Gary (our videographer) and I went to discover Regensburg as friends of Germany Vacationer Board, a college metropolis hailed as the most effective preserved medieval metropolis in Germany, providing a heady mixture of a good looking skyline, spectacular historic monuments and legendary Bavarian hospitality.
Though Bavaria lives as much as all its fantastic cliches of lederhosen, dirndls and naturally, its beer-swigging, jolly festivals, in my view, the Southeastern state of Germany affords rather more than only a nice place to get drunk!
What’s so particular about Regensburg?
It’s a spot the place pristinely shiny landscapes are punctuated with story-book castles, conventional church buildings and neat and medieval cities which go about their time-warped enterprise in a peaceable, pristine type of method.
A few of my household reside in Bavaria, so it’s a area that has at all times held a particular place in my coronary heart and I felt a singular reference to it as quickly as I arrived there.
The Outdated City of Regensburg (with Stadtamhof) is a UNESCO World Heritage web site and over the a long time town has risen by means of the affluence stakes to change into one of the vital sought-after locations to reside in Bavaria.
Outdoors Germany although, it’s a spot that continues to be very a lot underneath the vacationer radar and I consider it’s a metropolis vacation spot that deserves much more consideration. Right here’s what I recommend to do in Regensburg in 48 hours in the event you go to at Christmas…
Watch: Our Cinematic Christmas Weekend in Regensburg Video with drone footage (which went viral)!
1. Wander the Stunning Lanes within the Outdated City
Packed filled with magnificent medieval buildings, Regensburg wears its UNESCO badge with rather a lot satisfaction. I really like that it takes its heritage extraordinarily severely—for instance, most of its buildings at the moment are formally preserved and shielded from alteration, so if a resident desires to repaint a home, for instance, its color has to adapt to these used previously!
I discovered it to be a rare place with a comfortable, quaint vibe with a mixture of nice historic buildings, trendy eating places and cosmopolitan bars, and a seemingly limitless community of slim, atmospheric cobbled lanes lined with attractive boutique shops from stylish garments boutiques to retailers promoting artisan-made wood presents.
I liked simply wandering by means of the winding cobbled streets, absorbing the pristine medieval attraction of the place. It felt so untouched by tourism, and for a second, I may nearly think about myself as a neighborhood, totally immersed in its timeless magnificence.
At Christmas, I liked that the charming environment within the lanes turns up a number of notches. That is when the elegant buildings are adorned with tons of of twinkling lights and when the retailers begin promoting beautiful handcrafted Christmas decorations, which I spent hours gazing at!
2. Go for a drink in one of many cosy bars
This time of 12 months, Germany appears to be experiencing its personal model of “Hygge”, and I feel there’s no higher place to expertise this than in one in all their bars or eating places.
I spent my time wandering town centre’s quaint, cobbled lanes, gawping on the Christmas lights, after which buying and selling in the dead of night, chilly winter night time for a comfortable drink or two at one of many inviting bars, which have been typically illuminated by tender, heat lighting.
Consuming in Regensburg continues to be as conventional and laid-back as you’d anticipate it to be in Bavaria but additionally exceptionally elegant. My private favorite bars included Orphée, Kaminski, and Hemingway’s and I discovered them lurking within the heady maze of alleys between Haidplatz and Neupfarrplatz.
3. Discover the Romantic Christmas Market!
I’d by no means skilled a Christmas Market as atmospheric and mysterious as this one! Regensburg’s Outdated City was crammed with tons of of listed buildings however this palace and its grounds have been most undoubtedly the jewel within the crown. Through the center of the 18th century, the princes of Thurn and Taxis turned a former monastery into a good looking palace residence.
From the twenty ninth of November to the twenty third of December annually, the palace turns right into a magical Christmas Market, which I assumed may have been plucked straight from a Bavarian storybook!
Identified regionally because the ‘Romantic Market,’ the doorway was actually jaw-dropping – all of it felt very Recreation of Thrones with a path impressively illuminated by flame torches resulting in a big array of conventional stalls and huts. These have been adorned with freshly minimize pine and spruce branches, providing winter rugs, Christmas ornaments, clothes, and handcrafted metalware. All of this was encircled by a sea of glowing lights. Wow!
Smaller illuminated pathways led to alfresco champagne bars perched excessive on a hill, right down to picturesque conventional kids’s fairground rides, or towards cosy Glühwein stalls.
I liked that it was a visible feast for all of the senses. Smoke from open campfires billowed into the frosty darkness, whereas the aromas of burnt sweet and caramelised almonds permeated the air. The regal sounds of bugles signalled the beginning and finish of the festivities. To me, it was pure perfection in a Christmas market!
4. Dine out in Stadtamhof
Stadtamhof is a small Bavarian neighbourhood in the course of the unbiased metropolis of Regensburg. I reached it simply by strolling over the stone bridge that crossed the Danube River (the oldest preserved bridge in the entire of Germany).
It’s a spot the place residents benefit from the peacefulness of its offset location on the banks of the Danube, but they have been nonetheless solely a stone’s throw from town. I liked the relaxed, cosy vibe there.
I discovered it to be a chic and picturesque neighborhood, lined with a nice assortment of bars, eating places, and small retailers nonetheless run by the identical households. With its nice selection of eating places that exude an actual native vibe, I personally suppose it’s the most effective areas to eat out within the metropolis!
5. Discover the Introduction Christmas Market
This time of 12 months, Regensburg hosts at least 4 separate Christmas markets, and in my view, every is a must-see! Once I final visited Regensburg in the summertime, this space remodeled into a good looking beer backyard with a much-envied spot on the Danube River.
I really like how, through the winter, it transforms right into a magical Christmas market. I particularly adored the superbly illuminated cathedral and the gathering of conventional stalls, flanked by open campfires and a towering Christmas tree. With extra freshly made culinary delights and Glühwein than one may probably take pleasure in, it was pure bliss!
6. Keep on the Inexperienced Spirt Design Lodge
The Inexperienced Spirit Lodge was our lodging throughout our keep, and it completely captured town’s distinctive, new boutique vibe. Set in a historic 18th-century constructing that when served as a brewery—a really Bavarian contact—it now capabilities as a classy resort with a contemporary annex.
The stylish eating room, fashionable but quirky minimalist decor, and a beautiful courtyard backyard full with a greenhouse (the place greens and herbs utilized by the resort chef are grown) made it completely lovable!
