Where to stay for 5 nights in Franconia

Nuremberg is a good base, Susan - I spent 4 nights there in May of last year and took day trips to Bamberg and Regensburg, which were both worth it. Nuremberg has a lot of history - I got to explore the Nazi Documentation Center and Courtroom 600. The Aldstadt is also quite beautiful with several good museums (including a charming toy museum that I almost passed up but wound up loving).

Bamberg is a charming and lovely town, with a beautiful cathedral and a frescoed Town Hall that is very interesting. It's a wonderful place to just walk around in and absorb the atmosphere.

I also loved Regensburg - the cathedral was wonderful, and there are a lot of interesting things to do there. It's bigger than Bamberg, but just as beautiful imo.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber will get mixed reactions here. It's not completely authentic - much of it was built up after the war - but it is a quintessential German village with the half-timbered houses, and definitely fits the "cute" factor. If you like sculpture, the church houses two incredible wooden sculptures by renowned artist Tilman Riemenschneider. Personally, I loved the town - I was there in 2010 for two days and found it incredibly charming and fun to visit.

Würzburg is another nearby place that gets a lot of visitors because of its beauty. I did not get there because of the time factor but hope to go on my next trip to Germany. And there are many other places that are accessible nearby that you might want to visit.

The advantage to having Nuremberg as a base is that it makes it easier to reach the smaller towns and villages that lie (somewhat) in a spoke around it. The train station is directly across the street from the Aldstadt (and many hotels) making it easy access for day trips.

I write an online travel journal, which you are welcome to look at - the days in question would be Days 6 through 10. There are a number of photos there that might be helpful. It is hard to narrow it down, though. I made my decisions after watching a number of videos on the cities I was interested in. https://mostlytraveled.wordpress.com/2022/05/02/day-6-nuremberg-bound/

I definitely agree with Mardee's answer. Having Nuremberg as a base is really handy: there's lots to see in the city and it's very easy to take the train to other places. I can really recommend Regensburg and Wurzburg. If you're visiting Wurzburg, the Residenz is really a must-do.

All of the above towns are along the Rhine-Danube-Main CanL (except Rothenberg.) I visited Regensberg, Nuremberg, Bamburg, Wurzburg, Wertheim and Frankfurt on. Christmas Market river cruise. Why not relax and leave the driving to the ships’ captain! I know Uniworld and Gate 1 have sailings, probably others too.

Sorry, the correct name is the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. No water level problems, lots of locks. Only unpack once on a cruise.

I stayed 5 nights in Lichtenfels, the ‘basket city of Germany ‘. It’s a little north of Bamberg. Convenient to there and Coburg, Kronach, and Kulmbach among other interesting cities. Nice town with a coupke of good restaurants. Good train connections

If you stay in Nuremberg you have a lot of choices for "day trips". Bad Windsheim, Ansbach, Amberg, and Nordlingen are all within an hour, They are all worth a day (or more), easy enough to get to, and off the beaten path for most American tourists.

If you want to move a bit more often, and like the idea of exploring until later in the evening, you could easy make them a "ring route" and stay, shop, and eat local.

Remember, Weissewurst are for lunch, no later than 1300.

Oh my, I'm extremely grateful for all the wonderful suggestions from everyone. You all sound so knowledgeable! I'm going to have lots of fun researching and making my final choices. After Franconia, I'll be joining a Road Scholar riverboat trip from Passau to Budapest, so that should cover my river "kick".

What I like is Dinkelsbühl. I personally like it more than Rothenburg becasue it is less touristy: Dinkelsbühl

And always nice is paying the Franconian caves a visit. Most famous (and of course touristy) is the Devil’s Cave in Pottenstein

And this is my favorite Hotel in Nueremberg - Hotel Drei Raben :-) I think as well that Nuremberg is a perfect home base.
Accross the hotel you find a 2 star Michelin restaurant of the famous German chef Alexander Herrmann. But as well his bistro FRÄNK'NESS where you can find Franconian dishes with a modern twist for a reasonable price.

"Where to stay for 5 nights in Franconia...reachable by easy train or bus."

Nuremberg is a very good base for travel to most of Franconia. Some places mentioned, while nice to visit, might not meet your expectations from a Nuremberg base, however.

