Castle St. Emmeram, Thurn and Taxis | Tours & Tickets

Castle St. Emmeram is an extraordinary place in Regensburg because history is not only preserved here but is also lived to this day. The complex is located in the southern part of the old town, is the residence of the princely family Thurn and Taxis, and connects different historical periods in a small space as a castle, museum, event venue, and monument. With well over 500 rooms, it is considered the largest privately inhabited castle in Germany and has evolved from the former imperial abbey and Benedictine monastery of St. Emmeram. Therefore, visitors to the castle experience not only representative architecture but also a piece of European cultural history that ranges from the founding of the monastery around the year 800 to today's guided tours, festivals, and seasonal major events. Due to its location near the cathedral, Stone Bridge, and main train station, the ensemble is surprisingly well integrated into the city and offers many reasons for both first-time visitors and returnees to take a closer look. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/informieren/schloss-st-emmeram))

Tours, Tickets, and Opening Hours at Castle St. Emmeram

For many visitors, the tour begins with the most important practical question: How does one actually get into the state rooms? The official answer is clear, as the state rooms and the cloister are only accessible as part of a guided tour. Tours take place daily at 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, and 16:30; the language is German; English audio guides are available at the museum ticket office. Online tickets are recommended for booking, and on-site purchases are also possible; the Gloria shop on-site has daily opening hours from 10:00 to 16:30. Particularly practical for planners is the note that the booking system is activated weekly in manageable time periods. Those coming with a group should inquire at least three weeks before the desired date; group tours can be freely chosen based on availability, and larger groups will be split. Accessibility is also an important point: the visitor areas are not barrier-free, and tours for the hearing impaired and blind are not offered according to the website. Admission prices are transparent: regular 17.00 euros, reduced 14.00 euros, and children up to ten years accompanied by an adult have free admission. This creates an offer that remains well-planned for both spontaneous city guests and specifically booked visits, clearly focusing on the guided discovery of the historical state areas. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/entdecken/besuch-schloss-st-emmeram))

For those who prefer to explore without a guide, there is a second, more flexible visiting mode with the treasury and the marstall. These areas are accessible without a guide during opening hours. They are open Thursday to Sunday and on public holidays from 11:00 to 16:00, with the last admission at 15:30. Audio guides in various languages are available on-site, making the visit suitable for international guests. The admission price here is 6.00 euros regular and 4.00 euros reduced; free admission for children up to ten years accompanied by an adult also applies here. For SEO and visitor inquiries, this combination is particularly relevant as it covers two typical search intentions: the classic castle tour with fixed dates and the uncomplicated museum visit in the treasury and marstall. Therefore, anyone searching for tickets, tours, opening hours, or a spontaneous time window will find a very clear structure at Castle St. Emmeram that relies on planable visiting processes while allowing enough room for various interests. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/entdecken/besuch-schloss-st-emmeram))

Access and Parking at Emmeramsplatz

Getting to Castle St. Emmeram is surprisingly easy because the complex is located in a well-connected part of the Regensburg old town. The official address is Emmeramsplatz 5, 93047 Regensburg. According to the operator, the castle is embedded in a green belt surrounding the old town and is just a few minutes' walk from Regensburg Cathedral, the Stone Bridge, and the main train station. This location makes the visit particularly attractive for those who want to explore Regensburg on foot, as other historical destinations can be quickly connected from the castle. Those arriving by train can plan the route without complicated transfers; those already in the old town can easily reach the castle as part of a city walk. For drivers, there is no large visitor parking lot mentioned on the official castle pages, but the city of Regensburg points out several reachable parking options as part of traffic management and parking in the old town, including the old town parking garages Dachauplatz, Arnulfsplatz, Petersweg, and Bismarckplatz. Practically, this means: For a visit to the castle, it is advisable to plan the journey into the old town and park the car in one of the surrounding parking garages. This solution also fits with the location of Emmeramsplatz in the historical urban area, where pedestrian paths are often the more pleasant option. This combination of central location, short distance to the most important sights, and realistic parking logic makes Castle St. Emmeram equally accessible for day visitors and city travelers. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/informieren/kontakt-und-anfahrt))

