The plot around the holiday home is fenced all the way round, and the only opening is the gate onto Steigstraße. Open the front door, let the dog out, and get back to your coffee. That's the difference to a holiday apartment with a balcony, and to any hotel where you have to walk your dog through the lobby three times a day.
On top of that, you have the house to yourselves. No second dog barking at the doorbell, no strangers' footsteps on the stairs, no neighbour annoyed by claws on the floor. Three floors, 75 square metres, a soapstone stove in the living room, and a village with soft field tracks right outside the door. We have a dog ourselves, so we know what really matters on a trip like this.
Your dog costs €20 per night per animal, and the house itself is €99 to €149 per night. We tell you both figures upfront, so you're not left doing sums at the booking form. We live a few houses along, so you can reach us even if your dog steps on a piece of broken glass out on a walk.
„Gemütliches Ferienhaus und unser Hund war willkommen. Gerne wieder. Sehr zu empfehlen."
Translated from German“Cosy holiday home, and our dog was welcome. We'd happily come again. Highly recommended.”
Listings often say 'fenced garden', and what they mean is a fence on three sides while the fourth stays open towards the street. That's exactly what to watch for if you're travelling with a dog that chases wildlife or is simply fast. With us, the fence runs without a break around the entire plot, and the only gap is the gate.
In practice, that means no lead and no extra barrier needed between the house, the covered terrace and the lawn. The terrace sits in the shade even at midday, which is no small detail in a Franconian summer. You go outside through the front door, the house doesn't have a separate terrace door. Because everything beyond it is fenced, that makes no difference: door open, dog out.
Ceramic food and water bowls, washed and set out before you arrive.
A small fabric basket as a quiet retreat. We put it wherever your dog needs it.
Garden fenced all the way round, terrace covered with a seating area. Even small dogs are safe.
Daniel and Lisa live a few houses along and know every route, and the nearest vet.
What we deliberately don't provide: food, sofa blankets and poo bags. Food, because a sudden change rarely agrees with a dog's stomach while travelling, and blankets, because every dog prefers its own. A towel for wet paws, on the other hand, is right there in the entrance, we have plenty of those.
The €20 surcharge per night per dog isn't a service fee, it covers the extra cleaning work involved. Anni, who cleans the house between stays, is told in advance which animals are coming and plans around it. If you're bringing more than one dog, just mention it in your enquiry and we'll factor it in straight away.
The most important point first, because it matters every morning of your holiday: three of the five loops start right at the front door, no car keys and no hunting for parking. The two longer ones are five and fifteen minutes' drive away, one in the forest, the other by the water.
Straight out of Steigstraße, past Maidbronn monastery and on through the fields. In the village, your dog stays on the lead. In the fields, they can run free if reliably recallable, except from March to mid-July, when fawns lie in the grass. Large dogs over 50 cm at the shoulder must be kept on a lead in Maidbronn on some field tracks too. There's water at the village fountain. This route also works in the dark and in the rain, the path is surfaced.
The second route that starts without a car. Down Steigstraße and left, past St Afra's church and the cemetery, then along the fish ponds. Left over the stream, up past the field, and back down to the front door via Steigstraße from above. In the village, your dog stays on the lead, it's quiet by the ponds and the field. By the ponds, it's best to keep your dog on the lead, waterfowl nest there.
The longest route you can still do without a car. Up Steigstraße and on northwards, then in a wide arc along the Pleichach towards Rimpar as far as Veitsmühle, and back through Maidbronn. Mostly flat. There's water along the way at the stream, and shade on the stretch by the bank.
The route for hot days, since the forest gives shade the whole way. Five minutes' drive to the forest car park. Please keep your dog on the lead from March to mid-July, when deer and ground-nesting birds are raising their young. We haven't found a fixed leash law for this state forest, but your dog should only run free if reliably recallable. There are streams to drink from along the way, so you won't need to bring a water bottle.
For dogs that love the water: direct access to the Main with shallow entry points, no steep banks. 15 minutes' drive from Maidbronn. The best combination in summer, your dog swims while you walk alongside. Several places to stop along the way put out water bowls for dogs.
This is the question we're asked most often, and one that booking platforms never answer. The honest answer has two parts. There's no general leash law in Bavaria, not even during the breeding and fawning season. However, the market town of Rimpar, which Maidbronn belongs to, requires large dogs over 50 cm at the shoulder to be kept on a lead, all year round, in the village, in the community's woods and on some field tracks.
