Nuremberg is the second city of Bavaria and the capital of Franconia in everything but name, with a castle on a sandstone ridge, a river running through a walled old town, and the most famous Christmas market in Germany. It is also a city that holds two of the most important documentary sites of the twentieth century, and it does not hide either of them.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Roman Trail earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What Is Here
THE OLD TOWN IS A RECONSTRUCTION AND SAYING SO IS NOT A CRITICISM. On 2 January 1945 a bombing raid destroyed roughly ninety per cent of the walled centre in about an hour. What stands now was rebuilt over decades, much of it faithfully, some of it in a simplified post-war version, and the five kilometres of city wall with its towers largely survived. Knowing that changes how the place reads: the half-timbered houses in the second image are mostly careful rebuilds, and the city made a deliberate decision to restore rather than modernise.
THE KAISERBURG SITS ON THE RIDGE AND IS THE REASON THE CITY EXISTS. The hero image is it. Every Holy Roman Emperor between 1050 and 1571 held court here at some point, the Sinwell Tower can be climbed, and the Deep Well is shown by candle and mirror by a guide, which is better than it sounds. The view from the walls takes in the whole red-roofed centre.
THE CHRISTKINDLESMARKT IS THE BEST KNOWN CHRISTMAS MARKET IN GERMANY AND IT RUNS FROM LATE NOVEMBER TO 24 DECEMBER. The third image is a market street. Two million visitors, a rule that only traditional handmade goods may be sold, the Nuremberg Zwetschgenmannle made of dried prunes, and the local Rostbratwurst, which are small, grilled over beechwood and served three in a bread roll. IT IS EXTREMELY CROWDED AND IT IS COLD, and that combination is what the packing list below is mostly about. ACCOMMODATION PRICES MULTIPLY IN DECEMBER AND BOOK OUT MONTHS AHEAD.
TWO SITES DOCUMENT THE NAZI ERA AND BOTH ARE MUSEUMS OF RECORD RATHER THAN SPECTACLE. The DOKUMENTATIONSZENTRUM REICHSPARTEITAGSGELANDE sits in the unfinished Congress Hall on the former party rally grounds in the south east of the city, and covers how the regime used this city and these rallies. THE MEMORIUM NUREMBERG TRIALS is at the Palace of Justice on Further Strasse and includes COURTROOM 600, where the International Military Tribunal sat in 1945 and 1946 and where the modern law of crimes against humanity begins. THE COURTROOM IS STILL IN USE, so access depends on the court calendar and is usually weekends and some weekdays: CHECK BEFORE YOU GO. Both are reachable by U-Bahn and both deserve a couple of hours.
ALBRECHT DURER WAS BORN HERE and his house below the castle is a museum. The Germanisches Nationalmuseum is the largest museum of German cultural history in the country.
THE HANDWERKERHOF AT THE KONIGSTOR is a walled craft courtyard just inside the gate and is the first thing most arrivals see; it is touristy and the sausages are good.
When to Go
May to September for long evenings in the beer gardens and the riverside, and September for the quietest good weather.
Late November to 24 December for the Christkindlesmarkt, which is the single best reason to come and the most expensive and crowded time to do it.
January to March is cold, grey and cheap, with the museums at their emptiest. The castle and both documentation sites are indoor-ish and work in any weather.
If you come for the market, go on a weekday morning or after about eight in the evening. Saturday afternoons on the Hauptmarkt are genuinely difficult to move through.
Getting There
By train, Nuremberg is a major hub: an hour from Munich, two hours from Frankfurt, three and a half from Berlin, forty minutes from Bamberg. The Hauptbahnhof sits directly outside the city wall at the Konigstor, so you walk into the old town.
By air, Nuremberg Airport is twelve minutes from the centre on the U2 underground, which is one of the shortest airport transfers in Germany.
By car, at the junction of the A3, A6 and A9. THE OLD TOWN IS LARGELY PEDESTRIAN with a low-emission zone, so park in a Parkhaus at the edge.
You do not need a car. The old town is walkable end to end in half an hour and the U-Bahn reaches both documentation sites and the airport.
Is Nuremberg Safe for Women?
