Ulm travel guide
The world's tallest steeple, a crooked fishermen's quarter and the Danube
Ulm is a Danube city on the Bavarian border, famous for the Münster with the world's tallest church spire, Einstein's birthplace and a half-timbered fishermen's quarter. Summer, when highs reach 18 to 23C and the river festivals run, is the season to come. Stay one or two days. Costs are high, and Schengen rules give many passports 90 days.
Ulm stands on the north bank of the Danube where Baden-Württemberg meets Bavaria, and one building dominates it. The Ulmer Münster has the tallest church steeple in the world, 161.53 m of Gothic stone finished only in 1890, and a climb of 560 steps to its 102 m platform gives a view that reaches the Alps on clear days (the top gallery at 143 m is currently closed). Below it, the old free imperial city keeps a lopsided fishermen's quarter, painted walls on the Rathaus and a long stretch of town wall along the river.
Across the water lies Neu-Ulm, a separate town in Bavaria; together the pair have about 190,000 people. Albert Einstein was born here in 1879, and the Museum Ulm holds the Lion Man, an ivory figure carved some 40,000 years ago and found in a cave nearby. Two days covers the Münster, the Fischerviertel and Wiblingen's rococo library, with time for the Blautopf spring or Legoland at Günzburg. In July the whole city turns out for Schwörmontag and its riotous float down the Danube.
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Top things to do in Ulm
The Münster comes first, then the Fischerviertel lanes, the Lion Man in the Museum Ulm and the river.
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Best time to visit Ulm
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 18 to 23C, and this is also the wettest stretch, with around 80 to 90 mm of rain a month, mostly in short showers; Schwörmontag and the Nabada fall in late July.
Highs of only 2 to 6C, nights below freezing in midwinter, and frequent river fog that can hide the spire; the Christmas market on Münsterplatz lifts December.
Schwörmontag, the penultimate Monday in July, is Ulm's own holiday: the mayor renews the city oath and thousands float down the Danube on rafts and inflatables in the Nabada.
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Getting there
ICE on the high-speed line to Ulm Hauptbahnhof
Ulm is a rail city first. The Hauptbahnhof sits on the main line from Paris and Stuttgart to Munich and Vienna, and since the high-speed line across the Swabian Jura opened in 2022, ICE trains reach Stuttgart in well under an hour; Munich is about an hour and a quarter. From the station it is about a ten-minute walk down Bahnhofstraße to the Münster. Stuttgart Airport (STR), roughly 90 km away, is the most practical: take the S-Bahn to Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof and an ICE or regional express on to Ulm, about 1 hour 15 minutes with good connections. Memmingen (FMM), around 60 km south, is served mainly by budget airlines; an airport bus links it with Memmingen station for regional trains north. Munich Airport (MUC) is about two and a half hours by S-Bahn and train, and Frankfurt (FRA) is a longer but well-connected option by ICE. Drivers use the A8 Stuttgart to Munich motorway or the A7, which cross just north-east of the city.
- Stuttgart Airport (STR)
- S-Bahn to Stuttgart Hbf, then ICE; about 1 hour 15 minutes
- Munich Airport (MUC)
- S-Bahn to Munich, then train; about 2.5 hours
- Ulm Hbf
- Ten minutes' walk to the Münster
- Regional day tickets for Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria both cover Ulm and are good value for groups on regional trains.
Where to stay
Fischerviertel lanes, Münsterplatz or Neu-Ulm
Stay in the centre, where most hotels are within ten minutes' walk of the Münster. The Fischerviertel has the most atmosphere, including the tilted Hotel Schiefes Haus, while Münsterplatz suits sightseeing and the station area suits early trains. Neu-Ulm, over the Danube bridges, adds riverside hotels with views back to the spire.
