Romantic half-timbered towns, views of the Main Valley and a glass of Silvaner in hand – this is what a wine holiday in Franconia looks like. A wine tour through Franconia means one thing above all: enjoyment. And slowness. Because somehow time seems to have stood still in the historic wine villages.
But that doesn’t mean that Franconia can’t also be modern. : We visited countless stylish wineries on our trip through the wine country of Franconia. And when we say countless, we mean it.
We spent about three weeks in the wine country of Franconia and traveled back and forth through (almost) all regions. We will tell you our highlights and tips for your wine holiday in Franconia in this blog article.
1. Information about the Franconian wine region: Overview & interesting facts Franconia and wine belong together. You notice that at the latest when you arrive in Würzburg, the unofficial center of the Franconian wine-growing region. As beautiful as Würzburg is, there are many other historic wine villages all around, which are also worth a visit.
In Franconia, the Wine-growing region from Aschaffenburg in the west to Bamberg in the east. About 3.80 Winegrowers are available in the Wine country Franconia – quite a lot. The wine region of Franconia is shaped by the River Main, which meanders through the entire area.
For a geographical overview of the most important regions in the wine region of Franconia, it is best to scroll down to the bottom of this article. There you will find a map on which we have marked the most important places.
Grape varieties in the wine country of Franconia In Franconia white wine is mainly cultivated – 80 percent of the vineyards are white wine, to be precise. Due to the warmer climate, red wine is also becoming increasingly popular. You will find this mainly in the west around Bürgstadt.
Typical for Franconia is the dry Silvaner. You will encounter this white wine all the time, because Silvaner is really served everywhere – typically from the Bocksbeutel (we’ll explain what that is in a moment). The most well-known Silvaner region is the Main triangle with its shell limestone soil.
Also exciting: the most commonly grown wine in Franconia is not Silvaner, but the white grape variety Müller-Thurgau. Domina and Pinot Noir are the most common red wine varieties.
Bocksbeutel: Typical bottle shape in Franconia The trademark of Franconian wine is the so-called Bocksbeutel – a special bottle shape, that is more reminiscent of a liqueur than reminiscent of a wine. Just like in a conventional bottle, 0, also fit here l in . That’s exactly three pints. (As an explanation: In Franconia, people usually drink a whole pint, i.e. a 0,25 1 glass of wine.)
The Bocksbeutel originally comes from Roman times. It is protected by copyright. This means that only winegrowers from Franconia (with very few exceptions) are allowed to fill their wine into Bocksbeutel.
If you are wondering about the different designs of the Bockstüten: 2015 became a new (slimmer and more angular) design of the buck bag presented. So you can currently find both the old and the new Bockstüten shape.
The best time of year for a trip through the wine country of Franconia Autumn in Franconia The most popular season for a trip through the Franconian wine-growing region is autumn. There are two reasons for this: On the one hand, nature colors beautifully. We have seen Franconia in several seasons and the landscape has never been as attractive as in autumn.
And secondly (even more important): In autumn the grape harvest across the stage. Depending on the weather (and grape variety), the whole thing usually takes place in September. Naturally, there is a lot going on around the grape harvest in the wine region of Franconia. The hedge farms (we call them Buschenschank in Austria) are usually open at this time. (As an explanation: These are only allowed to open a few weeks a year.)
Spring and summer in Franconia The vineyards are still bare at the beginning of spring – the later you come, the more magnificent the vines are. From a culinary point of view, spring is the ideal travel time for everyone who likes asparagus.
If you travel through Franconia in summer , then you have lucky that a particularly large number of (and very great) wine festivals take place. Quite apart from that, the temperatures are usually pleasant to very warm. The days are long – so you can experience a lot and with a bit of luck you can also admire beautiful sunsets.
