From Messel via the Limes to Würzburg, Bamberg, Bayreuth and Regensburg

Total Route Length: approx. 500 km – We recommend 2 – 3 overnight stays

The route from Messel to Regensburg begins on the eastern shoulder of the Rhine Valley, south of the Main metropolis of Frankfurt and east of Darmstadt. With its unique 47-million-year-old mammal finds in the oil shale rock, the Messel Pit is one of two UNESCO natural heritage sites in Germany.

From Messel to Würzburg, a detour to the largest archaeological monument in Central Europe, the Limes, is worthwhile. The ancient border wall extends over a length of 550 km. In numerous places, such as in Stockstadt and Aschaffenburg, parts of the Upper German-Rhaetian Limes have been reconstructed on a scale of 1:1 and made accessible to the public in archaeological parks.

After this short detour you reach the residential city of Würzburg. In addition to the golden baroque of the prince-bishop’s residence, the city has much more to offer: the numerous wine taverns bear witness to the primeval winegrowing tradition and, together with the Franconian cuisine, form a culinary-historical synthesis of the arts.

We continue through the Steigerwald Nature Park to Bamberg. The magnificent, completely preserved old town enables every visitor to take a journey into the past, which can effortlessly stop off in the Middle Ages as well as in the heyday of the Baroque era. The last stage takes the traveler via Bayreuth to the 2,000-year-old city of Regensburg, known for its flair as the „northernmost city in Italy“.