Regensburg

Two thousand years of history packed onto a bend in the Danube. Regensburg has a Roman gate, a medieval bridge, a Gothic cathedral and a sausage kitchen that’s been there since before most countries existed.

REGENSBURG: Regensburg is one of those places where the guidebook facts keep stacking up. The Romans built a legionary fortress here, Castra Regina, and finished it in 179 AD. In the Middle Ages it was one of the richest cities in Germany, trading along the Danube, and later the Holy Roman Empire held its Perpetual Diet here. Then, somehow, it got through the Second World War almost untouched.
The result is the biggest surviving medieval old town in Germany. Since 2006 the old town and Stadtamhof, across the river, have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I went in August with a friend, on one of those big-sky summer days when the whole town seems to be out by the river.

ON THE DANUBE: St Peter’s Cathedral rising above the old town and the river. Picture: Stu Anderson

The Stone Bridge

Start where everybody starts, at the Steinerne Brücke, the Stone Bridge. Work began in 1135 and for centuries it was the only bridge over the Danube for miles, which helped make Regensburg rich. It’s one of the oldest bridges still standing in Germany, and walking across it, with the cathedral towers ahead of you, is the classic Regensburg view.

OVER THE BRIDGE: Walking back across the Stone Bridge towards the cathedral. Picture: Stu Anderson

ALL ABOARD: Cruise boats moor just below the bridge. Picture: Stu Anderson

Sausages and salt

Right next to the bridge is the Historische Wurstkuchl, a tiny kitchen that has been grilling sausages beside the Danube for centuries and calls itself the oldest sausage kitchen in the world. Sit at the long tables outside and order the little grilled sausages with sauerkraut and the house sweet mustard. Lunch doesn’t get much more Bavarian.
The huge building with the steep roof behind it is the Salzstadel, the old salt warehouse, from the days when salt was shipped along the Danube. These days it houses the World Heritage visitor centre and a restaurant.

THAT’S ME: By the Salzstadel, with the Stone Bridge behind me. Picture: Stu Anderson

THE SALT HOUSE: The Salzstadel, the old salt warehouse by the bridge. Picture: Stu Anderson

ST PETER’S: The cathedral’s west front. Picture: Stu Anderson

The cathedral

St Peter’s Cathedral (Dom St. Peter) is one of the great Gothic cathedrals of southern Germany. Work started in 1275, though the two openwork spires, 105m high, were only added in the 1860s. Inside, look out for the medieval stained glass and the stone “smiling angel”. It’s also home to the Domspatzen, the cathedral’s boys’ choir, one of the oldest in the world.

BIG SKY: Me again, with the cathedral across the river. Picture: Stu Anderson

Wander the old town

The best thing to do in Regensburg is get a bit lost. The lanes are narrow and dark, opening onto little squares, and everywhere you look there’s something old. Look out for the Porta Praetoria, the remains of the Roman fortress gate, tucked away in a side street near the cathedral.
Look up, too. Rich merchant families built Italian-style tower houses to show off, and several survive. The tallest is the Goldener Turm (Golden Tower).

TOWER POWER: The Golden Tower and the cathedral spires over the rooftops. Picture: Stu Anderson

GET LOST: One of the narrow old town lanes. Picture: Stu Anderson

IN BLOOM: Geraniums and a Gothic oriel window. Picture: Stu Anderson

STREET MUSIC: Buskers in medieval costume, with a few of the pigeons joining in. Picture: Stu Anderson

RED ROOFS: The old town from above. Picture: Stu Anderson

Baroque and the Princes of Thurn und Taxis

Not everything is medieval. The churches here hide some spectacular Baroque interiors, all white stucco, gold and ceiling frescoes, and one we went into had a saint’s relics lying in a glass shrine.

WHITE AND GOLD: A Baroque church interior in the old town. Picture: Stu Anderson

LOOK UP: Part of a ceiling fresco. Picture: Stu Anderson

AT REST: A saint’s relics in a glass shrine. Picture: Stu Anderson

To the south of the old town is Schloss Thurn und Taxis, the palace of the princely family that made its fortune running Europe’s postal service. They still live there. You can see the state rooms and part of the old abbey cloister on a guided tour.

CLOISTER: Memorial stones in an old cloister. Picture: Stu Anderson

QUIET CORNER: A painted arcade away from the crowds. Picture: Stu Anderson

Christmas in Regensburg

In December the palace grounds host the Romantic Christmas Market (Romantischer Weihnachtsmarkt), with torches, craftspeople at work and stalls in the castle courtyards. It’s one of the prettiest in Bavaria. Last year it ran from 21 November to 23 December, and the 2026 dates weren’t out when I checked in October. There’s also the traditional Christkindlmarkt on Neupfarrplatz in the old town. For more ideas, see my Munich Christmas markets page.

A boat to Walhalla

If you have time, take a boat downstream to Walhalla, about 10km east of the city. It’s a huge white Greek temple on a hillside above the Danube, built for King Ludwig I and opened in 1842 as a hall of fame for great Germans, with hundreds of marble busts inside. Boats run from near the Stone Bridge in season, and the climb up from the landing stage is steep but worth it for the view.

FULL STEAM: An old steamboat moored on the Danube. Picture: Stu Anderson

THE SKYLINE: The cathedral spires and the hills beyond the Danube. Picture: Stu Anderson

Getting there

• By train. Regional trains run every hour from Munich to Regensburg and take about an hour and a half.
• Bayern-Ticket. It covers those trains: €34 for one person plus €10 for each extra person, up to five. On weekdays it’s valid from 9am, all day at weekends.
• From the station. The old town is about a 10 to 15-minute walk north, straight towards the cathedral and the river.
• By car. About an hour and a half, via the A9 and A93.
• Combine it. The sleepy town of Amberg is about an hour away, and Neuburg an der Donau is further up the same river.
Checked October 2026. Times and prices change, so check before you go.

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