I'm going to be honest, Würzburg was kind of a "on a whim" day trip.
I knew about it, read about it, and decided it was time to go.
Yeah, I plan to see anything and everything I can while living here in Germany, but really, the only thing that interested me in Würzburg is the Residenz palace.
What I learned about this city?
Visiting the Würzburg Residenz is worth the trip in itself. The rest of the city is an added bonus!
In fairness, we didn't explore all that Wurzburg has to offer. There was some kind of festival taking place during the day of our visit, so this city was swarming with people.
We hit all of the major 'must see' places on my list then headed home.
We parked off of Route 8 (A8), just across the river and set off on foot. The first thing we came upon was this beautiful garden area (that I can't find a name for) located right across Viehmarktplatz. I knew there was a Japanese Garden near by, but this wasn't it.
What's neato is that you can trail it through the garden to get up to the city's fortress, rather than walking along the busy road. We actually went up through part of the garden, but exited to go back down to the river. Time was important, and I wanted to make it to The Residenz (Wurzburg Palace) before it was too late. We arrived in Wurzburg around 1pm.
I had seen photos of Wurzburg's ornate 'main' bridge, but we must have came on a terrible day. The bridge was full of vendors and peddlers. The legal kind.
The shopping crowd on the bridge was sooo bad that I didn't even bother busting out the camera until we crossed the thing. I was too afraid of being knocked over by shoulder to shoulder pedestrians if I were to attempt a few photos. Oh well.
Once off the bridge, you are greeted by Wurzburg's city center. And again, by lots of people!
First order of business: Wurzburg Residenz.
The palace is pretty impressive from the exterior. It's definitely not Versailles from the street side view, but it's probably the most eye pleasing palace exterior I've seen thus far in Germany. I took a minute to snap some photos, and then we made our way inside.
Entrance fee (self-guided tour): €7.50 per adult; kids free.
I had done my research prior to our visit therefore knew that photos were NOT permitted inside. Bavarian Palaces are funny like that.
At the Munich Residenz, Schloss Nymphenburg, Imperial Palace of Nuremberg, and a few others in Bavaria, photography without a flash is allowed.
But then there are a few where it isn't, and this palace is one of them. The other biggie in Bavaria that doesn't allow photos is Schloss Neuschwanstein.
After we toured all accessible parts of the palace, we headed back to the locker room and picked up my purse and camera. It was time to hit the gardens. What's interesting is that the gardens had a significant amount of folks wandering around, but the interior of the palace was damn near empty when we were inside.
Even in late September, flowers are blooming here in Germany. I took advantage of them only because I know winter will come knocking very soon!
For about an hour, we walked, sat, walked, and sat.
The fall weather was perfect for walking and sitting (or laying)!
Why not?
It was time to head back to where we started. I didn't want to do any shopping on this day, so we quickly worked our way to the main bridge. Of course, in Tara fashion, I snapped randoms along the way.
The bridge was now littered with people. It was almost impossible to cross it! We some how made it to the other side, and began trekking up to the massive fortress called 'Festung Marienburg' that sits high on a hill above Wurzburg.
Being as it was getting darker, I really just wanted to view the city center from a high point. We made it up to the fortress walls, but opted not to go inside. I've seen a fortress or two, and based on Marienburg's exterior, I didn't feel as if I was missing out.
After visiting Festung Koenigstein near Dresden, I don't think anything can top that beast of a fortress experience.
The views from Marienburg are wonderful. One is able to capture and see a full panorama of the city, including the Main river and some of the surrounding vineyards.
*This would also be an optimal place to picnic; rolling green grass knolls and giant shade trees.
We caught our breath (the hike up was STEEP) and after taking in the views, we headed back down. Wearing a long dress seemed like a good idea, but on the way down I lost my footing when my dress got beneath my shoe and had a quick trip moment! Luckily the railing helped me in my despair.
If I had mis-stepped any differently, I would've went rolling down the paved path. Ahhhh. Fun times.
I only mention this in case anyone reading plans to visit and wear heels, or in my case, a long dress. Just don't.
We weaved through the garden, seeing a few parts of it we initially missed. It actually seemed prettier in the dusk hours than it did during the middle of the day. I let the kids roam free for a few minutes; some of them choosing to sniff flowers, and others hiding in bushes.
Our day in Wurzburg had came to an end.
I don't see myself visiting again, but I must reiterate, the Wurzburg Residenz was worth the trip!
I was asked if I prefer it over Versailles, as far as palaces are concerned.
My answer: Yes and no.
Versailles is Versailles, but Wurzburg Residenz certainly had more impressive rooms than Versailles. One thing is for sure, the staircase at Wurzburg Residenz cannot be matched. I would be very surprised if I ever see anything like it during my travels from here on out! It was that magnificent, and deserves a visit from any and all palace lovers. Pictures and words do it no justice.
The best way to put it: If you take the king and queen bedchambers and the Hall of Mirrors out of Versailles and put them into Wurzburg Residenz, you'd have one hell of an opulent palace!
As for the rest of Wurzburg, I kind of got a Prague/Salzburg vibe. All three cities have a river, many bridge crossings, a fortress (in Prague it's a 'castle') high above the town, and of course shopping and such. Wurzburg was hit super hard during WWII though, so much of what you see has been rebuilt, a lot like Dresden. But while in Wurzburg, you'd never guess it.
Over all, we had a great day out.
Next trip?
We'll be out of Germany, visiting my favorite city, again!
