Experience in Regensburg, Germany by Jenny

What is it like to live in Regensburg? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Regensburg is a very nice city, in my opinion not too big and not too small with its 140, 000 inhabitants. I can definitely recommend living there, it has a wonderful medival city centre with little streets, bars and shops everywhere but also modern shopping centres where you find all the usual stores. By bus or by car you can reach every part of Regensburg within maybe 20-30 minutes maximum, but it is also very easy to go by bike because there are separate bike ways almost everywhere. There are also a lot of events and festivals that take place in the city which makes life in summer as well as in winter exciting and you will never be bored. If you love culture, you will find a lot of museums, historic places and exhibitions about medival times and all the history afterwards, too. Furthermore, it offers a beautiful nature with the Danube crossing the city, a lot of parks and nice panoramic view points that let you enjoy the beautiful architecture of the city from another perspective.

So I think Regensburg is a city for everybody, it offers a large variety of events & places and it is easy to get around.

The Stone Bridge in Regensburg over the Danube

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What is the student lifestyle like in Regensburg?

As Regensburg is a city with almost only students living in there, it has a lot to offer for the student lifestyle. There are small bars, cafés and clubs and really often they have special offers for students only. Especially at the beginning of the semester there are large events for students to meet up and party together. But there is also a large variety of student organizations which you can take part in, initiatives and clubs and much more. If you are interested in politics, there are interesting discussions from time to time about current subjects and you can dedicate yourself to whatever you want - there is a group for almost everything.

Due to the large university, there is a large offer of different sports and activities like dancing or even kajaking. So you can definitely not be bored during the semester!

How much does it cost to live in Regensburg?

Unfortunately, it is a bit expensive to live in Regensburg due to the high accommodation prices. But it is not Berlin or Munich, so if you watch a bit what you are spending and use the student coupons and vouchers that are there almost all the time, it's totally okay. There are a lot of cheaper bars and restaurants that have special prices for students and there are also a lot of supermarkets with good products for low prices.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Regensburg? Is there any advice you can give?

Accommodation might be the largest problem about Regensburg. It is expensive to have an apartment on your own which is not far from university or the city centre. Furthermore, it can take a long time to find an apartment as everyone seems to seek a place to live in the city. Especially around the start of the semester, it might be quite hard to find something.

However, there are some solutions, of course. Regensburg has several student residences where you can apply for and live for a low price. There, you also have a community and sometimes you are sharing a kitchen and a bathroom like a shared flat. Or, you can find some others who are searching for an appartment and start a shared flat, or use one of the many online communities if a shared flat is currently looking for a new person. So it might become a bit complicating but if you start early enough and look for shared flats it's no problem to find something.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

In Regensburg you find everything - from typical Bavarian and German food, Asian food, Italian food, Indian food. There is a restaurant for every country of the world I guess. As Bavarian girl, of course, I really like things like White Sausages, pork and dumplings or "Bratwurst". But I also really like the variety of restaurants, I love Mexican Food (Margaritas is a nice restaurant) or Italian Food (l'osteria is a nice Italian restaurant with huge pizzas).

What places would you recommend visiting in Regensburg?

That's a hard question. I can recommend to visit everything in Regensburg, it has so many nice places to see. But the most beautiful area is the old city centre with the large cathedral, the small cafés and shops and many historical buildings. I just love the atmosphere there. If you stroll around a bit, you will arrive at the river where you can go over a bridge and arrive at a little park - it's just wonderful. Furthermore, there is the "Walhalla", it is a in a small town next to Regensburg built on a hill and looks a bit like Akropolis in Athens. It gives you an amazing panoramic view over Regensburg and is just in the middle of the nature. You can relax, have a picnic or even go there by boat.

Regensburg cathedral

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Is it good to eat out in Regensburg? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

As I already mentioned in the section about food before, Regensburg has a large variety of international restaurants, but also traditional places where you can eat Bavarian and German dishes. Margaritas is nice for Mexican food, l'Osteria is great for pizzas and pasta and the "Regensburger Hofbräuhaus" is delicious Bavarian food like in Munich. There is also a nice Kurdish vegetarian restaurant for those who want to try something special.

Is the nightlife good in Regensburg? Where is good to go?

As a city full of students there is a very good nightlife in Regensburg. There are so many bars and clubs in the city centre which you can reach within some minutes. They are always changing offers for students and sometimes there are large events like a "Bar ralley" where you can win something. The prices are okay, maybe a bit expensive but if you start drinking before you go out it's okay. The cocktail bar "Flannigan's" is just near the Danube and it always has quite cheap cocktails - prices vary each day, so Monday it's 3, 50€ per cocktail, Tuesday 4 Euros and at the weekend 5 Euros. But they are really good and it's a famous place to start your "bar tour".

What advice would you give future students heading to Regensburg?

Enjoy your stay in the city, start early enough to find an accommodation and take part in the student events - it's really fun and the people there are very nice.