Frankonia is studded with beautiful towns, and Regensburg is no exception. We visited only for a weekend and yet, fell immediately in love with this quaint little University Town.
Our trip had us feel rather unlucky, because some of the attractions we had hoped to see remained closed.
But hey! How could we have regrets when when we ate to our hearts content at the oldest open Restaurant in the world and stood awestruck at the imposing and beautiful Walhalla??

There is no airport in Regensburg. The closest one is in Munich, although you can also fly to Nürnberg or Frankfurt. Trains leave regularly from all these airports to Regensburg. For much more local travellers ,you can also reach Regensburg by bus or car.

Technically one whole weekend should suffice enough to explore most of the city and its charms. We went for two and half days, and made a day trip to the nearby Donaustauf.

Well truth be told, most cities have hidden gems and off beaten paths that honestly would require more than a weekend to fully explore. However if you are traveling on a “time budget “ like us, here’s how you can make the most of your time there.
We wandered around Regensburg for two days and visited Walhalla for the remaining half day.

Day 1 & 2 : Regensburg

Yes, that’s right! Another Bavarian town, another beautiful old town, and no kidding at that.
Here you will find the “battle of beautiful churches”. Honestly I was blown away by the number of beautiful churches that exist in such close proximity to one another in the old town…

To check out are :

St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Domplatz – the only Gothic Cathedral in Bavaria, this imposing building is located at the heart of the diocese, and is Regensburg’s best known landmark. Once you are done admiring the impressive facade, you can feel the grandeur of the building when you enter it and see the marvelous light created by the glass windows and the world’s largest hanging organ.

Neupfarrkirche – a Protestant parish church on Neupfarrplatz in the old town of Regensburg. The Jewish community, what was once large and powerful in Regensburg,was later expelled from the city!
Neupfarrplatz, the square around the church hosts a variety of cafes, restaurants and retail options like Zara and Mango.

St. Ulrich – Museum in a 13th-century church displaying Christian art, including vault paintings & sculptures.

Alte Kapelle – Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady – located at the Old Kornmarkt in Regensburg, is the main church of the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of the Old Chapel , the oldest still existing collegiate foundation in Bavaria , and the oldest Church of Regensburg. Seen in art history, it is one of the most important Rococo churches in Bavaria. According to legends , it is also said to be the oldest church and thus the mother church of Bavaria, of which Christianizationof the country, and stand in the place of a Roman Juno temple.
With an extravagant alter in Rococo style, a pit stop for all architecture lovers

Maria Laeng Kapelle – stumbled across this as we tried to find our way from Kornmarkt to the Stone Bridge, and we were really happy we did. Tucked away in a corner is this church with a beautiful Alter much contradictory to its plain exterior.

The Evangeline-Lutheran Trinity Church and Tower – climb the 8 floors of the tower for a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. The tower and church museum was unfortunately under renovation when we visited 🙁

Visiting Hours : Tue- Sun 12 – 18 pm in the summer
Fee : 2 Euros per person / an offering by will

The Old Rathaus and Trial chambers – Don’t let the beautiful ochre colour and the beautiful contrasting violet ornamental flowers fool you, what is now the Regensburg Tourism and Information Centre, was once the Town Hall with its own trial and torture chambers. A visit here can be pretty eye opening.

Visiting Hours : 11 am – 4 pm and can be visited in a guided tour at fixed times.

Find more information here.

Goliathhaus – This imposing early Gothic house castle from the 1220s is well known for its front north facade which shows a painting of the battle between David and Goliath. Interestingly, the Goliath House is not named for the mural which was completed in 1573, but after Golias, theology students’ guardian angel, as theology students used to stay here.

On the right, the David and Goliath mural includes a small green frog.  It is said the frog represents a rich merchant who donned a green cape and spurs and obnoxiously strode up and down the street on his horse until he lost all his money.

Also, you can eat here now, since it hosts the Starstad Restaurant.

The symbol of Regensburg, this UNESCO heritage site, offers one of the best views I have ever seen – Regensburg along the Danube Coast!!! Until the 1930s ie, for over 800 years, it was the city’s only bridge across the river. As it’s still a pretty ‘well used’ pedestrian and cycle zone, expect it to be crowded at all times ( yeah, you will need to wake up super early to get that perfect Instagram shot with just you and the bridge:p)
Take the detour from the bridge onto the island of Oberer Wohrd and walk to Am Beschlacht Street for the best view of the city waterline !!!