Nuremberg is a large, prosperous and safe German city. The FCDO publishes no advised-against areas anywhere in Germany, and its terrorism wording is the strongest it uses: terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Germany, with restaurants, MARKETS, shopping centres, places of worship, sporting events and crowded public spaces named as possible targets. That is worth knowing in a country where a Christmas market is often the reason for the trip, and the response is awareness rather than avoidance. On crime the FCDO puts German levels on a par with the UK and names theft and pickpocketing at airports, railway stations and in crowded places, with the specific advice not to leave bags unattended. It also gives one unusually concrete warning: exchange currency only at banks and legitimate bureaux, because counterfeit notes are passed to visitors at street kiosks.
THE MARKET CROWD IS THE REAL RISK AND IT IS A PICKPOCKET RISK. Two million people through a few squares in four weeks, in the dark, in heavy coats, holding hot drinks, is the ideal working environment for bag theft. Wear a closed bag in front of you, keep a phone out of a coat pocket, and do not put a bag down at a Gluhwein stand.
COLD IS THE OTHER DECEMBER HAZARD AND IT IS UNDERESTIMATED EVERY YEAR. Standing still outdoors for three hours at around freezing while drinking alcohol is how people get genuinely cold, because Gluhwein makes you feel warmer while it speeds heat loss. Move, eat, and go indoors before you are shivering.
The old town is hilly and the castle approach is cobbled and steep, with worn sandstone steps that are slippery when wet or frosty.
Ordinary urban care around the station at night. The area immediately south of the Hauptbahnhof has the usual big-station character and is not where a visitor needs to be late.
Franconian beer is strong and the measure is large. Local beers often exceed five per cent and a Seidla is half a litre.
The Nuremberg Packing List
A December market at freezing point, cobbled hills, and cold stone interiors.
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women is the single most useful thing in a December bag for this city, because the problem is standing still rather than walking: wool holds its warmth without bulk and does not go cold and clammy when you step from a freezing square into a packed, overheated hall. From November to March add a heavyweight merino base layer.
A Columbia Fast Trek II fleece and a Marmot PreCip Eco rain jacket over it. In deep winter an insulated hooded jacket over the fleece is the warmer choice for a market evening, and we leave that unlinked only because this post is already at its affiliate link cap.
A merino beanie and merino glove liners. Thin liners matter more than thick gloves here, because you will be handling money, a phone and a hot mug.
Walking shoes with grip for cobbles, the castle climb and frosted paving.
Not linked and worth packing: THICK SOCKS AND A SECOND PAIR, because standing on cold stone for hours is felt through the feet first and this is the complaint visitors make most; A CLOSED BAG WORN IN FRONT for the market; CASH IN COINS AND SMALL NOTES, since market stalls and Franconian pubs are among the most cash-only places in Germany and most Gluhwein stands take a deposit on the mug; SOMETHING TO COVER YOUR SHOULDERS for the churches; and A CHECK OF THE COURT CALENDAR if Courtroom 600 is on your list. Germany is otherwise increasingly card-friendly.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Essential Resources for Women in Nuremberg
Emergency numbers: 112 for police, ambulance and fire, free from any phone including a locked mobile, with operators who will find an English speaker. It is the single number across the whole European Union.
The Christkindlesmarkt runs from late November to 24 December, draws around two million visitors, and the two things it demands planning for are PICKPOCKETS AND COLD. A dark, dense crowd in heavy coats holding hot drinks is the ideal environment for bag theft, so wear a closed bag in front, keep your phone out of a coat pocket and never set a bag down at a stand. STANDING STILL FOR HOURS AT AROUND FREEZING WHILE DRINKING GLUHWEIN IS HOW PEOPLE GET GENUINELY COLD, because alcohol makes you feel warmer while it speeds heat loss: move, eat and go inside before you shiver. DECEMBER ACCOMMODATION BOOKS OUT MONTHS AHEAD AND PRICES MULTIPLY. COURTROOM 600 AT THE MEMORIUM NUREMBERG TRIALS IS A WORKING COURTROOM, so access depends on the court calendar and must be checked before you travel. The Dokumentationszentrum on the former rally grounds is reachable by U-Bahn. ROUGHLY NINETY PER CENT OF THE WALLED OLD TOWN WAS DESTROYED IN A SINGLE RAID ON 2 JANUARY 1945 and what stands is a reconstruction, though the city wall largely survived. THE CASTLE APPROACH IS STEEP, COBBLED AND SLIPPERY when wet or frosty. The airport is twelve minutes away on the U2. Franconian beer runs above five per cent in half-litre measures, and market stalls and old pubs are frequently cash only.
