Regensburg

Regensburg is one Germany's oldest towns, founded by the Romans in 179 A.D. Today Regensburg is a prosperous city of about 150,000 inhabitants, 3 universities and many landmarks, most dated to the Middle Ages. Since July 2006 the old city of Regensburg has been a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Regensburg has a comprehensive public bus network. Buses are frequent (10 minute intervals during peak hours) and run until around midnight every day. The centre of the bus network is the "Albertstrasse" station just opposite the train station. The main thing to keep in mind is that the university and residential areas lie south of the rail tracks, the old town lies north of the the rail tracks and ends at the Danube river.

The city centre is reasonable compact and mostly pedestrianised, so is best explored on foot. There is also an "Altstadtbus" that travels around the old city centre, and from there to and from the train station.

Driving in or into the city centre is very difficult, but anywhere else it's no problem to go around by car. Boat trips are available along the river Danube to explore nearby tourist attractions, such as the Walhalla.

The main attraction of Regensburg is its excellently preserved medieval city centre with the cathedral and the stone bridge being the highlights. As one of the few cities in Germany largely undamaged during the Second World War, Regensburg boasts the largest preserved medieval city centre in Germany. It is sometimes called "the northernmost city of Italy" due to the lively places and streets with lovely outdoor cafes during summer, as well as the large number of Italian-style medieval merchant houses and towers. The historic centre lies next to the river Danube (Donau), and crossing the medieval stone bridge into the town provides a perfect entrance to the city.