Looking for a winter destination not far from Frankfurt? Kreuzberg is the place to go; enjoy nature and drink some fabulous beer!
Living in Germany means that you have to love beer, good beer, beer that is made right on the premises! Yum! We never turn down a chance to check out an artsy brewery or a great monastery.
Europe, and Germany especially, is chock full of great beer, and we don’t mind trying it out! So, at the tail end of winter, with just a little snow and a warm sun we found ourselves exploring Kreuzberg Monastery, and oh, was the beer good!

Our Visit to Kreuzberg
These views greeted us on the sunny yet cold Sunday morning as we parked the car and climbed to the monastery to start our exploration of the area.

The first stop was the Information Center in the Franz-House, which gave an overview of the history of the chapel and monastery.


The chapel is a pilgrimage site and is well worth a look at as well. Then, we entered the old monastic brewery, where the Franciscan monks started making beer in 1731.

Kreuzberg Monastery Beer

The medium-dark beer was creamy and smooth, which was just what we were looking for. At about noon, we ambled in and had this guy pour us a couple of mugs to take on our walk around the area.

There were plenty of people, some equipped with sleds or hiking sticks, others just like us, to take in the last vestiges of winter and enjoy a beautiful day out.

We took our beers and took one of the many paths around the mountain, enjoying the warm sun on our backs and twinkling icicles beginning to melt off the trees.

Kreuzberg is known as the “Holy Mountain of the Franks,” and plenty of visitors were there enjoying all the mountain activities. They came for skiing, sledding, a luge run, or for the pilgrimage, and definitely for the beer. All worthwhile.

There is also a fantastic Franconian kitchen in the Brewery building. The food is served in a cafeteria style, and it is hearty and very German, not to mention downright delicious!
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Our Rating

We had such a fun day just driving up to Kreuzberg on a whim. We walked, took stunning photos, had a fantastic lunch, and drank delicious beer. A perfect day out.
Now that we know everything Kreuzberg has to offer, we’ll be more prepared. We might spend the night next time, and we’ll definitely bring sleds.

Getting to Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg is pretty rural, which is why it’s such a great winter destination. The flip side is you can’t really get there by train. You need to drive.
Where is it? Depending on where you are coming from, Kreuzberg is conveniently located near Autobahns 7, 66, and 71.
Address for GPS: Kreuzberg 2, 97653 Bischofsheim in der Rhön


Community | Approx. Driving Distance/Time |
---|---|
Frankfurt | 129 km / 1.75 hrs. |
Kaiserslautern Area | 258 km / 3 hrs. |
Wiesbaden | 170 km / 2 hrs. |
Spangdahlem | 311 km / 3.5 hrs. |
Vilseck | 254 km/ 2.75 hrs. |
Stuttgart | 252 km/ 2.75 hrs. |

Conclusion
Kreuzberg is a fantastic winter weekend destination. It’s a place to relax, maybe do some skiing or sledding in the area (or ride a luge), and have some fantastic Franconian food and great beer.
We ate, we walked, we drank beer, and we enjoyed the mountain. And now we realize it has more to offer, so we’ll be back.


Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.
Rick Hannah
Wednesday 20th of November 2024
I was stationed on the next mountain over from the Kreuzberg December 1976 to April 1979 could see it from my room . Beer was great
Lukas Jackson
Thursday 22nd of February 2024
Many great memories I was stationed there once
Peter Petrides
Sunday 7th of March 2021
Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area! We were stationed in Germany back in the '80's and our family got to visit. The beer there is world renowned and is often considered one of the best in the world by many people. When we visited they still had monks working there, and we got to see a monk in his brown robe rolling a keg to get tapped. Don't see that too much in the USA!
Miko Mustaraunio
Monday 29th of April 2019
I was here about a week ago with my girlfriend. We walked around the monastery and tasted the beer. The beer was one of the best I've ever tasted! Beautiful place and there is a amazing view to the nearby town near the monastery. I will definitely begin to visit this place every chance I get.
Jane Dempster-Smith
Thursday 31st of January 2019
That is the best winter walk I have ever heard of. How perfect buying a mug of beer and wandering around. This is my kind of place. Thanks for sharing.
Don
Friday 10th of February 2023
@Bill Sizemore,
I was stationed at Wildflecken from 74-77 and drank "black" bier at the monastery frequently, then walked down the hill and ate a fresh trout at the gasthaus. Seems so long ago....
Bill Sizemore
Sunday 11th of April 2021
I was stationed in Fulda in the late 70's. My job took me to Wildflecken five days a week. We would visit Kreuzberg at least once a week after work. Fantastic beer!!! We would also buy kegs for weekend parties. This place is a great place to visit. The food is great too.
Corinne Vail
Thursday 31st of January 2019
It is a fantastic place. It's great in summer, too, but of course we love it in winter!