US State Department travel advisory: the Germany advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/germany, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
Main hospital: the Klinikum Nurnberg has two campuses, Nord on the Prof-Ernst-Nathan-Strasse and Sud on the Breslauer Strasse, both with 24 hour emergency departments, and it is one of the largest municipal hospitals in Europe. Dial 112 for police, ambulance or fire. The overnight pharmacy rota is posted on every Apotheke door and published by the Bavarian pharmacists' chamber. Germany is in the EU, so a UK Global Health Insurance Card or an EU European Health Insurance Card gives you state-provided medically necessary care on the same terms as a resident. That is not the same as free: German healthcare involves patient contributions and the card does not cover repatriation or private treatment, so travel insurance sits on top of it. German hospitals are excellent and English is widely spoken in them, particularly in university cities. An Apotheke, marked with a red A, handles minor problems without an appointment and the duty rota for out-of-hours is posted in the window. Tap water is drinkable everywhere. Dial 112 for an ambulance and 116117 for the non-emergency medical service.
Official health authority: the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health body. covers the Bavarian regional health reporting
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in Berlin.
Official tourism authority: the German National Tourist Board. covers the Christkindlesmarkt dates, the Kaiserburg opening hours and the Memorium Nuremberg Trials access, which depends on the court calendar
Takeaways
Go to the market on a weekday morning or after eight at night.
Thin glove liners and thick socks beat one heavy coat.
Check the court calendar before counting on Courtroom 600.
Carry cash. Stalls and old pubs often take nothing else.
Solo women safety assessment: Nuremberg is a comfortable city to visit alone. It is large enough to be anonymous and small enough to walk, the old town is busy and well lit into the evening, the U-Bahn is clean and frequent, and a woman eating alone in a Franconian pub or standing alone at a market stall is entirely unremarkable. There is no district a visitor needs to avoid; use ordinary urban care in the streets immediately south of the Hauptbahnhof late at night, which have the usual big-station character. 112 REACHES POLICE, AMBULANCE AND FIRE free from any phone, and the Klinikum Nurnberg runs 24 hour emergency departments on two campuses and is among the largest municipal hospitals in Europe. THE RISK THAT ACTUALLY MATERIALISES HERE IS THEFT, AND IT IS CONCENTRATED IN FOUR WEEKS OF THE YEAR. The Christkindlesmarkt puts around two million people through a few small squares in the dark, in bulky coats, with both hands occupied by a mug and a sausage, and that is as good as conditions get for a pickpocket: a closed bag worn in front of you, a phone somewhere other than a coat pocket and a bag that never touches the ground cover almost all of it. The second December risk is cold rather than crime, and it is the one people get wrong: three hours standing still at around freezing while drinking Gluhwein feels fine and is not, because alcohol speeds heat loss while making you feel warmer, so eat, keep moving and get indoors before you start shivering. The rest is underfoot. The castle approach is steep cobbled sandstone, the old town is hillier than it looks, and frost turns both slippery, so grippy flat shoes matter more than they would in a modern city.
Reading On
Nuremberg is the largest of the Franconian cities and this library now covers the group. The Bamberg packing list is forty minutes north and leads on its undamaged UNESCO old town and its smoked beer, which is the sharpest possible contrast with this city's reconstruction; the Regensburg packing list leads on the Steinerne Brucke and the Roman wall on the Danube, and the Passau packing list on the confluence of three rivers further downstream. South, the Munich packing list covers the Bavarian capital an hour away and the Rothenburg ob der Tauber packing list the walled town on the Romantic Road that this city's visitors most often pair with it. For the Bavarian Alps, the Fussen packing list and Garmisch-Partenkirchen packing list cover the mountains. The Berlin packing list covers the other essential German twentieth century itinerary. For the country, the Germany travel guide for women and the Germany packing list carry the rail network and the regions. For why wool is the layer that works when the problem is standing still in the cold, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women. Every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women, and the base layers are at the Roman Trail collection. North west, the Wurzburg packing list covers the baroque Residenz and the Franconian wine country.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
