Nuremberg between past, present and future

A cradle of history and culture, Nuremberg captivates with its perfectly preserved medieval centre, ancient walls and imposing imperial castle. Bavaria's second largest city, it is famous for its Christmas market, picturesque alleys, museums and gastronomic specialties, offering a journey that intertwines memory, creativity and authentic Bavarian spirit.

 

Nuremberg is a relaxing city where you can enjoy the historic center on foot or take a city tour by train in about 40 minutes. There are several themed guided tours such as the one to discover the mysterious underground passages, through the labyrinth of the ancient cellars of the master brewers, carved into the rock, where the famous red beer of Nuremberg was once stored.

 

 

The districts of the city of Nuremberg offer a special space to discover among history, culture, monuments, churches, shops, old workshops and taverns. To be explored: Weinmarkt, Augustinerhof, Jakobsmarkt, Handwerkerhof, Burgviertel, Lorenzer Platz, Unschlittplatz and the Christmas Market district in the pre-Christmas period. For those who like to discover the city on their own, the city's Tourist Office also provides a dedicated app, in German and English.

 

Among the must-see museums to visit are the Albrecht Dürer House Museum, residence and workshop of the Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer and the German National Museum, the largest museum of cultural history in the German-speaking world with works from the Stone Age to the present day and which houses the Behaim Globus, the oldest surviving world map from 1492 and a UNESCO Memory of the World. Design enthusiasts can visit the Neues Museum Nürnberg which exhibits collections of contemporary art and design from the 50s to the present day and works by Gerhard Richter. Futuristic, on the other hand, is the Museum of the Future with prototypes, interactive stations and robots such as the humanoid Ameca.

 

 

The city also welcomes families who can venture with their children to the Nuremberg Zoo with more than 300 animal species in a forest on the outskirts of the city center or the Playmobil FunPark, an amusement park with Playmobil themes such as the knights' castle, fairyland and pirates (for children up to 10 years). 

 

Throughout the year, the city also offers events, concerts and festivals such as the Klassik Open Air with outdoor classical music (July/August), Star in the Luitpoldhain (August) and Bardentreffen (July/August), a free music festival with concerts and street musicians selected through a contest.

 

 

Not to be missed, during the visit to the city, is the discovery of Nuremberg's food and wine which offers both refined cuisine in starred restaurants (8 Michelin restaurants, with the highest density of starred restaurants in Bavaria) and dishes of Franconian cuisine such as grilled Nuremberg sausages (9 cm and strictly 3 in each sandwich), pork shoulder (Schäufele) and, of course, the red beer from Nuremberg.

 

And, finally, the Nuremberg Christmas Market (Christkindlesmarkt), from the end of November to December 24th, one of the oldest Christmas markets in Germany with the Christkind (Christmas Angel) which inaugurates the event full of stalls (also suitable for children) including handicrafts, food and wine specialties, sausages, mulled wine and the famous Gingerbread (Lebkuchen) whose production in the city dates back to 1395 when, already in the Middle Ages, it was exported to all countries as Lebkuchen Schmidt, one of the largest producers, does today.

 

 

From 2026, a new cultural enjoyment will be added with the reopening of the Documentation Center, Culture of Memory in Nuremberg. Nuremberg is in fact also known as the "city of National Socialist Party rallies" from 1933 onwards and as the "city of the Nuremberg trials in the years 1945-1946". Evidence of National Socialism can be found above all in the monumental buildings of the former National Socialist Party rally grounds, and Nuremberg has transformed sites from the past into places of remembrance, such as the Memorium Museum of the Nuremberg Trials. 

 

The Zeppelin Grandstand is also scheduled to open in 2027 as a place for learning and meeting and, in 2028, the Congress Hall will be transformed into rehearsals, performances and meetings for all artistic disciplines and will house the new home of the Nuremberg Opera House. Later in time, in 2030, the Zeppelin Camp will also be transformed into an educational and meeting place.

 

Major events in Nuremberg in the coming years include the Dürer Year for the 500th anniversary of his death in 2028 and the 400th anniversary of the Nuremberg Christmas Market (Christkindlesmarkt).

 

 

The city of Nuremberg, which is located about 170 km from Munich, can be reached from Italy by car, train or plane.

By car, Nuremberg can be reached from Italy via the Brenner motorway (A13 in Austria and A22 in Italy) or the A2 near Villach and Tarvisio. It should be noted that construction work is also underway on the Lueg bridge on the Brenner motorway (A13) with completion expected in 2030.

 

To get to Nuremberg by train from Italy you currently have to make a change at Munich station and then continue the journey for about 1 hour. Trains to Munich have the following travel times:

For those who prefer to take the plane, there are direct flights from Italy to Nuremberg airport (NUE) which, to date, provide the following connections with different airlines: 

 

An ideal destination, to visit even for a city break of a few days or a weekend, at any time of the year or at Christmas time when the atmosphere is particularly evocative thanks to its renowned Christmas Market.

 

By Angela Trivigno, Avion Tourism Magazine

Photo: Copyright © Nuremberg Tourist Office

Photo credits: In photo captions.

Visual photo: Imperial Castle Nuremberg © Ralf Schedlbauer