Ingolstadt travel guide
Frankenstein's university town, the Asam fresco and the 1516 beer law
A Danube city between Munich and Nuremberg, home to Audi, Bavaria's first university and the 1516 beer purity law, with a well-kept fortress old town. Beer gardens and the Frankenstein night tours run in the warmer months; one or two days is right. Costs are high, and Schengen rules give many passports 90 days.
Ingolstadt stands on the Danube in Upper Bavaria, roughly halfway between Munich and Nuremberg, and is better known for cars than for sightseeing. Audi has its headquarters here. Yet the old town inside the former fortress ring is intact and full of surprises: Bavaria's first university opened here in 1472, the secret Illuminati society was founded by a professor in 1776, and Mary Shelley sent Victor Frankenstein to study at its lecture halls.
For more than 400 years the city was a Bavarian state fortress, and locals still call themselves Schanzer, after the word for digging in. Walls, bastions and gates survive all round the centre, the most photogenic being the Kreuztor of 1385. Inside them you find the late Gothic Liebfrauenmünster, a former ducal castle housing the Bavarian Army Museum, and the Asam church of Maria de Victoria with one of the finest baroque ceiling frescoes in the state.
Beer has its own claim. The Bavarian purity law of 1516, the Reinheitsgebot, was proclaimed here, and the Hallertau hop fields begin just outside town. Plan a full day for the Altstadt, and a second if you want the Audi museum or the outlet village.
Explore Ingolstadt by theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, each with the packages in Ingolstadt.
Ingolstadt at a glance
The essentials first-time visitors ask about, in one place.
Explore more of Germany
Pick a place by travel style: nature, cities, heritage, hills, islands.
Nothing in that category yet.
Top things to do in Ingolstadt
A fortress old town, a baroque masterpiece, medical history and the Audi story.
No things to do in Ingolstadt are listed yet. Browse all things to do
Best time to visit Ingolstadt
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Warm weather for the Klenzepark, the riverside and beer gardens; it is also the best time for the evening Frankenstein walks, which run on selected dates.
A Christmas market fills the old town squares, and the short days suit the museums and the Asam church.
The Frankenstein tours run only on selected evenings and sell out, so check the event calendar on ingolstadt.live and book ahead at the tourist office in the Altes Rathaus.
Packages in Demand
A Journey to Remember
Tours, activities and day trips in and around this destination, with the details you need before booking.
No packages in Ingolstadt are listed yet. Browse all packages
Create Your Custom-Made Trip to Ingolstadt
Traveling to Ingolstadt? Chat with a Local Travel Specialist in Ingolstadt Who Can Help Organize Your Trip.
START HEREOur Travel Experts are Recommended by
Plan your trip
Practical answers before you go. Pick a topic.
Getting there
Airport Express X109 from Munich and ICE stops at Ingolstadt Hbf
Munich Airport, about 70 km south, is the usual arrival point. The simplest link is the Airport Express X109 bus, which runs hourly from Terminal 2 via the Munich Airport Center and the Besucherpark and reaches Ingolstadt's central bus station (ZOB) in about an hour; the Deutschlandticket and Bayern-Ticket are not valid on it. By rail you first ride the S-Bahn into Munich, around 50 minutes, then change at Munich Hauptbahnhof for an ICE (about 35 minutes) or a regional train (about an hour). Nuremberg Airport, about 100 km north, works almost as well: the U2 metro reaches Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof in some 13 minutes and the train from there takes roughly 40. Ingolstadt Hauptbahnhof lies south of the Danube, a bus ride from the old town; some regional trains also stop at Ingolstadt Nord, closer to the centre. The small Manching airfield (IGS) is mainly military and corporate.
- Munich Airport (MUC)
- X109 Airport Express bus to the ZOB in about an hour; or S-Bahn to Munich Hbf, then ICE
- Nuremberg Airport (NUE)
- U2 to Nürnberg Hbf in about 13 minutes, then about 40 minutes by train
- Ingolstadt Hauptbahnhof
- ICE stop on the Munich to Nuremberg line, south of the river
- Ingolstadt Nord
- Regional station on the north side, closer to the old town
- Groups of up to five on a budget can use a Bayern-Ticket on the S-Bahn and regional trains via Munich, but it is not valid on ICE or IC services.
