Last October, we were in Germany twice again, on the first visit we spent the night in Munich, and on the second we finally got to explore the famous city of Regensburg for the very first time. I have lived in Germany for almost 11 years, but I have never been able to visit it, so I was especially looking forward to this trip. The fourth largest city in Bavaria impressed us with its rich medieval history, mighty Danube river, interesting old town center full of vibrant bars, restaurants and shops, beautiful architecture and lively Saturday atmosphere. Read more about what why you should visit and what to see and do in Regensburg down below.
With its 150,000+ inhabitants, Regensburg is not a huge city, but it still offers a lot of interesting things, so you won’t be bored if you visit for a weekend like we did. It is located approximately halfway between Munich and Nuremberg, a little towards the east, so you can easily combine your visit with a trip to the Czech Republic, for example, make a stop here on your way to the north of Europe, or with visiting the famous BAVARIAN FOREST. There are also excellent fast train connections between Munich and Regensburg, so this is also a great day trip from the Bavarian capital.
This time we slept a couple of kilometers outside the center, in a typical BAVARIAN GASTHAUS accommodation with its own BIERGARTEN garden and restaurant. Although I wasn’t able to enjoy all of those famous beers during my 6th month of pregnancy, I did try a little more of the local culinary specialties at dinner time. We saw quite a lot in just under two days, if we had a little more time we might have added another museum. So let’s see what this interesting UNIVERSITY TOWN has to offer.
ALTSTADT | the old town center
The history of the city of Regensburg goes back a long way, as one of the first important buildings was built during the reign of the ROMAN EMPEROR Marcus Aurelius, and it has held the status of an important TRADE CENTER between Venice and the north of Europe ever since.
If you visit the city only briefly, I recommend that you start with a walk through the HISTORICAL CITY CENTER (Altstadt), which is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the most beautiful in Europe. You can make your way through the town in a circle on narrow cobbled streets, but don’t forget to turn onto the banks of the Danube and walk across one of the bridges to the other bank of the river as well. Most of the famous sights are located right here in the old city center. In addition to all the buildings and attractions mentioned below, there are also many REMAINS OF THE ROMAN FORT WALLS to be discovered.
That Saturday morning we also found a parking spot in the immediate vicinity of the old town center and started walking around pretty much aimlessly. We were not in a rush and we had beautiful weather the whole weekend, luckily Lu (12) and Mila (2) were also happy to roam around without complaining.
ST. PETER’S CATHEDRAL | wondergul Gothic architecture
One of the most striking buildings in the city is certainly the REGENSBURG CATHEDRAL, which dominates the city skyline with its Gothic bell towers.
Built around the year 700, it was later renovated in Gothic style after a fire, this impressive cathedral is home to one of the most famous BOYS’ CHURCH CHOIRS called DOMSPATZEN. It is also known as a resting place for many bishops, inside we also get to see the BIGGEST HANGING ORGAN IN THE WORLD. The atmosphere is quite lively around the cathedral over the weekends, so this is a great place to start exploring or sit down for a coffee in one of the bars around.
ALTES RATHAUS | old town hall
The Regensburg Town Hall, or ALTES RATHAUS in German, has a rich history and it is just one of the many architecturally interesting buildings in the old town. Regensburg is an IMPERIAL CITY, since the time of the ROMAN EMPIRE, and the city hall was the seat of the Imperial Assembly at that time. Today, in one part of the building there is a TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER, in the town hall itself you can also visit the TORTURE ROOM as well.
STEINERNE BRUCKE |old stone bridge
If you search for photos of Regensburg online, most of the hits will show the motif of the OLD STONE BRIDGE from the 12th century, which connects the OLD CITY with the STADTAMHOF area and is one of the most beautiful examples of MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE of the town. I really recommend a walk across the bridge to anyone who doesn’t want to miss the most iconic view of the city from the other bank of the Danube.
STADTAMHOF | the other side of Danube
We quickly walked over the famous stone bridge to the other side, to the city area called STADTAMHOF. It was once an independent settlement, but nowadays it is part of the central Regensburg and thus also belongs to the UNESCO heritage. Here we find a couple of interesting CHURCHES, A MONASTERY and many old WAREHOUSES, some of which today house GALLERIES, ART STUDIOS and CAFES. For example, the former salt warehouse called ANDREASSTADEL is quite popular.
GOLIATHHAUS | impressive fresco
While walking around the old part of the city, you can’t miss the IMPRESSIVE FRESCO on the facade of a 13th century house called GOLIATHHAUS, depicting the fight between David and Goliath. The fresco can be seen beautifully from Bruckstrasse, which leads from the above-mentioned stone bridge towards the old part of the city.
CITY TOWERS | status symbols of once wealthy families
Around 60 TOWERS once stood in the city, which is the most anywhere north of the Alps, because such towers are a common sight in Italy, for example. The construction of towers came to this area with merchants from the south, and in the Middle Ages a so-called FAMILY TOWER was considered a STATUS SYMBOL of richer families. Today there are around 20 such towers left in Regensburg, some of the latter have beautiful balconies, and there are often restaurants on the ground floors. The highest tower in the city is called the GOLDENER TURM (the golden tower) and it is located in Wahlenstrasse – it is as high as 50 meters and has 9 floors, and today it houses a student dormitory.
HAIDPLATZ SQUARE | a large square where many events take place
The large cobbled square called HAIDPLATZ in the heart of the old city center is the scene of various events, and it is also surrounded by a bunch of interesting buildings and the atmosphere here is particularly pleasant. In December, fairytale stalls are set up here as part of the CHRISTMAS FAIR, and in the summer Haidplatz hosts many MUSICAL EVENTS. Here we also find some more traditional RESTAURANTS, HOTELS and CAFES, and for a quick snack you can also find typical delicacies (salted pretzels, sausages and the like) at many stalls.
Not far from the Haidplatz square, we can also see the huge bronze MONUMENT OF JUAN D’AUSTRIA from the 16th century, the hero of the greatest naval battle during the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
ST. EMMERAM COMPLEX | basilica, monastery and a castle
On the outskirts of the old city center, you can visit an even larger complex, which includes the BASILICA, BENEDICTINE MONASTERY and ST. EMMERAM CASTLE. In the surroundings of the castle, which also holds the name THURN UND TAXIS, there is also a larger castle park with a lake. If you have enough time, take a look at the interior of the castle and monastery – we only walked around this time, but that alone was very interesting.
WALHALLA MONUMENT | the hall of fame and prominent people
A little outside the city there is another interesting place, the WALHALLA MONUMENT. Walhalla actually stands for HALL OF FAME AND PROMINENT PEOPLE – from historical rulers, artists, politicians and other celebrities. A NEOCLASSICAL BUILDING reminiscent of the Parthenon in Athens rises majestically on a hill by the DANUBE river and is a popular picnic spot for the locals in good weather. You can also get here by bike from Regensburg.
Our Autumn weekend trip this time was wonderful, we enjoyed the sun and the vibrant weekend atmosphere of this interesting Bavarian town. I admit, sometimes I get nostalgic for the old days in Germany – I wouldn’t move back and I’m completely satisfied with where we are now, but there are still some good memories and I’m always happy to return to these parts of Europe. Germany, see you soon!
