Augsburg

Introduction

Augsburg lies in the Bavarian region of Swabia, roughly 50 kilometres west of Munich, and serves as the regional seat of Swabia. It is a university town with a well-preserved Altstadt, and it functions as an urban district while also hosting the institutions of the surrounding Landkreis Augsburg.

Before you go

Augsburg is the administrative capital and local centre of Bavarian Swabia, and from 1276 until nearly the end of the Holy Roman Empire it was a free imperial city — nominally subject to nobody but the Emperor, but in practice self-governing as a city state. Its name comes not from the German word for eyes, as many Germans assume, but from its Roman name, Augusta Vindelicorum. The city sits in Munich's shadow, yet it has a lot to offer, so plan your time around its historic core rather than treating it as a stopover.

You can get an overview before arriving through the Augsburg Tourism website. On safety, you have little to worry about: Augsburg is very safe, including at night. Crime tends to be domestic violence, which is rare, drug abuse, or alcohol-fuelled fights in bars. Don't be afraid to walk the small, poorly lit alleys of the historic district — they are beautiful, especially after dark.

Getting there

Augsburg sits on the Munich–Stuttgart rail corridor, and most long-distance trains calling at Augsburg Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) are heading into or out of Munich. Note that the faster Munich–Nuremberg line via Ingolstadt means only some ICEs from Munich stop here, so if a cheap long-distance ticket only lists Munich, double back from there. Long-distance services run in most directions: west toward Ulm, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Hamburg, with some trains branching at Stuttgart toward Karlsruhe and Basel; north via Donauwörth, Nuremberg, Bamberg and Erfurt to Berlin or Hamburg, with a few ICEs running via Würzburg instead; and a single morning TGV to Paris Est, while other Paris trips need a change, usually in Mannheim or Karlsruhe. For Vienna, change in Munich onto an ÖBB Railjet or RJX, or take WESTbahn through Augsburg Hbf on its Stuttgart–Ulm–Günzburg–Augsburg–Munich–Salzburg–Vienna Westbahnhof route, a couple of trains a day, typically mid-morning and late afternoon; WESTbahn is a separate ticket, not valid on a Bayern-Ticket or a plain DB ICE fare. ÖBB Nightjet sleepers also call at Augsburg Hbf, running Amsterdam–Cologne–Nuremberg–Augsburg–Munich–Innsbruck and Venice–Munich–Augsburg–Ulm–Stuttgart. There is no useful long-distance shortcut to Munich Airport; use regional trains plus S-Bahn instead.

Regional trains fan out in every direction: east to Munich in about 40–50 minutes on the RE, usually twice an hour, with a slower RB also running via Hochzoll, Kissing and Mering, plus a separate RB to Friedberg, Aichach and Ingolstadt; west to Ulm and Neu-Ulm via Neusäß, Gessertshausen and Dinkelscherben; north to Donauwörth and on toward Treuchtlingen and Nuremberg, and the Ries line via Donauwörth to Nördlingen and Aalen; and south on the Buchloe line via Morellstraße, Inningen and, on fair days, Messe, toward Kaufbeuren and into the Allgäu at Memmingen, Kempten and the alpine end-points of Füssen and Oberstdorf, usually with a change at Buchloe or Kempten. For a slower scenic option from Munich, take the S4 to Geltendorf and change to the BRB toward Augsburg, hourly, with landscapes between Geltendorf and Mering; both legs are valid on a Bayern-Ticket. A Bayern-Ticket covers all regional trains (not ICE, IC or Nightjet) and local trams and buses in Bavaria, and a Deutschland-Ticket is valid the same way every day; buy in the DB Navigator app or at machines. Beyond the Hauptbahnhof, regional trains also stop at Augsburg-Oberhausen west of the centre on the Donauwörth and Ulm lines, useful if you are staying in Oberhausen or Kriegsaber; at Augsburg Haunstetterstraße south of the old town on the Munich trunk line, handy for Königsplatz, the university and the southern districts; at Augsburg-Hochzoll east of the Lech, the junction for Munich and Ingolstadt/Friedberg trains; and at Augsburg Messe south of Hbf on the Buchloe line, the halt for the exhibition grounds, with the university campus next door.

By plane, Augsburg is most easily reached by train from Munich Airport: take the S-Bahn S1 or S8 to München Hauptbahnhof, about 45 minutes, then a regional train to Augsburg, planning 2–2½ hours in total. A bus or private transfer can be faster if you are a group or have a lot of luggage. Buy a Bayern-Ticket at the airport station machines or in the DB Navigator app; it covers the S-Bahn and the regional train to Augsburg plus trams and buses in the city, but is not valid on ICE or IC. Other major airports within reach are Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Frankfurt, all with train links requiring at least one change and an easy drive; for low-cost airlines, Memmingen Airport is used by Ryanair and Wizz Air and is under an hour by car, about 1½–2 hours by public transport. Augsburg Airport itself is a general aviation airfield with no scheduled passenger airlines.

