Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
www.romanticroadcoach.de
)
, which can get incredibly crowded in summer. From April
to October the special coach runs daily in each direction between Frankfurt and Füssen
(for Neuschwanstein); the entire journey takes around 12 hours. There's no charge for
breaking the journey and continuing the next day.
Tickets are available for short segments of the trip, and reservations are only necessary
during peak-season weekends. Reservations can be made through travel agents, Deutsche
Touring, EurAide in Munich, and Deutsche Bahn's Reisezentrum offices in the train sta-
tions. If you stayed on the coach all the way from Frankfurt to Füssen (a pointless exer-
cise), the total fare would be €158, The average fare from one stop to the next is around
€3.
Coaches can accommodate bicycles (up to five stops cost €5; six to 11 stops, €8), but
you must give three working days' notice. Students, children, pensioners and rail-pass
holders qualify for discounts of between 10% and 50%.
For detailed schedules and prices, see
www.romanticroadcoach.de
.
Würzburg
0931 / POP 133,500
'If I could choose my place of birth, I would consider Würzburg', wrote author Hermann
Hesse, and it's not difficult to see why. This scenic town straddles the Main River and is
renowned for its art, architecture and delicate wines. A large student population guaran-
tees a lively scene, and plenty of hip nightlife pulsates though its cobbled streets.
Würzburg was a Franconian duchy when, in 686, three Irish missionaries tried to per-
suade Duke Gosbert to convert to Christianity and ditch his wife. Gosbert was mulling it
over when his wife had the three bumped off. When the murders were discovered decades
later, the martyrs became saints and Würzburg was made a pilgrimage city and, in 742, a
bishopric.
For centuries the resident prince-bishops wielded enormous power and wealth, and the
city grew in opulence under their rule. Their crowning glory is the Residenz, one of the
finest baroque structures in Germany and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Decimated in WWII when 90% of the city centre was flattened, the authorities origin-
ally planned to leave the ruins as a reminder of the horrors of war. But a valiant rebuilding
project saw the city restored almost to its pre-war glory.
