Things to do in Regensburg, splurging
The cathedral and Stone Bridge, dinner at Storstad, a boat through the Danube Gorge.
This is Regensburg for someone who wants the best table in the room every night and enough culture between meals to earn it. The old town is compact enough to walk everywhere, the restaurant scene punches well above the city's size, and the day-trip to Weltenburg Abbey is genuinely one of the great afternoon excursions in Bavaria. Come with a reservation at Storstad already locked in.
Day 1: Cathedral square and the old town
Pretzels at Bäckerei Schifferl, the cathedral's medieval glass, lunch over the square at Heuport, the Rococo Alte Kapelle, then dinner at Roter Hahn and a nightcap at Marple & Stringer.
- 9:30 AM
Bäckerei Schifferl
Start with pretzels, pastries and Linzer biscuits, the Old Town bakery institution steps from the hotel.
Map - 10:15 AM
Dom St. Peter
French-Gothic cathedral with medieval stained glass, the Smiling Angel, and the Regensburger Domspatzen choir.
Map - 12:30 PM
Wirtshaus im Heuport
Refined à la carte lunch with the money view over the cathedral square from the upstairs room.
Map - 2:15 PM
Alte Kapelle
Plain outside, riotously Rococo inside, usually near-empty and a connoisseur's quiet stop.
Map - 7:30 PM
ROTER HAHN
Old-town hotel dining room just off Haidplatz with seasonal modern menus; dinner Wed to Sat only.
Map - 9:30 PM
Marple & Stringer
Cocktail bar near Arnulfsplatz for a well-made nightcap; ask for something off-menu.
Map
Day 2: Stone bridge, history museum, Storstad
Coffee at Café Prinzess, the Stone Bridge, lunch in the Spitalgarten beer garden, the Bavarian history museum, then Storstad's tasting menu.
- 9:30 AM
Café Prinzess
Opened in 1686 and billed as Germany's oldest café; coffee and a handmade praline by the Altes Rathaus.
Map - 10:15 AM
Steinerne Brücke
The 1146 stone bridge over the Danube, said to be the model for Prague's Charles Bridge; stop at mid-span.
Map - 12:30 PM
Spitalgarten
Spital brewery beer garden under old chestnuts with the cathedral skyline as a backdrop, a classic Regensburg lunch.
Map - 2:30 PM
Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte
2,500 sq m of Bavaria's history from kingdom to Free State, interactive and well-curated, worth a solid two hours.
Map - 7:30 PM
Storstad
Anton Schmaus's tasting menu on a top floor facing the Dom; Nordic and Japanese touches on Bavarian produce.
Map - 9:30 PM
Day 3: Kelheim, the gorge, Weltenburg Abbey
Board at Kanalhafen and sail six kilometres through 80-metre limestone cliffs to a 7th-century abbey beer garden serving its own dark Klosterbier under the gorge walls.
- 11:00 AM
Danube Gorge boat to Weltenburg Abbey
Upstream between 80-metre limestone cliffs to Weltenburg Abbey; boats run mid-March to early November.
Map - 12:30 PM
Klosterschenke Weltenburg
Lunch in the abbey courtyard where the boat lands: Barock Dunkel brewed here since 1050. Closed in winter.
Map - 7:30 PM
Brauereigaststätte Kneitinger
Historic brewery restaurant with amber lager and roasted pork, atmospheric.
Map
Where to stay
Hotel Orphée
A quietly design-forward townhouse hotel steps from the cathedral quarter, with the kind of rooms that justify the $$$ rate without needing to shout about it.
Hotel Goliath am Dom
Directly on the Dom square with views to match: the most location-forward choice for a traveller who wants to open the curtains and see the cathedral.
Make Regensburg your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Altes Rathaus: a few days ahead
- Schloss St. Emmeram: a few days ahead
- document Neupfarrplatz: a few days ahead
- Stadtmaus: a few days ahead
- Bad Abbach Canoe Circuit: a few days ahead
- Golf- und Country-Club Regensburg: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Ice cream and drinks on the Stone Bridge strip at peak hour cost more. Walk two lanes south for the same thing.
- Skip paid panorama upsells. The best views are free from the Stone Bridge, Stadtamhof bank and Walhalla.
- Buy Händlmaier's mustard at its own shop or a supermarket, not in gift sets at gift shop prices.
- Carry about 40 EUR cash per tavern evening, as small Bavarian houses still prefer cash or EC cards.
The full Regensburg travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around