UNESCO World Heritage old town split across the Bergstadt, Inselstadt and Gaertnerstadt districts, famous for its Rauchbier smoked-beer taverns rather than wine, a deliberate contrast to a Franken wine trip.
Tip: Treat this as the beer counterpart to a Franken wine week; the Bergstadt brewery taverns are the reason to make the drive.
Bavaria's second city, with the Nuernberger Burg castle and Lorenzkirche anchoring a rebuilt medieval old town, reachable directly by ICE train from Wuerzburg for a car-free day trip.
Tip: Take the train rather than drive; Nuremberg's old town centre is dense and largely pedestrianised around the castle and Hauptmarkt.
A compact city between Bamberg and Wuerzburg with a 500-year art museum including Duerer works, inside the Franken wine landscape with over 1,000 km of vineyard cycling routes.
Pours: Franken wine cycling route along the Main
Tip: Rent a bike here to ride the Main-side vineyard cycling routes rather than driving between wine villages.
Free-entry Baroque and rococo court garden begun in 1702 as the prince-bishops' summer grounds, with Ferdinand Tietz's 1765-1768 sculptures and April-October fountains, a short hop from Wuerzburg's vineyards.
Pours: Veitshoechheim and Wuerzburg Maindreieck Silvaner
Tip: Time the visit for 13:00-17:00 April through October to see the fountains running on the hour.
Half-timbered river town on the Main, the self-styled Perle am Main, at the edge of the Spessart and the Buntsandstein Mainviereck, home turf for the region's Spaetburgunder estates and its own Weinherbst.
Pours: Mainviereck Spaetburgunder, Spessart Streuobst Edelbrand
Tip: Pair the old town's market square with a Mainviereck cellar-door stop, Rudolf Fuerst and Fuerst Loewenstein are both a short drive away.
The best-preserved walled medieval town on the Romantic Road, with a full circuit of towers and ramparts and a wine culture of its own along the Tauber valley just south of the main Franken appellation.
Pours: Tauberfranken Riesling, Tauberfranken Silvaner
Tip: Walk the full Stadtmauer circuit before lunch; it is free, uncrowded in the early morning, and gives the best overview of the old town's layout.