How to Visit Nuremberg in 2 days: Best dreamy places to visit
When P. (my boyfriend Patrick, for those new here) told me that he wanted to go to Germany for a weekend trip, I didn’t think much of it. After some research (mainly “cheapest flights from London”) I found this city in the middle of Germany called Nuremberg that apparently had the best dreamy places to visit in 48h, especially during autumn (fall) and Christmas.
I am going to be honest, I had other cities in mind that I wanted to visit, but the reality is that quite often I decide the destination, so it felt fair to go to Germany, to change narrative and relax in Nuremberg for 48 hours. It did not disappoint!
How did we plan to visit Nuremberg in 2 days get away?
We literally just went on skyscanner and looked at flights to “anywhere” in Europe for the weekend after the World Travel Market (WTM) **I will write a blog post about WTM soon, because I really think everyone passionate about travel should attend, at least once**
Several other cities appeared in my search, and I was even in between two other cities in Germany, but when I mentioned Nuremberg to P, his straight comment was “yess, there’s tons of history there”. I am not sure how much you know about historical cities in Germany, but I personally just know bits about a few from school books.
Anyways, it was an easy choices, specially because our flights, returned Friday to Sunday was only $49 with Ryanair.
Best places to visit in Nuremberg
Planning places to visit in Nuremberg was also quite easy, I mean the city itself is a liveable painting. The most incredible buildings. Stunning bridges, and very very romantic. Nuremberg is really my cup of tea.
If you are the type of person that enjoys lovely walks and be close to the action but still in a quiet place, then definitely stay in the old town of Nuremberg.
The town is small and walkable everywhere. It has a castle and city walls surrounding the city centre.
If you are looking for more action, food stops, shops, clubs then I stay around the central station.
Both places are not far at all, we walked from the central station to our hotel and it was only 30 min walk.
Funnelling down the best dreamy spots in Nuremberg has been harder than I thought, and it took me time scrolling through my pictures and videos. I couldn’t not mention my favourite stop, on the top for sure Weißgerbergasse the Lane with half-timbered medieval houses – Oh My! It was love at first sight, and we were so lucky because our modest Hotel Agneshof (only a 3 star) was right by it 🤩
I also loved crossing the Schlayerturm bridge and chill by the river not far at all from Weißgerbergasse. The way to get there is basically going down the Weißgerbergasse street and then wonder.
P and I stop by the river Pegnitz and relaxed for a bit listening to the sound of the water.
👀if you want to do have a stop by the water and enjoy the neighbourhood, make sure to stop at Cafe Bar Katz. It has a view to the river and it is very tranquil.
I got to understand that Nuremberg, apart of being rich in history from the Second World War, is also very rich in medieval history.
Visiting the Castle of Nuremberg was very insightful with stunning views and more cute buildings. I am so happy that we made our way there because we weren’t supposed to until we were on our way to the airport and we stopped by.
Walking around the Platz. Is something that eventually you will do even if you are not planning to go there. You know the saying “all roads lead to Rome?” Well, in Nuremberg all roads lead to platz. This particular platz is famous for hosting the biggest Christmas market of the region but also for the cathedral and the tower in the opposite corner.
There’s a lot more to do around this platz apart of monuments. The platz has lots of restaurants and bars, even a night club. It’s basically a huge hub where you will find the best pretzels 🥨 from the kobel family and also the cuttest all year Christmas shops.
I got a bit crazy with the Käthe Wohlfahrt shop, and I got a few little Christmas ornaments for our Christmas tree 🎄
How long to spend in Nuremberg
The time of stay in each destination can be quite relative to the type of travel that you are. I personally thought that 3 days was enough, but we also didn’t want to make it a very full agenda. We went to Nuremberg to relax and wonder, we had a few things that we were considering doing, but unfortunately P got a bit of an allergic reaction during lunch on day 1 so we stayed put (btw do let me know in the comments if you would like me to write about travelling with allergies and some of our stories and tips).
Things to do in Nuremberg
Nuremberg is a very cute city with a lot of history inside of its city walls.
It’s known for being the rise of Nazis when planning the invasion to England in 1942 and also for the fall of Nazism in 1949.
The city itself offers a ghotic feel throughout its cathedrals, churches and pointy palaces. to contrast its houses give ginger bread vibes.
Among all, here are my top 10 things to do in Nuremberg:
- visit Weißgerbergasse Lane with half-timbered medieval houses
- Step inside Frauenkirche 14th-century Gothic church with artwork
- Wonder in the city along the river and cross the bridges
- Visit the Christmas market
- Do a walking tour of the Old Town
- Spend half day in the Imperial castle Kaiserburg
- Visit the Trials (a massive district where pro Nazis used to gather for demonstration of power, and where Hitler speech took place before invading England)**
** I personally don’t fancy doing any dark tourism activities, so in Nuremberg, we didn’t visit the Trials (dark tourism is the type of profitable tourism that involve going to places where mass murdering, violent activities or disturbing activities took place in the past).
How to travel to and around Nuremberg
Travelling in Nuremberg was so easy!
From the UK you can fly direct from London and it only takes 1 hour. Because Germany is 1 hour + in time compared to England, it will feel that you lose one hour traveling. At arrival, the airport is very small and easy to navigate. In less than 15 minutes we were out of the airport with bags and all.
Getting into the town centre was fairly easy. At the Airport we purchased a metro ticket at the vending machine to the city Center and it cost $3.50 one way, and during the other days we walked the whole time. The city Center is pretty much walkable, even if you adventure outside of the city walls. Of course it is a game changer and even more convenient if you book your hotel within the old town.
