Long Night of Museums Regensburg

One Night — The Entire World Heritage City as a Museum

When the Long Night of Museums begins in Regensburg on Saturday evening, October 10, 2026, the character of the Old Town changes: The UNESCO World Heritage City on the Danube bend becomes a contiguous, walkable exhibition space. Between 6:00 PM and 1:00 AM, museums, galleries, artists' studios, churches, and historic buildings open their doors simultaneously — with a single ticket, visitors gain access to all participating venues and can stroll, discover, and compare throughout the night.

Format and Reach

The event is spearheaded by the World Heritage Coordination and Museums department of the City of Regensburg and brings together both the major municipal and state institutions — Historical Museum, Document Niedermünster, Document Reichstag, East Bavarian Natural History Museum, Document Neupfarrplatz — as well as smaller galleries, private collections, monasteries, and special event locations. In its premiere edition, the Long Night attracted over 3,500 visitors; since then, it has established itself as a fixture in the cultural calendar of Eastern Bavaria.

Program Beyond the Display Cases

What distinguishes the Long Night from a regular museum visit is the depth of its program: Special guided tours outside regular opening hours, lectures on specialized topics, live concerts in the foyers, performances, light installations, hands-on stations, and occasional encounters with artists in their studios. Many venues use the Long Night to showcase special exhibitions, restoration projects, or collections that are otherwise not accessible.

Shuttle, Families, Afternoon Program

To ensure that the distance between downtown venues and more remote locations is not an issue, the city, together with the Regensburg Transport Association (RVV), provides a shuttle service included in the ticket. For families, there is also a children's afternoon program between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM at a significantly reduced rate. The central point of contact is Haidplatz with an info point and ticket office from 1:00 PM onwards.

Regensburg — Cultural Capital of Eastern Bavaria

Regensburg, in the Upper Palatinate administrative region, is one of Germany's most historic cities. Its medieval Old Town, with the Stone Bridge, St. Peter's Cathedral, and a well-preserved ensemble of patrician towers, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2006. This extraordinary density of historical substance provides a backdrop for the Long Night of Museums that few other German cities can match.