Have you ever head of Nuremberg? It’s not normally a city which makes it on to people’s radars to visit when coming to Germany – they mainly focus on Berlin, Munich and Neuschwanstein. But this region of Germany is absolutely beautiful! Nuremberg is home to everything from the best sausages ever made, picturesque lakes and walks, a sobering past memorialised in a way that honours the victims, beautiful rivers and an Imperial Castle.

Here are a few of the reasons why it’s my favourite German city, and why it’s so worth a visit if you’re planning on exploring Germany.

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1. It has so much Medieval history

Kaiserburg, the imperial castle in Nuremberg, lies just off one of the main squares full of beautiful timbered buildings. The castle has a really great museum which documents its use within the Holy Roman Empire, with a selection from its armoury. The gardens surrounding the castle are also lovely with great views out to the city. The walk up is a bit of a steep slope, and you can easily spend half a day here.

2. The Old Town is charming

The old town in Nuremberg is absolutely stunning. There are Gothic churches to explore, a lovely old town hall (Rathaus), a cobbled market square, and lots of riverside views. The river running through Nuremberg is The Pegnitz and there are multiple bridges crossing the river, including Maxbrucke, Karlsbrucke, Fleischbrucke and Museumsbrucke which give some great shots of the river and old timbered buildings.

3. It faces in to its Nazi history

Nuremberg was the city of Nazi Party rallies. The former rally grounds still exist just outside of the main city centre, made up of a circular walk taking in various parts of the rally grounds. The central Congress Hall itself is now converted in to a Documentation Centre on the National Socialist regime, honouring the victims. It has a dagger shaped museum running through it – symbolising a dagger to the heart of the regime. You can reach the site by short taxi ride or bus, and when there follow the boards to do a nice walk and finish in the museum. We spent a full day doing just this. I didn’t take any photos in the Documentation Centre, but this is a view of the Congress Hall from across the water.

Also in Nuremberg is where the famous Nazi trials took place after the war, holding senior Nazi party leaders accountable for their unspeakable crimes. You can now visit the courtroom where the trial took place and learn about the story of bringing so many war criminals to justice. We spent 2 hours in the courthouse.

The courthouse and inside the museum of the Nuremberg Trials

4. There are some amazing museums to discover

Aside from the Nazi party rally grounds and Nuremberg Trial museums, there are also some really interesting museums in the city centre. These include the Albrecht Durer House (if you’re in to art), the Fembo Haus (about Nuremberg’s history) and the Toy Museum. We visited them all and found the Nuremberg city museum to be our favourite. It’s just up the road from the main market square as well.

In addition to ‘proper’ museums, Playmobil fun park is in Zirndorf, a town not far from Nuremberg. We got a taxi there but you could take the bus, and it’s great for kids. There are numerous themed areas including a giant pirate ship, fairytale castle and dinosaurs, as well as minigolf and cafe. There’s even a Playmobil Hotel if you really wanted to go all out! I even milked a Playmobil cow; not sure I’ll repeat that experience!

At The Playmobil Funpark like a big kid

5. Nurnberger Sausages are unbeatable

No words needed. Have them in a bun, have them with Kartoffelsalat (potatoes) or try Sauerkraut. They are unbeatable, in my humble sausage opinion!

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Thanks for reading! Has this post been useful? Have you ever been to Nuremberg? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Stay safe and happy travelling.