Nuremberg – what to see in the city and taste at the Christmas market: castle, Dürer’s house, fountains and sculptures, half-timbered streets of Nuremberg.
I went to Prague in December to see my daughter and spend time together. But we wanted to feel a little bit of Christmas mood, because we had already been to Prague many times for the holidays and needed to change the usual picture. So we took Flixbus tickets and traveled to Nuremberg, which we have never regretted.
Getting to Nuremberg
By airplane
They fly to Nuremberg airport:
- Ryanair flies from Krakow, Tallinn, Vilnius, London, Budapest, and many airports in Italy and Spain.
- Wizz Air – from Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Tirana and Varna
- Pegasus – from Istanbul
- You can fly to Nuremberg from Amsterdam with KLM.
- Air France flies from Paris.
From airport Nuremberg Airport the city is very quick and easy to get to by subway (line U2) – travel time is 10-15 minutes.
By train and bus
An alternative option is to fly to Munich, Frankfurt, or Prague. These are large cities with airports located 2-4 hours away from Nuremberg. From here, you can take FlixBus buses, a train, or rent a car.
If you arrive in Munich or Frankfurt, it is convenient to use a single ticket for 49 euros per month, which can be used to travel throughout Germany on suburban trains. The German has a single 49€-Ticket – a new travel card in Germany.
From Prague a little longer – by bus FlixBus – the travel time is slightly longer – 4 hours. Tickets from 19 Euros one way.
Or by a rental car, which can be booked through DiscoverCars by choosing the most favorable rental company at the airport.
Where to stay in Nuremberg
When I was looking for a hotel before Christmas, the prices were very high because the Christmas market in Nuremberg is very famous all over the world. That’s why I chose hotels outside the Old Town, but if you have an unlimited budget, it’s certainly better to stay in the old part to be in the epicenter of events.
Hotels in the center of Nuremberg:
- Hotel Central – in the heart of the city, 2 minutes from Hauptmarkt.
- Melter Hotel & Apartments – is a very stylish and not too expensive hotel in the city center.
- Oldtown Studios by dasPaul – is a studio apartment with a kitchenette for those who plan to stay in Nuremberg for a few days.
- Hotel Elch – is a small boutique hotel for those who appreciate pleasant service and a feeling of being at home.
I chose a hotel just outside the Old Town. I read a lot of reviews and I advise you to stay near the train station in the Marienforstadt area. There are many chain hotels located close to the center, the station, and the Flexbus stop.
Hotels near the center:
- Hotel Central City Hbf Nürnberg – clean new rooms, good location near the train station and the center.
- Novina Hotel Wöhrdersee Nürnberg City – We stayed here for one night, booking a discounted room on a weekday. We didn’t take breakfast because we wanted to taste a delicious breakfast in a Turkish brunch cafe Hane .
- Leonardo Royal Hotel Nürnberg – is a very well located hotel a stone’s throw from Old Nuremberg.
What to see and visit in Nuremberg
Nuremberg suddenly turned out to be a very beautiful and cozy city – we came here for the Christmas market and the mood. And we got much more – a pleasant atmosphere, few people on a weekday, and long walks in the ancient city.
Nuremberg Christmas market Christkindlesmarkt
Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt is considered one of the best Christmas markets in Germany. Every year it is held on the city’s main square, the Hauptmarkt. It is also one of the oldest Christmas markets in the world. Since the end of November, pavilions with handmade delicacies, souvenirs and toys, and the aromas of hot wine, grog and fried sausages have been set up throughout the Old Town.
More than 180 market stalls are decorated with fresh greenery and lights for Christmas. Christmas nativity scenes are built around the village, with bright stars shining above them. The capital of German Christmas welcomes its guests with famous Nuremberg gingerbread, sausages, mulled wine, and a cozy atmosphere.
It is important to remember: The Christmas market closes on December 24 at 14:00. In Germany, Christmas markets are open during Advent, and on Christmas Eve, in the afternoon, the city will be empty. For Germans, this is a family holiday at home, so they stop working and spend all their time with their families.
What to taste and buy as a souvenir at the Christmas market:
- Sweet almonds, local sausages in a bun, and Nuremberg gingerbread at the Woitinek bakery, which has been in business for over 100 years. Especially delicious are the handmade Nuremberg gingerbread Elisen, the recipe for which came from the great-grandfather of the current owners of the Wojtinek bakery and has remained virtually unchanged to this day.
- Buy a mulled wine glass as a souvenir – since 1990, a new design has been introduced every year.
- Buy traditional Christmas decorations of all shapes and sizes: Christmas tree ornaments, Rauschgold gold foil angels, plumed men – Zwetschgenmännle made of prunes.
- Another cool theme is micro-toys, utensils, household items – all to create your own home nativity scene, and a doll’s house with all the things you need for life. At the fair, I saw several stalls with such micro-items. There was everything from a meat grinder to doll bread, from micro dishes to micro cheese pans to fuel the micro oven.
