A day trip to beautiful Regensburg

Another weekend, another beautiful Bavarian city.

With only a few weeks left in Germany, I'm making sure to pow through the remaining destinations on my 'to-visit' list, and as of yesterday, can tick off another: Regensburg.

The first time we'd planned a daytrip to Regensburg, weeks ago, we unfortunately had to cancel last minute because, ironically, there was too much Regen (that's 'rain' for the non-German speakers amongst you.) Unsurprisingly, this word-play amused me, but I was seriously hoping it wouldn't happen again as I'd heard and read such great things about the Bavarian city.

As Emma, Emily and I left Bayreuth, the sun was shining, and - to quote that well-known song, the name of which I somewhat unhelpfully do not know - the weather was sweet. Tragically, over the course of our two hour journey through the Bavarian countryside, the sun went into hiding and a very grey fog descended. But hey, at least there was no Regen! (Feel free to thank me later for the German lesson.)

Considering it was disappointingly grey all day, I think it shows just how lovely Regensburg was, because it still charmed the absolute pants off me.

One of the few German cities to have emerged from WW2 practically unscathed, Regensburg is today considered Germany's only surviving medieval city, and the old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage sight since 2006. As a lover of pretty cities, needless to say I was excited.

The northernmost city on the River Danube, Regensburg is a delight to explore on foot, which is precisely what we did all day. In fact, it's often called the northernmost city in Italy due to its Italian look and feel, and I definitely did get that vibe.

First up, the gals and I went to find the castle - you know I love a good Schloss! - but alas, we were slightly disappointed. 'The House of Thurn und Taxis' is actually a lived-in Palace, and we couldn't even see the courtyard, gardens or exterior without paying for a guided tour. Still, we had a cheeky peek through the gates and it did look lovely.

The Cathedral

Into the old town centre we went, and oh, how charming it was! Yup, cobbled streets and colourful, clean, traditional Bavarian architecture a-plenty. I was loving it! As we wandered round, we stumbled across most of Regensburg's main sights - the cathedral, the town hall and the lovely buzzy Haidplatz, for example.

Haidplatz

Strolling round, you get a real feel for a city. Regensburg was bigger than I'd been expecting, and I've decided it would be a lovely place to live or spend your year abroad. There's lots to see and do in the centre, and it's got all your chain shops, plenty of interesting boutiques and many an enticing looking eatery.

However, having done my research, there was only one place we were going to be going for lunch... Regenburg is home to the oldest sausage kitchen IN THE WORLD! Obviously we weren't going to pass up the opportunity to go there now, were we?

Situated just by the Danube, the Historische Wurstküche is a must! When we arrived, there was a queue out the door for Wurst in a little bread roll with Sauerkraut to go, but we really wanted to sit in. Considering how tiny the little old restaurant is, we were certainly lucky to get squeezed in (and oh, how squeezed we were!)

Misted up camera lense = atmospheric photos. I kinda like it.

A wonderful example of German Gemütlichkeit, the restaurant is full of cosy charm and buzzy atmosphere. With a choice of six, eight or ten Wurst (ze Germans love ze sausages), we each went for six, served with Sauerkraut and traditional Bavarian sweet mustard.

I’m not usually a huge mustard or Sauerkraut fan, but these were both some of the best I’ve had. And obvs, the Wurst was divine (oh, and they’re actually pretty tiny, we’re not TOTAL piggies…) The combination of the salty sausages, sour Sauerkraut and sweet mustard really is a winner.

Sufficiently warmed up and re-energised, we wandered over the famous Old Stone Bridge. Unfortunately, it’s currently partially covered in scaffolding, which was a shame, but it still gave us a nice view back over the old town.

Continuing our walk back into the centre of Regensburg, we strolled down narrow cobbled streets and perused the interesting shops.

I liked these prints:

'dance love laugh'

And we found the Old Chapel.

I was slightly surprised to find a cupcake shop, and couldn’t help but chuckle to myself at their sign:

 

'Here we have perhaps the best cupcakes in the world.'  (It's the 'perhaps' that amuses me.)

Regensburg really is a lovely city, and I imagine it’s extra delightful at Christmastime or during the summer. Sitting outside in a beer garden by the river in the sunshine, ooh yeah, I can imagine it now.

After all that walking (ahem), the gals and I decided we needed another sit-down and a sugar boost, so into a café we went. Let me tell you, German cakes aren’t really my favourites – too much cream and jellied fruits – but we shared a real winner of a slice yesterday. More of a tart than a cake, it had a hazelnutty layer, then one of sweet cherries, topped with yummy marzipan. Oh yes. That was good.

We sat in the window of the café, chatting and watching the world bustle by outside as the sun went down, and before long it was time to head back to the station for our train home. As we made our way back, I was struck by just how lovely Regensburg looked at dusk, and I bet it’s delightful at night too. Another time, eh?

It was a lovely day out, and next up on my travels? Venturing out of the country to the home of The Sound Of Music – SALZBURG! Coming soon to a blog near you… (this one. Obvs.)