Every Würzburg tour we list, and what each one adds to the day
Twelve listings, and each one adds something to a Würzburg day: the winter half-day gets you inside the Residenz with a guide, the walks and wine tours give you the old town with someone who knows it, and the coaches take you down the Romantic Road with the driving done. The staterooms themselves are sold by the Bavarian Palace Administration at its own desk on Residenzplatz and online — an adult pays about ten euros, everyone under 18 pays nothing, and the ticket entitles you to join a guided tour. So the useful question is what you want a guide for once the palace is in the diary.
The palace ticket, and what it includes
An adult ticket to the staterooms is about ten euros, and a reduced one costs a little less. Under-18s go free. Students over 18 from general and vocational schools go free with valid ID. You buy it at the cash desk on Residenzplatz or online, where holders skip the queue, and it cannot be returned or exchanged once bought.
What people miss is the second half of the sentence the Bavarian Palace Administration prints next to its opening hours: the admission ticket “entitles you to join a guided tour”. English tours run daily at 11am and 3pm, German tours every full and half hour, and either way it is about thirty minutes. The tour is included, not compulsory. How the tours run, and what you are looking up at while one is going on.
Three more things in the same building are free to enter: the Court Church, the Court Garden behind the palace, and the Martin von Wagner Museum in the south wing at Residenzplatz 2, Tor A, entered from the courtyard beside the church. What’s free to see. With the palace covered, what a booking adds is a guide to the town, a glass of Franconian wine, or a day on the road south.
The listing that goes inside
Of the twelve, only Würzburg in winter: Residence, Old Town and mulled wine includes the palace. Its inclusions read “Entry to the Residence”, and its description walks the staircase and the Imperial Hall before going on to the old town and a mulled wine on the Alte Mainbrücke. Three hours, priced per person, on winter dates.
It is a newer listing, still building its reviews, and it comes with free cancellation — so read its own listing page, book the winter date that fits, and decide the details later.
The winter half-day is the one booking that puts a guide beside you on the staircase and under the Tiepolo ceiling, then walks you through the old town to a mulled wine on the bridge — the whole Würzburg day in one afternoon, with entry included.
Three of the twelve are priced per group
The vineyard day at Weingut Reiss is priced for a group of up to twelve. The private walking tour is priced for a group of up to fifteen. The night watchman in Rothenburg is priced for a group of up to twenty. Those three figures are what the whole group pays, so divide by the number of people you are bringing before comparing them with the per-person listings — for a family or a party of friends, a private guide often works out cheaper per head than you expect.
The private walk suits families: its inclusions are the “Local Professional Tour Guide” and the walk itself, and its itinerary says you “learn about Residence palace which was designed by Balthasar Neumann” from Residenzplatz. The one written review so far comes from a family of four who had the guide to themselves.
One thing to plan around if your private group is a large one: the palace asks groups of fifteen or more, and school classes, to book six working days ahead. The private walk tops out at exactly fifteen, so a full group that also wants the staterooms is a group the palace wants to hear from in advance. Children under 14 are admitted only with an adult. Visiting with children.
Priced per groupWürzburg: Vineyard Tour including Wine Cellar, 5 Wine Tastings and Pastries
Private, per groupWürzburg: Private Walking Tour With Professional Guide
Private, per groupRothenburg: Private Night Watchman Tour
The comparison that decides it
Three listings, three different kinds of day: the winter half-day that includes the palace, the standard guided walk of the old town, and a private guide for a group. The price row below carries its unit in the same cell as the figure, because the third column is a group price and the first two are not. Prices and ratings on this site live in tables like this one and on the cards, never in the prose, because they move.
| Würzburg in winter: Residence, Old Town and mulled wine | The classic choiceWürzburg: Guided Walking Tour | Würzburg: Private Walking Tour With Professional Guide | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €74 per person | €17 per person | €271 per group of up to 15 |
| Priced per | Person | Person | Group of up to 15 — divide it by your own numbers |
| How long | 3 hours | 1.5 hours | 2 hours |
| The Residenz | Inside — “Entry to the Residence” | Passes the palace, no admissions | Described from outside, no admissions |
| Rating | 5.0 from 2 reviews | 4.5 from 599 reviews | 4.9 from 27 reviews |
| Reviews you can read | None written | Twenty-five with text | One with text |
| Best for | A winter afternoon, staircase included | A first morning in the city | A family or a group who want the guide to themselves |
| View → | Book this → | View → |
The middle column is the day this site would give a friend: an hour and a half on foot with a licensed guide, then the palace ticket bought at the desk with the tour that comes inside it. That is a whole morning, and it is the version most first visits take; the winter half-day is the same day with the palace guided too and a mulled wine at the end.