Certification “Franconia – Wine .Beautiful.Land!”: What is that exactly? If you come across a red booklet on your wine tour through Franconia comes into your hands, then it is almost certainly the one from “Franken – Wein.Schöner-Land!”. The project aims to strengthen the quality of Franconian wine tourism . Therefore, quality guidelines have been established. Only businesses in Franconia that meet these requirements receive certification.
This means: businesses that receive this award are regularly inspected and you can be sure that the quality is right. (On the other hand, a non-award does not mean that a certain winery is not worth a visit.) Usually there is a red and white board hanging directly in front of the respective winery, so that you recognize the award at first glance.
You can view the red booklet (we would almost describe it as a small guide to wine travel) on the official website either digitally or in printed form Request: information material Franken Weinland.
2 . Activities and highlights in the wine country of Franconia What can you experience during a holiday in the wine country of Franconia? We’ll show you that in this chapter. If you would rather find out more about the most beautiful places and regions, then better skip to the next chapter.
terroir f: Special Viewpoints Throughout the wine country of Franconia you will encounter so-called terroir-f-points. Currently there are 11 – but more are constantly being added . These vantage points are referred to as the “magical places of Franconian wine” . They are always in special locations, so you usually enjoy a great view from the terroir-f-points.
The architecture is also unique: No two terroir f-points are the same and everyone is on their own way special. Each terroir f also focuses on a specific topic (related to wine) such as climate, art or literature.
Most terroir You can reach -f points after a short walk from the respective town center. Rarely, but you can also drive there by car. The signage can sometimes be improved, but you can find the location of each point on the FrankenTourismus website: terroir f.
terroir f Iphofen
Wine festivals in Franconia Between March and November countless wine festivals take place in Franconia. Almost every village celebrates its own festival, which usually lasts for several days. There are also wine festivals organized by individual wineries. It is definitely worth visiting at least one of these wine festivals when on holiday in Franconia.
Recommendations for wine festivals Wein am Stein (Würzburg): Great wine festival, one of our favorites! A band plays every day and the atmosphere with a view of Würzburg is wonderful.
Wine festival at the Peterstirn (Schweinfurt): Very atmospheric wine festival at the winery Dahms.
Kirchenburgweinfest (Hüttenheim): Unfortunately, we missed this wine festival ourselves, but the location in the historic fortified church alone is a dream.
You can find all the dates in the event calendar on the FrankenTourismus website: Wine festivals in Franconia.
Hiking in the Franconian wine country The extensive vineyards in Franconia are of course made for a walk or a longer hike. You will find countless wine hiking trails throughout the Franconian wine region. In our opinion, the most beautiful are along the Main, because you can enjoy wonderful views of the valley here.
We can highly recommend that you take a small picnic with you. Along many hiking trails you will find benches or even larger rest areas. Alternatively, of course, you still have the option of taking a blanket with you and making yourself comfortable in the meadow.
Recommendations for hiking trails Franconian red wine hiking trail: Over a total of 79 kilometers (six stages) is the length of the Franconian red wine hiking trail. As the name suggests, you hike here through the red wine region of Franconia. The heart of the hiking trail is the stage that leads from Erlenbach to Klingenberg. Here you hike along the steep slopes with a view of the Main.
Abt-Degen-Steig: This hiking trail runs through the Haßberge region near Zeil am Main. The historic winegrowers’ staircase, which is located near the district of Steinbach, is particularly worth seeing.
Wine culture tour: You can easily reach this circular hiking trail from Volkach. It runs in total over 11 Kilometre. One of the most beautiful stages is on the Eselsberg near Stammheim. From here you have a very nice view of the Main Valley.
Wine-grower hotels: stay overnight on a winery We can highly recommend that you spend the night directly with the winemaker at least once on your trip. There are a wide variety of winegrower hotels throughout the Franconian wine region: From stylish to down-to-earth, everything is there. Sometimes such a stay is very informal and you live right on the family farm. It’s not uncommon for you to be spontaneously invited to a small wine tasting.
