Eltmann Germany Bavaria
30
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
A couple of minutes from the centre, on the Main. River cruise vessels linking Bamberg to Würzburg tie up here, and the small Franconian town is a few minutes' walk away.
An 11th-century keep set on its hill, the remnant of a vanished castle, which has announced Eltmann to boatmen on the Main for nine hundred years. It is the landmark you spot well before docking.
By the path that rises from the centre: it is the classic outing of the call. The climb takes some breath but stays manageable, and benches along the way invite pauses. From the top, the view takes in the ribbon of the Main, the barges sliding between locks and, in clear weather, the hills of the Franconian vineyards.
The Mount of Olives chapel, raised in the 13th century. The Kreuzkapelle from the early 17th century and the Visitation pilgrimage church built in the mid-18th complete this modest religious heritage, discovered on an unhurried walk. Eltmann first appears in the chronicles more than 1,200 years ago.
No, and that is its appeal: the call has the ease of places mass tourism has not yet put on its maps. In the local shops you hear the regional dialect far more than the English of organised tours.
Silvaner, Franconia's signature grape, served in its traditional round bottle. The Weinstuben, the village wine taverns, pour it alongside sourdough bread and regional charcuterie: that alone sums up the local way of living.
The vast forest bordering the town on the landward side, protected since 1988 by a nature park of nearly 1,300 square kilometres. Hiking trails run beneath century-old beeches, right at the town's edge. Eltmann marks the boundary between two worlds: vineyards on the river side, forest on the land side.
Yes, a flat path follows the river and links the surrounding wine villages. It is a good way to fill a port call without effort, on terrain that presents no difficulty.
The centre and its old chapels take about an hour. The village bakeries supply everything for an improvised picnic by the river, facing the quiet procession of barges. With two more hours, add the climb to the Wallburg.
The euro and German, with a strong Franconian accent. English is little spoken in family-run shops, and cash remains the norm in the Weinstuben and bakeries. Bring a few euros.
