Germany Guide
Northern Bavaria: Franconia
Entering Franconia (Franken) from the north or west can be a disorientating experience for anyone expecting Alps, blue-and-white flags and Weisswurst, for Bavaria's northernmost region is not at all the Bavaria of popular cliché. Red and white are the colours of Franconia, the sausage of choice is Bratwurst and the unspoilt wooded uplands which cover much of the region rarely rise to mountainous heights. In many respects, it has more in common with Thuringia or Hesse than it does with the "real" Bavaria to the south.
Franconia isn't historically Bavarian at all. It owes its name to the Frankish tribes whose territory it originally was, and from the Middle Ages until the early nineteenth century it was highly fragmented, which ended when Napoleon incorporated Franconia into the newly upgraded Kingdom of Bavaria – previously a mere duchy – in 1806. But it remains a fantastically diverse place to visit. Unterfranken (Lower Franconia), centred on Würzburg, is wine-growing country, with a feel of the sunny south; it is also the starting point for the Romantic Road, a tourist route linking many of Bavaria's most beautiful towns. In Oberfranken (Upper Franconia), the Protestant religion and beer predominate. Here, the cultural and historical associations are with Wagner in Bayreuth and with Luther and the British royal family in Coburg; everywhere there's a sense of the proximity of the lands of central Germany to the north. Bamberg remains a splendid exception, a beer town through and through but opulently Catholic in an otherwise Lutheran region, and one of Germany's most beautiful cities. In Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), Nuremberg is unmissable for its fascinating and occasionally uneasy blend of medieval splendour and Nazi bombast, while Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Dinkelsbühl are perfectly preserved medieval gems, if scarcely undiscovered by visitors. Franconia's wooded hills and national parks offer tempting opportunities to escape the crowds, whether by bike, on foot or in a canoe down the lazy Altmühl.
Long-distance hiking and cycle trails cross the region, while for more rapid progress, the bigger cities have fast main-line rail connections and many smaller towns still have a rail link.
Highlights
1 Nuremberg The triumphs and tragedies of German history, set against a splendid medieval backdrop.
2 Outdoor activities in the Naturpark Altmühltal Hike, cycle or canoe your way through this delightful and intriguing Jurassic landscape.
3 Opera in Bayreuth Plan years in advance if you want to experience Wagner at the Festspiele.
4 Vierzehnheiligen church A vision of heaven, if heaven's designers were masters of the Rococo.
5 Bamberg's Rauchbier Smoky and sweetly mysterious, Bamberg's favourite brew is as unique as the city that created it.
6 The Residenz, Würzburg Balthasar Neumann's Baroque masterpiece is as magnificent a palace as any in Europe.
7 Cycling in the Taubertal Slow right down to get the most out of this gentle wine-growing country at the start of the Romantic Road.
The Romantic Road
Though there are tourist roads that crisscross Germany for everything from wine to fairy tales and half-timbered houses, the Romantic Road remains by far the best-known internationally. Created in the 1950s to boost tourism, it threads its way south from the River Main to the Alps as the landscape progressively changes from gentle, rolling agricultural country to the fringes of the mountains. Along the way, it passes by some of Germany's most remarkable and famous visitor attractions: the Residenz in Würzburg, the perfectly preserved medieval towns of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Dinkelsbühl, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wieskirche and "Mad" King Ludwig II's Wagnerian fantasy castle of Neuschwanstein. Much the easiest way to travel the Romantic Road is, of course, by car, but if you don't have your own transport the Eurolines-affiliated Europabus ( 
www.touring.de ) travels the road daily from May to October between Frankfurt, Füssen and Munich, with special offers for hikers and cyclists and facilities to transport bikes. There's also a 424km cycle route, most of it fairly gentle and characterized by well-made local tracks or quiet local roads, or you can follow the route on foot; the GPS data for the entire walk can be ordered from the Romantic Road website, www.romantischestrasse.de .