Forchheim Old Town
Forchheim Altstadt
The western gateway to Franconian Switzerland, with a half-timbered town hall, a royal palace and Baroque fortifications, and the beer cellar forest to the north hosting the annual Annafest.
Forchheim is known as the “Gateway to Franconian Switzerland.” Its old town preserves a 15th- and 16th-century half-timbered town hall, a royal residence that now houses the Palatine Palace Museum, and Baroque city fortifications. In the Kellerwald forest to the north of town are more than twenty beer cellars carved into the hillside. The Annafest, held in late July, is one of the largest beer festivals in Franconia. In December, the windows of the town hall turn into a giant Advent calendar, and a Christmas market is held nearby. From Nuremberg, a regional train takes about 25 minutes, making Forchheim a convenient base for entering Franconian Switzerland.
Opening hours
Open all day; museum approx. Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Ehrenbürg (Walberla)
- Franconian Switzerland Steam Railway
- Binghöhle
- Greifenstein Castle
- Fünf-Seidla-Steig
- Neideck Castle Ruins
- Egloffstein Castle
- Druidenhain