Augsburg travel guide
The Fugger bankers' Fuggerei, a golden Renaissance hall and UNESCO water towers
Augsburg is Bavaria's third city and one of Germany's oldest, a Roman foundation turned Renaissance banking capital, with the Fuggerei almshouses, Elias Holl's town hall and a UNESCO-listed water system. Warmth peaks from May to September, though June to August is also the wettest stretch. Two days is ideal, as a stay or a day trip from Munich. Costs are high.
Augsburg lies in Bavarian Swabia where the Wertach meets the Lech, about 50 km west of Munich. Romans founded it in 15 BC as Augusta Vindelicorum, and in the 16th century it was the financial centre of Europe. The Fugger and Welser banking houses based here lent money to emperors. Their wealth paid for the merchant palaces of Maximilianstraße and for the Fuggerei, a walled almshouse estate that still houses needy residents five centuries on.
The city also shaped the Reformation. The Lutheran Augsburg Confession was presented here in 1530, the religious Peace of Augsburg followed in 1555, and 8 August is still a public holiday in the city alone. In 2019 UNESCO listed its medieval-to-modern water management system of canals and water towers. Augsburg lives in Munich's shadow, which means thinner crowds a short train ride from the capital. Plan on two days for the old town, the Fuggerei and a show at the Puppenkiste.
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Top things to do in Augsburg
Renaissance halls, the Fugger legacy, Roman and medieval churches, canals and a famous puppet theatre.
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Best time to visit Augsburg
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 19-24C and the year's heaviest rain, 85-94 mm a month in thundery bursts; the Friedensfest holiday falls on 8 August and the late-summer Plärrer fair follows.
Drier at 53-62 mm, with highs of 14-19C; good for walking the canals of the Lechviertel.
Frosty nights down to -3C and highs of 3-7C; the Christkindlesmarkt on the Rathausplatz is the draw.
During the Christkindlesmarkt, angels appear in the windows of the town hall facade for the Engelesspiel on some evenings; arrive early for a spot on the Rathausplatz.
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Getting there
Trains from Munich, Stuttgart and Nuremberg, flights via Munich
Augsburg has no passenger airport, so most visitors fly into Munich (MUC). There is no direct long-distance train from Munich Airport, so take the S-Bahn into Munich, then a regional train or ICE from Munich Hbf or Pasing; allow about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours in total. Augsburg Hauptbahnhof lies on the main Munich-Stuttgart corridor, with ICE and IC trains to Ulm, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt and Cologne. Trains north run via Donauwörth to Nuremberg and Berlin. A morning TGV runs direct to Paris Est, and WESTbahn trains go to Salzburg and Vienna on their own tickets. ÖBB Nightjet sleepers stop here too, on routes to Amsterdam, Innsbruck and Venice. For Füssen and the Allgäu, take regional trains south. Long-distance coaches use a stop at the park-and-ride by tram line 4. The Hauptbahnhof is west of the old town, about 15 minutes on foot from the Rathausplatz or a few minutes by tram via Königsplatz.
- Munich Airport
- S-Bahn to Munich, then train; about 1.5-2 hours
- Munich Hbf
- Regional trains and ICE, about 30-45 minutes
- Nightjet
- Sleepers to Amsterdam, Innsbruck and Venice
- Hbf to Rathausplatz
- 15 minutes on foot or tram via Königsplatz
- Cheap long-distance tickets sometimes list only Munich; many ICEs on the faster Ingolstadt line skip Augsburg, so check the stop.
- The Bayern-Ticket and Deutschland-Ticket are valid on Augsburg's trams and buses, so you do not need a separate city ticket.
Where to stay
Maximilianstraße, the Lechviertel or near the Hauptbahnhof
Stay inside the Altstadt if you can, since it is compact and safe at night. Maximilianstraße has the grandest hotels and highest prices, the Lechviertel has guesthouses and apartments among the canals, and the quiet lanes near St. Ulrich and the cathedral suit light sleepers. Chain hotels near the Hauptbahnhof suit day trips.
