day in Wurzburg is truly a good amount of time and you can see and do quite a bit. But, if you want to make sure you see absolutely everything and fit in a wine tour as well, then giving yourself an extra half day wouldn’t be a terrible idea!
Plan for me dani 