The rest of what runs in Würzburg
Six listings work the town itself. The road train loops the old town in forty minutes with an audio guide in six languages, which is the easiest thing here and the one most people book. The guided walk covers the same ground on foot in an hour and a half with a licensed guide. The old-town tour with wine ends with the “Tasting of 3 Franconian wines, 0.1 L each (for participants 16 years and older)” and its itinerary is the old town, the cathedral and the Falkenhaus. The Brückenschoppen is the short version of that idea: a “60-minute guided tour with certified tour guides” and “0.1 l Franconian wine on the Old Main Bridge”, meeting at the tourist information in the Falkenhaus.
Then the two wine listings, both at Weingut Reiss, a family winery in the town. The shorter of the two is a “Guided tour of the winery and wine cellar” with a trio tasting, water and bread; the longer is the vineyard day, five tastings, three savoury pastries and glasses to take away, priced for the group. The Staatlicher Hofkeller under the Residence runs its own tours on its own terms — The cellar under the palace, and what is bookable instead.
Most bookedWürzburg: City Tour with the Bimmelbahn Train
The standard walkWürzburg: Guided Walking Tour
Wine on the bridgeWürzburg Old Town Tour with Wine Tasting on the Alte Mainbrücke
One hour, one glassWürzburg: Brückenschoppen (guided tour with wine)
Family winery tastingWürzburg: guided tour of the wine cellar incl. trio wine tasting
Priced per groupWürzburg: Vineyard Tour including Wine Cellar, 5 Wine Tastings and Pastries
The day trips: Rothenburg from three cities
Four of the twelve are day trips. One coach departs the main station here from long-distance bus platform 12 — the shortest day and the one for anyone already in Würzburg. One departs Frankfurt and calls at the Residence for a fifteen-minute photo stop on the way back. One departs Munich and runs Munich, Harburg, Rothenburg — a Rothenburg day for anyone based in Munich. The fourth is not a coach at all: it is an hour after dark in Rothenburg with a costumed night watchman, priced per group, with hotel pickup inside the walls.
The Munich coach is the most-reviewed day in the region, with 2,440 reviews behind it, and it is built for people starting in Munich: Harburg Castle in the morning and about three hours in Rothenburg. If you are already in Würzburg, the coach from the main station gets you to the same afternoon in Rothenburg three hours sooner.
Leaves from hereRomantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour from Würzburg
Photo stop at the palaceFrankfurt: Romantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour
Rothenburg from MunichFrom Munich: Rothenburg and Romantic Road Day Trip by Bus
The night watchman is in the per-group row further up, since that is the thing worth knowing about it. All four days are pulled apart properly, with what each one includes and excludes in its own words, on the Romantic Road day trips compared.
What travellers say
There are 111 reviews with text behind these twelve listings, and they describe the guides, the road train, the wine and the coach days in their own words. Everything below is verbatim, in the language it was written in.
- “Unser Guide war super! Die Gruppe war auch nicht zu groß, es waren 11 Leute bei uns in der Gruppe. Es war sehr angenehm in einer so kleinen Gruppe unterwegs zu sein. Der Tag war aber auch ein Mittwoch.” — Agnes, Germany, on Würzburg: Guided Walking Tour. Eleven people, and she notes it was a Wednesday.
- “Man sieht in 45 Minuten sehr viele beeindruckende Sehenswürdigkeiten, die man zu Fuß in dieser Zeit nicht sehen würde.” — a GetYourGuide traveller from Germany, on Würzburg: City Tour with the Bimmelbahn Train. You see a lot of sights in the time, is the argument, and more than you would on foot.
