The delightful little town of Speyer is one of Germany’s oldest cities. More recently though, it has become Germany’s unofficial pretzel capital (which is how I ended up here myself). Even so, there are plenty of fun non-pretzel-related things to see and do here.
This post will show you all the best things to do in Speyer as well as some great tours, beautiful restaurants, tons of history, and more. Enjoy!
Map of what to do in Speyer
This map contains all the things to do in Speyer I mention in this post (including restaurants, hotels, and logistical concerns). To save this map: Click on the star ⭑ next to the map’s title to save in your Google Maps. To use this map: When you get here, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved” at the bottom, then click “Maps.”
How to get to Speyer
Speyer is conveniently located in western Germany not far from several other popular travel destinations. It’s super easy to get to by both car and train.
Driving to Speyer
Driving to Speyer is easy and once you get here there are several convenient and reasonably priced parking areas around town. Here’s how long it’ll take you to drive here from some nearby cities:
- 1 hour 15 minutes from Frankfurt
- 1.5 hours from Stuttgart
- 1.5 hours from Strasbourg, France
- 2 hours 15 minutes from Nuremberg
- 2.5 hours from Cologne
- 3.5 hours from Munich
For my visit, I drove to Speyer from Munich and then parked at the Postgalerie Tiefgarage (which was big enough for my SUV, easy to get into and out of, and offers three super easy ways to pay).
Rent a car here if you need one.
Taking the train to Speyer
You can also take the train to Speyer from these cities (and many others). These journeys take about the same amount of time as the drive times above and they all include just one transfer. You can check out train schedules and rates here.
Getting around Speyer
Once you’ve made it to Speyer, you really won’t need to use any transportation at all. This town is pretty small and all the popular things to see and do are all within walking distance of the center (where I recommend staying).
Where to stay in Speyer
Speyer has tons of great hotels to choose from, but I personally stayed at the Hotel Goldener Engel and loved it. The location is perfect (with parking right across the street) and we were able to walk everywhere. Our room and bathroom were huge and the staff was so lovely.
But really, the biggest of props goes to the hotel’s luxurious air conditioning. It was literally 100°F during our visit and I can’t even imagine having to stay in a non-air-conditioned hotel. Nein. Just nein.
Book your room at the Hotel Goldener Engel here.
As far as other options, here are the other Speyer hotels I considered:
- Hotel Domhof – Beautiful modern rooms, excellent reviews, its own beer garden, free private parking on-site.
- Hotel Residenz am Königsplatz – More great reviews, located in a quieter area but still walkable to pretty much everything.
- Hotel zum Kaiserdom – Exceptional reviews, air conditioning, right outside the town’s cathedral and walkable to everywhere.
Check out all other Speyer hotels here.
How long to spend in Speyer
Speyer is relatively small and I’d wager you could see and do all everything on this list in two full days (depending on whether or not you visit during pretzel festival week).
If you only have time for a day trip to Speyer, you could still visit the Technik Museum, hang out by the river, see the main historic structures, and visit the cathedral (i.e., the core of any visit).
Looking to visit Speyer from Heidelberg? This guided day trip includes roundtrip transportation, a boat cruise, a visit to the cathedral, a guided walking tour, and a pretzel of course!
Speyer: Germany’s pretzel-obsessed city
The first thing you need to know about Speyer is that this is Germany’s unofficial (most pretty much official) pretzel capital. Located along the Rhine River, it founded by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago and is one of Germany’s oldest cities. It has a rich history, contains two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and maintains a perfect blend of historic and modern charm. And among that history is the invention of the pretzel (allegedly).
The Speyer Pretzel
A town legend proclaims that the German pretzel we all know and love today was actually born here in Speyer. This legend, as most legends do, involves a baker, a wedding, a cat, and a happy accident. Of course, no one knows if this is actually true or not, but that’s what “they” say.
Regardless, Speyer is noticeably obsessed with their pretzel connection and pretzels remain a huge cultural aspect here. And honestly, pretzels are the entire reason I came here in the first place because I, too, am obsessed with pretzels. (I even have a pretzel tattoo.)
Where to find pretzels in Speyer
If pretzels are also the reason you’re visiting Speyer, don’t miss the following spots:
What to do in Speyer
This list of what to do in Speyer contains all the best things to see and do here plus some great tours, events, and more.
1. Attend the pretzel festival
The Speyer Brezelfest is Germany’s largest pretzel festival and the largest volksfest in this part of the country. It’s also the most popular event in town and the reason I visited Speyer in the first place.
Speyer Brezelfest takes place mid-July each year and involves beer tents, live music, great food and drinks, and lots and lots and lots of pretzels. There’s also a pretzel parade where thousands of pretzels are tossed into the crowd for you to catch. It’s a seriously fun time!
See my full write up on Speyer’s pretzel festival here.
