Nuremberg | Travellers guide | Part 1

Nuremberg is the second largest Bavarian city in Germany, boasting many museums, scenic streets, a quaint old town and the longest metropolitan shopping street in Germany. It has something for everyone to enjoy. 

This beautiful city is steeped in medieval charm and  famous for its world war history. Perfect for couples wanting an action packed city break, Nuremberg offers oodles of culture and great food. 

In this 2 part series I'll talk you through the best parts of Nuremberg and give you top tips on things not to miss whilst visiting this fantastic city!

Flights 

Recently, myself and my partner booked a 6 night city break to Nuremberg. 

I'm typically a bargain holiday hunter, usually opting to create my own package holiday rather than booking through a travel agent. 

We found that flights to Nuremberg are fantastic value and can cost from as little as £19pp return from Manchester. On this occasion however we opted for paying £39pp as this price included a 20kg case, Priority boarding, 2 small carry on bags each and free seat reservations with Ryanair. (please note that as of October 2018 hand luggage will no longer be free with Ryanair and will have to pay an additional charge)

Airport transfers

This gave me the biggest head ache before travelling. Looking online at airport transfers I found some extortionate quotes, ranging upwards to over £67 return for a 15 minute car journey! We eventually decided to wing it and didn't pre-book anything and boy am I glad we did! On arrival we opted for a taxi, as it was mid afternoon and we didn't want to waste any time. The airport taxi's waiting outside only charged us 18 euros to the old town and were very friendly and helpful. 

Now if you're on a budget and feeling adventurous I would also recommend getting the Ubahn (The train to me and you) this will cost you as little as 3 euros per person and there are stops around the whole city. There is a station at the Airport and will take around half an hour to get into central Nuremberg.  

Our Hotel

Our apartment, ran by Hotel Elch, is one of the oldest recorded hotels in the city. The building was beautiful, painted cream with brown wooden beams, in keeping with the old town Bavarian look. However the rooms inside were very modern and comfortable. 

I couldn't recommend Hotel Elch enough, they were among the most helpful staff we have ever encountered at a hotel. On arrival we were checked in, given some great tips on the city and hidden gems to explore. We were then guided to our apartment (which was located on the other side of the street) given a full tour and a welcome gift of hand baked coconut cakes - Which were delicious! 

We also committed the rookie mistake of forgetting our adapter plugs, but the staff at Hotel Elch kindly lent us 2 adapters for the week with no extra charge. 

Location wise couldn't have been better too. In the old town, just a 2 minute walk away from the famous castle, and a short walk from the main market square. This hotel is perfect for the travelers who like comfort and quiet, but still want to be centrally located.

Nuremberg Old Town

As we were a stones throw away from the castle square we spent most nights in the Old Town area for drinks after dinner. If you were to adventure down some of the back streets of the old town you can find some of the best cafes in the city tucked away, serving humble German food and great local beers. 

Central to the castle square you can go for a tour of Albrecht Dürers house, the famous Renaissance painter. The airport is even named after Albrecht making him the John Lennon of Nuremberg! The castle is also a must visit, the walls offer panoramic views across the rooftops of Nuremberg and make a great picture spot on clear sunny days. In fact the entire area of Old Town is a bloggers dream. Unusual doors, traditional Bavarian houses and cobbled streets, its a pleasure to walk around and a much quieter part of the city. 

For those of you not fond of hills however, The Old Town is built on the highest point of the city giving the Castle it's much needed vantage point. Meaning you will have to climb some steep roads to get to the best parts of the Old Town. Don't worry though, there are plenty of Kellers along the way to stop for refreshments! 

Food & Drink

Do you love pork and beer? If the answer is yes, well Germany is definitely the place to be. You'll find most traditional kellers sell a range of sausage and pork based dishes with sides of sauerkraut and potato salad. Huge pork knuckles and schnizles with a generous helping of mustard are also a must try whilst in Nuremberg. Be sure to also take advantage of the restaurants offering take away sausage sandwiches, you will find around the city many cafes advertise "drei im weckla" and these can be purchased as a snack to go! - YUM.

I'm also a huge fan of the Bratwurst stands that you will find all around the city. One of the best sandwiches of our break came from a small stand just outside of the new town. The bratwursts were huge on fresh bread rolls and we also ordered a heaped portion of sauerkraut which came steaming hot and laced with cloves and other spices. I couldn't resist ordering a large bottle of Leikeim Landbier too, this particular larger also comes in Radler (shandy) and I loved the traditional bottle tops. Most Kellers and Cafes sell Radlers too, which is a great alternative for those who don't necessarily want to adventure out to the heavier beer options. 

As I said above, the Old Town definitely proved to be one of my favourite spots to find quaint little cafes and restaurants. In particular the 'Hausbrauerei Altstadthof' the local brewery and restaurant was excellent for food as well as for its beer. If you were to visit this particular spot, consider ordering the taster board of beers, for 6 euros you can sample 3 of the beers brewed on site, all of which are fantastic. You can also purchase bottles of their beer in the brewery shop to take home as souvenirs.
Tours of this brewery can also be purchased from the shop. English speaking tours are ran daily, and include a trip to the underground cellars which wide beneath the old town and insight into how they brew their fantastic beers and whiskys. 

For drinks I'd highly recommend the likes of Cafe Wanderer. This great cafe is located in the castle square and famous for crowds of locals sitting on the floor drinking beers and wine when the seats are all full. This cafe is actually in the top 3 rated cafes in Nuremberg! (Please note that Cafe wanderer charge a glass deposit to all customers which is refunded once the glasses are returned.)

However if you'd prefer to sit at a table, just across the square is a lovely cafe ran by two sisters called cafe Imatelier. We enjoyed the atmosphere here so much that we returned several times throughout our trip, and the staff were extremely friendly and the range of beers and wine were excellent. 

That's it for Part 1 of my Nuremberg travelers guide. 

In part 2 I'll talk about the attractions around Nuremberg, the best places to go and how to get value for money when visiting places like the Zoo, Nazi Rally Grounds and the Nuremberg Trails. Including an an honest break down of average prices for food, drink and travel.

Have you ever been to Nuremberg?