Nördlingen: Not in Franconia; not hard, but it's but closer to TWO hours away than one hour.
Dinkelsbühl: The same
Amberg, Regensburg, Wertheim: also outside Franconia

Map of Franconia within Germany: https://images.mygermancity.com/maps/franconia.png

The only possible hitch IMO with a Nuremberg base is that multiple outings by train will encourage you to find a room near the central station. The central station is NOT a bad area. But it is noisy, transit-y, modern and business-like. Maybe you're fine with that, maybe not. To reach the station from the nicer, quieter, pedestrianized, old-world Altstadt area of Nuremberg (roughly in the vicinity of the Imperial Castle) it will require either a long-ish walk or a bus or U-Bahn ride to the station before and after your outing.

There's no perfect base for every Franconian destination. The best choice depends on the specific outings you might make. I have previously used Neustadt an der Aisch (on the rail line between Würzburg and Nuremberg) on separate occasions as a rail base town for Franconia. I liked it because it's a small-town rail hub that puts you very close to those larger cities as well as Bad Windsheim and Rothenburg. Great location and some small-town charm too - and unlike most of the other towns mentioned, it is totally non-touristy.

One town not mentioned yet is Iphofen, an impossibly cute wine/art town on the same railway but a little closer to Würzburg.

Iphofen brochure
Iphofen photos

Neustadt-an-der-Aisch photos

Location on W'burg > Nuremberg railway for both towns: https://nuernberg.bayern-online.de/uploads/pics/mainfrankenbahn_liniennetz_01.jpg

Franken (Northern Bavaria) has some great food. It will be Spargel season when you are there. For my taste nothing goes better with it than a Franken White Wine from the Main River region. Strawberries (Erdbeeren) too. Of course, there is Bier. Bamberg and the surrounding areas are well known, but throughout Franken there are many good types of Bier. Schäufele with a good Bier sauce, Klöße mit Bröckala und Kraut is great. Of course, there is Bratwurst from Nürnberg (3 im weckla) to Coburg (cooked over pine cones) and all parts of Franken. Good fresh Trout throughout the region (usually served whole). If you are around Kronach and Kulmbach area look for a Pfefferhaxen.

The only possible hitch IMO with a Nuremberg base is that multiple outings by train will encourage you to find a room near the central station. The central station is NOT a bad area. But it is noisy, transit-y, modern and business-like. Maybe you're fine with that, maybe not. To reach the station from the nicer, quieter, pedestrianized, old-world Altstadt area of Nuremberg (roughly in the vicinity of the Imperial Castle) it will require either a long-ish walk or a bus or U-Bahn ride to the station before and after your outing.

Not necessarily. Right at the end of the underpass from the train station to the old town, already inside the walls, there is the popular Victoria. A few meters further in the side street on the left (Luitpoldstrasse) are Keiml, Probst and Bruderherz. Keiml is the cheapest, but is on the 2nd floor and has no elevator, so is not for damaged knees. Like the Keiml, Probst is also family-run and known for friendly staff and good breakfast. A little further down Königsstraße is the Drei Raben. All have more style and charm than the soulless chain hotels around the main station (fans of Motel One probably see that differently). It's true, this isn't a bad area, but compared to the old town, apart from the historical station building it's a pretty ugly one.

I agree with sla19 - I stayed across the street from the train station in Nuremberg and found the area charming. In fact, right after you cross the street from the station, you will come to the Handwerkerhof, a small area with lots of unique shops that have handcrafted items and collectibles from around the world. When you pass through that, there are many charming hotels in that area. And it's all within a short walking distance to the sights in town. The only time I took a tram or bus from the station was to go to the Nazi Documentation Center and Courtroom 600, which are outside of the old town.

I was stationed in Franconia twice ( Würzburg & Nürnberg) and love the area. Hope you will as well.

Würzburg would be my favorite choice for a travel base. The town itself is easily walkable. The Residenz in town and the Marienberg Castle across the river are major sites. We also enjoy quiet walks along Main river in the evening. Another walk through the Stages of the Cross to the Käppele pilgrimage church will give you great views of the castle and the downtown.

Ochsenfurt, Marktbreit and Iphofen are attractive nearby wine villages.

Rothenburg is a short day trip away. It is very touristy around the old town square but less so elsewhere. It has been about 40% rebuilt since WWII. By comparison Würzburg and Nürnberg were almost totally destroyed. Rothenburg is hardly "inauthentic" by comparison. If I was in the area, I would not miss it.

Nürnberg is about 1-1/4 hour away from Würzburg by train. Bamberg is about one hour away.

Rothenburg is hardly "inauthentic"

Especially since most of the destruction affected the outer eastern belt, with the most recent and historically least important buildings.