Franconian charm awaits history-minded visitors to this attraction-packed German city. Outstanding restaurants serve local food and drink specialties.
Nürnberg, Germany, is full of rich medieval history, with plenty of myths and mystery. The largest city in the northern region of Bavaria, often referred to as the unofficial capital of Franconia, Nürnberg (or Nuremberg, as we know it) displays a unique Franconian identity in terms of its culture, architecture, cuisine and historical political structures. Explore all angles and layers of the city to learn more about what makes Nürnberg unique.
Enter the city through the base of the Frauentorturm (Women’s Gate Tower), and you’ll immediately find the first attraction in the initial interior lining. Craftsmen’s Courtyard is a collection of cottage industries behind the thick city wall, where small half-timbered workshops are labeled with antique signs and ornate metal fittings. Craftworkers here create pottery, glassware, candles, jewelry, leatherwork, and wooden wares. These traditional gifts handmade by local artisans include leather bracelets, wallets and belts, plus carved wooden animals, toys, keychains, hand-carved pens, cutting boards and kitchen utensils. Set amongst colorful flowering plants and potted greenery, cafes and restaurants in this idyllic city segment serve tasty snacks, cakes and invigorating coffee drinks.
The Old Town’s Hauptmarkt (main market square) holds the famous Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain), an intricate 14th-century, 62-foot-high Gothic structure encircled by a metal railing. Forty stone figures on four of the piece’s many tiers represent the world’s varied beliefs and philosophical ideas about the Holy Roman Empire during the medieval period—in the form of church and secular leaders, evangelists, prophets, philosophers and biblical characters. Set within the intricate railing design is a small golden ring, and legend dictates that turning this shiny brass ring three times fulfills wishes and brings good luck.
The Easter Market, or Ostermarkt, sells Küchle, a treat of fried dough with powdered sugar.
Right here in the main market square is where the wintertime Christkindlesmarkt Christmas market is held, but during springtime, you can find a festive Easter market in its place. Shop for leather goods, wooden crafts, embroidered linens, woven socks, wine, spring home decor, pottery and plush toys. Try the made-on-site fried dough with powdered sugar Küchle (little cake), sugared roasted nuts and gingerbread cookies. If you’re missing the Christkindlesmarkt, stop into the Käthe Wohlfahrt specialty shop in town to stock up on Erzgebirge handmade Christmas pyramids, incense smokers, ornaments and toys.
Try Nürnberg’s Famous Sausages and Other Regional Specialties
Nürnberg provides many restaurant options for a delicious, full sit-down meal. Zum Gulden Stern is the city’s oldest existing historical bratwurst kitchen—and the oldest in the world—dating back to 1419. Here, the famous, original Nürnberg sausages (branded as the Original Nürnberger Röstla®) are grilled over a beechwood fire in a building built around 1380. The sausages are prepared with traditional spices like mace (a sister spice to nutmeg), marjoram, salt and pepper by the family-run Pfettner butcher shop in Nürnberg. The characteristic smoke and aroma of beechwood infuse this delicacy with unique flavor. The sausages served at Zum Gulden Stern are never boiled or pre-fried; instead, they are placed on the grill white and raw, cooked for about seven minutes, and then removed once the tops and bottoms are evenly browned and crispy. (Consider visiting the Nürnberg Bratwurst Museum, which presents the myths and legends surrounding these small sausages the town is known for.)
Nürnberg’s oldest bratwurst kitchen, Zum Gulden Stern, serves the famous, traditionally spiced sausages grilled over a beechwood fire.
Barrel-fermented sauerkraut grown by the Wehr family in the Aischgrund region is cooked and seasoned at Zum Gulden Stern with fresh pork lard. The vegetables, horseradish and wines served at the restaurant are all sourced from family-owned businesses in the region, and the dishes are substantial and savory. This tavern survived all the wars, likely hosted famous Middle Ages painter Albrecht Dürer, and still serves up delicious daily-prepared meat-and-vegetable soups and famous sausages. In addition to the interesting antique wall art, the colorful wooden ceiling is patched with old brightly painted cupboard panels, to cover holes made where weighty drunken guests from older days had fallen through from the upper level.
A Prime Lodging Choice in Nürnberg
Adina Apartment Hotel, about a 12-minute walk from the main train station, in the heart of the city, is a comfortable, clean and convenient place to overnight in Nürnberg. The spacious studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments have fully equipped kitchens, cozy linens and vegan personal care products, and the hotel is upscale but relaxed and inviting.