Old Town – the historic center of Nuremberg
If you arrive in Nuremberg by train, the first thing you’ll see when you get to the Old Town is the Handwerkerhof (Craftsman’s Yard). This tiny city within a city, surrounded by a mighty stone wall, resembles a portal to medieval Bavaria. Inside you will find gingerbread houses, restaurants serving traditional food, and various workshops.
It seems to me that it is no different, all tourist routes start at the Main Market Square, the Hauptmarkt. It is here that the Christmas market is held. And not only it – for example, in May and September, one of the largest flea markets in Germany gathers here, where you can find amazing antiques. Come to the square at noon to see the Electors on the Frauenkirche clock.
The square leads directly to the Kaiserburg Castle, located on a hill that has been towering over the city for almost 1000 years. This is the place where the history of Nuremberg began almost 1000 years ago. You can enter the castle for free. But to get to the museum inside the castle, you need to buy a ticket.
So you can walk between the castle towers without a ticket. And from the observation deck, Nuremberg and its red roofs and church bell towers are in the palm of your hand. Ticket information and details on the castle’s website.
When we came down from the castle hill, we found ourselves on the Weissgerbergasse, a street with perfect and very beautiful half-timbered houses. At Christmas, they are also decorated with garlands.
Bridges over the Pegnitz River
The Pegnitz River flows through Nuremberg, which is another decoration of the city, or rather the bridges and buildings located above its banks. Walk across the Bridge of Weeping, a wooden bridge that leads to the small island of Trödelmarkt (Flea Market) or Love Island, which has many shops with souvenirs, clothes and a small coffee shop with delicious coffee.
From the island, you can see the half-timbered Weinstadt House, one of the most beautiful buildings in Nuremberg, built in the mid-15th century. Initially, it housed a leper shelter.
After they were expelled from the city, the house was used as a wine warehouse and a shelter for the poor. In the middle of the twentieth century, it was used as a dormitory for university students. In general, ancient bridges over the river are very photogenic, so take a walk along it to see this beauty.
Nuremberg fountains
Here, on the square, there is a restored beautiful fountain – Schöner Brunnen, which is more than 600 years old. You can spin a gilded ring on it: if you spin it once, three wishes will come true. In general, Nuremberg is a city of unusual fountains.
One of the strangest is the Marriage Carousel fountain. When I saw it, I just couldn’t move away, I looked at it for half an hour. It is considered the largest European figural fountain of the 20th century. If you go around it clockwise, you can see the bitter story of married life – from a happy wedding to betrayal and hatred experienced at the end of life by people who never loved each other.
Museums of Nuremberg – from Dürer to the Nuremberg Trials
By the way, the famous artist Albrecht Dürer lived and worked in Nuremberg. There is a monument to a hare under the castle on Tiergärtnertorturm Square near the house where he lived, which looks very similar to the hare from Dürer’s painting “The Young Field Hare.”
In 1984, the German avant-garde animalist Jürgen Hertz created a kind of parody of the painting, the sculpture Dürer’s Hare. A huge bronze animal is taken out of a wooden box. A little bunny huddled on the box next to it. The sculpture is installed next to the house of Albrecht Dürer.
So, if you are interested in seeing where and how Dürer lived, be sure to check out the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus, his house museum. The tour of the house is interesting, but there are no paintings by the great artist. The tour is led by Agnes Dürer, or rather an actress in her character, who shows and tells many interesting things about life and work in the family of the famous artist, about their work in the kitchen, in the studio and at home. Entrance to the museum costs 6 euros + guided tour 3 euros for adults, 2 euros for children. Details on the museum page .
Museum of the Nuremberg Trials
If you are interested in the history of the Nuremberg trials against the Nazis, and this topic is more relevant than ever, then visit Hall 600. It now houses a memorial to the trial of the Nazi regime’s criminals.
The entrance fee is 6 euros. The Museum of the Nuremberg Trials is located on the second floor of the current land court. Therefore, before coming here, you should check the court schedule in advance – the museum is closed on these days.
You can supplement the information by adding a guided tour of the Nazi Nazi center in Dutzendtreich Park, which is held every Saturday at 15:00 and costs 3 euros for adults, 2 euros for children, and 6 euros for the entrance fee. However, pre-registration is required – please send an e-mail to dokumentationszentrum@stadt.nuernberg.de.
Another museum in Nuremberg that is worth a visit. This is an exposition of German railways covering the period from their appearance in Germany to the present day. There are old wagons that belonged to Bavarian King Ludwig II.
Useful articles and links:
- Porto in winter – what to do, see and taste in the very nice Portugal city
- Christmas Prague
- Rome in winter – what to see in three days
- Berlin for three days – what to see in the German capital
Car rental – we rented a car at the Lyon airport. We picked up an inexpensive option – DiscoverCars.
Hotels – I traditionally book on Booking.com.
