A Couples & Family Weekend Visit to Amberg, Germany

We visited Amberg following a Mediterranean cruise in May 2025. We had visited Venice, Italy, and Salzburg, Austria up to Amberg traveling by train. We had navigated the train system on prior trips and were fortunate enough to introduce four new people to the experience. Arrival by train is easily managed as there is a station in Munich Airport (MUC) with a transfer in Regensburg and then a stop in Amberg, which is right in town.

Wrapping up the trip arriving at MUC station

We made arrangements for friends and family to stay at Hotel Brunner Betriebs GmbH, which had a great, quiet little biergarten where we had our evening beers and talked about the days events. The other hotel was Hotel Fronfeste “Rast im Knast“ which was a converted 1600s prison. While the family checked in, the rest of the group checked out the prison themed rooms and common areas. I will rebook family and friends in either of the hotels again as they are clean, well managed, and budget-friendly. Note that not very many German hotels have A/C, but when I asked if it would be an issue they told me it was cool enough at night and that it was no problem!

Hotel Fronfeste "Rast im Knast"

So, what did we do? After breakfast, which we grabbed coffee and a light meal at Backerei Hiltner, we walked the stone streets through Amberg Marktplatz, watching people sit out in front of the cafes, we window-shopped, and walked through St. Martin’s Basilica. We walked for a portion of the walking trail around the city looking at the different structures.

Amberg Marktplatz

For a light lunch we stopped in Euere Metzgerei, which had some pre-made sandwiches and my brother sampled some of their meats, almost couldn’t get him to leave! For dinner, we made reservations at Winkler BrauWirt because we had such a large party. Originally they had set us up in the biergarten, but when we arrived they had room for us inside. Food and service was excellent. We all ordered traditional German food. Two other nights we ate at Schloderer Brau, which we also made reservations for and the food and service was equally great.

When traveling in Germany, particularly smaller towns, it is not always a given that everyone speaks English, but you shouldn’t have a problem on the public transit and the restaurants typically have someone who knows English as well as English menus!

When we left Amberg, we used the train to get back to Munich and check in to our hotel for the night since our plane had a morning departure. Some of our group hadn’t been to Munich before, so we spent a couple of hours showing them the highlights before retiring for the night. American Airlines has a regular nonstop schedule from MUC to CLT.

Wrapping it up, Amberg is a great little town to visit with easy access by rail, and is super safe. You can probably see the whole inner city in a day, but if you were to stay longer there are other things to do like biking and hiking.

Dinner

• When traveling by train, it is best if you can keep your luggage down to a carry-on and maybe a backpack!

• A given—it’s best to learn a few German phrases (you already know one, ein bier bitte!).

• You can bring beer/food on the trains. Beer can be purchased in food markets and at the stations. They charge a deposit on cans and bottles. I didn’t realize this at first and was throwing them away.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Germany page.