Aschaffenburg

Aschaffenburg lies about 45 km east of Frankfurt in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, on the Main river at the edge of the Spessart forest. Regional trains (RE/RB) from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof via Hanau reach Aschaffenburg Hbf in about 30 to 45 minutes and are covered by the Deutschlandticket. Driving via the A3 takes around 40 minutes. The centre is within walking distance of the station.

The town's landmark is Schloss Johannisburg at Schlossplatz 4, a red-sandstone Renaissance palace built from 1605 to 1614 for the Archbishops of Mainz, with state rooms, a collection of cork models of Roman buildings and a formal garden along the river. Below it on the Main bank, the Pompejanum is a reconstruction of a Roman villa from Pompeii commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in the 1840s, with a garden and views over the river. A few kilometres from the centre, Park Schönbusch is an English-style landscape park with a small neoclassical palace, lake and follies, reachable on foot, by bike or by bus. The Stiftskirche St. Peter und Alexander, with its Romanesque cloister and works by Grünewald, sits in the old town.

A good day starts with arrival at about 9:30 and a visit to the Schloss and its museums, followed by the Pompejanum. Lunch fits in the old town around the Stiftsberg or the Dalbergstrasse, with Franconian dishes and local wine and beer. The afternoon can be spent at Park Schönbusch, a walk or ride of roughly 40 minutes each way, ending with a stroll through the Schlossgarten before the evening train.

The best period is April to October, when the parks are green and the Pompejanum is open; it is generally closed in winter. Weekday visits are calm, and the town works well as a relaxed half-day or as a stop on the way to Würzburg.