Bamberg

I'm sure HB will brief you but the following guide, by Ron Pattinson who is a BA, has always served me well in the past

http://patto1ro.home.xs4all.nl/bambpubs.htm

I've got 2 nights booked in Bamberg later next month, it's been almost 3 years since my last visit

prost!

 

I have stayed at Spezial at least 2 times that I can recall.... basic, comfy rooms, and well-priced... Easy access to fresh bier, too!

Prosit!!

 

I ended up buying this $5 eBook that was pretty helpful: http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Drinkers-Guide-Bamberg-ebook/dp/B0024NLH9O
It has maps, brewery hours, tap lists, etc. for all of the different breweries. It's well worth the $5 just so you have something handy to toss in your pack and consult.
I've stayed at Faessla and I know a couple different people that have stayed at Spezial. The location for both is top notch - right in the middle of things. The amenities are nothing amazing, but you'll get free breakfast.
You probably won't be spending too much time in your room for a 1-night visit, so I'd recommend either. Not sure if you care, but Faessla has little TV's in each room while Spezial doesn't. I get a kick out of watching the local TV, so it was something I appreciated. Oh yeah - Faessla closes at 1PM on Sunday.
Essentially the Bamberg breweries are divided into 3 main areas, with Kaiserdom being a little bit of an outlier. With a short visit, you can always use the river to plan your stops. Do the breweries on the north side one day and south side on the other. Kaiserdom can fit into either day depending on how much time you have.
Before you plan your stops - definitely make note that each brewery is closed on a random day of the week. Their websites will probably tell you, and so will that $5 eBook.
IMO the best food is at Spezial. Their schnitzels are top notch. If you're sick of Bavarian food, Der Pelikan is a pretty good Thai restaurant and pizza/Italian can be found on every corner.

 

My recommendation for accommodations, if you're set on a hotel, would be Weierich.

It's quiet (ask for a room off the street...key with the kiddo); it has a great breakfast; and it's strategically placed equidistant from Schlenkerla and Klosterbraeu (literally 3-5 min by foot to each). Also Spezialkeller and Greifenklau are right up their respective hills (Stephansberg and Kaulberg) and not too far away (and both very cool, even in the colder months).

In the pink house on the left is a nice little local butcher with some awesome Leberkas (try the Pizzaleberkas with hot peppers and salami baked in). Directly across from the butcher is a bakery that sells Fuchs Kaiserbroetchen; put Leberkas on them and take to Schlenkerla down the road in the picture for a lunch. If you manage to pull yourself out of this immediate area for long enough, I have plenty more suggestions (especially for nearby towns...many of which I'm sure you'll also find in Ron Pattinson's guide). At any rate, don't let me forget to tell you about the pizza window on Sandstrasse near Schlenkerla (sounds like a weird recommendation, but trust me on this one). Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you for a few minutes. Prost!

 

As for nearby towns with no logistical challenge look no further than Forchheim - approx 10 miles and a little over 15 minutes on the train (2 or 3 per hour from Bamberg)

This is where we are going on Saturday afternoon when we visit in April

Ron's guide again!

http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/forcpubs.htm

Everything is walkable from the Hbf so no need for any cars etc

 

Take the bus out of town 20mins to Memmelsdorf. There are 2 brewpubs there about 2mins apart - Drei Kronen and Höhn.... great food at the former, and nice biers at both.... Prosit!!

 

I have stayed at the Hotel Ibis in Bamberg many, many times and recommend it. You can book online in English with ease. Basic, comfortable rooms, reasonable price, and good, central location.
Spezial and Fässla are very slow to respond to email.
The Beer Drinker's Guide to Bamberg by Fred Waltman (aka BA FrankenBier) (mentioned by Domingo above) is also recommended.
Try not to miss Cafe Abseits!
Cheers!

 

I'll second the Ibis

centrally located within 10 or so mins walk of most of the worthy beer venues, have stayed there twice before and booked here again on my trip next month

no mod cons, but clean and comfortable - all you need for a beercation !!!

also agree with the various comments up thread about 'slow to respond'

I find that a lot with brau hauses with accomodation in Germany

Many don't have a website or perhaps email and those that do take an age (or sometimes never respond!) even if you translate to German!!!

 

In the case of Faessla, I had a friend over there book the room for me. Word has it that's the way to go with Spezial, too. I'd be paranoid about trying to book via e-mail, so it might be worth the international call to just take care of it over the phone. At Spezial they definitely speak English and while I got the "only a little" response at Faessla, as usual it was just like talking with a native speaker. One advantage of those two is that you can walk to and from the train station easily. While cabs are pretty cheap, that'll save you 10-15 euros right there. However they're definitely no frills. The Ibis is in a really good spot and was my 3rd option if something fell through with my reservation (Feassla closes at 1PM on Sunday and we arrived at noon).

 

You'll be happy anywhere you stay. I'm sure there will be a few of us living vicariously through you.
At the breweries themselves - just try as many things as you can. Most of the breweries will have 2-4 items, so if you need to ration, you might see if they will do a "kleines" pour for you. That's a 1/4 liter glass and will let you try more items. They won't do it for bottles most of the time (unless you order 2) and oh yeah - weissbier tends to be out of bottles in Bamberg.
If you have to prioritize things (beyond trying fresh rauchbier), I'd suggest looking for kellerbier or "ungespundetes." It's fairly common around town and you can find some from other regional breweries (like Otto Hubner) here and there, too.

 

Domingo's post reminded me...if you are ordering your last beer of the night at one of the breweries (except Schlenkerla, as they did away with the practice) you can order a "Schnitt." A Schnitt is a 2/3 to 3/4 serving (depending on where you are) for which they normally charge half price. Rules are: it has to be your last beer, and you have to have ordered at least one full beer before you can order a Schnitt. One more tip: if you're drinking from a Krug (where the level of your remaining beer isn't going to be visible to the waiter), you can turn the Krug on its side on the table when it's empty to signify that you'd like another (good tip when the wait staff can sometimes be less than attentive). Prost!