If you approach the town from the Stuttgart-Munich autobahn, you'll miss the best view. So sometime during your visit, you should cross the Danube into Neu Ulm for a look at the gables and turrets of the Altstadt, which line the north bank of the river. Here is the Fishermen's Quarter, with its little medieval houses and tree-shaded squares. Nearby are the elaborate Renaissance patrician houses and the Gothic Renaissance Rathaus.
Farther Up the Danube: Sigmaringen -- Schloss Sigmaringen (tel. 07571/729230; www.hohenzollern.com), one of the most impressive castles in Germany, lies about 100km (60 miles) southwest of Ulm, dramatically situated on a rock above the Danube. Inside, the rooms are filled with period furniture, porcelain objects, and works of art. The castle also holds displays of 15th- and 16th-century paintings and one of the biggest private collections of arms in Europe. Schloss Sigmaringen is open February to April and November daily 9:30am to 4:30pm, May to October daily 9am to 4:45pm, and December and January only by private arrangements. Admission is 6€ ($7.80) for adults and 2.80€ ($3.65) for children 6 to 18; children under 6 enter free. To get to Sigmaringen from Ulm, take a train on the Ulm-Freiberg line, or drive southwest on the B311 and then west on the B32. From the north, take the B313 or 88. There are also trains from Stuttgart.
