In this guide we have included tips on what to do, accommodation, tourist attractions, restaurant and other information for your best visit in Augsburg in Bavaria (or in German Bayern), state of Germany. Including Fuggerei and Fuggerhäuser, its beautiful Botanical Garden and other buildings important to German history.
A travel itinerary for Augsburg can be part of planning to see the entire Romantic Route of Germany, the most popular tourist itinerary in the country, or even a weekend or holiday e-back.
We write about 8 of the best attractions on the Romantic Road in Germany with up-to-date tips, be sure to check it out.
Find the best options for tours and tourist attractions in Augsburg, Germany.
Where is the city of Augsburg in Germany
Augsburg is a city in the south of the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital and seat of administration of Swabia and the third largest city in Bavaria, after Munich and Nuremberg.
It is located at the confluence of the Wertach and Lech rivers.
Augsburg is 80 km from Munich (approximately 1h journey). I haven’t taken the train to the city yet, but you can search for an option on the Deutsch Bahn. Having as a reference the capital of the country, it is 572 km from Berlin and even though it is far, it is possible to go by car (approx. 6h), in relation to other cities, it is 164 km from Stuttgart (approx. 2h) and 362 km from Frankfurt (approx. 3h30min).
As you can see, we are getting closer to the city of Munich, which becomes the best option in terms of origin and stay for your visit. If you want to go by train from Munich, the journey takes approximately 35 minutes (see route on Google Maps).
If you are in Augsburg it is also possible to book a tour to Munich:
How to get to Augsburg in Germany
The best way to travel in Germany is very much up to you. We alternated a lot between using the country’s excellent rail network and also taking advantage of the no less excellent German roads and highways (who has never heard of the Autobahns with no speed limit, right?).
German Romantic Road
The German Romantic Route is the name given to a travel itinerary in southern Germany that crosses the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in>. It passes through 460 kilometers and 29 cities, starting in Würzburg to Füssen (where is the famous Neuschwanstein Castle) linking various historic attractions and picturesque castles.
Augsburg is part of the suggested itinerary and we have a complete and well-detailed travel guide with tips on how to get to know Germany’s Romantic Road, be sure to check it out.
Suggestions for activities and tours on the German Romantic Road:
Where to stay in Augsburg in Germany – Hotel, hostel and Bed & Breakfast
Although it is not very common to choose the city of Augsburg as a base to get to know the Romantic Route (it is much more common for example stay in Munich and take a trip back), there are many good options for accommodation.
The best rated hotels in Augsburg close to the city center that you can analyze to choose where to stay are:
- Best Western Hotel Augusta
- Ludwigstraße 2 ( Eingang Kesselmarkt), 86152 Augsburg, Germany
- 8.1 – Very good out of 2,463 reviews
- Ideal for traveling as a couple
- Guest Comments: Wonderful bed, bathroom with heater and great shower, good cleaning, very tasty breakfast. Excellent location, we did everything on foot!
- City Hotel Ost am Kö
- Fuggerstrasse 4 -6, 86150 Augsburg, Germany
- 8.5 – Very good from 2,369 reviews
- Guest Reviews: The bed was excellent, the spacious room and the excellent bathroom. The location is perfect for exploring the city and the garage to store the car is good and cheap. The breakfast included in the rate is excellent.
- Leonardo Hotel Augsburg
- Langenmantelstraße 31 , 86153 Augsburg, Germany
- 9.0 – Great out of 1,045 reviews
- Ideal for traveling as a couple
- Accommodation participating in the Sustainable Travel program
- Guest Comments: The hotel is very comfortable and well located. Breakfast is award-worthy, it’s unique! The hotel’s atmosphere is very nice, whether in the reception, rooms or in the fantastic bar and restaurant.
- Maximilian’s Hotel
- Maximilianstrasse 40, 86150 Augsburg, Germany
- 8.9 – Out of 1,567 reviews
- Transfer (airport)
- Accommodation participating in the Sustainable Travel program
- Guest Comments: Very comfortable room, paid parking but easy access, we like the hotel bar. Very well located! We did all the city tours on foot. We had coffee at a nearby place, it was great.
- Hotel Augsburger Hof
- Auf dem Kreuz 2, 86152 Augsburg, Germany
- 8.4 – Very Good from 1,238 Reviews
- Guest Reviews: Friendly staff. Great location. Good breakfast.