- Maximilianstraße and the Rathausplatz
- The grandest street, between the town hall and St. Ulrich, with the best hotels and cafes; the most expensive area
- Lechviertel
- The old craftsmen's quarter of canals and small bridges below the Rathaus, with bars and cafes; few big hotels, more guesthouses and apartments
- Ulrichsviertel and the Domviertel
- Quiet lanes near St. Ulrich and Afra or the cathedral; calmer evenings, a few minutes from Maximilianstraße
- Around the Hauptbahnhof
- Chain hotels and the private hostel area near Karlstraße, handy for day trips to Munich and Ulm; less atmosphere
- Big trade fairs at the Messe and Plärrer weekends push prices up; Munich commuters also fill hotels on weekdays.
Getting around
Trams via Königsplatz and walking the Lech canals
The old town is walkable end to end in about 25 minutes, from the cathedral in the north down Maximilianstraße to St. Ulrich and Afra. Public transport is run within the AVV fare area by the city company swa. There are five tram lines (1, 2, 3, 4 and 6), all meeting at Königsplatz; from 7pm and on Sundays they drop to one tram every 15 minutes. Line 3 goes to the university, line 4 north to Oberhausen and the coach park-and-ride, and line 6 east to Friedberg. Extra lines run on match days to the WWK Arena and to the Messe on fair days. Buses fill the gaps, including bus 32 from the station to the zoo and botanical garden. Buy tickets in the meinAVV or swa app, at machines or on the bus; stamp paper tickets before travelling. A day ticket pays off after three rides. The flat river paths along the Lech and Wertach are good for cycling.
- Trams 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
- All meet at Königsplatz; every 15 minutes in the evening
- Bus 32
- Hbf to the zoo and the botanical garden
- Walking
- Dom to St. Ulrich and Afra in about 25 minutes
- Kurzstrecke
- Short-hop ticket for up to four stops
- Fare dodging carries a heavy fine and inspectors are common on trams; the app ticket counts as validated.
Know before you go
Augsburg has Roman roots, Renaissance banking history and the Fuggerei almshouses. Here are its strengths and a few practical warnings.
Why travelers love it
- The Goldener Saal in the Rathaus, a coffered hall gleaming with gold leaf, rebuilt in full after the war.
- The Fuggerei at dusk, when the gates close and you understand that residents still live behind those yellow walls.
- A marionette show at the Augsburger Puppenkiste, the puppet theatre generations of German children grew up with on television.
Good to know
- Puppenkiste shows sell out, sometimes weeks ahead; book online or ask the tourist office for returns.
- The Stadtmarkt stalls close in the afternoon and on Sundays; go at lunchtime.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Augsburg, month by month
Augsburg has warm summers and cold winters, and June to August is both the warmest and the wettest stretch. NOAA long-term averages for each month appear when you choose it.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Augsburg (NOAA, via Wikipedia).
Goldener Saal, Fuggerei and the Lechviertel canals in two days
Augsburg needs two days. Begin in the Goldener Saal in Elias Holl's Rathaus, climb the Perlachturm, visit the Fuggerei almshouses, walk the Lechviertel canals and follow Maximilianstraße to St. Ulrich and Afra. On the second, see the cathedral's prophet windows, the Brechthaus or Mozarthaus and the water towers at the Rotes Tor.
Day one, morning. Start at the Rathausplatz. Elias Holl's town hall, built between 1615 and 1624, is one of the great Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. Climb to the Goldener Saal on the second floor, then go next door up the Perlachturm for the roofline view.
Late morning. Walk east to the Fuggerei, founded by Jakob Fugger in the early 16th century for the city's working poor. Residents still pay a token rent and say three prayers a day for the founder's family. A museum flat and a wartime bunker show daily life then and now.
Afternoon. Walk down into the Lechviertel, where canals that powered mills and workshops run under bridges past old craftsmen's houses. This is the heart of the UNESCO water system. Then follow Maximilianstraße south, past the Fugger town palace and the Augustus, Mercury and Hercules fountains, to the Schaezlerpalais and its rococo ballroom. End at the basilica of St. Ulrich and Afra.
Evening. Book a show at the Augsburger Puppenkiste in the old Heilig-Geist-Spital.
Day two. Visit the Dom to see its prophet windows, among the oldest stained glass in the world. Then choose the Brechthaus, the playwright's birthplace on a canal, or the Mozarthaus, birthplace of Leopold Mozart. In the afternoon, see the water towers at the Rotes Tor and the 1972 Olympic canoe slalom course, the Eiskanal.
