Germany is a great destination for travelers like me looking for well preserved, beautiful but small medieval towns containing colorful houses with sloping roofs, cobbled streets, impressive cathedrals and sometimes, stunning castles. But it is also true that it is hard to differentiate one town from another. In fact, even the old towns in cities like Munich and Frankfurt are not too different.
The list of historical towns in Germany includes Nuremburg, Rothenburg, Regensburg, Augsburg, Bamberg, Heidelburg, Rüdesheim, Trier, and so on. Many of these towns are home to one or more UNESCO World heritage sites. If you look at the pictures closely, all these towns are similar in many ways but still, given how beautiful these towns are, I think it is worth visiting few of them. Having visited Heidelburg and Rüdesheim earlier, I chose to visit Regensburg this time from Munich.
2000 year old town
Regensburg as a town is over 2000 years old. I read that some of the houses and buildings standing today are 800+ years old! They were built with bricks and hence stood the test of time. Luck favoured Regensburg during World War II – it escaped intensive bombings. In the 13th Century, Regensburg was among the largest towns in whole of Europe. The Old Town’s 11th to 13th century architecture defines its character as a medieval trading town.
Regensburg is listed among the top medieval towns to visit in Germany. Its Old Town is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. River Danube creates 2-3 islands or islets to be more precise that enhances the beauty of Regensburg. There is plenty of green space in the form of parks around the town.
Regensburg, Germany
Population of under 200k, welcomes a million visitors annually!
Regensburg has a population of under 200k but hosts over a million tourists in a year. Apart from 30k plus students. With shops, cafes, restaurants, entry fee at attractions, cruise terminals, good rail connections and hotels, Regensburg is definitely touristy.
Munich to Regensburg
Located at a distance of about 105kms(by rail) from Munich, the most convenient options is to take the regional train. The faster ones take about 1.5 hours. Tickets can be booked online(I have used both Trainline and Deutsche Bahn) or purchased at the railway station. Buy the Bayern ticket as that turns out to be invariably cheaper, can be used on any regional train and for local commute in Munich. Regensburg can be covered by foot. There are plenty of trains to and from Munich through out the day.
In order to make the most of the trip, take the earliest available train from Munich(though with Bayern ticket, it would mean 9 am start on weekdays) and on the return, around 6pm or 8pm depending on where you wish to have dinner – Regensburg or Munich.
What to see in Regensburg
The key attractions in Regensburg are:
1. Buildings in the Old Town
2. 12th century Stone Bridge
3. 13th century Cathedral
4. The Palace of St. Emmeram
The Hauptbahnhof or the train station itself is impressive. While the University of Regensburg is located on one side of the train station(that explains the student population), the town is on the other side. There are several food joints at the station, including a Subway. Ideal for a quick bite or light dinner before catching a train back to Munich.
The Old Town is just 10 minutes walk from the railway station
After alighting from the train, I walked straight to Innenstadt(Inner city) via maximilianstraße. I wanted to first finish with two main attractions of Regensburg – the Cathedral and the Stone Bridge.
Maximilianstraße leads to Domplatz where the Cathedral of St. Peters is located. It was built in the 13th century and like elsewhere, this is a beautiful structure. Guided tours are available for those interested. The interiors are the same as most similar Cathedrals. Every saturday, farmers come to sell their produce near the Cathedral and I happened to be Regensburg on a saturday.
There is a small train in front of the Cathedral that takes tourists around Regensburg in about 45 minutes. It is not ‘hop on hop off’ type but the day I visited, several groups of tourists had landed up and pre-booked the train. Not that I missed it. Regensburg is small enough to explore by walk. And I saved Euros 20 in fee(for a couple).
Tourist train, Regensburg, Germany St. Peters Cathedral, Regensburg, Germany
1000 year old restaurant serving sausages
From the Cathedral, a narrow passage took me to the river front, with the stone bridge on my left. A restaurant next to the stone bridge on the river front was overflowing with people. This was the “Historische Wurstküche” (Historic Sausage Kitchen) that has been serving sausages since the 12th century! Believed to be among the oldest continually serving restaurant in the world.
Views from the Stone bridge are fabulous
The stone bridge is about 1000 ft. long and is said to be the oldest stone bridge in Germany. I must say the views from the bridge and from across the river are fabulous. Until about the year 1935, this was the only bridge enabling crossing the Danube river in this area. It was originally guarded by three towers, only one remains on the town side. The bridge by itself is an ordinary structure.
Stone Bridge, Regensburg, Germany
Just across the stone bridge is the area called Stadtamhof which was an independent town earlier but now part of UNESCO heritage listing. The street is full of colorful houses, cafes and restaurants.
