Hey all, I'm curious as to how Annafest works. This is my first time in Germany. I will be in Bavaria the week of the fest and would like to attend a day or two. Is it convenient to stay in Bamberg and take the train in for the fest? How would you all go about trying to spend time in Bamberg and attend the fest is Forchheim? And for people who have attended in prior years, what are some must see/do/drink things at the fest? Thanks for the advice!
Bamberg is a good base; the train, which runs very frequently (every 30 min. or so), to Forchheim only takes approx. half an hour. From the train station it's a pretty short walk (15-20 min.) to the Kellerwald, or "forest of Bierkellers" as you can see from the map, below. Once you get there, there are 20+ different Bierkeller you can drink in, most from a different brewery. The obvious choices are the Forchheim breweries: Neder, Greif, and Hebendanz. As to what to do? Relax under the shade of the trees with a Masskrug, have some good grilled food, and drink some damn excellent beer.
Take a cab to the Kellerwald. It's a pretty steep climb (at least the way we went, we came in by the Blümleins Keller). Unless you want to be breathing heavy and sweating when you get there.
I was in the area last August but just missed it. I had a hard time finding info on the internet (at least in English!), but the map is really all you need. We also took the train from Bamberg and had a great time, although not all the places were open when we went. Ended up closing one the places down and the owner and her daughter gave us a ride to the train station. I've been to dozens of biergartens in Bavaria and this place rates right up there! Enjoy.
Another good source and a must have if you are going to be in the Munich area is "The Beer Drinkers Guide to Munich". FYI
The Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich just came out with a new edition. Published in May 2015. Also, search Annafest Forchheim on the Google play store for a very helpful and informative app. Highly recommended!