There are many other accommodation options in hotels, hostels and inns, be sure to check them out at Booking.com page.
What to do in Augsburg in Germany
The name of the city, which is one of the oldest in Germany, dates back to the Roman army camp founded in 15 BC and the capital of the Roman province Augusta Vindelicum, which carried out extensive military campaigns and established administrative settlements. at the convergence of the Alpine rivers Lech and Wertach, what became Augsburg was known as Augusta Vindelicorum, meaning “the august city of the Vindelici”.
In its history, it was a Free Imperial City from 1276 to 1803 and the home of the patrician Fugger and Welser families who dominated European banking in the 16th century. With its strategic location at an intersection of trade routes to Italy, the Free Imperial City of Augsburg became an important trading center.
Augsburg produced vast amounts of cloth, fabric, and fabric. Augsburg became the base for two prominent banking families, the Fuggers and the Welsers. The Fugger family donated the Fuggerei part of the city dedicated to housing for needy citizens in 1516, which remains in use today.
The city became a major city in 1909 and, with around 300,000 inhabitants, is the third largest city in Bavaria after Munich and Nuremberg.
Augsburg suffered severe damage from air raids during World War II, as the city, with the production facilities of major armaments companies (including Messerschmitt and MAN), was a military target for Allied bomber groups. The old town with its important buildings was largely rebuilt after the end of the war, with some works continuing to this day.
The city is (apart from Berlin) the only German city with a public holiday limited to the city area, the Augsburg High Peace Festival, which is celebrated every year on 8 August. This makes Augsburg the city with the most public holidays in Germany.
In 2019, UNESCO recognized the Augsburg Water Management System as a World Heritage Site.
“Stoinerne Ma“, one of the legends of Augsburg
The “Stoinerne Ma” (“Stony Man”) is a life-size stone figure on the eastern city wall of Augsburg, in the area of the so-called “Swedish Staircase”, located in the immediate vicinity of Galluskirche and St. Stephan Convent. It’s probably a one-armed baker with a loaf of bread and a shield.
According to legend, it was the baker “Konrad Hackher” who, during a long siege of the city, baked a loaf of sawdust and threw it into the ditch clearly visible to the besiegers above the city wall. . This is said to have given the impression that Augsburg would still have so much bread that it could be thrown over the wall. This so demoralized the besiegers that they shot him with a crossbow hitting his arm. However, this action would have influenced the end of the siege of the city.
Historically, the event belongs to the Thirty Years’ War, more precisely to the Siege of Augsburg during the years 1634 and 35, when the Bavarian Catholic troops under the command of Field Marshal von Wahl wanted recapture the city occupied by Protestant Swedes.
But like many urban legends from Germany and the world, this baker’s action is not reliably proven.
The statue is often visited by walkers who stroll along the city wall. As it is said to be lucky to touch the stone figure’s iron nose, this custom has become particularly popular among couples in love.
Augsburger Wassermanagement-System (Augsburg Water Management System)
Augsburg’s water management system is unique in the world and stands for progress, aesthetics and sustainability. Due to its continuous use and constant expansion, it decisively shaped the water art of the Renaissance and the technological developments of the Industrial Revolution.
On 6 July 2019, structural objects in and around Augsburg, which testify to the importance and history of Augsburg’s historic water management system, were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Augsburg Water Management System.
The world heritage includes a compilation of technical and architectural cultural assets that document different types of water use in the southern German city from different eras.
The Augsburg World Heritage Site includes 22 objects, including running water canals, the oldest water supply system and the oldest water tower in Germany, as well as the oldest water supply system, which was supplied by deep wells fed with groundwater.
Main tourist attractions
Augsburg has always been a cultural center throughout its history and is still of national importance for art and culture in many areas.
Its main tourist attractions are nearby, many of them in the Altstadt, the historic center of the city. The two points worth visiting, but which are a little further away, are Casa do Mozart and Jardim Botânico (which we will talk about below).
Starting the tour further from the center, the most interesting points that can be included in your travel itinerary in Augsburg are:
- Botanischer Garten Augsburg (Augsburg Botanical Garden)
- The Augsburg Botanical Garden was created in its current location in 1936 and houses more than 3100 species and varieties of plants. It is a relaxing and beautiful place, incredibly well maintained, with countless species of flowers, trees and a diversity of ornamental plants.
