Hostels in Eichstätt, Germany

Eichstatt is a city (stadt) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the Eichstatt district, which is approximately an hour north of Munich and an hour south of Nuremburg. It is one of the few Catholic towns in Germany and has the lone Catholic University, the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. It also has a plethora of churches, abbeys, and monasteries associated with Saint Willibald and his sister, Saint Walburga.

To get to Eichstatt, you can take a train from either Nuremburg or Munich. Unfortunately, while Eichstatt is only an hour from Munich by the motorway, it will take you three hours to get there by train. Germany’s rail and bus network is extensive, and you can get to most towns by public transportation. You don’t need your own car in Eichstatt.

If you are a keen hiker, and moderately religious, you can hike the East Bavarian Way of Saint James, which begins at the Czech border and passes through Eichstatt on its way to meet the Santiago de Compostela walk in southern France.

The word in German for hostel is “jugendherberge.” Eichstatt has a few hostels; they are located near the main town but not right in the centre of town. Hostels in Germany tend to cater to families as well as backpackers, so expect to see children as well as older travellers. Because the town is a university town, some of the hostels act as educational youth camps at certain times of the year.

Eichstatt’s location in the middle of the Altmuhltal Nature Park means that hiking and cycling trails pass right through town. There is also a significant deposit of Jurassic Sohnholfen limestone and the fossils found in it are well known, such as the Archaeopteryx bird. The geological site, along with the Jura and Berger Museums, are worth visiting on your trip to Eichstatt; your hostel should be able to help you arrange a tour!