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Nuremberg Attractions
You can easily spend a full day here seeing the sights in Nürnberg. Begin as soon as you get off the train and step into the Handwerkerhof, just inside the walls across from the station (an underground passage leads from the station to the top of Königstrasse, the street that cuts through the old city). In this unabashedly touristic precinct of faux-medieval cottages artisans create the products for which Nürnberg has been known since the Middle Ages: glassware, pewter (often in the form of beer mugs), intricate woodcarvings, and toys; the adjoining Historische Bratwurst-Glöcklein is a genuinely authentic centuries-old beer hall that serves traditional Nürnberg-style bratwurst with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. From here follow Königstrasse through the city (in many parts closed to cars) to Hauptmarkt, the central market square, filled with kiosks stacked tall with fresh produce brought in from the countryside, and from there into the adjoining Rathausplatz and up through steep streets to the castle. Along the way you’ll pass the city’s standout churches, St. Lorenz and St. Sebaldus.
Saving Euros
A Nürnberg card (23€) gives you admission to 10 museums and free transportation for 2 days, but you probably won’t want to see all the museums (unless the Pigeon Museum hits a special chord with you) and except for the Dokumentationszentrum, it’s easy to get where you want to go in Nürnberg on foot. Here's a better scheme: at most city museums, if you add 2.50€ to your admission, you get a Day Ticket for free entry to other museums for the rest of the day.
Hidden Treasure
It’s a pleasure to come upon some lesser monuments as you walk through Nürnberg. The Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) on the Hauptmarkt is a stone pyramid, 18m (60 ft.) high, from 1396 that is adorned with 30 figures arranged in four tiers. Another Hauptmarkt attraction is the Männleinlaufen clock, set into the facade of the 14th-century Frauenkirche; seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire glide out of the clockworks at noon and prance around Emperor Charles IV. “The Hare, a Tribute to Dürer,” in the medieval Tiergartnerplatz, is a 1984 sculptural reference to the artist’s Junger Feldchase (Young Hare), an almost photographic-quality rendering in watercolor—here the animal is depicted quite grotesquely in bronze.
12 Results
- Historic Site
Albrecht Dürer House
Nürnberg’s only surviving 15th-century, half-timbered burgher’s house also happens to have been the home of one of its most illustrious native sons, Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). The artist lived and worked here from 1509 to 1528, and many of his etchings and woodcuts hang in rooms… - Historic Site
Dokumentationszentrum Reichsparteitagsgelände
Adolf Hitler famously made Nürnberg the locale for his massive Nazi rallies, and he commissioned his architect, Albert Speer, to design a congress hall and assembly grounds in the grandiose, neoclassical style the Führer favored. The war prevented either from being completed, and the… - Museum
Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Germanic National Museum)
Germany’s largest art and culture museum spans the millennia to show off painting, sculpture, crafts, arms and armor—if something’s part of Germany’s national heritage, it’s here, making this former Carthusian monastery (plus modern annexes) the equivalent of the Smithsonian… - Landmark
Kaiserburg
For 500 years, beginning in 1050, German kings and emperors ruled from this vast hilltop fortress looming above the city from the northern edge of the Altstadt. The Knights’ Hall and Imperial Hall, with heavy oak beams and frescoed ceilings, evoke all the medieval regal splendor… - Historic Site
Lochgefängnisse
This gruesome attraction under the Altes Rathaus is a medieval prison with its original cells and torture chamber. Opposite the torture chamber lie the remnants of a room that once hid the city council's treasures and important documents during wars and emergencies. An underground… - Historic Site
Memorium Nürnberg Prozesse & Justizgebäude (Nürnberg Trials Memorial & Courthouse)
In the famous war trials that began on November 20, 1945, 21 leading Nazi war criminals were tried in Courtroom 600 before the Allied International Military Tribunal for conspiracy and crimes against world peace, the rules of warfare, and humanity. Afterward, 10 were hanged. The… - Museum
Neuesmuseum
One of the city’s most stunning architectural statements, with a bold glass front that reveals labyrinthine spiral staircases within, isn’t entirely out of place in the Altstadt. From most angles, the curving façade reflects the medieval walls, melding the old and the new quite… - Museum
Spielzeugmuseum (Toy Museum)
Nürnberg was famous for its “Dockenmacher” (doll makers) in the Middle Ages, and by the 19th century was turning out popular tin toys. The city still hosts a much-attended annual toy fair. So, it’s only fitting that one the world’s most renowned and largest toy collections is… - Religious Site
St. Lorenz-Kirche
Every element in the largest and most majestic church in Nürnberg seems to soar heavenward, which, of course, is exactly what the architects of this Gothic edifice, begun in 1270, intended. Rows of pillars disappear into the vaulting above the nave, and “The Angelic Salutation”… - Religious Site
St. Sebaldus-Kirche
Nürnberg’s oldest church, consecrated in 1273, houses the shrine of St. Sebald, a hermit who, legend has it, was son of a Danish king who married a French princess and abandoned her on their wedding night to answer the call and come to the forests around Nürnberg to preach… - Museum
Stadtmuseum Fembohaus
Step into this medieval merchant’s palace to see how the other half lived 500 years ago. Lavish rooms behind a stone façade include a warmly paneled Family Hall; rooms in the rear open off a traditional Dockengalerie, a wooden gallery surrounding an inner court. “Docken” refers to… - Historic Site
WWII SITE
In a recently opened wing of the Justizgebäude, this memorial sheds light on the Nürnberg Trials, the famous set of war trials that have become synonymous with the city. Beginning on November 20, 1945, 21 leading Nazi war criminals were tried in Courtroom 600 before the Allied…
Nuremberg Shopping
Located near the railway station in the center of the city, Handwerkerhof (U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof) is a crafts mall in a medieval castle setting, where Franconian artisans create and sell a wide range of handicrafts. It's open March 20 to December 23, weekdays 10am to 6:30pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm. In December, it also opens Sunday 10am to 6:30pm.
