"Wuerzburg for wine........" Würzburg by leics

.......although I actually far prefer beer, and just explored the city's history!

It made a good base for visits elsewhere, so I stayed for 3 nights. It's a small town, so seeing its main historical sights would not take more than a couple of days. I didn't 'do' all of them, nor did I take a walk through the vineyards (there's a signed walk to follow) because it was simply too hot on my 'Wurzburg' day. But I enjoyed the town, a very ordinary place in many ways and one which felt both very safe and very friendly.

Residenz (Treppenhaus is central)

So what's in Wurzburg? Well.........the river Main flows through it, with the Marienberg fortress (dating from around 1200, with many subsequent changes and additions) high above and keeping watch over the whole area. On the other side, clearly visible from the town centre, are steep vine-covered hills which have long provided the grapes for what is the centre of the wine industry in Franconia.

On the other side of the river to the fortress lies the 18th century Residenz, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although Wurzburg was severely damaged during the Second World War, the central part of this stunning palace.......the 'Treppenhaus', with its truly massive staircase...... managed to remain unharmed (a tribute, perhaps, to the skill of Neumann, its architect). There is a most wonderful ceiling by Tiepolo over the staircase, as well as numerous other restored rooms, their marble and gilt and twiddly opulence making a clear statement about the power and prestige of the Von Schonborns, for whom it was built.

Marienberg fortress

So they are the two 'big' sights...........but, for me, the glitz and overt wealth of the ruling classes is not as interesting as the lives of ordinary folk. So I far preferred to explore the churches (which had such great power over all, in the past, and within which one can often get a taste of what life was once like)...the Romanesque Dom St Kilian ( 11th-12th century), the red and white Marienkappelle (1377), the 11th-century Neumunster and the later Stift Haug, with its Tintoretto painting.

And the two wine-producing hospitals (lovely idea!).........the Juliusspital, which has a pretty little park in its courtyard and dates from 1576 and the much older Heilige-Geist-Burgespital, dating from 1316, its courtyard surrounded by 18-th century arcading.

Much of Medieval Wurzburg was destroyed by bombing, but one or two bits still remain......a wander around the central parts of the town will find them, and I'll make tips.

So....a good base for exploring the area by train (or by car), friendly inhabitants, countryside nearby.....somewhere I could imagine living quite happily.

• Pros:Lots to see in a very friendly city
• Cons:None that I came across
• In a nutshell:Wuerzburg for wine........ :-)