Leisure in Bamberg

The Hain park, located in the south of Bamberg, is the city's green lung.

The many lawns and meadows are perfect for sunbathing, having a barbecue or studying for that next exam. But the Hain also offers bicycling and walking paths, tennis courts, miniature golf courses and even an historical river swimming area, the Hainbad.

As part of the 2012 Bavarian state garden show, a new park adjacent to the university’s Erba campus was created at the confluence of the river Regnitz and the Main-Danube canal at the northern tip of the city's island.

For those looking to get out of town, the Franconian Switzerland, Haßberge Hills, Upper Main Valley and Steigerwald nature areas offer a multitude of outdoor activities. After a long day of rock climbing, canoeing, hiking, cycling or exploring the area's numerous caves, you can wind down and enjoy the traditional fare at one of the many beautifully situated beer gardens, or Keller. And what’s more, many nearby excursion destinations can be reached using public transport.

Cycling is also an excellent way to visit many of the local attractions. The Cycling Region Bamberg incorporates miles of moderate regional and trans-regional bicycle paths (e.g. the Mainradweg). Additionally, mountain bikers will be pleased to discover that the town of Heiligenstadt is a local hub for scenic and challenging off-road cycling terrain.

Bamberg is "Freak City!" Ever since the Bamberg Baskets (still GHP Bamberg at the time) won the German championships in the 2004/05 season, Bamberg's basketball enthusiasm has known no bounds. Sold out home games with the wild Bamberg "freaks" (as the fans like to call themselves) and live public broadcasts of playoff games at the Maxplatz in the city centre are now a part of life here in Freak City – and students can purchase tickets at reduced rates.

The university-organized Unilauf and the biennial Weltkulturerbelauf are running events that give the people of Bamberg a chance to lace up their running shoes and test themselves on courses through the old city with distances ranging from 4.4 km to a challenging half marathon with a vertical gain of approximately 280 metres.

Since autumn of 2011, Bamberg has been proud to present Bambados, the first indoor aquatics centre in Europe to be built according to passive house standards. With its guiding themes of "family, sports and ecology," it is a truly modern recreational and athletic facility.

Additionally, the university athletics centre provides all manner of sports and fitness classes, and other local groups offer abundant opportunities to participate in organized club and league sports.