The city of Aschaffenburg is on the most popular travel itinerary in Germany, the German Romantic Route, and this post will help a lot to complement this tour with golden tips: how to get there, where to stay and what to visit.
Read our Complete travel guide to visit the Romantic Road in Germany .
How to get to and where is the city of Aschaffenburg
The city of Aschaffenburg is located in the state of Bavaria on the bank of the river Main. To get to the city, it takes just over half an hour from Frankfurt city (approximately 40 km).
Arriving in Germany via Frankfurt Airport, you will need to rent a car to travel the Romantic Route, which starts in the city of Würzburg. Take the opportunity to visit the city of Aschaffenburg, which is a great start to discover more of the German beauties and get a taste of how special this region is.
Other post to help with your planning:
What to do and visiting in Aschaffenburg in Germany
The city is bordered by the river Main, the same river that runs through Frankfurt and the first tourist attraction of Aschaffenburg is its own view, it is very beautiful.
The main tourist attraction in the city, which can be seen on the banks of the river, is the Castle of Johannisburg, or in german, Schloss Johannisburg, built in the Middle Ages for the Bishop of Mainz. The castle was built with stones from the region of Spessart, a type of red sandstone, giving it a pinkish color and even a darker red depending on the light.
Today the Castle of Johannisburg is considered one of the most important buildings from the Renaissance period in Germany.
After admiring its architecture, it is worth going to its museums reopened in 1994, after a series of restorations due to the damage caused by World War II:
- Staatsgalerie Aschaffenburg, a painting gallery (with works by Lucas Cranach the Elder);
- the Paramentenkammer of the palace chapel (with robes from the ancient treasure of Mainz Cathedral);
- the residential rooms (furnished in neoclassical style); and
- the Municipal Palace Museum (with works of arts and crafts).
Still in Johannisburg Castle, there is a restaurant called Schloßweinstuben, with typical Bavarian food. A good option for you to eat before continuing your trip.
Another interesting point to visit in the city is the Basilica of St. Peter and Alexander, or in german Stiftsbasilika St. Peter und Alexander, located in the old town of Aschaffenburg.
The entrance to the church is through a staircase built in the Baroque style, with two statues dedicated to Saint Peter and Pope Alexander I, which ends in a corridor that looks a lot like the corridors of Hogwarts Castle from the Harry Potter movies.
Even if you’re not religious, the place makes great photos, it’s very beautiful. And whoever is having their first contact with German architecture will be very impressed.
Finally, visit the Pompejanum, an idealized replica of a Roman villa in Pompeii, commissioned by King Ludwig I and built in the 1840s. Since 1994, the Pompejanum has housed original Roman artworks from the collections of the Staatliche Antikensammlungen and Glyptothek in Munich.
Surrounded by a small Mediterranean garden, it sits in parkland on the banks of the Mainz River, with a beautiful view of Johannisburg Castle.
That in itself is worth the walk there.
Excursions and tours in the Romantic Road in Germany
Other suggestions for travel destinations in Germany
- What to do in Hannover in Germany – Complete travel guide
- What to do in Bremen in Germany – Complete travel guide
- What to do in Hamburg in Germany – Complete travel guide
- The best region and the best hotel to stay in Cologne in Germany
- And be sure to read our publication on the best Christmas markets in Germany.