Often the first impression of a city is the one that stays in your memory the longest. And our first impression of Eichstätt? “Wow, this castle is gigantic!” What is meant is the medieval Willibaldsburg, which is elevated above the Altmühltal and on the our gaze inevitably got stuck when entering the city.
To be honest: it didn’t take more than this view to convince us. Even at this point we knew that we would like Eichstätt. Nothing changed in this positive first impression in the following two days.
Eichstätt is a pleasantly quiet, but lively, baroque town. We notice pretty quickly that Eichstätt is a university town: In the very historical and church-dominated town there are comparatively many young people out and about. We visited Eichstätt as part of our tour through 15 visited Franconian cities and tell you in this article about our highlights and the best tips for Eichstätt.
1. Eichstätt: Sights and Highlights Walk through the old town of Eichstätt How do you ideally start your stay in Eichstätt? The best way is to take a leisurely stroll through the old town. The most important sights in Eichstätt are all only a stone’s throw away from each other.
Eichstätt is a bishopric. No wonder, then, that the number of churches is relatively high. But don’t worry: there is also a surprising amount to see in Eichstätt apart from the sacred buildings.
Residenzplatz The Residenzplatz is beautiful. Although a street leads directly past this magnificent, baroque square, the few cars that drive by here have not changed the fact that Residenzplatz is one of our favorite places in Eichstätt.
Eichstätt Cathedral Directly behind the Residenzplatz is the most important sacred building in Eichstätt: the Eichstätt Cathedral. You should definitely stop by there. The cathedral is simply impressive. Our insider tip is the cloister of the cathedral. It’s a bit off the beaten track, but it’s really worth seeing!
Marketplace The market place is also worth seeing – one building is more beautiful than the other. We find the rust-colored town hall of Eichstätt particularly pretty. If you’re visiting on a Wednesday or Saturday, then don’t miss the weekly market, which always takes place in the mornings on the market square. Oh, by the way: Our favorite café in Eichstätt, the Chocolatique, is also located directly on the market square – more on that later.
Court garden of the Eichstätt summer residence The courtyard garden of the Eichstätt summer residence is a really idyllic spot. In all of Eichstätt the clocks are ticking rather slowly, but in this baroque garden oasis you can switch off even better.
Notre Dame monastery church The former Notre Dame monastery church is not too far from the Hofgarten away. The magnificent building now houses the Altmühltal Nature Park Information Center – an interactive exhibition. If you are short on time, at least take a quick look inside the church. The baroque dome is more than worth seeing!
Willibaldsburg & Bastionsgarten Nobody should leave Eichstätt without having paid a visit to the medieval Willibaldsburg. Incidentally, our personal favorite place is not inside the castle walls, but in front of it: The Bastion Garden is garden art in perfection. Between citrus trees and rose bushes you just have to feel comfortable.
The Willibaldsburg itself houses a lookout tower with a panoramic view of Eichstätt and the Altmühltal especially some museums. Therefore, during our visit, school classes were the main guests. By the way, you do not have to pay an entrance fee for a view of Eichstätt. Even in front of the castle walls you have a nice view down towards the old town.
Information on visiting the Willibaldsburg Address: Burgstrasse 19, 85072 Eichstätt (can be reached either in approx. 22 walking distance or directly by car to the parking lot) Admission: 5 euros for adults, 4 euros reduced (entrance applies to all museums and the viewing platform; entry to the bastion garden is for free)
figure field in Hessental When we first read about the field of figures, it was immediately clear: we have to go there. The field of figures is located just outside the city center of Eichstätt and is a memorial against war and violence. Overall 78 Figures made of concrete can be admired here, which in are impressive to look at in their entirety.
The majority of the figures stand in a kind of hollow – in the late afternoon they are therefore in the shade. A small promise follows: on our next visit to Eichstätt, we will set the alarm for sunrise. We recently saw photos of this – the sunrise must be great there.
Information on visiting the figure field Address: Figurenfeld im Hessental, Jurahochstrasse, 2018 Eichstätt
Admission: freely accessible; from the parking lot it is about a 5 minute walk
Fossil quarry on the Blumenberg No, that’s not a joke: Just outside of Eichstätt on the Blumenberg there is a paradise for hobby paleontologists. We’re not that, but we still wanted to see what some people spend their annual vacation doing in Eichstätt.
At first we thought the fossil quarry was artificial, but nothing there: With Equipped with a hammer and chisel, you can actually go in search of petrified, 150 Making fossils millions of years old. Anyone who finds a treasure is usually allowed to keep it.
The fossil quarry is primarily visited by school classes and families with children – no wonder, because the quarry is simply an ideal excursion destination for this target group . But we also discovered some amateur researchers among the visitors (and overheard that some of them had been there for 15 come here every day).
