Würzburg scavenger hunt: bridge saints, a prince-bishop's hospital and the Residence
The Würzburg scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. The walking itself is short, around 35 minutes and 3 km between 10 stops in a compact old town, so most of the roughly 2 hours goes on riddles, stories and the view from the bridge, and you start whenever suits you.
Highlights include the Juliusspital and its wine estate, the Old Main Bridge with its baroque saints and the view of the Marienberg Fortress, the Four Tubes Fountain, the rococo Falkenhaus, St Kilian's Cathedral and the Residence, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Würzburg's old town is compact, so the short distances leave plenty of time for the riddles and stories.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 35 min · 3 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Riddles between the Main and the prince-bishops' palace
Saints on the bridge, virtues on a fountain
The answers are carved, cast or painted on what you pass: the baroque saints on the piers of the Old Main Bridge, the four virtues seated around the fountain in front of the City Hall, the stucco of the Falkenhaus. You only need sharp eyes and some logic, never any local knowledge.
A martyr from Ireland and a palace architect
Each solved riddle opens a story: St Kilian, the Irish missionary said to have been killed in Würzburg in 689, the prince-bishop who founded a hospital in 1576 that still cares for the sick, and Balthasar Neumann, who designed the Residence and lies buried in the Marienkapelle. Read it yourself or let the audio narration tell it.
3 km of short hops
Google Maps leads you for about 35 minutes in total, from the Juliusspital down to the river and back up through the old town to Residenzplatz. The stops sit close together, so the next riddle is never far away.
A glass on the bridge, if you like
There is no timer, so between riddles join the locals for a glass of Franconian wine on the Old Main Bridge or have a coffee on the Marktplatz. The game waits on your phone and continues from the same stop, today or another day.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who enjoys Würzburg as a riddle game
Romantic Road travellers and day-trippers
Würzburg is the northern starting point of the Romantic Road and sits on the rail line between Frankfurt and Nuremberg, and in about 2 hours the game shows you the bridge, the cathedral and the Residence before you move on.
Families with children who like spotting things
Twelve stone figures on a bridge, a fountain with four spouts, Adam and Eve at a chapel door and an old crane by the river give children plenty to look for, with an adult in every team.
Groups, friends and colleagues
Teams of up to 5, each player on their own phone, can set off from the Juliusspital a few minutes apart and meet again on the wide Residenzplatz, where there is room for everyone.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from the Juliusspital over the Old Main Bridge to Residenzplatz
10 stops · about 35 min walking · start: Juliusspital · finish: Residenzplatz
The hunt starts at the Juliusspital and heads down to the Main at the Old Crane, then out onto the Old Main Bridge. Back in the old town you reach the Four Tubes Fountain and the City Hall, the Marktplatz with the Falkenhaus and St Kilian's Cathedral, before the Chronos Fountain leads you to the finish on Residenzplatz in front of the Residence. All the clues sit on façades, fountains and statues out in the open, so no admission desk ever interrupts the game, and the app will just as happily begin at the bridge or the cathedral and reshuffle the remaining stops.
Open the route map ↗
1JuliusspitalStart
Prince-Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn founded this charitable foundation in 1576 to care for the sick and the poor, and it still looks after the sick and elderly today. Part of its income comes from its own wine estate, one of the largest in Germany, and its long baroque wings frame a quiet garden courtyard.
2Old Crane
The Old Crane, the Alter Kranen, was built on the bank of the Main in the second half of the 18th century by Franz Ignaz Michael Neumann, a son of the architect Balthasar Neumann. Its two jibs once lifted goods from the river boats, and from here you look across the Main to the Marienberg Fortress.
3Old Main Bridge
Würzburg's oldest bridge over the Main was built from 1473 onwards to replace a Romanesque predecessor. In the 18th century twelve larger-than-life baroque statues of saints and rulers were set on its piers, among them St Kilian, the patron of the city, and today people like to stand here with a glass of Franconian wine and look up at the Marienberg Fortress.
Read the full story →
4Four Tubes Fountain
The Vierröhrenbrunnen in front of the City Hall was built in the 1760s under Prince-Bishop Adam Friedrich von Seinsheim. Water flows from four pipes, which give the fountain its name, and figures of the four cardinal virtues sit around its tall central column.
5City Hall
Würzburg's City Hall, known as Grafeneckart, is named after a medieval official of the prince-bishop, and the citizens have used it as their council house since 1316. Its Romanesque tower is the oldest part, while the red wing beside it, the Roter Bau, was added in the 17th century.
6Marktplatz
The market square is framed by the Gothic Marienkapelle, a citizens' church begun in 1377, and by the rococo Falkenhaus. Copies of Tilman Riemenschneider's Adam and Eve stand at one of the chapel's portals, and the baroque architect Balthasar Neumann is buried inside.
Read the full story →
7Falkenhaus
This house on the market square takes its name from the inn Zum Falken that once stood here. Its rococo stucco façade dates from the middle of the 18th century, was destroyed in 1945 and carefully reconstructed after the war. Today the building houses the tourist information and the city library.
8St Kilian's Cathedral
Würzburg Cathedral was begun in 1040 and is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Germany. It is dedicated to St Kilian, an Irish missionary who according to tradition was killed in Würzburg in 689 together with his companions Kolonat and Totnan. The church was badly damaged in 1945 and rebuilt after the war.
9Chronos Fountain
This fountain on the way from the cathedral to the Residence is named after Chronos, the personification of time in ancient Greek thought. Take a close look at its sculpture, because the details are what this stop is about.
10ResidenzplatzFinish
The wide square opens in front of the Würzburg Residence, the palace of the prince-bishops, built from 1720 to designs by Balthasar Neumann and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. In the middle stands the Franconia Fountain of 1894, with statues of the poet Walther von der Vogelweide, the sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider and the painter Matthias Grünewald.
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