//
City in Bavaria, Germany
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Haui assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Ingolstadt is a city in Upper Bavaria, southern Germany, best known for being home to the car company Audi. It was here that the dukes of Bavaria, Wilhelm IV and Ludwig X, announced the Reinheitsgebot brewing purity order in 1516, which is still used heavily in marketing for German beer.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Literally translated "The Duke's Box" this old castle built in 1255 is the oldest secular building in the city. Today it hosts the city library.
Built in 1385 it is the best preserved part of the old city wall and is one of the city's landmarks. Most of the time it is closed and can only be seen from the outside.
Built 1425-1525 by Louis IX, Duke of Bavaria (aka Louis the Rich), this is the biggest church of Ingolstadt. Late Gothic architecture, the tomb of famous Ingolstadt scholars and the artistic interior make it a renowned place for visiting.
Asam Church
Hidden in the narrow streets of the historic city centre, this is a jewel of baroque art, especially the fresco on the ceiling.
Altes Rathaus
Dating back to the 14th century, this building was created by fusing different buildings into one in 1882. It is the seat of the mayor and - what might be of interest to a traveller even more - the city's tourist information.
South of the inner city, on the right side of the river Danube, lies the Reduit Tilly, the core building of the classical Brückenkopf (Bridge Head) fortress. You can visit the World War I exhibition of the Bavarian Army Museum inside or take a walk around the surrounding park area (Klenzepark).
Dating back to 1234, this church is the oldest building in Ingolstadt.
Ingolstadt is known for the famous car manufacturer Audi and a museum dedicated to the history of the company can be found here. The museum is also the starting point for guided tours through the factory, which should be booked well in advance.
Bayrisches Armeemuseum
The museum is separated into two locations. The Neues Schloss, a former duke's residence and part of the city wall, hosts a collection of military artefacts from different eras as well as a bunch of replicas. The Reduit Tilly, a part of the former state fortress in Klenzepark hosts a World War I exhibition. The latter is a very interesting and well structured museum, with exhibits and documents from the era and some short films which summarise the history. The Army Museum is being renovated in 2019, so some parts may be closed. Many of the captions are in German and they have something of a pro-Bavarian and politically conservative slant but the original exhibits are interesting even if you don't subscribe to their view of history.
Deutsches Medizinhistorisches Museum
The former building of the medical department of the old university hosts Germany's first museum for medical history. It shows an outline of medical science from Antiquity until today. A special highlight is the garden of medicinal plants, which has special features for blind and handicapped people. Photographing is prohibited within the facilities (excluding the gardens).
City Museum
An art museum.
Ingolstadt's old university is the setting for the experiments of Mary Shelley's notorious doctor. Starting from there, an actor in the role of Dr. Frankenstein takes groups of tourists and locals on a tour of the dark history of Ingolstadt. Actors in monster costumes, who scare the crowd, and witch burnings are mixed in with historical facts. Tours are between March 21st and December 21st and take approx 90 min. The Frankenstein Tour has to be booked in advance. Tickets are available at the tourist office in the Old City Hall.
Take a guided tour through the historical inner city. The city tourist office offers different guided tours: a historic tour (by an actor impersonating a famous historic figure of Ingolstadt), a tour of the fortifications, and guided cycling tours. The starting point of any of these tours is the tourist information office in the Old City Hall.
City Theater
Ingolstadt has two traditional Bavarian beer festivals (think Oktoberfest in small) lasting ten days each. The first and bigger one starts the Friday before Pentecost and is therefore known as the Pfingstfest. Herbstfest (autumn festival), the second one, starts on the Friday before the last Sunday in September, running in parallel to the second week of Oktoberfest. You can find beer tents, food, rides, games and stalls. It is a bit more traditional than Oktoberfest and not as bustling, but in the evenings (especially on Friday and Saturday) the beer tents become full blown party areas.
Even bigger than Ingolstadt's own beer festivals is the Barthelmarkt (St. Bartholomew market) in the village of Oberstimm, just south of Ingolstadt. Built as a horse market, it is now the biggest beer festival in the region, with its four beer tents being jam packed from early morning to late night. It happens on the last weekend in August, including Friday and Monday. Monday morning's horse market is the traditional highlight of the event.
Christkindlmarkt
At Christmas, the historic inner city transforms into a seasonal event. The heart is traditional Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market), with wooden stalls selling food, Christmas gimmicks, Glühwein (lit. "glowing wine", warm seasoned wine) and other things, a merry-go-round and a story-teller. Another highlight is the outdoor ice skating rink in front at Paradeplatz.
Each summer Audi sponsors a series of classic music concerts, with the classical music open air being the arguable highlight. For a weekend in July, a stage is built onto the large lawn in the Klenzepark. The Georgian Chamber Orchestra and the Audi Wind Orchestra each play one evening. Bring a picnic set, sit down and listening to the music sounding around the old classical fortress walls. There is also a fireworks show.
If you think German ice hockey can't hold a candle to US or Canadian ice hockey, and you want to see a sport which Germany is supposed to be really good at, why don't you try association football, Germany's national sport. Ingolstadt has a young professional club – Die Schanzer – which oscillates between second (in 2018-19) and first league.