Where to stay
Inside the fortress ring, south of the Danube or out by Audi
Stay inside or just outside the fortress ring, since the old town is small and everything is then within a ten-minute walk. The Altstadt has the most atmosphere and suits short stays, hotels near the Hauptbahnhof suit ICE travellers, and business hotels near the Audi Forum are practical for factory visits but quiet at night.
- Altstadt
- Walking distance to the Münster, the Asam church and the Viktualienmarkt; the most atmosphere and the best choice for a short stay
- South bank and Hauptbahnhof
- Hotels near the station and the Klenzepark; easy for ICE trains, a bus or long walk across the Danube to the centre
- North, towards the Audi Forum
- Business hotels for factory visitors; practical for the museum, dull in the evening
- University quarter
- The youth hostel occupies an old fortress building on Friedhofstraße, cheap and characterful but echoing
Getting around
INVG buses, N night lines and walking the old walls
All the historic sights sit in or beside the old centre and are within walking distance of each other; the walk round the fortifications and through the Klenzepark is the best way to see how the city was built. For longer hops, INVG runs the bus network, reaching every district and most surrounding villages. Between 05:00 and 21:00 buses come every 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the line; after that a reduced night network takes over, with lines marked by the letter N. The driver and machines sell tickets. Taxis are dispatched by the city's central taxi office, and most drivers know the main hotels and clubs by name.
- INVG buses
- Daytime every 15 to 60 minutes; hub at the ZOB
- Night lines
- Numbered with an N prefix after about 21:00
- Taxis
- Book through the central taxi office; scarce at weekend closing time
- On busy weekend nights, pre-book a taxi; the ranks empty quickly.
Know before you go
Audi, a fortress town and the anatomy theatre that inspired Frankenstein.
Why travelers love it
- The Asam church ceiling, a trompe-l'oeil fresco that shifts as you walk under it.
- The Kreuztor, the 1385 gate that is the city's best-preserved piece of medieval wall.
- The Frankenstein tour, a night walk from the old university courtyard with actors in costume.
Good to know
- The Kreuztor is usually closed inside; enjoy it from the street.
- The X109 runs only once an hour; check departures before you land.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Ingolstadt, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Ingolstadt are being researched.
Kreuztor, the Asam fresco and a Frankenstein night in the old town
Ingolstadt's fortress old town takes a day. Walk from the Kreuztor of 1385 to the Liebfrauenmünster, the Asam church Maria de Victoria and the German Museum of Medical History, lunch at the Viktualienmarkt, then see the Neues Schloss and the Klenzepark across the Danube. On scheduled evenings, end with the Frankenstein tour.
Start at the Kreuztor on the western edge of the old town, the turreted brick gate of 1385. Walk a block in to the Liebfrauenmünster, the largest church in the city, begun in 1425 by Duke Ludwig the Bearded, with its distinctive pair of angled towers and the tombs of the old university's scholars.
Next comes the Asam church, Maria de Victoria, tucked into the narrow lanes. Cosmas Damian Asam's ceiling fresco is the reason to come; walk slowly down the nave and watch the perspectives shift. A few minutes away, the German Museum of Medical History fills the baroque anatomy building of the old university, with a herb garden behind it that is worth a pause.
After lunch at the Viktualienmarkt, cross to the Neues Schloss, the ducal castle that now holds the Bavarian Army Museum, and look into the 13th-century Herzogskasten, the oldest secular building in town and today the library. Then walk over the Danube into the Klenzepark, laid out among the 19th-century fortifications around the Reduit Tilly, for a riverside beer.
If your visit falls on one of its scheduled evenings, finish with the Frankenstein tour. It sets off from the courtyard of the Hohe Schule, the old university, and an actor as the doctor leads you through the city's darker history. Book ahead at the tourist office in the Altes Rathaus.
Reinheitsgebot beer and shashlik at the Ingolstadt Viktualienmarkt
Ingolstadt is the city of the 1516 beer purity law, so start with a local Helles or Weißbier. Eat cheaply at the Viktualienmarkt, where the local favourite is Schaschlik mit Pommes, buy picnic food at the Theaterplatz farmers' market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and order Schweinsbraten or Obatzda in traditional inns.
In 1516 the Bavarian dukes issued their beer purity law in Ingolstadt, limiting brewers to water, barley and hops, and the city has never let anyone forget it. The Hallertau, the largest hop-growing area in the world, starts just to the south-east. Local breweries pour helles, dark beer and plenty of Weißbier, the cloudy wheat beer drunk from tall glasses.