From March to mid-July, fawns and young hares lie in the tall grass, and birds nest on the ground. During this period, we ask all guests to keep their dogs on the lead on the field tracks and in the Gramschatz Forest too. Meadows and fields are off limits anyway between sowing and harvest, so your dog stays on the paths. In the village, we ask for the lead with every dog, whatever the size.
So if you have a dog that needs its freedom, it's worth planning your stay for August to February if you can. From August, they can run free again on the field tracks and in the forest, provided they're recallable, and autumn is the loveliest time there anyway. In early summer, the Main meadows remain a good alternative, the riverside path is wide enough there that a long training lead doesn't get in the way.
Correct as of August 2026. Please check with the business whether dogs are welcome indoors or only outside, rules do change.
If you fancy a day in the city: Würzburg is 10 minutes away, and with a dog, the path along the Main and the Hofgarten behind the Residence work particularly well. Dogs aren't allowed inside the Residence itself, but they are allowed on the grounds of Marienberg Fortress, just not in the museums. Our guide Würzburg in one day sets out the order that's worked well for other guests.
An anxious or territorial dog often spends half its time in a holiday apartment on guard against noises in the building. That simply doesn't happen here: you rent the whole house, not one floor of it. There's no second guest, no shared front door and no dog behind the wall.
The house dates from 1711 and was once a goldsmith's workshop. The ground floor is tiled, and that's also where you'll find the kitchen and the bathroom with its cast-iron tub. Above that, wooden floors, plus four walk-on glass floors, two each on the first and second upper floors, looking down onto the 300-year-old craftsman's beams. The sound of claws on the floor bothers no one here. There's room for up to six guests, and your dog will find a quiet corner on every level.
Our guests rate the house 5.0 out of 5 on Google and 9.2 out of 10 on Booking. What comes up most often in the reviews isn't the furnishings, it's the quiet. If you travel with a dog, you'll know why that matters.
We have just one request: tell us briefly in your enquiry what kind of dog you're bringing, breed and size. This isn't a vetting process, and we don't work from breed lists. It just helps us prepare, find the right spot for the basket, and plan for the guests who come after you.
Dogs are welcome in the bedroom, but please not on the bed. With the four glass floors on the two upper storeys, just check there's no grit stuck under your dog's paws, that's the one delicate spot in the house. And if something happens, tell us directly rather than waiting for the review, we live a few houses along and sort things out without fuss.
Check-in is from 2 pm, check-out by 12 noon, and there's only one changeover a day. We can usually manage an earlier arrival after a long drive, just ask. For loading and unloading, drive right up to the house, then park 100 to 200 metres away in the village centre.
It's a normal garden fence, not a dog enclosure. It holds dogs that aren't determined to get over it. If your dog is a jumper or a climber, tell us beforehand and we'll work out together whether it's a good fit. We'd rather promise a little less here than too much.
Up to five, each one costs €20 per night. Just let us know in your enquiry how many you're bringing.
Yes, if they're used to it and don't bark the whole time. The house isn't standing on its own, it has neighbours. A dog that dozes for an hour won't bother anyone, a dog that barks for an hour will.
Dr Thomas Schober practises in Rimpar, a five-minute drive away. The Lengfeld veterinary clinic in Würzburg is the next closest option for more serious cases, and there's also the Lower Franconia emergency vet service for weekends and nights. All three numbers are listed further up this page.
Yes to both, €20 per animal per night. For the cat, we'll provide a litter tray and scratching board on request, you bring the litter. Please mention it in your enquiry so we can plan for it and add it to your booking. If you need a cat-safe window net, our Heimatgefühl holiday apartment in the same village is the better choice. Give us a call and tell us what your animals need, it's the same number for both houses.
August to February. From March to mid-July, deer, hares and ground-nesting birds are raising their young, so we ask that dogs stay on the lead in the fields and forest too during that time. It isn't a legal requirement in Bavaria, but large dogs over 50 cm at the shoulder must be kept on a lead in Maidbronn all year round in the village, in the community's woods and on some field tracks. In autumn, you'll pretty much have the forest and fields to yourselves.
We let two properties in the same village, just a few houses apart. Zum Goldschmied is the right choice when the fence and the quiet of a whole house make the difference. If there are two of you travelling, or you need your own parking space right outside the door and self check-in with a key safe, our Heimatgefühl holiday apartment with dog often suits better. There, you'll find six dog-walking routes from the door and, for cat owners, netted windows.