Visiting Regensburg While on a River Cruise

Visiting Regensburg While on a River Cruise

While on my recent Romantic Danube river cruise on Viking Atla with Viking River Cruises, I had a chance to visit several new cities including Regensburg, Germany.  The second I stepped off the ship, I knew I was somewhere special.  I felt like we arrived at a fairytale castle when I looked up at this structure, the Prebrunnturm, which is a square medieval tower dating back to 1293, inside Herzogspark.  This from Regensburg Tourism:

This park, situated at the western end of the Old City green belt, served the purpose of encircling the city in the Middle Ages, and is clearly recognizable by the four-story Prebrunnturm (Prebrunn Tower) which still exists today. The Herzogspark is impressive in particular today by its connection to architecturally valuable monuments and lovingly arranged lawns and flowerbeds. A Renaissance garden forms the heart of the complex, inviting you to go for long walks.

While I could have taken the cruise line’s included organized tour, Karla and I decided to go rogue and wander off on our own.   I love, love, love having a partner in crime who is as willing as I am to venture off and simply explore and whatever happens, happens.

As we walked along the streets not quite sure of what direction we were headed, Karla stopped someone and asked for assistance.  With a last name of Krueger you’d expect me to be the one asking for assistance in German, but no, I can’t speak a word of German.  Instead, it was my polyglot friend Karla who rescued us in this and many other situations.  You have to love German hospitality as the gentleman not only assisted us, but walked us to the center of town while also providing valuable insight and travel tips on Regensburg. More on what he shared with us in my next post.

The buildings and the cobblestone streets are part of the long history of Regensburg, a city in the southeastern part of Germany situated at the confluence of the Danube, Naab, and Regen River, dating back to 72 AD.Click To Tweet

The buildings and the cobblestone streets are part of the long history of Regensburg, a city in the southeastern part of Germany situated at the confluence of the Danube, Naab, and Regen River, dating back to 72 AD.

TSG Tip: Did you know that Regensburg owns the largest medieval old town north of the Alps?  Still standing are the Roman Gates of 179 AD!

After walking around the city, it was easy to see why Regensburg was among the top sights and travel attractions in Germany in 2014.  It has everything a tourist wants and more from history, cathedrals and churches, bridges, food, beer, and photo ops galore.  You can’t help but feel transported back in time in this city.  As someone who feels like they are perpetually living life on a hamster wheel, it took a while to adjust to the slower pace, but when I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  But that might have been the beer talking.

Some notable residents of Regensburg include Pope Benedict XVI, who was professor of theology at the University of Regensburg from 1969-1977 and Oskar Schindler of “Schindler’s List.”  I had so much fun while visiting Regensburg while on a river cruise!

Up next we’ll look at some architecture, including the many churches and cathedrals, and of course, we have to stop for lunch and a beer!

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I was a guest of Viking River Cruises for this cruise, but as always — all opinions and photographs are my own.