Kempten

Kempten is a city of 69,000 people (2021) in Swabia, Bavaria, is on the banks of the Iller in the foothills of the Allgäu Alps.

Understand

The origin of the town lies in the Roman military fort of Cambodonum and the town now uses its Roman heritage to attract visitors. Kempten was an Imperial free city of the Holy Roman Empire until the Napoleonic wars. The population was largely Lutheran from the Reformation, but ruled by prince abbots based in the Neustadt, above the Altstadt which lies along the Iller.

Get in

By train

• 1 Kempten Main Station. It is on the main rail line from Lindau to Nuremberg. It is accessible by train from Ulm, Augsburg, Munich, Nuremberg and Lindau. The trip from Munich takes between 1 and 2 hours depending upon the route and service selected.  

Get around

Much of the centre of town is pedestrianised, although taxis are available, and a municipal bus service operates in the centre and in surrounding areas.

See

City Hall and Market Square

As the largest city in the Allgau, Kempten is home to several sights of interest to visitors:

• 1 St. Lorenz Basilica. The cathedral in Neustadt. It is connected to the Residence.  
• 2 The Residence (Residenz), Residenzplatz 4-6 (next to the cathedral), ☏ +49 831 2561251. The construction of the church and residence started in 1652. The rooms are a great example from the Rococo period. At the same location was a Benedictine monastery from 750, which was destroyed in the Thirty Years' War. Access only by guided tour (in German), which starts every 45 min. Nowadays, parts of the building are used as court building. Adults €3.50. 
• 3 Hofgarten (next to the cathedral). 
• 4 Alpine Museum (Alpin-Museum), Landwehrstraße 4, ☏ +49 831 2525 740. Mar-Oct: Tu-Su 10:00-16:00, M closed. Also well worth visiting is the Alpine Museum with informative exhibits (German only) on mountain climbing, mountain life, geology and biology of the region. In the same building (and included in the admission) is the Alpine Gallery, a branch of the Bavarian National Museum, with numerous treasures of the late middle ages. Adults €4. 
• 5 City Hall (Rathaus). 
• 6 St. Mang Church. 

Do

• Flea markets are held every two to three weeks at different venues around the city.
• Jazzfrühling. A jazz festival is held late April. 
• Allgäu Comets. The Allgäu Comets play American Football in the first division German Football League and draw crowds in excess of 2000 people for home games. The season runs roughly April-September with playoffs in late September or early October.   They play their home games at 1 Illerstadion. 

Buy

Beer.

Eat

Budget

City centre

• 1 Pilsbar Chaplin, Poststraße 23. (updated Sep 2022)
• 2 Bella Italia, August-Fischer-Platz 1. (updated Sep 2022)
• 3 Cennis Pizzamanufaktur, Fischersteige 6. (updated Sep 2022)
• 4 Kerasus Food 2, Scheibenstraße 7. (updated Sep 2022)
• 5 Bangkok Asia-Shop, Zwingerstraße 18. (updated Sep 2022)

Elsewhere

• 6 Olaf's Curry Alm, Eicher Str. 4. (updated Sep 2022)
• 7 Reblaus Schwäbische Besenwirtschaft, Hanebergstraße 19. (updated Sep 2022)
• 8 Meckatzer Bierstüble, Miesenbacher Str. 7. (updated Sep 2022)

Mid-range

• 9 Zum Stift, Stiftsplatz 1, ☏ +49 831 22 3 88. (updated Sep 2022)
• 10 Schalander, Fischersteige 9, ☏ +49 831 16866. (updated Sep 2022)
• 11 Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Füssener Str. 96, ☏ +49 831 5718 150. (updated Sep 2022)
• 12 L'Osteria, Bahnhofstraße 1, ☏ +49 831 69 71 05 70. (updated Sep 2022)
• 13 Meckatzer Bräu-Engel, Prälat-Götz-Straße 17. (updated Aug 2022)

Splurge

• 14 HUGOS Steak & BBQ, Bahnhofstraße 47. (updated Sep 2022)

Drink

Beer.

Sleep

• Bayerischer Hof, Füssener Str.96 (across the Iller from the only remaining gate from the middle ages). It reportedly dates to 1472, but includes all the modern conveniences, including a fine restaurant specialising in Swabian specialities. 
• 1 Green Living Inn, Konrad-Zuse-Weg 1-2. 
• 2 Gästehaus bei den Birken, Goethestraße 25, ☏ +49 831 28008. 
• 3 Smart Motel, Edisonstraße 4. 
• 4 Hotel Peterhof, Salzstraße 1. 
• 5 Hotel Fürstenhof, Rathausplatz 8. 
• 6 Hotel Gasthof Waldhorn, Steufzgen 80. 
• 7 Landhotel Hirsch, Lenzfrieder Straße 55. 

Go next

• Lermoos — ski resort over the border with Austria that can easily be reached with a direct train connection.