Our favorite winegrower’s hotels in Franconia Hotel Weingut Meintzinger: One of our favorites! This stylish and at the same time very cozy hotel is located in the wine village of Frickenhausen.
Villa Sommerach: Six individually furnished rooms in a beautiful historical building ensemble in the pretty town of Sommerach. Highly recommended!
Hillabrand winery: Family and personal accommodation in the small village of Hüttenheim with only four rooms. The young host family is very courteous and committed.
3. The most beautiful regions and places in the Franconian wine country Let’s get to the most important part of this blog article: Which There are wine-growing regions in Franconia and where should I go on vacation? Good question, because once you delve into each region, you’ll find that there are more options than you might initially think.
Würzburg Würzburg is, so to speak, the center of the Franconian wine region. If you want to enjoy wine in an urban environment, then Würzburg is the place for you. The so-called Brückenschoppen is unique: Countless people gather in the open air on the Old Main Bridge every day and drink a glass or two of wine together.
The Flair of Würzburg is very special: very young and lively – no wonder, because Würzburg is a university town. Quite apart from that, there are also all kinds of impressive sights to admire in Würzburg, above all the Residenz and the Marienberg Fortress.
We dare to say that nowhere in Franconia will you find more impressive wine cellars than in Würzburg. Three wineries are particularly well-known: the Juliusspital winery, the Staatliche Hofkeller and the Bürgerspital winery . All three wineries have historical wine cellars, which you can visit as part of a cellar tour.
Here you get to our detailed travel report: Würzburg Tips
State Court Cellar
Volkacher Main loop Volkach is a beautiful, medieval town, located along the Main triangle – about 25 kilometers away from Würzburg. The Main draws a distinctive river loop near Volkach ), which is why this region is known as the Volkacher Mainschleife.
The Volkacher Mainschleife is very scenic and one of the most popular holiday destinations in the wine region of Franconia. We can therefore particularly recommend these regions to newcomers. One of the highlights of the region is the Vogelsburg, from which you can enjoy a wonderful view over the vineyards and the Main.
In addition to Volkach, you can explore some other really beautiful wine villages, such as Sommerach or Dettelbach – one of the places that surprised us the most.
Here you get to our detailed travel report: Volkacher Mainschleife
View from the Vogelsburg
South Main Triangle South from Volkach you get to the so-called southern Main triangle. As the name suggests, this region also lies along the Main. There are numerous romantic wine villages in a relatively small area. The historic townscape is largely preserved in many of these villages. Medieval buildings and half-timbered houses alternate.
We really liked it in Frickenhausen am Main (where one of our favorite hotels in the wine country of Franconia, where the Hotel Weingut Meintzinger is located). Sommerhausen with its many winding streets is well worth seeing. Last but not least: In Marktbreit, the Malerwinkelhaus is probably one of the most striking building ensembles in the region.
If you enjoy the historic flair of the wine villages and also want to take a hike through the vineyards with a view of the Main, then you are in good hands in this region.
Here you can find our detailed travel report: Southern Main triangle
Market wide
Iphofen and surroundings Iphofen is a small Picture book town, that both from Volkach and from the southern Main triangle in about 20 minutes by car. So you shouldn’t miss out on a trip to Iphofen if you’re traveling in one of the two regions.
We’ve dressed up as as Iphofen hardly experienced any other wine town. It doesn’t matter which alley you walk down: In Iphofen you will find postcard motifs on every corner. The landmark and the most well-known sight of the city is the photogenic Rödelseer Tor, a medieval city gate that is quite an eye-catcher. But the market square in the heart of Iphofen is also worth seeing. We can recommend the Weingut Wirsching in the center of Iphofen for wine tasting and shopping.
We also really liked the trip to the terroir f Iphofen. This terroir f point is located a bit away from the town center on the Schwanberg, so you need about an hour on foot from Iphofen. It’s quicker and more comfortable by car. (A small car park is available.)
