Mac Lacy joined German-American beer culture guide Ted Keppler for a tour through Bavaria and Thuringia during the 2025 fall festival season, visiting three Historic Highlights of Germany cities: Augsburg, Regensburg, and Erfurt. Their journey reveals how Germany’s beer traditions extend far beyond Oktoberfest into centuries-old community celebrations where generations gather to preserve cultural heritage.
What Select Traveler Discovered:
Augsburg
- A Roman settlement turned UNESCO World Heritage Site, where innovative water systems dating from the 14th to 17th centuries remain among the city’s most fascinating features
- Riegele Wirtshaus, a revered Bavarian restaurant with brewing roots reaching back to 1386
- The Fuggerei — Europe’s oldest social housing project, founded 500 years ago by merchant Jakob Fugger.
- The Augsburg Plarrer festival, where tradition dictates that proper toasts require locking eyes with tablemates
Regensburg
- The 900-year-old Stone Bridge spanning the Danube is part of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage distinction.
- Medieval towers built by competing merchants who once ranked among Europe’s wealthiest
- The Regensburg Dult festival, where 2,000 guests gather in traditional dirndls and lederhosen
- A Sunday morning festival breakfast featuring Schweinebraten with traditional orchestra — a cherished family tradition
Erfurt
- A Thuringian gem now thriving 36 years after liberation from Soviet occupation.
- Martin Luther’s university city and the Augustinian Monastery, where he took his vows
- The Old Synagogue, once among Europe’s largest, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Merchants Bridge, a 14th-century stone arch lined with more than 30 homes and shops
Read Mac Lacy’s full story on not to be missed beer festivals in three of our 17 Historic Highlights heritage cities here: selecttraveler.com