- Fischerviertel
- Half-timbered houses over the Blau channels, including the famously tilted Hotel Schiefes Haus; atmospheric, few rooms, book early
- Münsterplatz and Neue Straße
- Central for sights, shops and the market; busy by day and during the Christmas market
- Around the Hauptbahnhof
- Chain hotels for short stays and early trains; less character
- Neu-Ulm
- Bavarian side of the river with beer gardens on the bank and good Münster views; a walk over the bridge
- Söflingen
- Old village quarter around a former convent, on tram line 1; quiet and residential
Getting around
Tram lines 1 and 2, the Danube path and the Ulmer Spatz
Walk the centre. The Münster, the Rathaus, the Fischerviertel and the riverside wall are all within a few hundred metres of each other, and much of it is pedestrianised. For outer districts, Ulm and Neu-Ulm share a bus network and two tram lines run by the municipal utility SWU: line 1 links Söflingen with Böfingen through the centre, and line 2 runs from the Kuhberg to the university and Science Park on the Eselsberg. Tickets belong to the DING network and cover both towns; buy them from machines at tram stops, on buses or in the app. Bikes are a good way to follow the Danube cycle path upstream towards Wiblingen or downstream through the Friedrichsau park. In summer the historic boat Ulmer Spatz runs short cruises on the Danube from near the Metzgerturm, giving the best view of the old walls and the spire from the water.
- Tram
- Line 1 Söflingen to Böfingen, line 2 Kuhberg to the Science Park
- Ulmer Spatz
- Summer river cruises from near the Metzgerturm
- Do the Münster climb early in the day; the narrow upper stairs back up when tour groups arrive.
Know before you go
The tallest church spire in the world, a fishermen's quarter and a river border with Bavaria.
Why travelers love it
- The narrow stairs of the Münster tower, so tight you squeeze past people coming down, before the whole Danube plain opens up.
- The Schiefes Haus leaning over the Blau, a 15th-century house tilted so far it seems about to slide into the stream.
- The Lion Man at the Museum Ulm, a mammoth-ivory figure with a lion's head, among the oldest known figurative carvings.
Good to know
- River fog is common in late autumn and early spring; the tower view may vanish, so check before climbing.
- Neu-Ulm is in Bavaria; shop hours and public holidays can differ from Ulm across the river.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Ulm, month by month
Ulm sits on the Danube at about 480 m, so winters are cold and foggy and summers warm, with highs of 18 to 23C. The monthly figures below show average temperature and rain for the Danube city.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Ulm (World Meteorological Organization, via Wikipedia).
560 steps up the Münster, then down to the Fischerviertel
Give Ulm two days. On the first, climb 560 steps of the Ulmer Münster to the 102 m platform, see the Rathaus clock and walk the Fischerviertel and the town wall above the Danube. On the second, see the Lion Man at the Museum Ulm and take a bus to Wiblingen Abbey or a train to the Blautopf.
Day one, morning. Be at the Ulmer Münster when it opens. Inside, look for Jörg Syrlin's carved oak choir stalls from the 1470s, with busts of sibyls and philosophers. Then climb: 560 steps lead up the spire to the platform at 102 m; the top gallery at 143 m, reached by a tight stone spiral, is closed for now. On a clear day the Alps line the southern horizon. Opposite on the Münsterplatz, Richard Meier's white Stadthaus makes a pointed modern contrast.
Afternoon. Walk south to the Rathaus, with its painted facade and astronomical clock of 1520, and the glass pyramid of the city library behind it. Then drop into the Fischerviertel, where the Blau splits into channels between half-timbered houses. Find the Schiefes Haus, then climb onto the old town wall above the Danube and follow it to the leaning Metzgerturm.
Evening. Cross to the Neu-Ulm bank for the view back at the walls and the spire in the low sun, with a beer by the river.
Day two. See the Lion Man at the Museum Ulm, look at the Einstein memorial on Bahnhofstraße, then take a bus south to Wiblingen Abbey for its rococo library hall. Alternatively, ride a regional train west to Blaubeuren and its deep-blue Blautopf spring.
Maultaschen, Linsen mit Spätzle and Danube beer gardens
Ulm eats Swabian food. Order Maultaschen in broth or fried with egg, Linsen mit Spätzle with Saitenwürstle sausages, or Kässpätzle with fried onions, ideally in the old taverns of the Fischerviertel. Drink Gold Ochsen beer from Ulm's own brewery, or cross to the Barfüßer brewpub and beer garden on the Neu-Ulm bank.