History from the Imperial Abbey to the Residence of Thurn and Taxis

The history of Castle St. Emmeram does not begin with the castle but with the monastery. According to official accounts, the oldest building components of the complex date back to the 12th century, while the monastic tradition even goes back to around the year 800 when the first Benedictine monks settled at the grave of Saint Emmeram. Over the centuries, one of the most significant spiritual complexes in the German-speaking world developed here before secularization in 1810 brought a deep cut. In 1812, the House of Thurn and Taxis received the secularized monastery complex as part of the compensation from the Kingdom of Bavaria. From this point, the current princely residence developed over about a century. The complex was not simply taken over but transformed into a representative residence during a long phase of reconstruction and new construction, which still serves as the family’s ancestral residence today. The official pages also emphasize that Prince Albert II, the 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, now lives here. Thus, Castle St. Emmeram is not just a museum memorial but also a current living and residential space. This dual role explains why the castle is often described as particularly authentic and extraordinary: it not only tells the past but also shows how historical property, noble living culture, and modern public life can be brought together in one place. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/informieren/schloss-st-emmeram))

Architecturally, the complex is one of the most impressive monuments in Regensburg. The tourism site describes it as the main residence of the Princes of Thurn and Taxis and refers to its origin from the complex of one of the largest Benedictine monasteries in Germany. From the Fürst-Anselm-Allee, a view opens up to the southern wing completed in 1883, which is considered the last castle building in Bavaria, and to the English landscape park designed by Carl von Effner. These details are important because they show that Castle St. Emmeram is not a single building but an ensemble of monastery, residence, park, and representative architecture. At the same time, the castle connects the long history of the House of Thurn and Taxis with the city history of Regensburg: the postal power of the house, the compensation after the loss of the postal monopoly, and the expansion into a residence form a historical line that still shapes the place today. Anyone interested in the development of historicism, noble history, or the repurposing of spiritual buildings will find a particularly vivid example here. It is precisely this combination of monastic depth, baroque splendor, and historicist expansion that makes the charm of the complex and explains why it has such a high recognition value in Regensburg. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/informieren/schloss-st-emmeram))

Experience the State Rooms, Cloister, Treasury, and Marstall

The actual tour through Castle St. Emmeram thrives on contrasts. The state rooms showcase high noble living culture between the Baroque period and historicism and unfold the courtly splendor of past centuries in their representative spaces. Particularly impressive is the marble staircase in the southern wing, which leads to the state area and recalls Roman antiquity in neo-Renaissance style. The ballroom, also called the Baroque hall, measures 190 square meters, is over seven meters high, and combines Rococo furnishings with neo-Rococo elements into a festive architecture that still stands for receptions and grand occasions today. The Silver Hall was designed in 1873 by Hereditary Princess Helene of Thurn and Taxis; the model was provided by François Cuvilliés with the Blue Cabinet in the Amalienburg of Nymphenburg Palace. In the winter garden, on the other hand, exoticism is combined with image programs from spring, summer, and autumn, so that even a brief glance shows how strongly staging and living culture interact here. The southern wing itself is also remarkable because it is considered the last castle building in Bavaria and translates the idea of representation of the house into architecture. The cloister then brings the counter-world to this: here, the medieval character of the old imperial abbey remains palpable, and the atmosphere is noticeably quieter, more ascetic, and monastic. This sequence of splendor and tranquility makes the visit so impressive because different worlds of life can be experienced immediately next to each other. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/entdecken/die-prunkraeume))

The treasury and the marstall expand the experience with two particularly factual but no less fascinating levels. Since 1998, a princely treasury has been housed in the northern stable alley of the old marstall as a branch museum of the Bavarian National Museum. Outstanding objects from the art collections of the House of Thurn and Taxis are displayed there, including high-quality furniture, fine porcelain, gold and silver works, valuable snuff boxes, and exclusive weapons. The collection dates from the 17th to the 19th century and was made possible in its current museum form by the acquisition of art objects by the Free State of Bavaria in 1993. The marstall itself was built between 1829 and 1832 by the master builder Jean-Baptiste Métivier and is considered the last marstall built in Germany. It includes two stable wings for 100 riding and carriage horses, as well as a 600 square meter riding hall with figurative decorations by Ludwig von Schwanthaler. Today, the carriage collection is housed there, which was established in 1935 as the first museum in Regensburg by Prince Albert I and includes around 70 vehicles such as carriages, sleds, litters, and sedan chairs. Those searching for the soul of the house will find it here in a mix of craftsmanship, mobility history, and courtly representation. Thus, the castle is not only readable as a residence but also as a cultural archive, a collection point, and a glimpse into the forms of earlier court life. ([tourismus.regensburg.de](https://tourismus.regensburg.de/erleben-entdecken/kunst-kultur/fuerst-thurn-taxis-museen))