I knew about it, read about it, and decided it was time to go.
Yeah, I plan to see anything and everything I can while living here in Germany, but really, the only thing that interested me in Würzburg is the Residenz palace.
What I learned about this city?
Visiting the Würzburg Residenz is worth the trip in itself. The rest of the city is an added bonus!
In fairness, we didn't explore all that Wurzburg has to offer. There was some kind of festival taking place during the day of our visit, so this city was swarming with people.
We hit all of the major 'must see' places on my list then headed home.
We parked off of Route 8 (A8), just across the river and set off on foot. The first thing we came upon was this beautiful garden area (that I can't find a name for) located right across Viehmarktplatz. I knew there was a Japanese Garden near by, but this wasn't it.
What's neato is that you can trail it through the garden to get up to the city's fortress, rather than walking along the busy road. We actually went up through part of the garden, but exited to go back down to the river. Time was important, and I wanted to make it to The Residenz (Wurzburg Palace) before it was too late. We arrived in Wurzburg around 1pm.
I had seen photos of Wurzburg's ornate 'main' bridge, but we must have came on a terrible day. The bridge was full of vendors and peddlers. The legal kind.
The shopping crowd on the bridge was sooo bad that I didn't even bother busting out the camera until we crossed the thing. I was too afraid of being knocked over by shoulder to shoulder pedestrians if I were to attempt a few photos. Oh well.
Once off the bridge, you are greeted by Wurzburg's city center. And again, by lots of people!
First order of business: Wurzburg Residenz.
The palace is pretty impressive from the exterior. It's definitely not Versailles from the street side view, but it's probably the most eye pleasing palace exterior I've seen thus far in Germany. I took a minute to snap some photos, and then we made our way inside.
Entrance fee (self-guided tour): €7.50 per adult; kids free.
I had done my research prior to our visit therefore knew that photos were NOT permitted inside. Bavarian Palaces are funny like that.
At the Munich Residenz, Schloss Nymphenburg, Imperial Palace of Nuremberg, and a few others in Bavaria, photography without a flash is allowed.
But then there are a few where it isn't, and this palace is one of them. The other biggie in Bavaria that doesn't allow photos is Schloss Neuschwanstein.
After we toured all accessible parts of the palace, we headed back to the locker room and picked up my purse and camera. It was time to hit the gardens. What's interesting is that the gardens had a significant amount of folks wandering around, but the interior of the palace was damn near empty when we were inside.
Even in late September, flowers are blooming here in Germany. I took advantage of them only because I know winter will come knocking very soon!
For about an hour, we walked, sat, walked, and sat.
The fall weather was perfect for walking and sitting (or laying)!
Why not?
It was time to head back to where we started. I didn't want to do any shopping on this day, so we quickly worked our way to the main bridge. Of course, in Tara fashion, I snapped randoms along the way.
The bridge was now littered with people. It was almost impossible to cross it! We some how made it to the other side, and began trekking up to the massive fortress called 'Festung Marienburg' that sits high on a hill above Wurzburg.
Being as it was getting darker, I really just wanted to view the city center from a high point. We made it up to the fortress walls, but opted not to go inside. I've seen a fortress or two, and based on Marienburg's exterior, I didn't feel as if I was missing out.
After visiting Festung Koenigstein near Dresden, I don't think anything can top that beast of a fortress experience.
The views from Marienburg are wonderful. One is able to capture and see a full panorama of the city, including the Main river and some of the surrounding vineyards.
*This would also be an optimal place to picnic; rolling green grass knolls and giant shade trees.
We caught our breath (the hike up was STEEP) and after taking in the views, we headed back down. Wearing a long dress seemed like a good idea, but on the way down I lost my footing when my dress got beneath my shoe and had a quick trip moment! Luckily the railing helped me in my despair.
If I had mis-stepped any differently, I would've went rolling down the paved path. Ahhhh. Fun times.
I only mention this in case anyone reading plans to visit and wear heels, or in my case, a long dress. Just don't.
We weaved through the garden, seeing a few parts of it we initially missed. It actually seemed prettier in the dusk hours than it did during the middle of the day. I let the kids roam free for a few minutes; some of them choosing to sniff flowers, and others hiding in bushes.
Our day in Wurzburg had came to an end.
I don't see myself visiting again, but I must reiterate, the Wurzburg Residenz was worth the trip!
I was asked if I prefer it over Versailles, as far as palaces are concerned.
My answer: Yes and no.
Versailles is Versailles, but Wurzburg Residenz certainly had more impressive rooms than Versailles. One thing is for sure, the staircase at Wurzburg Residenz cannot be matched. I would be very surprised if I ever see anything like it during my travels from here on out! It was that magnificent, and deserves a visit from any and all palace lovers. Pictures and words do it no justice.
The best way to put it: If you take the king and queen bedchambers and the Hall of Mirrors out of Versailles and put them into Wurzburg Residenz, you'd have one hell of an opulent palace!
As for the rest of Wurzburg, I kind of got a Prague/Salzburg vibe. All three cities have a river, many bridge crossings, a fortress (in Prague it's a 'castle') high above the town, and of course shopping and such. Wurzburg was hit super hard during WWII though, so much of what you see has been rebuilt, a lot like Dresden. But while in Wurzburg, you'd never guess it.
Over all, we had a great day out.
Next trip?
We'll be out of Germany, visiting my favorite city, again!
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| The German mafia aka a group of matching black VW wagons on the autobahn. For your entertainment. |
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