6 Best Sights in Regensburg, Franconia and the German Danube

Southwest of Regensburg, on the bank of the Danube, stands one of Germany's most spectacular Benedictine abbeys. Constructed between 1716 and 1718, it's commonly regarded as the masterpiece of brothers Cosmas Damian and Egid Quirin Asam, whose extraordinary composition of lavish polished marble, highly wrought statuary, and stucco figures dancing along curving walls is the epitome of Bavarian baroque. Look above the high altar, where a bronze equestrian statue of St. George is dispatching a winged dragon with his flamelike sword.

No Bavarian monastery is complete without a brewery, and Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg serves up excellent frothy beers and hearty German food. You can also buy bottles of beer to go. Kids will gravitate to the riverside beach, which is perfect for skimming stones (beware bathers!)

The most dramatic approach to the abbey is by river from Kelheim, 10 km (6 miles) downstream, where boats wind between towering limestone cliffs that rise above tree-lined riverbanks. There are several departures a day mid-March through October (€11.50 single; €19.50 return). You can also drive, but expect a 2-km (1¼-mile) round-trip walk from the parking lot (€4.50; cash only) to the abbey.

This impressive medieval bridge resting on massive stone pontoons is Regensburg's most celebrated sight. It was completed in 1146 and was rightfully considered a miraculous piece of engineering at the time. As the only crossing point over the Danube for miles, it effectively cemented Regensburg's control over trade. The significance of the little statue on the bridge is a mystery, but the figure seems to be a witness to the legendary rivalry between the master builders of the bridge and those of the Dom.

Erected by the Carolingian order in the 9th century, the sober exterior of the Kollegiatstift unserer Lieben Frau zur alten Kapelle (Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady Regensburg)—widely known as simply Alte Kapelle (Old Chapel)—gives way to a joyously gilded interior. Step inside to discover rococo treasures galore, including extravagant concoctions of sinuous gilt stucco, rich marble, and giddy frescoes, with the whole place illuminated by light pouring in from the upper windows.

Regensburg's transcendent cathedral, modeled on the airy, powerful lines of French Gothic architecture, is something of a rarity this far south in Germany. Begun in the 13th century, it stands on the site of a much earlier Carolingian church and can hold a remarkable 6,000 people, three times the population of Regensburg when building began (though only a fraction of the population when it was finally finished by Ludwig I of Bavaria almost 600 years later).

Before heading into the Dom, take time to admire the intricate and frothy carvings of its facade. Inside, the glowing 14th-century stained glass in the choir and exquisitely detailed statues of Gabriel and the Virgin in the crossing (the intersection of the nave and the transepts) are among the church's outstanding features. Don't miss the small octagonal chapel, all sturdy grace and massive walls, built by Italian masons from the mid-12th century; you can barely make out the faded remains of stylized 11th-century frescoes on its ancient walls. And consider visiting the Domschatz (Cathedral Treasury) to see valuables dating back to the 11th century, including some vestments and monstrances still used during special services; it's under renovation but should reopen September 2025.

Built in AD 179 under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, this is one of only two preserved Roman gates north of the Alps (the other is the Porta Nigra in Trier). A rough-hewn limestone gate, it originally served as the northern wall of the Roman legionary camp Castra Regina. Today, the most visible remaining sections are the exposed archway and the neighboring tower on Unter den Schwibbögen street, but if you look through the grille on the gate's east side, you'll also see a section of the original Roman road, about 10 feet below today's street level.

The family church of the Thurn und Taxis family stands across from their ancestral palace, the Schloss Emmeram. The foundations of the church date to the 7th and 8th centuries. A richly decorated baroque interior was added in 1730 by the Asam brothers. St. Emmeram contains the graves of the 7th-century martyred Regensburg bishop Emmeram and the 10th-century saint Wolfgang.