Amberg

An Amberg travel guide with tips
on what to do and see in this Bavarian town.

It’s ancient, beautiful and there’s no way you’ve ever heard of it.
This town is buried away among Bavaria’s hidden gems a few hours north of Munich. On my day-trip to Amberg I felt like the only tourist in the place and I loved it.
The city's medieval Old Town is nicknamed the Ei (Egg) after the shape of its intact city wall.
Doable as a day trip from Munich, Nuremberg or Regensburg, this is a place that will truly enchant you.

RIVERSIDE: Looking down the River Vils towards St Martin's Church. Picture: Stu Anderson

Backstory

A PLACE FOR LOVERS: Amberg's Eh'häusl could be one of the most romantic buildings in Germany. To find out why, read the walking tour below. Picture: Stu Anderson

Iron mining made the city rich during the Middle Ages and it was able to afford some of the best fortifications in Germany.

As well as the still standing city wall Amberg had a water-filled moat and about 100 defensive towers.

Medieval scribe Michael Schwaiger declared "Munich is the most beautiful princely city, Leipzig the richest, but Amberg is the most secure!"

The city fell out of Bavarian control from the 14th century and Protestantism and Lutheranism flourished.
Adherents were forced to leave or go Catholic when Bavaria re-took the city in 1628.

Fighting invaders and tyrants

Archduke Charles of Austria

The city’s bloodiest day was August 24 ,1796 with the Battle of Amberg, a pivotal conflict in the French Revolutionary Wars.
Austrian Archduke Charles and his force of 40,000 routed a French army of 34,000.
About 1200 French were killed or wounded and the battle was a turning point against them in the war. The Austrians went home with a victory and only 400 casualties.

Amberg’s staunch Catholics dared to butt heads with the anti-church Nazis. Over 500 people stormed the streets in 1941 to protest a Nazi decree outlawing crucifixes in schools.
The city’s Jewish community (which numbered 64 in 1933) had all moved, been arrested or died by the end of the war.
The USA kept an army barracks in Amberg until the 1990s. The city will celebrate its 1000th birthday in 2034.

Suggested Amberg walking tour

See the walking tour on a larger map

Starting from the train station on the eastern side of the Old Town, follow the path left outside the city walls. Just around the corner is the Nabburger Tor (Nabburg Gate), the grandest of Amberg’s four city gates. A drawbridge was lowered to allow access across the moat and the gate’s towers were used as medieval dungeons.

Walk through and then down Untere Nabburger Strasse to reach the square called Hallplatz. There’s a tourist info centre at No. 2 across the way. Continue west and you’re in the oldest and most bustling part of town….

FRONT DOOR: The Nabburger Tor is the oldest and grandest of Amberg's city gates. Picture: Stu Anderson

The Market Square

Marktplatz still lives up to its name on Saturdays when produce and flower stalls fill the square.
On the south side stands St Martin’s, a gothic Catholic church begun in 1421. The townspeople paid for it themselves, and after Regensburg Cathedral it’s the biggest gothic church in the whole Upper Palatinate. The 92m (302ft) steeple wasn’t finished until much later. Pop inside, the nave is huge and bright.
Look back west to admire the 14th century Rathaus (Town Hall) with a beautiful external staircase and balcony. After stopping for a drink with the café crowd, duck around to the left of St Martin’s to find the Vils River.

SATURDAY CROWDS: Café tables fill the Marktplatz in front of St Martin’s. Picture: Stu Anderson

LOOK UP: The tall white pillars inside St Martin’s. Picture: Stu Anderson

HEART OF TOWN: The Rathaus looks over the Marktplatz, the oldest and usually the busiest part of Amberg. Picture: Stu Anderson

Down to the river

VARICOLOURED: A stained glass window in St Martin's. Picture: Stu Anderson

Once a means of trade and transportation, the Vils divides the Old Town neatly in half.
From late April to the end of October you can cruise the river aboard a low-slung wooden barge called a Vils-Plätte.

The 12m by 2m (39ft by 7ft) boats are copies of the ones that once carried iron down to Regensburg and brought salt back to Amberg.
In 2026 they ran on weekends and holidays from 2pm to 4pm, leaving from the Schiffbrücke in the Old Town, with extra weekday trips in the summer holidays. A return trip takes about an hour and costs €10 for adults and €4 for kids, or €6 and €2 one way. Book online or at the tourist office, as they do fill up. On certain evenings there’s also a beer barge, and on some Saturday mornings a Weißwurst breakfast barge.

MIDDLE OF TOWN: The Vils splits the Old Town in two. Picture: Stu Anderson

Now look downstream to the left, if you can’t see what’s there you may need your glasses….

UNDER THE ARCH: The Vils with St Martin’s tower behind. Picture: Stu Anderson

LANDMARK: The Stadtbrille is Amberg's best-known structure. Picture: Stu Anderson

Through the specs

The Stadtbrille (City Spectacles) gateway stretches across the Vils River.
Two of its semi-circular arches cast reflections on the river, if you squint hard enough the effect makes it look like a huge pair of specs. The water gate was built in 1454 as part of the city’s defences and it’s about 46m long and 16m high.
The 'Brille once had portcullises which could be lowered when the city was attacked.

