Any good prince-bishop needs to have a summer place, and Veitshochheim summer palace - just a few miles north (40 minutes by excursion boat; ongoing departures from the Alter Kranen) of the Würzburg city limits - is well worth the trip and perhaps a 90-minute visit.

 
Although the palace is charming, it's the extensive Rococo gardens that appeal most. The gardens show formality buffered by a strong sense of whimsy. Wooded boulevards branch off to hedge-rimmed pavilions. Statues of gods and mythological beings mingle with those of peasants and shepherds.

A winged horse spouts water from an island fountain in an artificial lake. (Bring some bread and watch the giant carp and ducks fight over it). Perhaps most interesting: a grotto inhabited by creatures formed entirely from seashells, like a hideous, razor-toothed monkey. Benches are placed every 50 feet or so for reflection or relief.

Würzburg provides the perfect launching point for exploring the delightful towns and villages of the Franconian Wine Region: the medieval market town of Dettelbach with its intact medieval wall and 19 towered gates, Ochsenfurt with its ancient fortifications, and Gemünden, the so-called "Three-River Town," where the Sinn and Salle Rivers meet the Main. Culinary delights, hiking and bicycling paths, quiet inns and remarkable architecture abound.

Volkach, about 20 minutes by car or 40 minutes by bus (leaving from the main train station), is especially charming. In the morning mist, it's easy to imagine this wine village as it was 400 years ago: At dawn, the only sound is the tolling of the bells in the Gothic Bartholomäuskirche. The steep, red-tile roofs of half-timber houses are topped with wooden gables and brick chimneys. Vines form leafy walls on the buildings, where clouds of pink and violet belladonnas explode from carefully tended flower boxes. During the harvest, grape-laden wagons squeeze through the medieval gates, clatter over cobblestone streets and disappear into half-hidden courtyards of family wineries.

At the Weingut Max Müller (Haupstr. 46, D-97332 Volkach; phone +49 093 81/12 18), Rainer and Monika Müller will happily show you their cellar filled with nearly a century of family vintages. Monika also leads four-hour bicycle tours (advance booking required) through their vineyards, followed by a tour of the winery and a wine tasting including a bottle of wine.

Across the street from the winery, the Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons) is a peaceful place with character, charm and a strong sense of history. A small but friendly staff welcomes guests with open arms. In earlier times, "guests" weren't treated with such warm attention.

The 1605 Renaissance building once housed the town's courthouse and jail, and guests can stay the night in one of the refurbished and enlarged cells. The top-story rooms - reached by climbing a winding staircase in the former tower - have slanted ceilings, the original wooden beams and gabled windows that look out on the steep roofs of equally old buildings. The inn also operates a splendid, intimate restaurant two doors down, the Weinstube-Torbäck.

 

This article appeared in its original form in Gemuetlichkeit German Travel Newsletter.  www.gemut.com