Things to do in Speyer

Top Things to Do in Speyer

Things to Do in Speyer

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Top Attractions in Speyer

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Tours, activities and experiences bookable on Tripadvisor, ranked using exclusive Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, popularity, user preferences, price, and bookings made through Tripadvisor.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

What travellers are saying

  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Which museums are the best in Germany? Right! Technical! We were convinced of this back in the German Museum in Munich. Germany is a country of high technical and scientific culture, which is clearly reflected in the highest level of technical museums in this country, whether they are dedicated to cars, optics or, let's say, geodesy. Before you go to this museum, you need to decide which museum you need to go to, which is better Sinsheim or Speyer? The Museum in Speyer is a branch of the museum in Sinsheim. Although its exposition is huge (25,000 sq.m.), it is still 2 times smaller than the exposition in Sinsheim. There is no Concorde and Tu-144, but there is a Boeing-747 Lufthansa and a prototype "Buran". The main motive for choosing Speyer is the opportunity to combine a museum with a cathedral and a pleasant city, which is not present in Sinsheim. approximately equal number of reviews of the museum and the cathedral suggests that most tourists visit both. The museum is located on the territory of the former airfield of the First World War. During the Nazi dictatorship, there were aircraft repair workshops here, which are now used as exhibition halls. The abundance of exhibits is amazing. My daughter and I climbed into a Boeing 747, on which I was lucky enough to fly to South Africa two years ago. by the way, it is also Lufthansa, which seems to be the only one of the big airlines that uses it for regular transportation. The Germans dragged the prototype of the "Buran" all the way from the Persian Gulf. It's sad that our country didn't need him. In general, the cross-cutting theme of the museum is unusual technical solutions. The logic of selection and arrangement of exhibits is the formation of technical imagination. After all, this is the task of education according to Immanuel Kant. And the museum in Speyer copes with this task perfectly. It's a pity that my daughter and I had so little time for him..
    Written 11 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The place of the cathedral in the hierarchy of attractions in Germany is determined simply. The Cathedral in Speyer was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in Germany as the second after the cathedral in Aachen back in 1981. This is because the cathedral is the largest surviving Romanesque church in the world. The initiator of its creation, Emperor Conrad II, was going to build the largest church in the Christian world, having begun construction presumably in 1025. However, the volume of work was so great that neither he nor his son Henry III lived to see the completion of the work. The complexity of construction is illustrated by one fact. To deliver the stone for construction, we had to build a canal! Completed under Konrad's grandson Henry IV, the cathedral is the purest example of the Romanesque style, included in all architectural manuals. At the same time, 20 years after the completion of construction in 1061, Henry orders to demolish the floor of the cathedral and increase its size to today. The roof over the central nave was demolished and instead of a flat wooden ceiling, the largest vault was created 5 meters higher than the previous one. The Council had great symbolic significance for Henry in the Investiture Controversy with Pope Gregory VII - the right to appoint bishops. It is symbolic that the new cathedral was completed in the year of Henry IV's death. Interestingly, the cathedral was built in a tiny town, even by the standards of the Middle Ages. At that time, 500 people lived in Speyer. The distant fate of the cathedral was as complicated as the life of Henry IV. In 1450, the cathedral completely burned down. In 1688, the cathedral was burned by the soldiers of Louis XIV, although initially the French were going to burn only the city, declaring the preservation of the cathedral. for half a century it stood partially destroyed. Additional destruction was brought by the French occupation in the late XVIII-early XIX century. In 1805, the dilapidated cathedral decided to demolish the Napoleonic administration, which took control of Speyer. However, Bishop Colmar of Mainz, through Empress Josephine Beauharnais, achieved the cancellation of the decree on demolition, preserving the cathedral for posterity. Unlike other German cathedrals and structures, Speyer Cathedral was not damaged during the Anglo-American bombing of World War II. Since the end of the XIX century, the cathedral has been undergoing constant restoration, the fruits of which can be appreciated by everyone.
    Written 11 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Jill D
    12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fascinating history of Jews in Speyer. We learnt about Jewish communities here from the Middle Ages on and about traditional synagogues and religious practices and traditions. Videos in German and English. Information in both. All very well presented in a well-preserved setting.
    Written 13 October 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Vadim
    Murmansk, Russia26,794 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    This gate with a 55-meter gate tower is one of the oldest in Germany. Once Speyer was surrounded by 68 towers around the perimeter, but this one was one of the most important. It closed on the reverse side of the 600-meter Via Triumphalis, along which the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation entered the cathedral. Hypothetically, the name Altportel goes back to the Latin form alta porta (high gate). The tower has an interesting feature - the tower clock has 2 dials of unequal diameter on the east and west sides. The hands on the large dials show the hour, and the hands on the small ones show a quarter of an hour. I haven't been inside the tower. There is an exhibition dedicated to the tower and the walls of Speyer.
    Written 11 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Steveage
    Rexburg, ID3,271 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Ornate, style of Gothic architecture, built from 1893 – 1904. It’s a miracle it’s still standing after the bombing during WWII. The stained glass windows are spectacular. There are many beautiful pieces of art in here, along with carved stone in various areas. Worth a look!
    Written 8 March 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • The Yank in Frankfurt
    Frankfurt, Germany12 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    We visited the temporary exhibit on the Hapsburg dynasty that's scheduled to close on 16 April 2023. It gives a good overview of how the family accumulated power over the centuries to become the final Holy Roman Emperors. The pieces on display were fascinating -- several declarations & treaties with spectacular wax seals, intricate religious & private items such as gold-plated bowls, reliquaries and missals. I was surprised, though, that the signage was exclusively in German; while I can read it, the numerous Americans living in the area (Speyer is near American military facilities) -- or, more important, their visitors -- probably can't, and I'm sure many tourists of other nationalities would have the same problem. An older American lady in front of us in the ticket line was already struggling, and I wonder how much she understood of the exhibit. I think there's an app guide in other languages, but it wasn't promoted prominently, and some visitors might not be able to use it due to EU/U.S. tech compatibility issues.
    Written 14 March 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Annindelmar
    Delmar, NY11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This is a gorgeous baroque church with an interesting history. There is a little bit of information about it in English and a volunteer present, who may or may not speak English. We had a very nice experience communicating with the volunteer in our broken German.
    Written 15 June 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • AllanJGJ
    Wellington, New Zealand3,848 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A fine main street with the cathedral at one end and a large city gate at the other. A number of attractive buildings with a couple of good cafes and lots of local shops. Not a dramatic tourist attracting but well worth a wander from one end to the other. Not completely pedestrianised but very few cars the day we visited.
    Written 26 June 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Razorfish
    Little Rock, AR3,866 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mount of Olives is a statue located in the courtyard area near Speyer Cathedral. You need to walk around it to get an idea of the multi-levels of the sculpture
    Written 5 September 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • Failsafe659
    Norwich, UK391 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Although part of the Technik Museum this can be visited separately as we did. The main attraction was, for us, the collection of mechanical musical instruments. Most of the exhibits are in working condition and many can be heard using coin operated controls. Also on display are many hundreds of dolls, toys, weapons and costumes. There is much to see for all age groups.
    Written 6 July 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
  • francien2015
    Rotterdam, The Netherlands1,080 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Bademaxx offers a great pool. Beautifully styled with aluminum and with two slides it is excellent short term recreation ..
    Written 16 August 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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