Life in Regensburg/Ratisbon

May have to move to Regensburg next year, what is life like there? Been told that it's a nice town with nice folks, but always only by Germans.

How's life like for non-locals? Are there English bookstores or cinemas? Are there other expats, is there a Toytown? Are the students there nice? What's there to do after work and on weekends? Are the apartments cheaper? What is nice to travel/do nearby to Regensburg? Should I get a car and drive to Munich every other day?

I have been there numerous times and you can certainly watch original language films at the large "CinemaxX" although I´m not sure of the frequency (link) There is a "Hugendubel" there so you can buy some English books. If your into Irish bars I know of at least three.

As its a University town there are lots of students there and naturally there are loads of bars/cafes/restaurants to eat at.

Getting there generally takes about 1hr 30 mins with a RE/RB train. Depending on the traffic you would get there around the same time in a car, if not quicker.

It has a KFC:
Frankenstr. 2
93019 Regensburg
open
So. - Do. 10:30 - 01:00 Uhr
Fr. - Sa. 10:30 - 03:00 Uhr
Tel. 0941 4616767
Sorry, but it might be worth a mention.
There are quite a lot of tech things there (Siemens, BMW, Infineon...) so you might meet ex-pats that way.
I haven't been there much but it is very pretty and the sausages are fantastic!

It's been a while since I've lived there, but I do believe that original version movies are rare in Regensburg. There is no English-language book-shop either (Hugendubel and some of the local book-shops do offer a limited selection, but it's nowhere close to a "real" book-shop). However, there are lots of options for social life / night-life / etc., and it's also a great city for just wandering around aimlessly.

Regensburg is where I first moved to in Germany and where I learned to speak Bavarian (but not German). It's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever lived in... shame about the people. It's a very clique-y place, socially. I lived in the Altstadt; if you live outside that, YMMV, but the center of life is there.

They're not hostile, but that famous German warmth towards "forrinjers" is quite apparent. Unless you already know some people, expect most conversations early on to be with a mirror. Students are usually nice and foreign ones more open; through them you'll most easily make connections with Regensburgers. The school has about 36,000 students and the greater Regensburg area has a population of around 130,000. Do the math and realise the tremendous turnover the city experiences.

There's no ToytownRegensburg even though the city has no real crime or ghettoes and warrants a single letter on the licence (number) plates. There's also not much need for one since everything and everyone is so close by.

There are a couple Hugendubels and also Bücher Pustet in the Altstadt and they stock a decent selection of English books. English books are expensive.

Depending on your definition of "nearby", there are forests, hiking, Valhalla, smaller towns like Straubing, and suchlike. There's a large public pool (Westbad). There's a lot to do just in town. I was never bored in about three years. Nightlife is fantastic and Regensburg has the higherst number of bars per 1,000 residents in all of Germany and possibly in all of Europe.

Apartments there are generally as expensive as in Munich but it's easier to find them without having to go through the damned "Makler" so you save 2-3 months' rent in fees. Few buildings have lifts; most are at least a couple hundred years old.

A commute between Regensburg and Munich isn't for the faint of heart. It's an hour and a half on the train (departing hourly between 4:42a.m. and 11:44 p.m.) and can take even longer in a car depending on the traffic on the A9 and A93. Neither fuel nor train tickets are cheap. I was seeing someone in Regensburg for a while and commuting there just twice a week wore me down. If I could live there I would, but three hours' daily commute is a hellish long time. The commute-time trains are also packed with people going between Landshut and either Regensburg or Munich.

woof.

I wonder how it compares to Dingle in Ireland for the number of pubs per 1000 residents. Any numbers on how many bars there actually are there?

BadDoggie: excellent comments, thanks!
The apartments are as expensive as Munich? Was hoping that it's half the price. Any recommendations where to stay, in the Altstadt?

Cheers. More Karma for you.

Was it because of the nightlife or the girl or what else? University parties?

I live in Regensburg..in the aldtstadt in fact. It is a beautuiful town. The Danube rolls right through town and is a great place to sit, draw, paint, write, and read. It is much older than Munich ( the locals remind me of this consistantly). An old Roman town in fact.

As for expats...the largest group seems to be the Irish and the Brits. Very few Americans and Canadians outside the tourist that roll in on the tour boats. The night life is no where what Munich offers, but there are some good bars ie...Hinter Haus comes to mind but a lot of great beer gardens along the Danube. As for the movies, Cinemax shows ONE original language movie on monday night. The garbo and a couple other indie theaters rotate the original showings. I personally love The Garbo for it shows a lot of Indie and art house movies.(inside info it used to be a porno theater and it still has that feel Haha).

As to the rent..well I have been told that it is more expensive in the inner city but that is a given. I do not know because I live under the deal that as long as I work on art I get to live for free. But I will check the MittBayern and let you know...

When I first moved here I hated it...I am used to larger cities. But now I love it and enjoy my time here. The locals have the usual serious german demeaner, but most are friendly once you get to know them. I have only run into skinheads twice with no problem outside of their stares. There was a neonazi rally right before xmas in the aldtstadt but the locals came out in about 10 times their number to counter demonstrate. There were so many counter demonstraters the local police allowed them to stay even without a permit. It was nice to see. I think the only true degree of seperation is among the germans themselves. It is a Bayerish town everyone else is a "proisen"(spell?) Ha-ha..it is funny to see them treat each other this way. As for the local füssball club...just watch Bayern München LOL..

Hi perdido, great to know you're there! Next time I'm there for biz trip or if I really have to move there, will contact you for sure.

Me too, am used to bigger cities, how long have you been there, and how long did it take you to love and enjoy it?

Was hoping that the upside of having to move there would be saving money, from rental and from general expenditure -- food, entertainment, groceries? But from reading the posts so far, now I'm not so sure...

I have lived here since September...it was not until I was back in the states for thirty days that I missed it so much. Also spring helps a lot!

As for the next visit Pm me and we will grab a beer...

Actually, I don't think that apartments in Regensburg are as expensive as in Munich. Granted, if you want to find a nice apartment in the middle of the Altstadt, you probably have to pay around 10 Euro "kalt" per square metre. But if you're willing to compromise a bit on the location (meaning 2-3 km away from downtown, which isn't really a huge distance), you should be able to find something decent at maybe 7-8 Euro "kalt". Not exactly half price compared to Munich, but still quite a bit cheaper. You can do your own search with this link:

http://www.donau.de/SID_eac6370a0211c16b09...kte/immobilien/

I love Regensburg and Katrina for the vip KFC info - I havent spent a lot of time there but would want to do a language course there eventually - Regensburg, not KFC...unless... nevermind.

PS: perdido, just left the great state...had some nice fajitas and ritas.

"Ooooh is that salt on my wound?"
Lucky you!

I've been living here for almost 3 years now. It is a beautiful little city though it's almost too nice sometimes. You can get a decent 1 bedroom flat with a living room for around 400 warm though you will have to work to find it. There is not enough housing here. There are a pile of cool bars and clubs. I recommend Murphy's Law for the Irish thing, Flannigan's for a standard but friendly thing, Die Banana for a different thing, and ... oh there are so many. You'll find places that suit you. Yeah, only 1 showing a week (on Monday) for films in English. The Pustet in the Altstadt, along with the University bookstore probably have the best English selection in the city though I just use Amazon.de for my books. Lots of nice gardens to be found. The people are friendly enough and I don't find the dialect too bad. On a pretty summer day the place can be heaven on Earth. (Today is definitely not heaven) Overall, it's a wonderful place if not a little sleepy at times.