- “Wir hatten das große Glück ,die Tour alleine für uns zu haben. Super toll geführte Tour, sehr informativ. Kann ich nur weiterempfehlen. Toll toll toll. Selbst mein Kulturbanause von Ehemann war total begeistert. Vielen Dank immer wieder gerne.” — Sylvia, Germany, on Würzburg Old Town Tour with Wine Tasting on the Alte Mainbrücke. They had the guide to themselves, which is luck rather than a promise.
- “Martina führte uns mit ihrer herzlichen Art durch das private Weingut. Sie erzählte viel Interessentes über den Weinanbau und den Vorgang, wie Wein gemacht wird. Insgesamt war es eine sehr entspannte und ungezwungene Atmosphäre und man hat sich auf Anhieb wohl gefühlt. Im Preis dabei waren drei Weinproben und man konnte dann im Geschäft vor Ort direkt Wein kaufen. Uns hat diese Aktivität wirklich sehr gut gefallen.” — Nina, Germany, on Würzburg: guided tour of the wine cellar incl. trio wine tasting. A private winery, in her own word, and the owner guiding.
- “Elisabeth Nickel war superpünktlich und hat uns nicht nur bestens durch die Altstadt geführt, sondern auch versucht, Schattenplätze zu finden angesichts der extrem heißen Witterung. Es war abwechslungsreich und es gab viel Hintergrundinformationen sowie lustige Details, am Ende ein paar Tipps für den Rest des Tages, Ruheplätze und Gastro-Tipps. Vielen Dank für eine schöne Führung mit unserer kleinen Familie (4 Personen).” — Gabriele, Germany, on Würzburg: Private Walking Tour With Professional GuidePunctual, shade in a heatwave, and tips for the rest of the day — the private guide, in one family’s words.
Every quote we use, and the count behind each listing, is on the reviews page, where nothing is moved between tours.
Can’t make these dates?
Browse more available Würzburg Residence tours and find one that fits your schedule — all with instant confirmation and free cancellation.
Before you book any of it
Plan the palace first — what the ticket costs and includes, when the doors are open, and what’s free to see. Then decide how much of a day you have, which is the subject of how long you need and one day in Würzburg, in order. If you are still weighing the whole trip, is it worth it weighs it up.
Frequently asked questions
Which Würzburg tour includes entry to the Residence?
The winter half-day, whose inclusions read “Entry to the Residence” and whose description takes in the staircase and the Imperial Hall before the old town and a drink on the Alte Mainbrücke. It runs on winter dates with free cancellation. The other listings cover the town, the wine and the Romantic Road, with the palace ticket bought at the desk. The state ticket itself is covered on tickets and what they include.
Do I need to book a tour to get into the staterooms?
No. The Bavarian Palace Administration sells its own ticket at the desk on Residenzplatz and online, and that ticket entitles you to join a guided tour at no extra cost — English daily at 11am and 3pm, German every full and half hour, about thirty minutes. The tour is not compulsory either. What a booking on this page buys is a guide to the town, the wine or the road south. How the guided tours run.
Which tours are priced per group rather than per person?
Three. The vineyard tour with five tastings is priced for a group of up to twelve, the private walking tour for a group of up to fifteen, and the Rothenburg night watchman for a group of up to twenty. The figure you see is what the whole group pays, whether you fill it or not, so divide by your own numbers before comparing it with anything priced per head. The comparison table above carries the unit next to every figure.
Does the Munich Romantic Road bus stop in Würzburg?
No. It runs Munich, Harburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber and back, with Harburg Castle entry paid on the day — a Rothenburg day for anyone based in Munich, and the most-reviewed listing in the region. If you want a Romantic Road day that starts here, one coach leaves Würzburg main station from long-distance bus platform 12 — the four day trips are compared on the Romantic Road page.
Can I book a tour of the wine cellar under the palace?
The Staatlicher Hofkeller under the Residence runs its own tours and tastings on its own terms. Both wine-cellar tours on this page are at Weingut Reiss, a family winery in the town, with tastings included and the owners often leading the tour themselves. The cellar under the palace.
Which listings are newest?
The winter half-day that includes palace entry and the one-hour Brückenschoppen are newer listings still building their written reviews, as are the private walking tour and the Romantic Road coach from Würzburg. All come with free cancellation, so you can hold a date and ask the operator anything before you go. Everything we quote, verbatim and attached to its own tour, is on the reviews page.