Ulm eats Swabian, and the dishes are hearty and best after a day of climbing. Maultaschen, large pasta pockets filled with minced meat, spinach and herbs, come either in clear broth or sliced and fried with onions and egg. Linsen mit Spätzle, lentils cooked with a touch of vinegar, served with soft egg noodles and a pair of thin Saitenwürstle sausages, is the regional comfort food. Cheese lovers order Kässpätzle topped with fried onions.
The Fischerviertel is the obvious place for a traditional meal, with old taverns in tight lanes beside the Blau. Fish is a fitting order here: trout and other freshwater fish appear on many menus, a nod to the fishermen and boatmen who once lived in the quarter. Around the Münsterplatz there are cafés and kebab shops for quicker meals, and on market days the square fills with farm produce.
For beer, Ulm's own Gold Ochsen brewery is poured across town. On the Bavarian side, the Barfüßer brewpub in Neu-Ulm makes its own beer and runs a beer garden directly on the Danube, a good spot at sunset with the Münster across the water. Bread has its own museum here, the Museum Brot und Kunst, which traces grain, baking and hunger through history and art.
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How we research our Ulm travel guide
Ulm's page draws on ulm.de for Münster tower access and Schwörmontag dates and on Deutsche Bahn for the new high-speed line. Tram route changes prompt an update too; the German National Tourist Board covers wider Danube context.
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Checked against trusted sources:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Ulm in brief: the answers most visitors look for before they arrive.
Booking
560 steps to the platform at 102 m, the highest point open at present; the top gallery at 143 m (768 steps) is closed for now. The spire itself reaches 161.53 m, the tallest church steeple in the world.
General
On the penultimate Monday in July, the mayor renews an oath to the citizens dating back to the 14th century, and in the afternoon thousands float down the Danube on decorated rafts in the Nabada.
In a house on Bahnhofstraße in 1879. It was destroyed in the Second World War; a memorial marks the site near the station.
A figure of mammoth ivory with a human body and a lion's head, around 40,000 years old. It was found in the Hohlenstein-Stadel cave in the nearby Lone valley.
Yes. The leaning half-timbered house in the Fischerviertel is a small hotel; the floors slope but the beds are levelled. Book well ahead.
No. It was part of Ulm until 1810 but is now a separate town in Bavaria, across the Danube. Buses and tickets cover both.
Take a summer cruise on the Ulmer Spatz from near the Metzgerturm, or walk the town wall along the river and cross to the Neu-Ulm bank.
Yes, it is at Günzburg, about 30 km east. Regional trains run to Günzburg, with buses to the park in season.
A former Benedictine monastery founded in the late 11th century, with a late Baroque basilica and one of the finest rococo library halls in southern Germany. It is a short bus ride south of the centre.
Walk the centre. The Münster, the Rathaus, the Fischerviertel and the riverside wall are all within a few hundred metres of each other, and much of it is pedestrianised. For outer districts, Ulm and Neu-Ulm share a bus network and two tram lines run by the municipal utility SWU: line 1 links Söflingen with Böfingen through the centre, and line 2 runs from the Kuhberg to the university and Science Park on the Eselsberg.
Getting there
Take a regional train west to Blaubeuren, about 15 to 20 minutes, then walk through the town to the spring, which glows deep blue because of its depth and limestone.
Timing & weather
The best time to visit Ulm is May to Sep. Highs of 18 to 23C, river cruises, the Ulmer Zelt and Schwörmontag in July.
- Danube summer: May - September (Highs of 18 to 23C, and this is also the wettest stretch, with around 80 to 90 mm of rain a month, mostly in short showers; Schwörmontag and the Nabada fall in late July)
- Fog and frost: November - March (Highs of only 2 to 6C, nights below freezing in midwinter, and frequent river fog that can hide the spire; the Christmas market on Münsterplatz lifts December)
July is the warmest month in Ulm, with average highs of 23°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -3°C. July is the wettest month, at about 89 mm of rain; February is the driest. Ulm sits on the Danube at about 480 m, so winters are cold and foggy and summers warm, with highs of 18 to 23C.
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.
