Augsburg

Former weavers’ guild house. The 1389 original was the centre of Augsburg’s cloth trade until the guilds were dissolved; the painted guild parlour is now in Munich’s Bayerisches Nationalmuseum. What you see is a 1913 replacement (Otto Holzer), rebuilt after 1944 and after a 2004 fire. The façade paintings (Otto Michael Schmitt, 1959/60, later renewed) are the point - look from the square, don’t expect a public interior. The Merkur fountain beside it is part of the UNESCO water-management site.

Founded in the 11th century in Romanesque style. Five of its stained glass windows are considered the oldest of their kind that have been preserved. The cloister connects it to the diocesan museum where the cathedral's Romanesque bronze door can be seen.

Augsburg's beautiful synagogue was built between 1914 and 1917 in an "Art Nouveau" style with oriental elements. It is one of the very few synagogue buildings in Germany that survived the Nazi regime mostly intact. Today, it's still in use by the local Jewish congregation, and also houses the Jewish Museum Augsburg Swabia. Guided tours in English are available by appointment.

St. Anna Kirche is Augsburg’s main Protestant church. It was built in 1321 as a Carmelite monastery church. It blends Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism styles, featuring the Fugger Chapel (1518), the earliest Renaissance structure in Bavaria, and the Gothic Goldsmiths’ Chapel (1420) with frescoes.

Parish church founded in 1019, rebuilt after fire, collapse and wartime damage. The interior people come for is new: London architect John Pawson stripped it back in 2010–13 to stone, wood and light (Cistercian-plain, not Baroque). Weekday Mass 12:15; Saturday vigil 18:00. Stay out during services if you only want the architecture.

Small Romanesque church beside the town hall, one of the oldest complete sacred buildings left in Augsburg. Pilgrims come for the painting 'Mary Undoer of Knots' (Maria Knotenlöserin, c. 1700, Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner) — Pope Francis popularised a copy in Buenos Aires. The church is step-free; the Perlachturm next door is a separate climb.

Displays various topics connected with Augsburg. Among the highlights are the Renaissance bronze sculptures from some fountains which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. (On the fountains, they were replaced by copies.)

Museum in the 16th-century church St. Magdalena, displaying Roman artefacts found in and around Augsburg. During the museum closure, a selection can be seen in an exhibition at Zeughaus.

Augsburg's newest museum broaches the issue of the city's drapery industry. If you are interested in history, this is very interesting as it shows the economical history of Germany on the example of the drapery in Augsburg - also very interesting for anyone who is interested in technical functions of clothing production. Every 2 hours (10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00) retired clothing engineers show the functions of old machines featured in the drapery production. This costs an extra €1. It's very crowded on Sundays. There is also a restaurant/café inside the museum, called Nino. It's good, though a bit expensive. To get there from the city center, take tram 6 in the direction Friedberg until Textilmuseum. Then cross the street and go left through an area full of unused old factories, it reflects the presence of drapery industry in Augsburg. The museum is in an old factory hall.

Opened in 2019, this museum, run by the Wolfgang Lettl Association, features a diverse collection of paintings, films, and animations, inviting visitors to explore dreamlike realities.

Housed in the Renaissance-style Wieselhaus (c. 1530), this interactive museum explores the history of Augsburg’s powerful Fugger and Welser merchant families in the 15th–16th centuries.

The Bahnpark Augsburg, a railway museum in a historic 1906 locomotive depot, showcases Europe’s railway history with locomotives like the operational 41 018, restored in its workshops. The “Rundhaus Europa” displays historic trains, complemented by a model railway and a 7¼-inch Mini-Bahn.

Modern and classic fairy tales are played at the Augsburger Puppenkiste. The stars on strings are so endearing and the sets so elaborate that even non-German speakers (and non-kids) will enjoy a show. It's often sold out; make advance reservations or check with the tourist office for remaining tickets.

Zoo of medium size in a nice setting along a brook.

The Botanical Garden is right next to the zoo.

Going on a walk in the narrow alleys of Augsburg's historic district is highly recommended. You can find places with a very nice flair. Great for taking pictures of typical medieval European cities. No street is straight, everything is slightly bend and the alleys are small. The historic centre is the 3rd largest in Germany after Hamburg's and Cologne's. Stroll around or walk along the historic water ways.

Augsburg is known for having one of the biggest and most beautiful Christmas markets. It usually starts the last weekend in November and closes on 24 December. Make sure to go to Rathausplatz and the surrounding areas hosting this market if you are in Augsburg in December. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 18:00 the Engelesspiel takes place where 24 people dressed as angels appear in front of the town hall (Rathaus). Make sure to try the Glühwein (mulled wine). You can also get a bottle as a souvenir. For food, there are many stalls selling German fast food like Bratwurst or Schupfnudeln.

Augsburger Panther play ice hockey. Their home rink Curt-Frenzel-Stadion can be reached by tram 4 towards Augsburg Nord, get off at Bruntal.

For information about bike rental, look in the "Get around" section above. In the summer it's a nice idea to go on a cycling tour in the nearby Stadtwald city forest. Therefore, you should follow national road 300 direction Friedberg until the Lech river and then turn right. You will find yourself on a great cycling track next to the river with a forest on the right side. If you want to make it a longer tour, you can cycle all the way down to Mandichosee (approximately 7 km from the city center), a barrier lake of Lech River. In the summer, many people come here to relax and swim. If you are too lazy to ride back to Augsburg, you might just follow the street signs to "Bahnhof Mering Sankt Afra" and take a train (the Munich-Augsburg regional route stops here each 30 minutes as well as the Augsburg-Geltendorf and Augsburg-Mering BRB trains; so in total you won't have to wait too long for a train to Augsburg here), the one-way fare for Augsburg main station is €3.70 for adults and €2.50 for children. Eating possibilities include Waldgaststätte Jagdhaus about midway between Mandichosee and Augsburg and Waldgaststätte Friedenau close to the Mandichosee. To find them, it's best to look up for signs or ask locals. It is also recommended to take a lunch bag and have a break at some nice place along the Lech river.

The Augsburger Plärrer is Bavaria’s largest folk festival in Swabia, attracting around 1.2 million visitors annually. This historic event, with over a thousand years of tradition, features thrilling rides, traditional Bavarian food, beer tents, and vibrant parades showcasing local culture. Held on the Plärrer Gelände, it’s a family-friendly celebration of Augsburg’s heritage, offering something for all ages.

Artificial white-water channel built 1970–72 for the Munich Olympics, still a national slalom centre and part of the UNESCO water-management site (it taps the Lech). Walk the banks; no regular guided tour. Low water on the Lech can thin the flow.