Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [417]
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Eating & Drinking
Although the Diet of Worms was a sensation in 1521, these days your culinary options are rather more varied. A cluster of Italian restaurants can be found a block southeast of the Dom at the corner of Gerberstrasse and Wollstrasse. Cheap eats are available up towards the Hauptbahnhof along Wilhelm-Leuschner-Strasse.
Trattoria-Pizzeria Pepe e Sale ( 258 36; Wollstrasse 12; pizzas €3.10-6.20; 11am-11.30pm) Serves 201 kinds of pizza, as well as pasta, including Spaghetti Robinson (tuna and garlic). Excellent value.
Café TE ( 597 633; Bahnhofstrasse 5; mains €4-13.30; 8am-1am Mon-Thu, 8am-2am Fri & Sat, 9am-1am Sun) A trackside bar-cafe and beer garden half a block south of the Hauptbahnhof, this place – the name stands for ‘Trans Europa’ – is popular with students. Chic in an Italian sort of way, it features vegie dishes, 14 breakfast options and a different special each night. From October to May there’s a Sunday breakfast buffet (€6.90).
Hagenbräu (www.hagenbraeu.de, in German; Am Rhein 3; mains €5-10; 9am-11pm Tue-Sun) This microbrewery, with hearty Rheinhessisch-style fare, is one of several hugely popular beer-garden-type eateries along the Rhine just north of the bridges. Nearby is a statue of Hagen tossing the Nibelung treasure into the Rhine.
For self-catering, try the Kaufland supermarket (Schönauerstrasse 8; 7am-10pm Mon-Sat). To get to this big, new supermarket from the Dom, walk 400m south along Valckenbergstrasse and then 200m east.
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Getting There & Around
Worms, about 50km south of Mainz, has frequent train connections with Mannheim (€4.70), a major rail hub, as well as Mainz (€7.60, 26 to 44 minutes, twice hourly), Bingen (€10.50, 70 minutes), Deidesheim (€7.10) and Neustadt an der Weinstrasse (€8.30). Going to Speyer (€8.30) requires a change in Ludwigshafen.
Seven parking garages (per 25min €0.50) are sprinkled around the city centre. There may be free parking at the Festplatz, just north of the twin Nibelungenbrücken (Rhine bridges).
Bicycles can be rented at Radhaus-Mihm ( 242 08; Von Steubenstrasse 8; 3-speed/all-terrain per day €5/12.50, per weekend €7.50/19, tandem per day €12.50; 9.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat), under the tracks from the Hauptbahnhof. The local ADFC club (www.adfc-worms.de, in German) organises group rides. The tourist office sells cycling maps.
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SPEYER
06232 / pop 50,700
The dignified town of Speyer, about 50km south of Worms, has a walkable centre distinguished by a magnificent Romanesque cathedral, top-shelf historical museums and a medieval synagogue. Another highlight is the extraordinary Technik Museum, guaranteed to captivate kids and adults alike.
First a Celtic settlement, then a Roman market town, Speyer gained prominence in the Middle Ages under the Salian emperors, hosting 50 imperial parliament sessions (1294–1570).
In 1076 the king and later Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich IV – having been excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII – launched his penitence walk to Canossa in Italy from Speyer. He crossed the Alps in the middle of winter, an action that warmed even the heart of the pope, who revoked his excommunication. He lies buried in the Kaiserdom.
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Orientation
Majestic Maximilianstrasse, the city centre’s main commercial street, extends from the Altpörtel (a medieval city gate) 800m east to the Dom. The numbering of the buildings along Maximilianstrasse (from 1 to 100) begins at the Dom, runs sequentially along the south side to the Altpörtel, then it continues along the north side back to the Dom – be prepared for confusion! The Hauptbahnhof is about 1km north of the Altpörtel.
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Information
For the price of a mobile phone call, you can get historical details on seven city sights by dialling 0911-810 940 043 and then the number marked on the attraction.
ATMs (Maximilianstrasse 47 & 49) Near the Altpörtel.
City-Call-Center (Bahnhofstrasse