Friendly, efficient and attentive staff, and fast and accommodating room service make this an exceptional lodging choice. Breakfast in the downstairs dining area is varied and colorful, with many tasty options to help kick-start your day—fresh juices, lattes, meat and cheese platters, vegetables, cereals, dried and fresh fruits, fish filet cakes, pancakes and rolls, sweet breads, jams, eggs and hot breakfast meat dishes (including the city’s famous sausages). After a day exploring the town, the lap pool and sauna area provide just enough space for a refreshing evening swim and relaxation in the dry heat.
Be sure to buy a Nürnberg Card online or at one of several Tourist Information stands, to receive a variety of free admissions and discounts. The Nürnberg Card allows you 48 hours of free access to almost all the city museums and attractions as well as free public transportation.
Museum-Goers in Nürnberg Find Treasures Aplenty
A three-minute walk down the street from the Adina Apartment Hotel takes you to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum (German National Museum), the largest cultural history museum in the German-speaking countries. Here, you can explore five exhibition areas on three levels of the museum—artifacts from the Old Stone Age to the Middle Ages, collections from Renaissance to Enlightenment and 20th Century masterpieces—there are multitudes of treasures to examine. The armor and hunting exhibition is especially expansive, with case after case of intricate weaponry. You’ll also find an impressive array of musical instruments, jewelry, sleighs, sculptures and paintings.
A separate building houses the toys portion of the museum—a showcase of detailed dollhouses, dolls, tin cars and armies, optical toys and miniature railroads. Many of the elaborate 17th century dollhouses exhibited here were thought to be commissioned by Nürnberg’s wealthy merchants and patricians. For young people, the houses functioned as a visual representation of ideal households and a clear display of tasks and activities to be performed in each of the rooms. For example, dollhouse sitting rooms were often decorated with tea service, chess boards and decks of cards, while kitchen layouts included hearth-cleaning tools, cake molds, soup ladles and copper pots. Similarly, 18th-to-20th-century toys conveyed educational objectives relating to children’s future familial and career lives.
Playing with dolls helped girls prepare for their roles as patient, gentle mothers. Boys’ toys were often linked to their potential future working lives—tin soldiers encouraged strategic thought and tactical warfare, wooden building blocks taught spatial reasoning and construction design and other technical toys fostered special interests and skills.
The Nürnberg Toy Museum houses elaborate model railroad layouts with running trains.
Spielzeugmuseum (toy museum) Nürnberg is another toy museum that displays games and playthings of all sorts—dolls, metal soldiers, puppets, teddy bears, model railroads, tin vehicles and Playmobil figures, as well as vintage and newer iconic characters like Paddington Bear, ALF and Garfield. Visit this museum for a bit of history and some interactive play time with toys and family games in the upstairs playroom.
More Taste Treats in Nürnberg
Stop by Die Wirtschaft restaurant for Brotzeit (bread time), Veschber (midday snack) or Gudzerla (Franconian tapas) to nosh on a savory selection of sourdough or oven-crusted bread, marinated cheeses and sausages, pickled vegetables and herbs. The warm and crispy Apfelküchle (specifically, fried apple rings in beer batter with homemade ice cream and plum compote) will revive you for the rest of your city exploration. For another delicious snack or dessert option, Restaurant Trödelstuben serves up hot raspberries and raspberry sauce over vanilla ice cream.
If you’d like a break from traditional German food, try the KOKONO Pan-Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar on Luitpoldstraße. Expect fresh food, seasonal flowers on all tables and a fun presentation of dry ice mist at your table while you eat your edamame and sushi rolls.
Certified Nürnberg city guides lead underground excursions to reveal secrets in dungeons beneath the streets.
Exploring Underground Nürnberg
Not all the city’s most interesting sights can be found at ground level. Claudia Radtke, certified Nürnberg city guide, provides guided tours of Nürnberg’s fascinating underground worlds. Those interested in history, fortification and ancient legal systems (and those aged 10 years and older) will enjoy the intriguing and informative tours entitled “Tunnels and Secret Passages in the City Wall” and “Medieval Dungeons.” The 14th century dungeons in vaulted rock-cut cellars beneath the city hall contain prison cells, torture chambers, the jailer’s house, a prison kitchen and a blacksmith’s workshop. Walk through underground corridors with damp limestone walls (use the railings and watch your step), learn about those who walked there before you, and explore the city’s ancient approaches to maintaining peace, organization and stability.
