Small sights, big impact

Small sights with a big wow factor

What do the Töppler tower house, Meisengeige café-cinema and Lili Chapeau theatre all have in common? They might not be big, but what they offer visitors is more than impressive.

Bavaria's smallest professional theatre is Lili Chapeau in the town of Miltenberg am Main. Measuring 20 m2, it stages impressive performances and has even made its way into the Guinness Book of Records. Probably the smallest castle in the world, the Töppler tower house in Rothenburg ob der Tauber might look quirky, but it's actually nothing short of amazing. Not just because it has managed to survive since 1388 as a dwelling and defensive tower in one, but it also preserves an array of impressive furnishings from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Following the tiny castle and micro-theatre, up next is a mini-cinema. Meisengeige is an absolutely charming arthouse cinema in Nuremberg that screens independent films, classics from the silent era and countless other movies for culture fans. Keeping things small, Bamberg's "Little Venice" has a hint of the lagoon city about it. Little half-timbered houses from the 17th century stand cheek by jowl what was once the fishermen's quarter. Standing on the banks of the Regnitz river, almost every one of them has its own landing for boats. During the summer, you can go on a waterbus trip to admire the buildings from the river - or if you prefer to do things in style, you can order a Venetian gondola. Finally, the tiny treats created by the confectioners at Clement Chococult in Bernried are designed to delight the tastebuds. The sweetmaking experts make their refined and exotic pralines by hand and with painstaking care.

Topplerschlösschen in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Topplerschlösschen: Perhaps the smallest castle in the world

You feel like you've been transported into a tale by the Brothers Grimm: On the edge of the medieval old town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the small residential building of the Toppler castle balances on a defence tower.
Aufgereihte Pralinen

Chocolate, art and sights in Bernried on Lake Starnberg

Next stop: chocolate paradise! Our excursion to the village of Bernried in the Bavarian Five Lakes Region first takes you to handmade chocolates and chocolate bars. Then it's on to fantastic art and hearty cuisine at Bernried's best country inn
Popcorn in einer Schale auf rotem Untergrund

Cinemas in Nuremberg: "Meisengeige" and "Casablanca"

The small cinemas have a very special ambience
Häuser am Regnitzufer in Bamberg

Versatile banks of the Regnitz in Bamberg

The idyllic banks of the River Regnitz in the historic imperial and episcopal city of Bamberg are lined with impressive buildings from a wide range of eras.
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