- The botanical garden is very well maintained and is a beautiful place to walk around and enjoy the calmly. It is also a good place to take pictures, especially of the Japanese garden part.
- Leopold Mozart Haus (Leopold Mozart House)
- The Leopold-Mozart-Haus Augsburg is a museum located in the home of a craftsman 17th century, where Leopold Mozart, father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was born in 1719. An exhibition and memorial on the history of the Mozart family in Augsburg.
- Fuggerei and Fuggerhäuser
- The Fuggerei is the oldest public housing complex in the world still in use , which takes its name from the Fugger family and was founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger the Younger (known as “Jakob Fugger the Rich”). Its creation served as a place where Augsburg’s needy citizens could be housed. By 1523, 52 houses had been built, and in the following years the area expanded with several streets, small squares, and a church.
- The gates were locked at night, so the Fuggerei it was, in itself, very much like a small independent medieval town. The annual rent is symbolic – only €0.80, but tenants pay the extra expenses (water, energy, telephone). The site was bombed in World War II and rebuilt shortly thereafter. To this day the family of the founders is in charge of the foundation that takes care of the complex.
- It is a very interesting visit, with a symbolic entrance fee. You can walk around the complex, visit the small church, the old bunker that protected the inhabitants in the 2nd World War, an apartment furnished today and another one as it was five hundred years ago.
Now we can list the main tourist attractions in Altstadt, the historic city of Augsburg:
- Augsburger Rathaus (Augsburg City Hall)
- Augsburg City Hall was built from 1615 to 1624. in height it is considered one of the most important Renaissance architecture north of the Alps and, together with the Perlach Tower, is the city’s landmark. Technologically, the Augsburger Rathaus was a pioneering performance; upon its completion, it was the first building in the world with more than six floors.
- The self-image of the Free Imperial City of Augsburg is represented by two conspicuous ornaments on the large gable at the front of the building: the first is the Reichsadler, or Imperial Eagle of the Holy Roman Empire, representing the city’s importance; the second is the great copper pinecone, or Zirbelnuss, which is the symbol of Augsburg.
- The town hall now houses permanent exhibitions on the history of the former imperial city and its partner cities, as well as frequent exhibitions on different current historical and political issues, held at the Lower Fletz and open to any visitor.
- Augsburger Rathaus Goldener Saal (Golden City Hall)
- The Golden Hall is the most impressive one of the city hall quarters and one of the most important cultural monuments of the end of the German Renaissance. The Hall occupies an area of 552 square meters with a ceiling height of 14 meters and is richly adorned with grand portals, magnificent murals and a coffered ceiling.
- The Hall was seriously damaged by bombing during the war. In the early 1980s, the City Council decided to renovate the Golden Hall for the city’s next 2000 years in 1985. The room was redecorated according to historical drawings and photographs, starting with the basic reconstruction of the coffered ceiling, along with the painted ceilings. , the floor and the doors.
- On January 9, 1985, the Hall was reopened close to its former glory. Supported by numerous donations and Augsburg’s active interest, the murals and extensive gold jewelry that once decorated the hall were restored in the following years, and the hall reopened for a second time in 1996.
- Augsburger Dom (Augsburg Cathedral)
- It is the cathedral of the diocese of Augsburg and the parish church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and one of the most important buildings and one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city of Augsburg. The origins of the cathedral date back to the 8th century. The Cathedral of Santa Maria mentioned in a document from 823 and its crypt, in the 10th century. Another curiosity is that it probably has the oldest figurative glass paintings in Germany (circa 1140).
- It was partially destroyed in World War II and later renovated. In addition, it has a rich history, such as a celebration by Pope John Paul II in 1987 or a plaque remembering the “Night of the Bombing of Augsburg” from February 25th to 26th, 1944, it is worth walking around and paying attention to these details. .
- Augsburger Puppentheatermuseum (Puppet Theater Museum)
- The Augsburger Puppenkiste is a puppet theater located in the former Heilig-Geist- Spital. The museum showcases well-known “stars on strings” such as Urmel, Jim Button and Kalle Wirsch, who were part of numerous television productions. In addition to dolls that are part of the shows, presentations with other themes are also mounted (including even Star Wars).
- St. Anna-Kirche (St. Anne’s Church)
- St. Anna-Kirche is a medieval church that was originally part of a monastery built in 1321. It is notable for its elaborate interior decoration with Gothic murals and valuable paintings. In the church, look for the Fugger Funerary Chapel (1509), considered the first German Renaissance construction.
