Regensburg's Riverbanks in a nutshell

If you had just a few days in Regensburg, here is what I would advise you to do first of all. Providing the weather is fine, and it should be at this time of year – barring seasonal thunderstorms, of course – take a walk around the city’s riverbanks and islands. There are many paths you can take, on both sides of the river and both sides of each island, some being more adventurous than others of course.

 

It is in the nature of river islands that they are long and pointed at each end, something unknown to this coastal dweller before I saw it. There are three islands in the immediate vicinity of the city of Regensburg, connected to each other and the banks of the Danube by dozens of bridges, from the motorway and nearby footbridge at the dam in the west, to the sleek double span of the Nibelungenbruecke in the east. You can walk around all of the city’s waterways – on the inside, outside, and through the middle, so that you can take a different walk each day and rarely have to repeat a route.

 

Many of the most picturesque routes begin at the Eiserner Steg, a footbridge at the bottom of the street called Engelburg where I once lived. A glance up Engelburgergasse should reveal a tall house with a cross on top: this was my home for nearly four years. On crossing over the river to the north side, you arrive on the uppermost island, the Oberer Wöhrd. At the bridge’s other end is the Goldene Ente (Golden Duck), a lovely traditional pub and beergarden where you can get a good Bavarian snack such as baked camembert or bratwurst by the pair, with the local sweet brown mustard. Turning right here, and being careful to take the next little path on the right, you will be guided to a thin spit of land connecting the upper island with the lower one. It was constructed from stone many hundreds of years ago, and leads you along to cross under the famous Steinerne Bruecke, dating to 1135. From the spit you have the best views across the water to the city skyline of colourful stone and plastered buildings, and the cathedral spires soaring above.

 

Arriving at the lower island, you may continue to the right and return to the city by way of the Eiserne Bruecke, or left along a grassy bank and find another bridge to take you north again to the central island of Stadtamhof, with its Napoleonic architecture and leafy parks. A walk all the way to the west of this island will connect you with the western tip of the upper island at the dam, where you can return to your starting point.

 

But that is just one of the options I have walked many a time. Staying on the city side and heading east until the last bridge, the Nibelungen, will take you on a tour of the riverbanks themselves – a peek into the historic Villapark is well worthwhile, as it shows the extent of the medieval fortification and moat – and into the northern reaches of the city centre. The north bank is divided by the river Regen, which empties into the Danube here, giving you another bridge to cross. And on your return you may choose the nearer barge lock bridge (damaged by an explosion in 2008, but still accessible by pedestrians) or the farther and much loftier footbridge to take you to the dam and back around via the Herzogspark – locked at sunset, but not to be missed due to its botanical garden and an ancient tower for you to climb and view the rooftops.

 

If you had more time, say a week or two, my best advice would be to borrow or rent a bicycle and get out in the countryside. Along the north bank to the east are many marvels: the ruins of the castle at Donaustauf, set high upon a hill with amazing views; just beyond it, the immense marble temple called Walhalla, built by Ludwig I to honour famous Germans; and countless fields and vineyards along the way. To the west one may begin by ascending the Dreifaltigkeitsberg to the church visible northwards from Stadtamhof. A pleasant path leads west along the ridge of the hill as far as you care to go, or if you come to the end and descend, the return along the riverbank is equally pretty. The south bank to the west also has much to offer: a wide pathway popular with joggers and cyclists leads to a large park behind the thermal pool complex, and if you go even farther (by bike is a must for this distance) you can cross a railway bridge and visit Mariaort, a pilgrimage church complex just on the other side.

 

But wherever you walk, be sure and absorb the colours in the sunset sky, the green of the grass, the lapping of the river, the sound of the breeze in the trees. These are the chief treasures of riverbank wandering in Regensburg as I know it.