Cross the river at the little bridge about half way between the 'Brille and the church and follow Schiffbrück Gasse as it curves right.
To the left is the Catholic Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), a former royal court church from the 15th century. It was built on the site of a synagogue that was demolished in the Middle Ages.

Across the way...

If you want, you can turn right here and carry on down to the Luftmuseum (Air Museum) on the corner. It’s a new-aged concept housed in a 14th century building.
The museum has 21 rooms exhibiting art, architecture and technology all somehow connected to the concept of air. There are also regular theatre and music performances.
(Luftmuseum details - Address: Eichenforstgäßchen 12, Phone: 09621 420883, Website: www.luftmuseum.de Open: April to September, Wednesday and Thursday 2pm to 6pm, Friday to Sunday 11am to 6pm. October to March it closes an hour earlier. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Check the website for ticket prices.)

BOOKWORM: One of the quirky bronze figures you stumble across around the Old Town. Picture: Stu Anderson

HALLOWED HOUSE: The Fenzl-Haus is one of the nicest buildings on Amberg's pedestrian street, Georgenstrasse. Picture: Stu Anderson

Continue onto Georgen Strasse, the Old Town’s pedestrianized main drag.
Admire the Fenzl-Haus (Fenzl House) on the left with its elaborate rococo bay window.
Make a left and a quick right onto Seminar Gasse, where at No.8 you’ll find…

The house of love

PATH TO LOVE: The copper door of the Eh'häusl tells the story of the house. Picture: Stu Anderson

Every city has its little surprises but I think Amberg’s Eh'häusl (Little Wedding House) is one of the cutest I’ve found anywhere.

Touted as the world’s smallest hotel, it’s barely two and a half metres wide and only takes one couple at a time, and the building has a particularly romantic heritage.

Legend has it that bygone council laws only permitted homeowners to marry.
It took a skint but inspired lover to find a loophole in 1728.
He found a narrow gap between two houses and claimed it as his own.
He threw up back and front walls, slapped on a roof and called it a house.
Cupid was happy and the council, satisfied.
The Eh'häusl changed hands many times as engaged couples moved in to tie the knot before moving out again.
What an amazing spot for a dirty little weekend!

SECRET PASSAGE: Archways like this lead through the old walls around the "Egg". Picture: Stu Anderson

Now follow the alleyway to the end to find a walled section at the "top" of the egg-shaped Old Town. Wander through to find an old Jesuit college complex. It's home to a modern library and St Georg (St George’s), a 15th-century gothic Catholic church.

After seeing the highlights of such a beautiful little place, you might feel like weaving your way back into town for a bite to eat to round off your tour.

GOTHIC: St Georg Catholic church is at the western end of the "Egg". Picture: Stu Anderson

Annual blowout

Amberg throws its biggest party on a hill – the Maria-Hilf-Bergfest (Hill Festival) is nine days of Bavarian food, music, entertainment and beer. It’s like a mini-Oktoberfest without the mass tourism.
(The Details Location: Tents and carousels are set up around the Maria-Hilf-Kirche, a church on the hill about 300m north-east of the train station Dates: The Bergfest runs for nine days around 2 July, the church’s feast day. In 2026 it was 27 June to 5 July. Find exact dates on the Website: www.mariahilfbergfest.de

PRESERVED: The base of the Ziegeltor is gothic, the top part was added in 1581 in Renaissance style. Picture: Stu Anderson

Accommodation in Amberg

There are no dirt-cheap places to stay but some excellent mid-range options.

▪The Altstadt Hotel is a beautifully preserved and well-located pile inside the Egg near the train station. (Address: Batteriegasse 2 Phone 09621 788 23 0, website here).

▪The Drahthammer Schlössl Hotel Restaurant is south of the old town and has a fine in-house eatery. (Address: Drahthammerstraße 30 Phone 09621 703 0).

▪And then there’s the romance-soaked Eh'häusl where you can take your pick between a "red salon" or a room with a fireplace (Address: Seminargasse 8 Phone: 09621 37 854, website here in English).

Food and Drink

There are plenty of cafes, bars and restaurants in the old town, especially around Marktplatz and Georgen Strasse. Just take your pick.

Getting there and away

The town is about 180km north of Munich. By train it takes about two and a half hours from Munich, usually changing in Regensburg, and Amberg station is right on the edge of the Old Town. The Bayern-Ticket covers the whole trip on regional trains. You can check connections here.

By car, take the A9 north from Munich, then the A93 past Regensburg towards Weiden and follow the signs for Amberg. The journey should take about two hours.

Details checked October 2026. Times and prices change, so check with the Amberg tourist office before you go.

Like the idea of a town hardly anyone outside Bavaria has heard of? Neuburg an der Donau is another one. Every day trip on the site is on my map of day trips from Munich.

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