Historic old towns

The small town of Pfaffenhofen lies in the scenic hop growing region of Hallertau. Its main square with an ensemble of historic townhouses is one of Upper Bavaria’s prettiest.

The Bavarian town of dolls, Neustadt bei Coburg, has a long tradition in the manufacture of dolls and toys. The International Doll Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world.

A real gem of the Renaissance is the town of Neuburg an der Donau, which enjoyed its greatest period of prosperity during this fascinating era. Its fully preserved old town is one of Bayern’s prettiest.

Pleystein in the Northern Upper Palatinate Forest Nature Park has one very unusual attraction: a 38-metre-high rose quartz outcrop called the Kreuzberg.

Ornbau, the small town on Europe’s Continental Divide, is one of the smallest towns in Bavaria. The historic town wall with its 15th-century Diebsturm tower is almost completely intact.

The town of Pappenheim is idyllically situated in a romantic elbow of the River Altmühl. The impressive castle of the same name towers over the town.

The cathedral town of Heilsbronn lies in a wooded valley in the Romantic Franconia tourist region on the Way of St. James. By touring the town, you will be tracing the footsteps of the Hohenzollern dynasty.

Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz was an important town in the 15th and 16th century when the counts palatine of the Wittelsbach dynasty resided here. The town’s eventful history is the focus of the local museum.

The historic old town of Ochsenfurt, also known as the ‘town of towers’, is encircled by an almost fully intact medieval rampart with town gates and towers.

Thanks to such brands as Hutschenreuther and Rosenthal, Selb has become known as the porcelain town. In the Porzellanikon, you can delve deeper into the world of "white gold".

Mentioned for the first time as Cambodunum in the year 18 AD, the Roman town of Kempten im Allgäu is regarded to be the oldest German town documented in writing.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber embodies the unadulterated Middle Ages with its historic old town, unique location above the Tauber Valley and half-timbered romanticism.

Röthenbach on the Pegnitz is located between the Pegnitz valley and Moritzberg. The Conradty workers' housing estate from the economic boom period called the Gründerzeit is an important monument to Franconian industrial history.

Schrobenhausen, the birthplace of Franz von Lenbach, the most famous portrait artist of the 19th century, lies at the heart of a large asparagus growing region with 600 asparagus farmers.

The history of the town of Stein is closely linked to the Faber-Castell family business. The castle of the well-known pencil manufacturer offers an enchanting medieval-looking exterior façade.