Visit an ice hockey game of the ERC Ingolstadt, Ingolstadt's Premier League Ice Hockey Club and the German champion of 2013/14. During the season there is normally at least one home game per week.
daily market
Get a cheap meal in a relaxed venue. The market is much smaller than its famous pendant in Munich, but you will see more locals drinking their wheat beer and hardly any tourists. There are many stalls, which offer typical Bavarian dishes, but you find also Turkish, Italian and Hungarian offers, among others. Recommendation: Get shashlik with french fries and a wheat beer at Daufratshofer (German: Schaschlik mit Pommes und Weizen) .
weekly market
If you want to make your own dishes and like fresh ingredients, there is a traditional market where you can buy from local shops and farmers.
sausage parlour
Get some of the best sausages in Bavaria, served by the lovely Marianne. Eat inside and have a look at the epic picture of a monkey in traditional Bavarian costume eating Schweinebraten. Recommendation: Get the standard Wiener with strong mustard (scharfer Senf) and Brezen.
This place serves traditional Bavarian cuisine. The restaurant is in the basement of the building. To go there you can take stairs or a wooden slide (hence the name "Rutschn" which means slide in the Bavarian dialect).
In the visitors area (Forum) of the car manufacturer Audi, the biggest employer in the city, is the AVUS restaurant. It offers exquisite cuisine at corresponding prices.
One of Ingolstadt's oldest beer gardens. It has a traditional self service area, where you can bring your own food and only have to buy the drinks. You can get fresh grilled food.
A beer garden and pub in the inner city, often used as a meeting place for local students and other young folks. You can get traditional beer garden dishes in summer and a decent mix of cuisine in winter. People also gather to watch sport events on the screens allocated over the area.
The traditional beer garden on the outskirts of town is popular among locals in the beer garden season. A remarkable feature is, that you get a free tiny beer (0.1L) in the beer garden.
Latin-American music and cocktails. During Happy Hour from 19:00-21:00 all cocktails cost €5.00.
Local branch of a Mexican themed cocktail bar chain. Popular among local university students and younger people. Broad selection of drinks and snacks.
Caribbean themed cocktail bar and vegetarian restaurant, with a great choice of beverages and dishes and sometimes live music (a varying entrance fee might be charged in that case). It has a chillout zone, where you can relax on the floor on some cushions and a beer garden in front of the building for days with good weather.
It doesn't get more hipster for a middle-sized Bavarian town
A club on two floors, with the upper floor being a chill out area with an outside smoking passage and the lower floor a rock club.
Two-floor dance club next to Sausalitos. If you are into electronic music and meeting local party crowd, this club might be your best shot.
Jugendherberge Ingolstadt
Old former fortress building with old military "charm". If you can live with long empty hallways that carry some noise, it's a cheap night of sleep. Membership in a Youth Hostel Association maybe required. Check ahead!
A short walk east of the inner city in a more calm area. A bus stop is in front of the house.
Just a short distance from the city centre, tourist attractions are easily accessible: Altmühl Nature Reserve, Ingolstadt Village, and the Audi Forum and World of Discovery.
Hotel with modern interior in the inner city.
Only a few metres away from KULT-Hotel and not less luxurious.
Very good hotel in the inner city. For the traveler who does not like to use his feet, there is a bus stop where most lines stop directly in front of the building.
Very classy hotel between the inner city, Audi and the autobahn.
Big outlet centre for famous brands, including Bogner, Boss, Calvin Klein, Jimmy Choo, Lacoste, and Versace.
Big two-storey shopping arcade with a vast variety of shops, restaurants and cafés. Free parking is available. An attached entertainment centre contains the biggest cinema of the city.
By train
One of Ingolstadt's biggest selling points is its location along the Nuremberg-Ingolstadt high speed rail line where trains reach and it's thus within convenient commuting distance of both Munich and…
By car
Ingolstadt is located on autobahn A 9 about halfway between Munich and Nuremberg with the exits Ingolstadt Nord (61) and Ingolstadt Süd (62).
By bus
Flixbus serves Ingolstadt mostly stopping close to the Nordbahnhof.
By taxi
Most taxis are organized by the Ingolstadt Taxi Central Office, where you can order a car by phone (+49 841 19410).
By bike
A very good way to get around in Ingolstadt is to use a bike. Most of the main streets have bicycle lanes and you are able to get through parks and other areas you would have to go around by car.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Munich · International · MUC
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Ingolstadt and Germany.
Travel tipsUnderstand travel insurance for a Schengen visa in 2026. Learn mandatory €30,000 medical coverage, zero deductible rules, and embassy-approved policies.
7 min read
Travel tipsEstimate your Europe trip cost for 2 weeks in 2026. Compare realistic budgets for lodging, Eurail trains, dining, and sightseeing across three styles.
8 min read
Travel tipsPlan your trip with our Oktoberfest 2027 guide. Learn how to reserve beer tent tables, understand Munich hotel booking windows, and budget daily costs.
8 min read
InspirationExplore the best castle and gothic hotel stays in Europe. Discover historic fortresses, medieval estates, luxury châteaux, and Spanish parador hotels.
6 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.