Frequently Asked Questions for Tourists Visiting Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg (Nürnberg in German) is a historic city situated in the Franconian region of Bavaria, southern Germany. It lies about 170 km north of Munich and is easily accessible by train, car, and plane.

The city has around 500,000 inhabitants, not including the suburbs.

The oldest surviving record is a document that granted a serf her freedom in the year 1050. But some of the foundations of the Imperial Castle are even older. Pottery fragments have been dated back to around the year 800.

Lots of things! In the Old Town (Altstadt) you’ll find some of the best preserved medieval fortifications in Europe, the Albrecht Dürer House, home of the famous renaissance artist, beautifully restored Gothic churches like St Sebald and St Lawrence, the Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg), and the Marketplace (Hauptmarkt) which plays host to the world famous Christmas Markets every December. The city also has great museums, like the German National Museum, German Railway Museum, and Toy Museum.

Nuremberg is also known for its association with the Third Reich, due to the Nuremberg Rallies and Nuremberg Trials. The Nuremberg Rallies occured on the southeast side of the city in an area called the Dutzenteich and are infamous for the parades, speeches and propaganda that the Nazis created there. Although much of the area has been turned back into a park (it’s original purpose), some pieces, like the Congress Hall of the Nazi Party, remain. The Documentation Center museum now presents the history of that era.

The Nuremberg war crime trials took place on the west side of the city in the municipal courthouse starting in November 1945. For over 200 days, evidence and testimony were presented there in a military tribunal for the surviving Nazi leadership. At the end of the trial, the executions by hanging were carried out in the prison gymnasium behind the courthouse. Most of the building and prison are still in use but the courtroom itself is now an exhibition called Memorium Nuremberg Trials and costs 8 euros.

The courthouse is not in the city center, costs 8 euros entry, and guided tours are not allowed through the exhibition.

Take the U1 subway line from the train station or Old Town west to the Bärenschanze stop. Continue west down the busy street (Fürtherstraße) and the courthouse is an enormous sandstone building on the right.

No idea, honestly. Maybe because some other museums are closed on Mondays?

Nuremberg is famous for regional Franconian specialties. The cheapest, quickest and most traditional lunch in the city is called Drei im Weckla: 3 Nuremberg grilled sausages on a fresh bread roll. In most places, Drei im Weckla is to go only so you order at the counter. If you sit down, its not on the menu.

The big hearty meal is called Scheufele: roasted pork shoulder with meat on the bone and potato dumplings.

The city is also famous for Christmas cookies called Lebkuchen: a soft, moist gingerbread cookie that has been made in the city since the Middle Ages. Christmas Markets are only in December, but you can get the Christmas cookies yearround in Nuremberg.

If you want to try the local beer, the place to start is Rotbier, an amber lager that is specific to Nuremberg. Most places (but now all) in the city have it. The largest brewery is Tucher. You’ll see that name on the awnings of restaurants as you walk through the city. Schanzenbräu is a smaller, locally popular brewery. There are lots of other options as well. In fact, Franconia has the largest concentration of breweries in the world!

Absolutely! Crime is low. The train station collects a colorful cast of characters, but that is true of every train station in every city in Europe. Even the red-light district on the west side of the old town is quite safe.

Not at all. It’s half the price of Munich, Hamburg, or Berlin. Restaurants and hotels are reasonably priced most of the year.