2 Best Sights in Franconia and the German Danube, Germany

This palace east of the city makes an appealing departure from the sonorous and austere Wagnerian mood of much of the town. It's an early 18th-century palace, built as a summer retreat and remodeled in 1740 by the Margravine Wilhelmine, sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia. Although her taste is not much in evidence in the drab exterior, the interior is alive with light and color, displaying her guiding hand in every elegant line. The extraordinary Japanischer Saal (Japanese Room), filled with Asian treasures and chinoiserie furniture, is the finest room. Look out for the decidedly Western-looking Emperor; it's a depiction of Wilhelmine. Guided tours of the palace interiors, which are only in German but come with an English-language leaflet, take place every 45 minutes and last around the same amount of time; prepare to get slightly wet shoes in the enjoyable grotto waterworks. The palace's park and gardens—partly formal, partly natural, and filled with follies and fountains—make for pleasant, idle strolling. 

On the edge of Bad Staffelstein, 21 km (13 miles) southeast of Coburg, stands this tall, elegant, yellow-sandstone edifice whose interior represents one of the great examples of rococo decoration. The church was built by Balthasar Neumann (architect of the Residenz at Würzburg) between 1743 and 1772 to commemorate a vision of Christ and 14 saints—vierzehn Heiligen—that appeared to a shepherd in 1445. The interior, known as "God's Ballroom," is supported by 14 columns. In the middle of the church is the Gnadenaltar (Mercy Altar) featuring the 14 saints. Thanks to clever play with light and color, including the fanciful gold-and-blue trimmings, the dizzying interior seems to be in perpetual motion. Guided tours of the church are given on request; a donation is expected. The easiest way here from Coburg is by car (20 minutes), though the road leading to the church is often closed at weekends so you may have to walk the last half mile. Alternatively, take a 20-minute train to Lichtenfels, then a 10-minute bus to the church.