Underneath the Imperial Castle, a network of defensive passageways wind about, with casemates and embrasures from which weapons could be fired into all angles of the moat. Interestingly, the humid tunnels were not conducive to weapon storage, so weapons were stored aboveground and brought down via a ramp during combat periods. The quarry-stone underground walls are eroded and colorful, shaped and stained from sour rain dripping through.
Don’t forget to climb up and appreciate sights from the very top of the Imperial Castle—views down into the moat and stone walkways meandering through flowering trees beneath cloud-speckled blue skies. Wealthy, strategically built, well-invested in defense, and never captured (or attacked, for that matter), Nürnberg was one of the Holy Roman Empire’s best-protected cities in Europe. The city’s history of wealth and peace is attributed to its involvement in trade, due to solving issues diplomatically and with payment rather than through warfare.
Hausbrauerei Altstadthof tavern serves savory meals and drinks in a cozy dining space.
Delights of the Franconian Table
After peering down from the Imperial Castle, stop at the nearby Hausbrauerei Altstadthof, known for its brewed Rotbier (red beer) and oven-fresh Schäufele (roasted pork shoulder in red beer sauce with dumplings and sauerkraut). The snug tavern area with a “hidden gem” feel is a great hangout spot for groups and couples to have a homestyle Franconian meal and a few freshly tapped craft beers. Fill up on savory Nürnberger sausages, potato soup with crusty bread, Obazda specialty Bavarian cheese, spätzle (dumpling-like irregular-shaped egg noodles), red cabbage, goulash and a wheat- and black-beer sponge cake “Beeramisu” dessert or Apfelküchle (this menu’s variation is drizzled with custard sauce and served with vanilla bean ice cream, whipped cream and almond slices).
Tour the Old Town and learn about the city’s history while riding the Mini Train, which departs from the Beautiful Fountain at the Main Market Square and takes you on an almost hour-long loop in and around the city while multi-language audio headsets announce historical landmarks and relay town stories. One legend tells of German robber Eppelein von Gailingen, who allegedly escaped execution by leaping off the castle and over the moat and city wall on his horse, leaving behind hoofprints on the roof. You’ll see the half-timbered historical building built in 1446 that once housed lepers for three days during Holy Week (to provide them medical attention, clothing and food), then became a wine storage depot. It now functions as student housing. You’ll also spot the Hangman’s Bridge, a wooden footbridge over the Pegnitz River used solely by the Nürnberg hangman between the 16th and 19th century to travel between his secluded home on a small island in the Pegnitz into the city, as a Middle Ages rule forbade him from contact with “honorable citizens.”
Commune with Nature at Nürnberg Zoo
Don’t forget to visit Nürnberg’s surrounding area outside the city walls. Nürnberg Zoo is about a 25-minute ride out of the city center via public transportation. Backed by sandstone cliffs, the exhibits of pacing lions, squeaking lemurs, playful polar bears and around 300 different animal species (about 40 considered endangered) provide guests with plenty of animal entertainment. One of the largest zoos in Europe, the Nürnberg Zoo is built on approximately 160 acres that include woodlands of ancient trees, peaceful ponds, rocky formations and sloping walkways. Its special “climate high forest trail” is built at the treetops and allows visitors to stroll and view the zoo from above. The zoo is designed in a natural, park-like arrangement that feels very relaxed and rural. Besides creatures confined to open-air enclosures, water birds and forest animals are found in the wild in this “forest preserve”-like walking zoo. There are numerous play areas for children, including a fantastic large playground with zip lines, ropes courses, giant slides and inset trampolines—appropriate even for older kids or spirited adults.
Restaurant Waldschänke within the zoo grounds is reached via a slightly uphill walk along beautiful pathways. Indoors or out in the beer garden you can order hearty meat entrees, kid-friendly food, salads, fish dishes, Mediterranean meals, revitalizing drinks, and an extensive selection of vegetarian and vegan options. Complete with audience-interactive Culinary Theater performances, colorful murals, amusing children’s books to borrow and peruse during your meal, and an opportunity to purchase plush animals, Restaurant Waldschänke is a welcoming eatery for families.
By exploring inside and outside of Nürnberg’s city walls, high above the castle moat and even below the streets, you can go beyond surface level to uncover fascinating history and experience this medieval town’s inimitable Franconian charm.
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Story and Photos by Alison Ramsey
Lead Photo – Old Town’s main market square hosts a springtime Easter market. Like the wintertime Christmas market, vendors sell unique homemade gifts, food and home decorations.