Long-distance coaches do not use the Hauptbahnhof; they stop at the park-and-ride on the north side of town at Biberbachstraße 9, a three-minute walk to the tram 4 stop Oberhausen Nord P+R and then into town toward Königsplatz or Hbf. FlixBus and occasional other coaches stop here, with typical links to Munich, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and further across Germany; check your ticket for the exact bay, as it is an open P+R rather than a hall.

By car, Augsburg lies just south of the A8 between Munich and Stuttgart. From the north (Donauwörth, Romantic Road) use the B2; from the south (Landsberg, Allgäu) the B17; both federal roads run into town. The old town is a parking problem, so use a P+R (West, Nord or Hochzoll) and ride the tram in, as parking in town is expensive.

Getting around

Public transport in Augsburg is organised under the AVV, which brings together trams, city buses and regional trains within the Augsburg fare area. For most visits the zone that matters is the Innenraum (zones 10–20), covering the city itself. Buy tickets in the meinAVV or swa Mobil app, at ticket machines, or on the bus; paper tickets must be stamped before travel, while tickets in the app are already valid. Travelling without a valid ticket carries a fine. AVV tickets do not cover through travel to Munich or Ulm — for those journeys you need a DB ticket, a Bayern-Ticket or a Deutschland-Ticket. If you already hold a Bayern-Ticket or a Deutschland-Ticket, you do not need a separate city ticket, as both are valid on AVV trams and buses.

Trams are the backbone of the network, meeting at two central hubs, Königsplatz and Hauptbahnhof, which makes changing between lines straightforward. One line serves the university, another heads for Oberhausen Nord and the park-and-ride where long-distance coaches stop, and another runs toward the Textilmuseum and Friedberg. On match days and during fairs, special tram lines run to the stadium and the exhibition grounds. City buses fill the gaps the rails miss, such as the zoo and botanical garden, and night buses cover the hours after the last tram from Thursday to Sunday, giving a thin around-the-clock service on those nights rather than a full network; village buses outside the city can be infrequent, especially on Sundays. Regional trains are best for reaching the suburbs rather than the old town, with a frequent trunk route through Hochzoll, Haunstetterstraße, Hauptbahnhof and Oberhausen, and other lines reaching Friedberg, Mering, Bobingen, Neusäß, Inningen and the Messe halt.

The old town is compact and pleasant on foot, and the city is mostly flat, which makes cycling an excellent way to reach the suburbs and the riverside landscapes along the Lech and Wertach; the UNESCO World Heritage Water Management System includes several sites outside the centre that a bike makes easier to visit. Bikes can be rented at several bus stations through the Stadtwerke, as well as from bike shops in the city. A car is useful for the motorways and federal roads and for reaching villages, but parking in the centre is a genuine problem and the old town is largely residents-only or short-stay — the practical approach is to leave the car at one of the park-and-ride sites (West, Nord or Hochzoll) and take the tram in.

Where to stay

Augsburg has a handful of cheap places to stay, including a Jugendherberge and a private hostel, Übernacht Hostel on Karlstraße near the town hall.

For a mid-range option, the Holiday Inn Express on Nagahama-Allee offers modern furnishings, free internet if you ask, and a basic but good breakfast, with limited parking; it sits three minutes from a shopping mall and about a fifteen-minute walk from the city hall. If you want to splurge, the Steigenberger on Maximilianstraße and the Dorint An der Kongresshalle on Imhofstraße are the upmarket choices.

Food & drink

Augsburg has its own specialties worth seeking out. Try Zwetschgendatschi, the city's famous plum cake, and Bosna, a sausage served in a bun with hot sauce and onions. Another local favourite is Kässpatzen, a handmade pasta dish topped with melted mountain cheese and caramelised onions.