Stadtamhof, Regensburg, Germany
On both sides of the river, there are walkways next to the river. At the Stadtamhof end of the stone bridge, on the left side, is Spitalgarten, which is (what else!) a beer garden. I noticed one more on way to the Cathedral. But I chose to dine at the cute Italian restaurant on the right side.
View from the stone bridge, Regensburg, Germany View from the stone bridge, Regensburg, Germany
Old town is beautiful
After lunch, I headed back via the stone bridge and turned right at the other end to explore more of the Old Town. Some of the highlights include the following:
- The Altes Rathaus or the old Town Hall dating back to 13th century. There is a jail and a torture chamber dating back to medieval times. If you have not seen something similar elsewhere, consider taking a guided tour.
- Tower houses. It is said that possession of wealth was conveyed through building Tower houses during the medieval times.
- Houses with beautiful murals/frescos. Most famous is the Goliathaus.
- Haidplatz, a big open square. It is said that wealthy families once lived in the buildings around here. A group of youngsters were performing stunts here when I visited.
- Neupfarrplatz, dominated by the New Parish Church(Neupfarrkirche). The day I visited, there was a market with shops selling variety of stuff. In the middle ages, the Jewish quarter was located here. I did not go inside ‘Document Neupfarrplatz’, a underground museum that provides access to some of the excavations done in this area. Some of it is believed to date back to the roman era.
Old Town, Regensburg, Germany Tower house, Regensburg, Germany Old Town Hall, Regensburg, Germany Old Town Hall, Regensburg, Germany Neupfarrplatz, Regensburg, Germany
About 2-3 hours to good to explore Old Town
About couple of hours, with coffee break, is adequate to walk around old town. Like similar places elsewhere, this area is full of shops, cafes and restaurants. Many of the buildings in the Old Town are certainly attractive to look at. Quite a few have murals, decorations, signs and what not. There are arches connecting buildings or simply providing a passage. Then there are Tower houses to break the monotony. This is something I love – wandering around at leisure without trying to get somewhere!
Old Town, Regensburg, Germany Old Town, Regensburg, Germany
Boating in the Danube may be an option
Though Danube river is not very big here, it is always pleasant to walk along its banks as the river is quite clean. There are benches to sit and admire the views and watch boats passing by. Time permitting, one can cross over and explore the islet created by Danube called Unterer Wöhrd(the upper end is called Oberer Wöhrd). Or even the islet on which Stadtamhof is located. But the islets are not very small so it would certainly take time. I saw several mid-sized boats docking at Regensburg. I am sure there would be options for shorter return cruises upto 2 hours or so.
Unterer Wöhrd islet, Regensburg, Germany Regensburg, Germany
What did I miss?
I did not have time for Schloss Thorn and taxis(the Palace of St. Emmeram). Located close to the railway station. The photos of the interiors did not look very different from the interiors of Munich Residenz. So I hope I did not miss much!
Vegetarian food
Couple of options at the railway station(Subway, bakery etc) plus Italian restaurants in the town. At the joints serving sandwiches and burgers(not McDonald), vegetarian option is generally available. My internet search also threw up an Indian restaurant but I preferred Italian food for lunch.
Cycles are very popularity
Cycles appear to be very popular in Germany. And Regenburg is no exception. Just take a look at part of the ‘cycle stand’ at Regensburg railway station. There were many more parked outside the station!
Cycle stand at Regensburg railway station, Germany
Cost of a day trip
Bayern ticket – €27 for one, €36 for a couple
Vegetarian lunch with a drink – €35 for a couple
Coffee/ice cream – €4 per serving
Water – €6, 2 bottles
Vegetarian sandwich at Subway with one drink- €15 for a couple(12 inch bread)
Extras – Entry fees, train ride(€10 person), boat ride, guide
So a couple can manage with little over €100 plus extras as above.
Should you take guided tour of the town?
If you are the type who prefers to listen than read, and wish to learn more about Regensburg’s history, certainly. Else just download the maps and brochures from the official website and go around on your own. There are guided tours at individual attractions as well(Cathedral, Old Town Hall etc.).
Is Regensburg worth visiting?
Yes, it is. Regensburg is certainly a very picturesque and well preserved medieval town. But again, I would caveat this by stating most of the historical/medieval towns in Germany look similar. So if you have already visited 3-4 of them, you will not find anything very different in Regensburg as a casual tourist. The stone bridge, though very old, is not really a structure to admire today. When it was built, perhaps yes. And the Cathedral – one can find similar gothic structures in several parts of Europe.