Villas in Franken - Fichtelgebirge - Taubertal

Weißenstadt suits walkers and spa days in the Fichtelgebirge, Bamberg suits beer and old towns, and Marktheidenfeld suits Main valley wine. This is northern Bavaria's Franconia, plus the Tauber valley on the Romantic Road. Expect holiday flats and village houses rather than villas, spread thinly across a big area, so choose your base by what you want to see.

Where

Villas: 114
From, per week: £220
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: Nuremberg is the closest for most of the region. Frankfurt has far more UK flights and is better for Marktheidenfeld and Bad Kissingen. Munich is around two hours from the south. Flights from London to Frankfurt take around an hour and a half.

Where to stay in Franken - Fichtelgebirge - Taubertal

The Fichtelgebirge (Weißenstadt, Marktredwitz, Weidenberg)

Weißenstadt has the largest group of our homes in Franconia. It sits beside a small lake with a path round it and the Siebenquell thermal spa on the shore. The granite hills around rise to the Schneeberg and the Ochsenkopf, which has a chairlift, summer toboggan runs and modest winter skiing. Wunsiedel's Luisenburg has a boulder maze and an open-air theatre. Bayreuth is around 40 minutes away, and Nuremberg airport around an hour and a quarter.

Best for: Forest walks, a lake and a thermal spa

Not for you if: You want towns with grand old centres: these are small and practical.

The Main valley and the Spessart (Marktheidenfeld, Würzburg, Amorbach)

Marktheidenfeld is a small wine town on a loop of the Main, with the cycle path along the river and the Spessart forest on the hills behind. Würzburg, around half an hour away, has the Residenz, a UNESCO-listed palace, and vineyards above the old bridge. Amorbach, on the edge of the Odenwald, has an abbey church with a large organ. Frankfurt airport is around an hour away.

Best for: Franconian wine, river cycling and Würzburg's palace

Not for you if: You want hills and forest outside the door: Marktheidenfeld is a river town.

Bamberg and the Upper Main (Bamberg, Bischberg, Viereth, Ebensfeld, Bad Staffelstein, Michelau, Marktgraitz)

Bamberg's old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its breweries pour Rauchbier, a smoked beer. Bischberg and Viereth are villages just downstream. Further up the Main, near Bad Staffelstein, the Vierzehnheiligen basilica and Banz abbey face each other across the valley, and the town has a brine spa. Michelau and Lichtenfels are basket-making towns. Nuremberg airport is around 45 minutes to an hour away.

Best for: Beer, baroque churches and an easy UNESCO town

Not for you if: You want quiet: Bamberg's old town fills with day visitors in summer.

Franconian Switzerland and the Nuremberg edge (Eckental, Gosberg, Mistelgau)

Franconian Switzerland is an area of limestone crags, castles and caves, such as the Teufelshöhle at Pottenstein, with a high number of small family breweries. Gosberg sits near Forchheim on its western edge, and Mistelgau on the Bayreuth side. Eckental, north-east of Nuremberg, works as a base for the city and the hills, with Nuremberg airport around 20 minutes away.

Best for: Climbing, caves and village breweries close to Nuremberg

Not for you if: You want a rural base far from the city: Eckental is on Nuremberg's outskirts.

Bad Kissingen and the Rhön edge (Bad Kissingen, Nüdlingen)

Bad Kissingen is one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, a UNESCO listing shared with places such as Baden-Baden and Bath, with a long colonnade, a pump room and gardens along the Franconian Saale. Nüdlingen is a village a few minutes away. The Rhön biosphere reserve, with open uplands for walking, starts to the north. Frankfurt airport is around an hour and three-quarters away.

Best for: Spa town walks, gardens and the Rhön hills

Not for you if: You want nightlife: Bad Kissingen is a genteel spa town with an older crowd.

The Frankenwald (Elbersreuth, Stadtsteinach, Steinwiesen)

The Frankenwald is a high, wooded plateau of steep valleys and slate-roofed villages. Elbersreuth is a hamlet near Presseck, close to marked walking routes, and Stadtsteinach sits where the hills drop towards Kulmbach, known for its Plassenburg castle and beer. Steinwiesen is in the Rodach valley, a short drive from the fortress town of Kronach. Nuremberg airport is around an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Quiet woods and walking with very few other visitors

Not for you if: You want sights on the doorstep: this is a rural, thinly settled area.

The Tauber valley and the Romantic Road (Creglingen, Uffenheim, Dinkelsbühl, Langfurth, Ansbach)

Creglingen's Herrgottskirche has a carved altarpiece by Tilman Riemenschneider, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber is around 20 minutes away. Dinkelsbühl has an intact ring of walls and towers, and Langfurth is a village a short drive to the east. Uffenheim and Ansbach, the old seat of the margraves, are quieter. The Tauber valley cycle path runs past Creglingen. Nuremberg airport is around an hour to an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Walled towns and cycling along the Tauber

Not for you if: You want to avoid coach parties: Rothenburg is very busy in summer and at Christmas.

When to go to Franken - Fichtelgebirge - Taubertal

May to October is the main season for walking and cycling, and the vineyards along the Main are harvested in September and October, when wine festivals fill the village squares. July and August are the busiest months, especially in Rothenburg, Bamberg and Würzburg, and the Bayreuth festival takes over that town. Advent brings Christmas markets, with Nuremberg's the best known. Winter is cold, with limited skiing on the Ochsenkopf when snow allows, and November is grey and quiet.