2. Explore the Technik Museum
The Technik Museum is far and away Speyer’s pride and joy. This enormous museum houses thousands of examples of historical technology that include airplanes, trains, ships, vehicles of all types, and even a German U-boat.
It has huge indoor and outdoor areas, a full exhibition wing on space travel technology, and a Lufthansa jumbo jet you can climb up into. The inventory here is truly mind-blowing. (If you’re a tech nerd, prepare to spend a few good hours here.)
Pro tip: If you arrive after 3pm, admission is half price. (They close at 6pm so that should still give you enough time.)
3. Visit the cathedral (Speyerer Dom)
The huge church you’ll see at the end of Maximilianstraße is the Speyer Cathedral and it’s worth even just a quick visit. (You heard me say there’s a guy with a pretzel on it, right?) At the time of its construction in the 11th century, it was the largest church in “the western world.”
Buried in its crypt are Holy Roman Emperors (and empresses) and former kings of Germany (and Italy). It has survived countless wars, ransacking and pillaging, arson, facelifts and expansions, enemy occupations, and archaeological excavations, but at nearly 1,000 years old, she still looks fantastic! For these reasons (and many more), the Speyerer Dom has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Today, you can pop in and check out the interior during certain times, head up to the top of the tower, and even visit the crypt. More info here.
4. Check out the Old City Gate (Altpörtel)
At the far western end of Maxilimilianstraße is the Altpörtel—the old city gate. Constructed in the 1200s, this gate originally served as the main entrance into the town and was connected to the rest of the medieval fortifications that protected it.
When the entire city burned to the ground in 1689, the old city gate survived. You used to be able to climb to the top of it, but it was eventually closed due to, of all things, fire safety issues. No reopening date has been proposed so far.
Fun fact 1: Take a look at the two clocks on each side. The big clocks show the hour and the small clocks show the minutes. So that’s one way to do it I guess.
Fun fact 2: Until the 1800s, Speyer had its own system of weights and measures. Inside the passage beneath the tower, you can see the “Speyerer Shoe” hanging on the wall. This is the iron rod they used to use to measure stuff and anyone in town could borrow it when they needed to measure things. In the late 1700s, they used it to measure the size of the entire city. (It’s 11.378 inches long and divided into 12 equal parts. So, it’s basically a foot divided into inches, but by all means go ahead and complicate things as much as possible.)
5. Hang out by the Rhine River
Just a little ways behind the cathedral you’ll find the mostly wild shores of the Rhine River. There are walking paths on the town side, or you can cross over the bridge and hang out on the beaches on the other side.
Back on this side of the river, you’ll also find:
6. Take a boat cruise
If it’s a beautiful day, maybe opt for a cruise down the Rhine River on a “Pfälzerland” excursion. You can take daily one-hour cruises (except on Mondays), food cruises, live music cruises, holiday cruises, and more. Get all the information you need here.
7. Check out the Heidentürmchen
In the beautiful park behind the cathedral, you’ll find the Heidentürmchen (“Heathen Tower”)—one of the remaining wall towers from the city’s medieval fortifications. Like a lot of other things in Speyer, this tower dates back to the 12th century.
No one knows the true origins of its name, but the one I choose to believe is the legend of the heathen giant Olps who lived here with his wife. (But what’s her name?)
Sadly, the actual tower itself is closed to the public, but you can climb to the top of the wall and check it out from there. It won’t take you but a few minutes to see but it’s still pretty interesting.
8. Explore the town’s Jewish history
In 2021, Speyer was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a second time as a result of its ShUM Sites – a collection of historical Jewish sites in the towns of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz. (ShUM is an acronym of the town names in Hebrew.) The sites in Speyer are collectively referred to as the Jewry-Court.
Speyer has a long and storied Jewish history that dates back a thousand years. Though almost entirely wiped out by the Nazis during World War II, Jewish life in Speyer is on the rise again.
You can take guided tours around Speyer to learn about its Jewish heritage (and its loss) or you can explore some of the history on your own. Don’t miss:
- The Jewish Courtyard (“Judenhof”) which includes the remains of the original synagogue and the yeshiva (religious school), and the intact underground mikveh (ritual bath)
- Museum SchPIRA (dedicated to the city’s Jewish history)
- Memorial to the town’s Jews killed in the Holocaust
- Stumbling Stones (sidewalk memorials to Holocaust victims) – I put one example on the map but just keep your eyes peeled to the sidewalk as you walk up and down Maximilianstraße
9. Visit the Historical Museum of the Palatinate
As the name suggests, this museum focuses on the long history of the Rhineland-Palatinate, the German state which currently houses the city of Speyer. It includes “several hundred thousand” exhibits on tons of topics ranging from prehistoric times to the present. As of 2026 it now inclues a Wine Museum if that helps to entice you.
Pro tip: In German this museum is known as Historisches Museum der Pfalz.
More info for your trip to Germany
Like this post? Have questions about what to do in Speyer? Let me know in the comments below. Have fun in Germany!
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