Pro tip : Get a couple of beers, munchies and grab a picnic mat to relax and enjoy the view or even better get a table at one of the many water facing restaurants!!

Talking of the Stone bridge, the only surviving tower (out of the original four) of the WW-II, is now a museum – the smallest in Regensburg- where you can learn about the history and construction of the bridge. Climb all the way up for another beautiful panorama of the Danube – Regensburg waterline 🙂

Visiting Time : 10am – 4pm

Fee : 2 Euros per person

Interesting visit for a ‘museum in a ship’ experience. Find the museum docked to the Danube coast close to the Stone Bridge.

The St. Emmeram Castle or Thurn and Taxis Castle is a castle of the Princely House Thurn and Taxis in Regensburg. New buildings we added at the end of the 19th century from the buildings of the St. Emmeram Monastery after the monastery was transferred to the Princely House in 1810 . Here you will find a beautiful garden and museum to explore.

As you walk in from the river to the city centre, you will find standing tall, the oldest Stone building in Germany, a gateway dating back to 179 AD. It served as the gateway of the former Roman encampment Castra Regina. It was partially integrated into the building complex of the Bishop’s court during medieval construction and hence preserved.
You can visit the tower, which was unfortunately closed for maintenance when we visited

That’s right!! Johannes Kepler briefly stayed in this house, where much of his belongings are still preserved and presented as a museum !!

We found a square we loved in Regensburg!! The name of the place goes back to the old high German name Heida for a piece of land overgrown with bushes that had formed west of the Roman legion camp Castra Regina.
Because of the low traffic load today, the many restaurants and cafés, the frequent public events and the impressive peripheral buildings with some medieval castles with gender towers, Haidplatz is where locals and visitors make a buzz to today.

Yet another beautiful church you should give a visit. Nearby is the town theatre and it’s square, which is a good place to relax with some beer or cocktails from the counters around the square.

Phew! Lots and lots of churches and miles of walking later, we came to the end of the two days in Regensburg.

Day 3 : Donaustauf

We got on an early morning bus from near the train station and drove to Donaustauf, eager to see the majestic Walhalla (of Parthenon inspiration).
After a 20 min hike from the bus stop, we reached the footsteps of the beautiful white structure.

As we gathered our strength (and breath) to begin the 358 step climb, we watched *much to our amusement*, people working out with weights up and down these steps!
Phew, we could never ever be those people. Period.
Well the hard work was well paid off, as we were rewarded with a breathtaking panorama view amidst the towering pillars!! I guess we spent the whole morning just gazing at the beautiful view ( well I did, as Vishi excitedly walked around with his photo equipment babies). Once the museum opened to visitors, we got to see about 130 chests and 65 memorial tablets – a tribute to the laudable and distinguished people in German History, which included kings, politicians, doctors and scientists.

Rest assured, you will be doing plenty of walking while in Regensburg! So yeah hunger pangs keep hitting!!
Here are some of the restaurants we tried and loved 🤤

1. The Historical Sausage Kitchen!

It goes without saying that no visit to Regensburg is complete without atleast one meal from here. And were we excited to be in the oldest continuously open restaurant in the world 🤩!!
We had the Rostbratwurst with Sauerkraut ( don’t forget to try their sweet mustard sauce – it’s supposedly the best there is, and we won’t argue). Beer to drink it all down and *BURP* = Happy Us!!!

Trivia : The restaurant first opened as a kitchen and counter to feed to workers who building the Stone bridge at the time…

2. L’Osteria

Too much sausage for the day? Well here is an amazing Italian cuisine option to try. A beautiful ambience and various cocktails to try just make it even better.
Tip : Try to reserve if you are visiting for dinner as it does tend to get really crowded.

3. Marple and Stringer

This cozy bar and grill, even has an outdoor counter at Bismarckplatz and the minty cocktails here are to die for 🙂

4. Künstlerhaus Andreas Stadel

What was once a garage for salt storage is today a gallery and cafe.

5. Ice cream is all over Regensburg

We loved the gelato we tried from Gelato Cremoso, in Domplatz.

It’s always better to stay in the Old Town where all the major attractions are at a walkable distance.
We found this extremely cozy Air BnB in the attic of an apartment close to Neupfarrplatz. With a view of the domes of St. Peter’s Cathedral through the window, we absolutely loved our stay.
Even the building we stayed in was of historical importance:)

Did we miss out something during our weekend in Regensburg?? Do let us know 🙂