At Kistner, Weinmarkt 6 (tel. 0911/203482; www.kistner.de; U-Bahn: Lorenzkirche), you can step back in time. This wonderful store is full of antique books, prints, and engravings, including some by Dürer, Rembrandt, and other masters. The owner, Herr Kistner, is an expert in the field.
Villeroy & Boch, Königstrasse 13 (tel. 0911/223182; www.villeroy-boch-nuernberg.de; U-Bahn: Lorenzkirche), sells sets of china, crystal ware, and porcelain trinkets.
The largest department store in the city, Karstadt, Königstrasse 14 (tel. 0911/2130; U-Bahn: Lorenzkirche), carries clothing, housewares, and other home furnishings.
Adding variety to prudence, La Condomeria, Ludwigstrasse 57 (tel. 0911/232784; www.lacondomeria.de; U-Bahn: Weisser Turm), sells condoms in various colors, textures, flavors, and scents. It also has postcards and T-shirts.
Nuremberg Nightlife
A theater complex offering quality productions of drama and opera, the Staatstheater Nürnberg, Richard-Wagner-Platz 2-10 (tel. 0180/5231600 for tickets; www.staatstheater-nuernberg.de; U-Bahn: Opernhaus), houses the Kammerspiele, Opernhaus, and Schauspielhaus. The box office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm plus Saturday 9am to 6pm; tickets are 10€ to 65€. Students get 25% off, and the general public can check on discounted seats at the box office 1 hour before each performance. Tickets can also be obtained by calling the number listed above.
Touring cabaret acts play at the Loni-Übler-Haus, Marthastrasse 60 (tel. 0911/541156; Tram: 5), on Saturday and Sunday at 8pm. The box office is open Tuesday to Friday 9am to 10pm, and tickets are 10€ to 50€. The city's premier outdoor venue, St. Katarina, is located in the ruins of the Katharinenkirche, Katherinenkloster 1 at Peter-Vischer-Strasse (U-Bahn: Lorenzkirche). It hosts concerts by an eclectic mix of international musical acts. The events within this evocative outdoor ruin are, by necessity, subject to sudden cancellations because of inclement weather. For events at St. Katarina Church, it is best to call the tourist office (tel. 0911/23360).
An artists' hangout, Treibhaus, Karl-Grillenberger-Strasse 28 (tel. 0911/223041; www.cafetreibhaus.de; U-Bahn: Weisser Turm), opens early for big breakfasts that run 3€ to 15€, and offers soup, salad, and sandwich specials from 5€ to 10€ throughout the day. At night, it dims the lights and keeps serving drinks. It's open Monday to Friday 8am to 1am, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 1am. Food is served until 10:30pm, and breakfast is served all day.
Another low-key arts scene, Café Ruhestörung, Tetzelgasse 21 (tel. 0911/221921; www.ruhestoerung.org; U-Bahn: Lorenzkirche or Rathenauplatz), offers some of the best people-watching in the city. Just sit on the patio and order a drink or a sandwich and watch the world stroll by. Draft beers are 2.50€ to 4€. It's open daily 9am to 1am.
At Mach 1, Kaiserstrasse 1-9 (tel. 0911/2406602; www.mach1-club.de; U-Bahn: Lorenzkirche), Thursday and Friday move from disco to hip-hop, warming up for Saturday's big house party. Cover is 8€ on Thursday, 9€ on Friday, and 15€ on Saturday. Hours are Thursday to Saturday 10pm to 5am.
A popular gay bistro, Cartoon, An der Sparkgasse 6 (tel. 0911/227170; www.cartoon-nbg.de; U-Bahn: Lorenzkirche), serves beer, wine, and light meals Monday to Saturday 2pm to midnight and Sunday 2 to 11pm. For later hours, hit the dance clubs, all of which have both gay and straight clientele.
