Michaelsberg Monastery Terrace
The former Benedictine abbey of St Michael crowns one of Bamberg's seven hills and rewards the 10-minute climb from the Altstadt with the most sweeping panorama in the city. On a clear day you can pick out every church spire and the green ribbon of the Regnitz threading through the valley below.
The View and the Garden
The monastery's south-facing terrace garden is a baroque masterpiece of clipped hedges and rose beds, and the retaining wall at its edge acts as a natural viewing platform. Spread out below you are the red rooftops of the Altstadt, the cathedral's four towers, and on the horizon the forested ridges of the Franconian Switzerland nature park.
The ceiling of the monastery church is painted with over 600 medicinal herbs — a botanical encyclopaedia in fresco form — making the interior worth at least a quick look before you head back outside to the view.
Sunset and the Franconian Beer Garden
A traditional Franconian beer garden operates on the monastery grounds from spring through early autumn, serving local Helles and Märzen alongside pretzels and Schäufele (roast pork shoulder). It's the most civilised place in Bamberg to watch the sun sink behind the hills while nursing a cold half-litre.
The terrace faces almost due south and west, so the light is flattering from mid-afternoon onwards — photographers should plan to arrive around 16:00 in summer for the best combination of warm light and uncrowded paths.
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