Zwetschgendatschi, Bosna and Kässpatzen at the Stadtmarkt
Augsburg cooks between Bavaria and Swabia. Order Kässpatzen with fried onions, the Bosna sausage bun as street food, and Zwetschgendatschi plum cake in August and September, which earned the city the nickname Datschiburg. The Stadtmarkt off Fuggerstraße is the best place to graze, and Riegele runs a beer garden near the Hauptbahnhof.
Augsburg's kitchen sits between Bavaria and Swabia, and it shows on the plate. Kässpatzen is the Swabian classic: hand-made egg noodles layered with melted mountain cheese and topped with crisp fried onions. The local fast food is the Bosna, a grilled bratwurst in a toasted bun with onions, mustard and curry spice, which several Augsburg snack bars claim as their own.
In late summer the bakeries fill their trays with Zwetschgendatschi, a flat yeast cake covered with rows of halved purple plums, usually eaten with whipped cream. The city is so attached to it that Augsburg is nicknamed Datschiburg. Order it in a cafe between August and September, when plums are in season.
The best place to graze is the Stadtmarkt, entered from Fuggerstraße or Annastraße. Fruit and vegetable stalls fill the courtyard, while the Fleischhalle and the Viktualienhalle hold butchers, cheese sellers and lunch counters, from Bavarian sausages to Greek, Thai and sushi. Locals come for lunch, and the stalls close later in the afternoon and all day Sunday.
For beer, Augsburg has its own breweries. The Riegele brewery, near the Hauptbahnhof, has a beer garden next door; in summer the city's beer gardens, several with children's play areas, are full until late. On 8 August, the Friedensfest holiday brings a long communal table to the Rathausplatz.
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How we research our Augsburg travel guide
Fuggerei hours and the Puppenkiste schedule are checked on augsburg.de, and Munich and Stuttgart trains on Deutsche Bahn. A change to tram routes means a fresh edit; the German National Tourist Board is our wider reference.
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Checked against trusted sources:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Augsburg at a glance: the Fuggerei, trains from Munich and more.
General
Yes. About 150 Catholic Augsburg residents in need live in its houses for a token annual rent, on condition that they pray daily for the Fugger family.
Yes. The hall on the second floor of the town hall is open to visitors for a small fee and was rebuilt after the war with its gold-leaf ceiling.
It is the Augsburger Hohes Friedensfest, celebrating religious peace for Protestants. Augsburg is the only city in Germany with an extra public holiday of its own.
Canals, water towers, hydropower plants and fountains built from the Middle Ages onward, including the water towers at the Rotes Tor and the canals of the Lechviertel.
A bratwurst grilled and served in a toasted bun with onions, mustard and curry spice. Augsburg snack bars sell it as the local street food.
Line 3, from Königsplatz and the Hauptbahnhof.
It works. Regional trains to Füssen take about two hours, and buses from Füssen continue to Hohenschwangau below the castle.
The old town is walkable end to end in about 25 minutes, from the cathedral in the north down Maximilianstraße to St. Ulrich and Afra. Public transport is run within the AVV fare area by the city company swa.
Augsburg is best known for:
- The Goldener Saal in the Rathaus, a coffered hall gleaming with gold leaf, rebuilt in full after the war
- The Fuggerei at dusk, when the gates close and you understand that residents still live behind those yellow walls
- A marionette show at the Augsburger Puppenkiste, the puppet theatre generations of German children grew up with on television
Getting there
Take the S-Bahn to Munich and change to a regional train or ICE. Allow about 1.5 to 2 hours in total.
Booking
Yes. Shows often sell out, so book online in advance or ask the tourist office about late returns.
Timing & weather
From late summer into September, when the plums ripen. Bakeries and cafes serve it with whipped cream.
July is the warmest month in Augsburg, with average highs of 24°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -3°C. July is the wettest month, at about 94 mm of rain; February is the driest. Augsburg has warm summers and cold winters, and June to August is both the warmest and the wettest stretch.
Visa & documents
As a Schengen member, Germany shares one set of entry rules with most of the EU. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing at large stations, Christmas markets and on big-city public transport is the main risk in a very safe country. Carry ID and validate paper tickets where required. Call 110 for police and 112 for fire or ambulance.
