With all of the attention on the Fuggerei as Augsburg's stand-out attraction, the handsome Dom Mariä Heimsuchung (free) is something of an unknown treasure. Augsburg’s cathedral has its origins in the 10th century but was Gothicised and enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries. Anchoring the heart of the medieval Altstadt, the cathedral lacks the solemn grandeur of so many European cathedrals, surrounded as it is by trees and with a mix of whitewash and brick covering its exterior. But it's the interior that really elevates this ancient house of worship into something special.
The star treasures here are the so-called "Prophets' Windows." Depicting David, Daniel, Jonah, Hosea and Moses, they are among the oldest figurative stained-glass windows in Germany, dating from the 12th century. Look out for four paintings by Hans Holbein the Elder, including one of Jesus’ circumcision. Other highlights include the 11th-century, 35-panel bronze door, the unusual use of two choir stalls, and the four paintings by Hans Holbein the Elder, one of Europe's most revered medieval painters, including one of Jesus’ circumcision.