Where to stay in Nuremberg
There are 2 main areas to stay in Nuremberg: the old town and the new town.
The new town is near the central station. Basically the station that connects north, south, east and west of the city and also the whole county by train. It is where there is more clothing shops, bars and overall more “viby”.
The old town (where we stayed) is wayyyy more quiet, and there isn’t so many food options after hours, however it is next to the castle, the Frauenkirche 14th-century Gothic church and the famous ginger bread looking house in Weißgerbergasse Lane.
If you are looking for a relaxing time in Nuremberg, for sure check to stay in the old town.
Here are the hotels we considered and the one we stayed:
- Le Méridien Grand Hotel – It is a 5 star hotel at the doors of the old town, it has great connection with rail to other cities in germany, it is a great choice if you are exploring the several unique Christmas markets in Germany
- Hotel Agneshof – this budget option hotel is located minutes from Weißgerbergasse Lane is this hotel. We booked this hotel without much research and we were very surprised with the quality and size of the rooms. Because it is in the old town, we walked everywhere.
- Hotel Central – now if you want accessibility and a bit more luxury, then you should stay in Hotel Central, it is located one road down to Hotel Agneshof but it has the best restaurant all year. The place itself is a vibe, very quirky full of charm. Equally 2 min walk from Weißgerbergasse Lane and it offers car park – definitely an add-on when travelling around several cities in Germany by car!
- Karl August – is a 4 star hotel located in the old town and 1 minute from the best Christmas market of Germany. I wish we come back in Christmas and stay in this hotel. We went for coffee in this hotel and were very excited to travel back to Nuremberg and stay here.
One of my favourite Hotels in Nuremberg, that unfortunately was sold ou no availability when we went! Right in the heart of Nuremberg, just 400 meters from the Old Town, Melter Hotel & Apartments – a Neighborhood Hotel offers stylish, air-conditioned rooms with free WiFi throughout. Guests can also make the most of the on-site restaurant.
Food in Nuremberg
Food in Nuremberg is a thing. But most specifically for 3 things: Pretzels, Sausages and ginger bread. Serious. It is a thing.
We found the best place for Pretezels quite quickly. A place called Brezen Kolb. They have several shops in Nuremberg and they are a family owned pretezels confectionery going on the 3rd generation. We found the first one in the main square, (name the square). We saw the queue and we knew it was good! They have Pretzels for all the tastes: classic just pretzel with butter, but also with ham and cheese, and mozzarella, cheese on top, and then some completely covered with ham and Brie, and all sorts. Pretzels are a thing in Germany and in Nuremberg they are taken seriously!
The Brezen Kolb in the old town does not offer sit down options. So instead we went to one just outside of the city walls, in Brezen Kolb Sebald that had a modest 4 tables to have a more “breakfast” feel experience.
Nuremberg Sausages
Sausages are a big thing in Germans food culture. Every time I think about Germany and I have this thought of the big Frankfurters – there’s even an emoji for it -> 🌭. What we didn’t know is that Nuremberg has their own type of sausages called the Nuremberg Sausages. They have patented their sausages to the detail.
Each sausage has to be the same size, and have the same weight. They must be small and thin, with dimensions around 7-9cm long and 2 cm wide and weight no more than 200gram and cooked in a bbq grill- super specific don't you think?
In Nuremberg, they won’t give you Nuremberg sausages boiled or fried, they have to be grilled.
When we arrived to Nuremberg, we knew we had to eat sausages and deep inside I knew it would be the main dish of the holiday (it was very much my diet for 48h). But it was great – some the places were super unique!
Where to eat sausages in Nuremberg?
We were recommended to go to Zum Gulden Stern – Historische Bratwurstküche – the oldest place in Nuremberg serving sausages. They claim to start trading in 1640. The inside was really local and showed its time and history in through the walls.
The place looked empty from the outside but when inside was very very busy. In fact, a bit too busy. We really felt that they had a bit of lack of staff and our food took a long time to arrive – please don’t think I am complaining, I really enjoyed my food, just wished I knew it could be the case before deciding to go when we were supper hungry.I am leaving this here so you can plan ahead and not leave it for just when you are starving, as you might have to wait 30-40min to get your food or a table.
We also tried Bratwursthäusle, the winter house is full of character. It is very rustic and traditional. It has a wood BBQ as a centre piece where the local Nuremberg Sausage are grilled after freshly prepared in the morning. It was quite late when we went, but it was cosy and had a good feeling to it. The waiter was very nice, and made sure to make us feel welcomed although they were almost closing.
Final Thoughts
Nuremberg really surprised us for the positive. We had no expectations when we visited which made it even more special spending 2 days in this city. If you are looking for a place to relax and quick city break then Visit Nuremberg any time of the year, the Weißgerbergasse Lane is special even in the Winter. However, if you are looking to experience a great Christmas market with Nuremberg Sausages being served every corner, then for sure visit Nuremberg between the last weekend of November and December. The market is located in the Old town, so book your hotel accordingly.
Overall, whether you are travelling because it is the Christmas season or want to escape the routine, in Nuremberg you’ll find a delightful mix of holiday traditions and unforgettable dreamy places. Whether you’re exploring its small-town charm for an extended weekend or taking a day trip from nearby cities, Nuremberg should definitely be a stop to take.
I hope this post helps you planning your next trip.
Safe travels
Miri xx
