Discover Regensburg's sights on a tour of the metropolis on the Danube

Before you set off on your city tour of Regensburg, you should know one thing in advance: Regensburg is rich in history and offers you a wealth of sights that will give you reason for more than just a day trip. The patrician houses and towers are particularly characteristic of Regensburg and characterise the cityscape like no other Bavarian city. To get a first impression of the city, we will visit the most famous highlights of Regensburg on this tour. This will leave you with plenty to see on your next visit to the UNESCO World Heritage city.

In the footsteps of the Romans

We start our city walk through Regensburg to discover the sights at the main railway station. From here, we head north along Maximilianstraße, past the eastern part of St Emmeram's Palace Park. After about 300 metres, we reach the first small highlight of our tour. Just north of Ernst-Reuter-Platz is an excavated site where you can still see the remains of the wall of the Roman legionary camp "Castra Regina". The ancient walls - recognisable by their construction with large stone blocks - were later integrated into the medieval Zwinger wall.

Further excavations of the Roman camp walls can be found around 150 metres further north in the Dachauplatz car park. The freely accessible area uses monitors and visualisations to convey a picture of the city's important history as the northern border of the Roman Empire. Together with the excavation at Hunnenplatz, the three sections of the ancient wall form the document Legionary Camp Wall.

Dominates the cityscape: the cathedral

We follow Maximilianstraße northwards until it merges into Speichergasse. Passing the Römerturm, a 28 metre high former residential and defence tower, we reach the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Regensburg: St. Peter's Cathedral, Regensburg's most famous sight. The foundation stone for the Gothic building was laid in the middle of the 12th century, but the cathedral took 600 years to take on its current form. The two spires were only added between 1859 and 1869 with the support of the Bavarian kings Ludwig I and Maximilian II. During your visit, pay particular attention to the colourful stained glass windows from the 13th and 14th centuries, which bathe the interior in a majestic light.

The gateway to another time

Continue through the Krauterermarkt to under the Schwibbögen arches. In this alleyway, you will find another reference to the city's Roman predecessors during your visit. The Porta Praetoria is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Regensburg. Together with the Porta Nigra in Trier, the Porta Praetoria is the only surviving Roman gateway north of the Alps. One of the Regensburg tips is the former north portal of the Roman legionary camp "Castra Regina". It is almost 2,000 years old and comprises a small tower and an archway, both of which have been part of the façade of the Bishop's Court since the 17th century. If you don't know anything about its historical significance, it's easy to overlook this highlight.

It's all about the sausage

As we all know, sightseeing makes you hungry. So it's a good thing that our next stop is of a culinary nature. Via Weiße Hahn-Gasse, we reach the southern bank of the Danube, where we stop for a bite to eat in the historic Wurstkuchl, the oldest bratwurst parlour in the world. As early as the 12th century, workers and stonemasons who were involved in the construction of the cathedral and the Stone Bridge savoured delicious sausages and sausages here next to the Salzstadel. Today, the family business offers its guests delicious sausages from its own sausage factory as well as homemade sauerkraut. Our tip for Regensburg: be sure to try it. We wish you a good appetite!

Across the Danube and back

After this little refreshment, our city tour continues to explore Regensburg's sights next to the Salzstadel, which is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Visitor Centre. The Stone Bridge crosses the Danube here, connecting Regensburg's Old Town with the old Bavarian district of Stadtamhof, which we will save for our next visit to the Danube metropolis. This masterpiece of Romanesque architecture is also Regensburg's landmark and was built between 1135 and 1146. With a length of 330 metres and 16 arches, the bridge was important for trade as a fixed crossing over the Danube and thus contributed to the city's prosperity. At the highest point of the Stone Bridge, you will come across a Gothic column on which a seated man is enthroned. The so-called "Bruckmandl" has been sitting above the Danube since the Middle Ages, facing south with his hand on his forehead to protect him from the sun.

Regensburg town hall

Our tour of Regensburg takes us back to the old town centre to see more of Regensburg's sights. Originally flanked by three towers that served as the entrance to the city, today only the bridge tower remains at the southern end of the Stone Bridge. From here, head south along Brückstraße to the Goliathhaus, Regensburg's largest city castle, and from there westwards towards Kohlenmarkt. In front of you is Regensburg's Old Town Hall, which you can't miss with its 55 metre high tower, the oldest part of the building. Additions over the course of history have divided the town hall into three parts: the town hall tower with adjoining palace, the Gothic imperial hall and the Baroque town hall. Until 1806, the Perpetual Diet, the permanent assembly of the imperial estates in the Holy Roman Empire, met in the former dance hall of the Gothic building. The magnificent building can be visited as part of daily guided tours

Past squares and towers

Past the Old Town Hall, the route continues to Haidplatz, one of Regensburg's oldest and most traditional squares. The former festival and tournament site is now the venue for the summer citizens' festival, which always takes place in June and offers a colourful and extensive cultural programme.

Our Regensburg tip: Café Lila, which also offers vegetarian and vegan alternatives for a short coffee break with cake, is located directly on Haidplatz.

We leave Haidplatz with its imposing patrician houses and gradually make our way back to the railway station. We follow Rote-Hahnen-Gasse to Gesandtenstraße and turn eastwards. The narrow, winding alleyways of the old town harbour many small and traditional shops that invite you to take a stroll. Before we reach Neupfarrplatz, take a look at Untere Bachgasse. There you can see the Golden Tower, a 50 metre high patrician tower from the 13th century, from afar.

Back through the palace park

Via St.-Kassians-Platz and Fröhliche-Türken-Straße, we return to St. Emmeram's Palace Park. However, we save the eponymous Emmeram Palace for our next trip to Regensburg. There is a lot to discover in the extensive rococo palace on the foundations of a Benedictine monastery. Through the palace gardens, past the Kepler monument, we return to our starting point at the main railway station. On your journey home by train, you will have another opportunity to reflect on the many impressions of Regensburg's sights - from the Roman camp walls to the masterpieces of medieval architecture.