Bavaria’s most important Gothic cathedral, built between 1275 and 1634 in French Gothic style unusual for the region, features original medieval stained glass windows, a silver altar, and the Domspatzen boys’ choir whose tradition spans over 1,000 years. The twin 105-meter spires, completed only in the 1860s, define Regensburg’s skyline.

The Reichstagmuseum within preserves the Imperial Hall where the Perpetual Imperial Diet—the Holy Roman Empire’s parliament—convened continuously from 1663 to 1806, along with the medieval torture chambers where confessions were extracted from accused criminals. Guided tours reveal both the pomp and brutality of imperial justice.

This Roman gate from 179 A.D., surviving to nearly its original height of 10 meters, marks the northern entrance to the legionary fortress Castra Regina—one of the most significant Roman monuments in Germany and evidence of Regensburg’s 2,000-year urban continuity.

This complex encompasses a medieval abbey founded around 739 with Romanesque crypt and Gothic cloisters, absorbed into the baroque and rococo palace of the Thurn und Taxis postal dynasty following secularization in 1812. Still the family’s residence, it opens for tours revealing opulent state rooms and the medieval church.

Operating beside the Stone Bridge since approximately 1146—originally feeding bridge construction workers—this tiny establishment claims to be the world’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. The charcoal-grilled sausages with sauerkraut and sweet mustard follow recipes unchanged for centuries.

This underground museum beneath the central square, opened in 1998, reveals the archaeological remains of Regensburg’s medieval Jewish quarter, destroyed when the community was expelled in 1519. Mikveh (ritual bath) remains, cellar structures, and the original synagogue foundations bear witness to a thriving community erased by persecution.

Some fifty medieval tower houses survive in Regensburg, built by merchant families asserting their wealth and status through vertical ambition in the Italian style. The nine-story Goldener Turm (Golden Tower) on Wahlenstraße and the Baumburger Turm rank among the most impressive, rivaling the tower houses of San Gimignano.

Despite its modest Romanesque exterior dating from the 9th century, this church’s interior explodes with rococo exuberance following an 18th-century renovation—gilded stucco, painted ceilings, elaborate frescoes, and ornate altarpieces create one of Bavaria’s most lavishly decorated sacred spaces.

Perched on a hill above the Danube 10 kilometers east of Regensburg, this neoclassical temple modeled on the Athenian Parthenon honors distinguished figures of Germanic history and culture through 130 marble busts and 65 commemorative plaques. Commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria and completed in 1842, it offers commanding Danube views and controversial reflections on national identity.