• For budget eating, head to the Stadtmarkt (enter from Fuggerstraße or Annastraße), where the Fleischhalle and Viktualienhalle stalls serve typical Bavarian, Greek, Thai and sushi options; they are open at lunchtime and popular with locals, and closed on Sundays.
• Bakeries are a good bet for snacks, while Cumpanum at the northern end of Annastraße and Laxgang (shop at the end of Milchberg, close to Puppenkiste) are pricier but high quality.
• Cosmos Heart Cafe in Traunerpassage is a small, cosy vegetarian spot for teas, coffee, sandwiches, bagels and homemade cake.
• For cheap vegetarian fast food, try Razz Fazz Finger food at Moritzplatz (falafel and samosas, take-away only) or Kichererbse Imbiss '98 on Annastraße.
• Arkadas Döner on Maximilianstraße is handy for a late snack near the bars, and Bosna Imbißstube on Judenberg serves the local sausage specialty.
• Mid-range options include Thing in the Altstadt, best for Kässpatzen, and Riegele Wirtshaus next to the brewery for fresh beer, Swabian cuisine and the citron lemonade Chabeso.
• For sweets, Kaffeehaus Dichtl at Moritzplatz offers cakes, pastries, pralines and chocolates.

Much of the nightlife clusters around Maximilianstraße and the historic district beneath it, with everything from disco to student bars, and it is generally cheaper than in Munich. The Riegele beer garden near the central train station is a good place to go, and several beer gardens have their own children's playgrounds.

What to see and do

Augsburg's historic core rewards wandering: the old town is a dense web of narrow, crooked alleys and small lanes, and it is one of the country's largest historic centres. Start around Rathausplatz, where the city hall, built in the early 17th century by Elias Holl, stands as a major example of German Renaissance architecture; its Golden Hall, carefully reconstructed after wartime destruction, sits on the second storey. Beside it rises the Perlachturm, a tall tower that serves as a landmark of the old town. Nearby on Maximilianstraße you can see the Schaezlerpalais, whose Rococo hall is at least as striking as the Golden Hall, along with its gallery of Baroque and Rococo art and an attached state gallery in a former church holding late-medieval and early-Renaissance paintings. The 16th-century Fugger Stadtpalast, the former residence of Jakob Fugger, was rebuilt in simplified forms after World War II. At Moritzplatz, the Weavers' House is a former guild house whose painted façade is best viewed from the square, and the Merkur fountain beside it belongs to the city's UNESCO water-management site.

The water management system, a network of canals and water towers begun in the 14th century to supply hydraulic power, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and comprises many individual objects scattered across town. Religious buildings worth seeking out include the cathedral, founded in the 11th century in Romanesque style and home to some of the oldest preserved stained glass of its kind, with a cloister linking it to the diocesan museum where the Romanesque bronze door is displayed. St. Anna Kirche, the main Protestant church, blends Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism styles and contains the Fugger Chapel, the earliest Renaissance structure in Bavaria. St. Moritz was stripped back to stone, wood and light in a recent renovation, while the small Romanesque St. Peter am Perlach draws pilgrims for its painting of Mary Undoer of Knots. The synagogue, built in the early 20th century with Art Nouveau and oriental elements, survived the Nazi regime largely intact and still serves the local congregation, also housing a Jewish museum. For museums, the Maximilianmuseum displays Augsburg's history, including Renaissance bronze sculptures from the UNESCO-listed fountains, and the Römisches Museum in the former St. Magdalena church shows Roman finds from the area. The Fugger und Welser Erlebnismuseum explores the city's powerful merchant families, the Textilmuseum covers its drapery industry, and the Bahnpark occupies a historic locomotive depot. For entertainment, the Augsburger Puppenkiste stages fairy tales with marionettes and often sells out, so reserve ahead. The zoo and the botanical garden next to it sit along a brook and are reachable by bus.

Festivals & events

December brings the Christkindlmarkt to Augsburg, the city's Christmas market and the one festival the source material names for the year. If your visit falls in that month, plan around it rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Three days in Augsburg

Day one: Start in the Altstadt, the old town at the heart of Augsburg, and get your bearings in a city whose roots reach back to the Roman settlement of Augusta Vindelicorum and which later played its part in the Holy Roman Empire. Take your time over the streets and squares rather than rushing between sights, and let the scale of the place set the pace for the rest of your stay.

Day two: Look beyond the city itself into Bavarian Swabia and the surrounding Landkreis Augsburg, the district that shares its name with the city. This is your day for the wider region, with the option of heading out towards Munich, Stuttgart, Ulm or Nuremberg if you want a change of scene, or staying closer to home and exploring what the Swabian countryside around Augsburg has to offer.

Day three: Use your last day to fill in whatever you missed and to make the most of the transport links. Augsburg Central Station, the Hauptbahnhof, puts ICEs within easy reach of places such as Munich, Nuremberg, Ingolstadt, Ulm, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Basel, Donauwörth and Bamberg, so you can shape the day around an onward journey or a final look at the Altstadt before you leave.