- A curiosity, Martin Luther stayed there to meet the papal envoy, when he confirmed his 95 theses and fled.
- Kloster Sankt Ulrich und Afra Augsburg (Abbey of St Ulrich and St Afra)
- Abbey of St. Ulrich and St. Afra is a former Benedictine abbey dedicated to Saint Ulrich and Saint Afra in the south of the old town of Augsburg, at the end of Maximilianstraße.
- Having been destroyed and rebuilt several times, it currently presents a diversity of styles, Roman from the 12th century, Gothic from the 17th century, a Renaissance Altarpiece from the 16th century. XVII, having been its restoration completed in 1712 following the Baroque Style. The Crypt was built in 1961 to 1965, having been preserved from World War II. There are kept the sarcophagi of Santa Afra and San Ulrich. Between 1006 and 1012, Bruno, bishop of Augsburg, transformed the site into a Benedictine monastery. It became an Imperial Abbey in 1577.
- Maximilianstrasse
- This is the road that passed the ancient Roman route that connected Germany to Italy. Explore its expanse admiring the buildings in different styles of art and architecture.
- In terms of art history, Maximilianstrasse is one of the most interesting streets in Europe; the magnificent Gothic, Renaissance, Rococo, Neoclassical and post-war buildings convey an impression of the city’s history. Numerous boutiques, restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs have established themselves between Rathausplatz and Ulrichsplatz – always with one of Augsburg’s magnificent fountains in sight.
There are other places worth looking for in the historic center of Augsburg, such as the Town Hall Square where the Perlachturm 70 meter tower overlooking the city, the Old Synagogue which has a museum on local Jewish culture, the Schaezlerpalais with its beautiful banquet room, and more.
Be sure to explore Augsburg and marvel at the city’s alleys and buildings.
1 day itinerary in Augsburg in Germany
Our suggestion in Augsburg is to split your itinerary into two parts:
- You can start your tour in the Altstadt, strolling through its main sights, including the entire length of the Maximilianstrasse.
Take a break for lunch at one of the restaurants suggested in our post.
- Walk to Fuggerei and Fuggerhäuser to experience the historic importance of this small neighborhood.
- End your day Botanischer Garten Augsburg.
After that you continue your journey to the next city on the German Romantic Route.
Where to eat in Augsburg in Germany – Tips for bars and restaurants
If you are traveling through Germany, I believe you should look for restaurants specializing in the country’s traditional cuisine or even a Biergarten, for a German beer.
In Augsburg there are options:
- Berghof
- Bergstr. 12, 86199 Augsburg, Bavaria Germany
- Comments: Local restaurant, no tourists. Affordable prices, delicious meals, impeccable and attentive service. Excellent beer!
- Ratskeller Augsburg
- Rathausplatz 2, 86150 Augsburg, Bavaria Germany
- Comments: Amazing atmosphere, cozy, modern and at the same time, preserving origins (ceiling) preserved. Perfect service, the waiter was super honest. Very good beer! Real German food!!! A little dinner here is really worth it!
- Riegele WirtsHaus
- Froelichstr. 26, 86150 Augsburg, Bavaria Germany
- Comments: Try the spatzle with fried onions. Also order the locally brewed beer, it’s wonderful. It’s just 3 blocks from the train station, so you can walk even if you’re just passing through Augsburg. I highly recommend it!
- Bauerntanz
- Bauerntanzgaesschen 1, 86150 Augsburg, Bavaria Germany
- Comments: For history buffs, this is a 16th century German restaurant that survived several wars. It is worth checking out the typical Bavarian food at this restaurant. Don’t be surprised by the service, typical of the region, brutish and rude!!! Recommend!!!
- Die Ecke
- Elias-Holl-Platz 2, 86150 Augsburg, Bavaria Germany
- Comments: This restaurant is housed in a 16th century building with a beautiful garden and was frequented by great celebrities such as Brecht and Mozart. Tasty food!
Watch a video with images of Augsburg in Germany
Video description: Discover Augsburg from a bird’s-eye view! A UNESCO World Heritage Site, a world-renowned puppet theater and much more – the Flying Guide showcases one of Germany’s oldest cities seen from above!
*Photos from TripAdvisor, official Augsburg website and Wikipedia.