The best place to eat cheaply among locals is the Viktualienmarkt, a much smaller cousin of Munich's market with hardly any tourists. Stalls sell Bavarian staples alongside Turkish, Italian and Hungarian food. The local favourite is Schaschlik mit Pommes, spiced meat skewers in a paprika sauce with chips, ordered with a wheat beer at the Daufratshofer stand.
On Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 13:00, farmers and local producers set up on the Theaterplatz; it is the place for cheese, bread, asparagus in spring and fruit for a picnic in the Klenzepark. For a quick hot lunch, the sausage parlour on Ludwigstraße serves bratwurst and other wurst.
In traditional inns, look for Schweinsbraten, roast pork with crackling and dumplings, and a board of Obatzda, a spiced cheese spread with pretzels. Beer gardens let you bring your own food as long as you buy the drinks.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Ingolstadt. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Our travel desk answers questions about Ingolstadt
How we research our Ingolstadt travel guide
Frankenstein tour dates and market days are checked on ingolstadt.de, and the X109 airport bus with its operator. The Munich to Nuremberg line is verified with Deutsche Bahn, and the German National Tourist Board adds context.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of IngolstadtGerman National Tourist BoardDeutsche Bahn
See all 3 sources
Before You Go...
Discover Trips & Info
A Travel Network Connection Travelers and locals
Incredible Event & Festival, Don't Miss!
Most Popular Event & Festival of Ingolstadt
Festivals and events in this destination, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
No upcoming festivals or events in Ingolstadt are listed right now. Browse all events
Memorable Experiences
Where to Go (& NOT Go) In Ingolstadt!
Roaming the World one Adventure at a Time: Travel Tales, Tips, and Inspiration for wanderlusters.
Subscriber
Popular car hire destinations
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Ingolstadt answers for car fans and history readers alike.
Getting there
About an hour to the central bus station (ZOB). It leaves Terminal 2 hourly and also calls at the Munich Airport Center.
Munich Airport, about 70 km south, is the usual arrival point. The simplest link is the Airport Express X109 bus, which runs hourly from Terminal 2 via the Munich Airport Center and the Besucherpark and reaches Ingolstadt's central bus station (ZOB) in about an hour; the Deutschlandticket and Bayern-Ticket are not valid on it. By rail you first ride the S-Bahn into Munich, around 50 minutes, then change at Munich Hauptbahnhof for an ICE (about 35 minutes) or a regional train (about an hour).
General
ICE trains stop at the Hauptbahnhof, south of the Danube and a bus ride from the old town. Ingolstadt Nord, served by regional trains, is closer to the centre.
About 35 minutes from Munich Hauptbahnhof. Regional trains take about an hour.
Mary Shelley sent Victor Frankenstein to study at the city's famous university, though by the time she wrote the novel it had already moved to Landshut.
At the university, where law professor Adam Weishaupt founded the secret society in 1776.
That Bavarian beer could be brewed only from water, barley and hops. Yeast was not yet understood and was added to the rules later.
The city was a Bavarian state fortress for over 400 years, and Schanzer comes from the German for entrenching or fortifying. The football club uses the nickname too.
Its huge baroque ceiling fresco by Cosmas Damian Asam, painted with perspective tricks that change as you move through the hall.
All the historic sights sit in or beside the old centre and are within walking distance of each other; the walk round the fortifications and through the Klenzepark is the best way to see how the city was built. For longer hops, INVG runs the bus network, reaching every district and most surrounding villages. Between 05:00 and 21:00 buses come every 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the line; after that a reduced night network takes over, with lines marked by the letter N.
Timing & weather
Two themed walks, Dr. Frankensteins Mystery Tour and the Victors Vermächtnis experience tour, run on selected evenings listed in the event calendar on ingolstadt.live. Places are limited, so reserve through the tourist information on Rathausplatz.
On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, from 08:00 to 13:00.
The best time to visit Ingolstadt is May to Sep. Beer gardens, the Klenzepark by the Danube and the evening Frankenstein tours.
- Summer by the Danube: May - September (Warm weather for the Klenzepark, the riverside and beer gardens; it is also the best time for the evening Frankenstein walks, which run on selected dates)
- Advent: December (A Christmas market fills the old town squares, and the short days suit the museums and the Asam church)
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.