Our tip: Be sure to wear clothes that can get dirty. It is even advisable for children to take a change of clothes with them. Since you sit or kneel on the floor a lot, long trousers are an advantage. And don’t forget your sunscreen (cream and hat) on hot days. The sun is really beating down on the quarry.
Information about visiting the fossil quarry Address: Kinderdorfstraße, OT Blumenberg, 2018 Eichstätt (by car it is approx. 05 minutes from the old town of Eichstätt.)
Entry: Combined ticket museum & quarry for adults 7 euros; for children 2,22 Euro
Experience craftsmanship A great initiative in Eichstätt is the project “Experience Craftsmanship”. In Eichstätt you can look over the shoulder of a wide variety of artists and craftsmen at work. For example, we were guests in the lithography workshop. Also worth seeing are the Bergér goldsmiths and mema ceramics.
Information on the project “Experience handicraft”
Guided tours: Depending on the workshop – all information can be found on the Eichstätt website.
2. The most beautiful views of Eichstätt Eichstätt is embedded in the hilly landscape of the Altmühltal. In the dark winter the location may seem a bit depressing, but during our visit in spring we couldn’t get enough of exploring the various viewpoints around the city.
New Way Our favorite spot at sunset! The new path is perfectly accessible for pedestrians and hikers: after only approx. 10 Eichstätt is at your feet after a few minutes of walking over a few serpentines. If you want, you can also go further, for example to the Schönblick restaurant (walking time approx. 1 hour). The sun goes down behind the city – just how we love it.
City entrance to Eichstätt The view with which Eichstätt greeted us should not go unmentioned. It’s understandable that we felt comfortable right away, right? Unfortunately, parking here on this busy road is a bit of a hassle. There is a parking lot, but since the road is very curvy and you don’t see approaching cars until late, you have to be careful when parking or exiting.
Willibaldsburg Of course you also have a wonderful view over Eichstätt from the number one attraction: from the Willibaldsburg. You can find more information about visiting the Willibaldsburg in the first chapter of this blog article.
Frauenbergkapelle The small baroque chapel is on the same hill as the Willibaldsburg, but is far less frequented. Most visitors come either on foot or by bike. Unlike the Willibaldsburg, you’re a bit further away from the city here (or the view is a bit obscured by trees and bushes in summer), but you also have the other side beautiful view of the valley.
3. Eating and drinking in Eichstätt: Our restaurant tips Chocolatique Our favorite café in Eichstätt! At Chocolatique you not only get delicious coffee, hot chocolate and teas, but you can also buy beautiful crockery directly in the shop. We felt comfortable right away and went there every day for an espresso macchiato. Great recommendation!
Address: Marketplace 22, Eichstätt
Rabbit Healthy, cheap & simply delicious: Im Kantinchen serves an international dish every day (Monday to Friday) for lunch. You can choose between a vegan, a vegetarian and a variant with meat/fish. Also great: Since nothing should be thrown away, you get a free second helping.
Address: Ostenstraße 23 , 85072 Eichstätt
To Gutmann The perfect place to end a day of sightseeing is the terrace of the Zum Gutmann restaurant. In the late afternoon, the last rays of sunshine fall in and turn the guest garden into a really pretty spot. Down-to-earth cuisine is served. Our dishes tasted very good. We would come back!
Address: Am Graben 20, 85072 Eichstätt
Domherrnhof When we saw our laid table with a view of the Eichstätt Cathedral, our mouths fell open. And this dignified restaurant impressed us from A to Z in other respects as well. The Domherrnhof is an Eichstätt institution. If you have something to celebrate, then you are in the right place in the most magnificent hall of the restaurant with a view of the cathedral. And quite apart from the unique ambience, we also ate excellently.
Address: Domplatz 5, Eichstätt
4. Overnight stay in the monastery in Eichstätt There is a first time for everything. Or have you ever stayed in a monastery? In any case, our overnight stay in the St. Walburg monastery in Eichstätt was a first for us. We really love unusual accommodations and that’s why we were particularly looking forward to our time in the guest house Kloster St. Walburg.
“The room is just very simple.” The friendly sister was obviously afraid when we arrived that we would expect too much. But honestly? We love this simplicity! In the rooms in the St. Walburg guest house you have everything you need – and we had even more: a fantastic view over Eichstätt to the Willibaldsburg.
The breakfast is very tasty – there’s jam with fruits from the monastery garden, for example! Honestly, we prefer an overnight stay in the monastery to any hotel complex. The flair is something special. Rarely have we felt more welcome in an accommodation than here.
85072Transparency: Advertising This blog article was created in cooperation with FrankenTourismus. We traveled as part of the campaign “10 cities” total 10 Franconian towns.
Have you ever been to Eichstätt? What do you think is a must-see? Do you have any tips for Eichstätt? We look forward to your comment!
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