Castle Festival, Celebrations, and Conferences at the Castle

Castle St. Emmeram is not only a museum and residence but also one of the most significant event venues in Regensburg. The Thurn and Taxis Castle Festival has been one of the absolute highlights of the year since 2003. The official website highlights that it is now among the ten best festivals in Europe and attracts over 30,000 visitors to the castle every July. The festival is scheduled for July 10 to 19, 2026. This clearly shows why search queries for programs, tickets, or events for this place are so frequent: the castle is a highly active cultural venue during the summer months, extending far beyond its historical function. At the same time, the courtyard, with its 3,200 square meters, is a magical backdrop for concerts and summer night festivals, while the several hectares of castle park are suitable for lifestyle fairs as well as private celebrations in the open air. This versatility is a true unique selling point because hardly any other place in the city combines so many event formats at such a representative level. Therefore, anyone looking not only to visit but also to celebrate, hold conferences, or organize a special corporate event will find a house that has experience with both large and small occasions and can stage its rooms appropriately. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/erleben/schlossfestspiele))

This becomes particularly concrete with the bookable rooms. The ballroom is suitable for a maximum of 120 people with its 190 square meters, while the adjacent state rooms offer space for a maximum of 50 people on 90 square meters. The large dining room measures 100 square meters and is designed for a maximum of 50 people. The classicist riding hall with 600 square meters is intended for a maximum of 400 people, while the stable alley with 340 square meters is for a maximum of 160 people. Additionally, there is the possibility to combine the courtyard and castle park for events of various sizes. According to the operator, the rooms can be decorated and illuminated, catering and music can be organized, and cultural accompanying programs are also possible. This makes it clear that Castle St. Emmeram is not only interesting for historical visits but also functions as a lively event location. Those searching for a venue with a big name, real historical substance, and flexible usage options will find a rare combination of experience, representation, and professional event logistics here. This mix also explains why inquiries about celebrations at the castle, conferences at the castle, or corporate events in this context are so obvious. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/erleben/tagen-im-schloss))

Romantic Christmas Market and Photo Opportunities at the Castle

In Advent, Castle St. Emmeram changes significantly once again. The castle courtyard becomes the backdrop for the Romantic Christmas Market, which, according to the official description, combines regional handicrafts, musical performances, Christmas readings, a children's program, and culinary delights. The market is scheduled for November 20 to December 23, 2026. This combination of historical setting and seasonal program makes the Christmas market one of the most well-known occasions to experience the castle beyond the classic tour. Those seeking a special Regensburg Christmas atmosphere in autumn or Advent will find not only stalls and mulled wine here but also a stage that is architecturally impressive in its own right. This is also relevant for search queries for tickets, market dates, or the romantic Christmas market because the place itself significantly contributes to the event's attractiveness. The official wording that it is among the most beautiful in Bavaria further emphasizes this importance. At the same time, the castle also offers strong photo opportunities outside of Advent: From the Fürst-Anselm-Allee, there is a beautiful view of the southern wing completed in 1883 and the English landscape park designed by Carl von Effner. Therefore, anyone wanting to photograph Castle St. Emmeram will find not just a single front motif but a whole series of facades, sight lines, green spaces, and courtyard situations. This multifacetedness makes the place so attractive for visitors, photographers, and social media content. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/erleben/romantischer-weihnachtsmarkt))

In the end, Castle St. Emmeram remains a place where Regensburg's history can be experienced in a very concentrated form: as a monastery heritage, as a princely residence, as a museum, as a stage for grand festivities, and as a seasonal place for Advent and winter. Those looking for tours will find clear dates and clear prices. Those wanting to experience culture will get state rooms, cloisters, treasury, and marstall. Those planning events will find flexibly usable rooms. And those who just want to take away a strong impression will receive an ensemble that stands out due to its size, continuity, and atmosphere. This is precisely why Castle St. Emmeram is not just a search term but a true Regensburg experience destination. ([thurnundtaxis.de](https://www.thurnundtaxis.de/informieren/schloss-st-emmeram))

Sources:

• Castle St. Emmeram - Thurn and Taxis
• Visit Castle St. Emmeram - Thurn and Taxis
• The State Rooms - Thurn and Taxis
• The Cloister - Thurn and Taxis
• The Treasury - Thurn and Taxis
• The Marstall - Thurn and Taxis
• Castle Festival - Thurn and Taxis
• Romantic Christmas Market - Thurn and Taxis
• Contact and Access - Thurn and Taxis
• Princely Castle Thurn and Taxis - Regensburg Tourism
• Traffic Calming Old Town - City of Regensburg