The small town of Hüttenheim is also worth a detour. There we stayed in the very family-run Hillabrand winery. From the Tannenberg you can also experience a very beautiful sunset in the middle of the vineyards.
Here you can find our detailed travel report: Iphofen & surroundings
View towards Hüttenheim from Tannenberg
Miltenberg and surroundings (Region Spessart-Mainland) Back to the Main, more precisely to Miltenberg in the region Spessart Mainland. If if you like red wine, then there is no way around this region, because Spessart-Mainland is the largest red wine-growing region in Franconia. Around Miltenberg you will find beautiful vineyards and delightful wine places.
First of all, of course, Miltenberg should be mentioned. This medieval town with the beautiful half-timbered houses is enchantingly beautiful. The short walk up to Miltenberg Castle is highly recommended. From there you have a wonderful view. We watched the sunrise from up here. (FYI: Then you can’t go to the castle itself, but the platform in front of it is freely accessible.)
We continue to the neighboring town Bürgstadt. We also liked it here very much. You should definitely make a detour to the Fürst winery, which is located a little outside of the town center. If you get hungry, stop by the Churfrankenvinothek in the center of Bürgstadt.
Last but not least, Klingenberg am Main is also really magical. Impressive steep slopes can be found there. The well-known Franconian red wine hiking trail, which we have already mentioned earlier in this blog article, also leads along here.
View of Miltenberg from the castle
Terroir f Alzenau
Zeil am Main and surroundings (Hassberge region) The wine region closest to Bamberg is the area around Zeil am Main in the Hassberge region. From Bamberg you can reach Zeil am Main in about 25 minutes with the Automobile. Comparatively few tourists get lost here. So if you’re looking for a wine region that’s still a bit of a insider tip, then you’ve come to the right place.
Zeil am Main is a small, very pretty half-timbered town that can be explored fairly quickly. You should not miss the walk to the so-called Käppele, a small chapel from which you enjoy a beautiful view of Zeil am Main. A trip to the modern winery Rippstein, which is located in the neighboring town of Sand am Main is worthwhile.
The Abt-Degen-Steig, a wine trail along the Main is recommended for hiking. A particularly beautiful section is the area around the old winegrowers’ staircase, which is located near the district of Steinbach.
Abt-Degen-Steig
Hammelburg and surroundings The Wine-growing areas around Hammelburg near Schweinfurt are the most northerly of Franconia. In the center of this wine-growing region is Hammelburg, the oldest wine town in Franconia. This region is a bit off the beaten tourist track. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, we really liked it.
Hammelburg is a very cozy little town. Worth seeing is above all the market square, where the highly recommended Weinhotel Müller is located. The Saaleck Castle is enthroned on a hill just outside of Hammelburg. You can climb the tower of this castle complex and enjoy a wonderful view from above 80-degree panoramic view.
Otherwise it is worth making a detour to Ramsthal, which can be reached by car about 15 minutes away. A highly recommended winery can be found there: the Baldauf winery. The short walk to terroir f Ramsthal is also worthwhile.
Last but not least: From Ramsthal it is only a short hop to the spa town Bad Kissingen. You should definitely check them out if you’re in the region.
View from Saaleck Castle
4. Map: Overview of the regions and places in the Franconian wine country In this map we have given you the individual Regions in the Franconian wine country drawn. We’ve given each region its own color to help you find your way around.
Transparency: Advertising & Affiliate Links This blog article was created in cooperation with FrankenTourismus. We travel to several places in the wine country of Franconia and report about it on our blog and our social media channels.
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22376 This blog article contains our personal recommendations in the form of so-called affiliate links. If you book or buy something through the links, we will receive a small commission. For you, this does not change the price at all. A thousand thanks from both of us!
Have you ever taken a wine tour made by Franconia? Which places have you visited? Can you recommend other winemakers or do you have any additional tips? We look forward to your comment!
