One of the reasons I wanted to visit Nuremberg is because I have a keen interest in World War 2. Nuremberg was the place chosen for the trials after the war. Nuremberg was also chosen as a place to host pre-war rallies.
I was here in November 2022 but it was only to go from the main train station to the airport. I decided after this that I wanted to come and spend some time in the city.
A month or so ago I looked to see where I could go and Nuremberg popped up in a sale and I had some time to travel so I decided this is where I would go. I booked the tickets and accommodation and just waited for the time to arrive.
The time came for me to head out. I had finished work at 06:00 and decided I still had enough time to get some sleep and slept until about 12:00. I did a couple of bits and pieces and then the time came to head to the airport.
I got to the airport about 90 minutes before the flight. It was quick to get through security and even quicker to get to the departure lounge as they had the fast-track way open so I just went through that and then went to the WH Smith in the departure lounge. It was so nice not to have to walk through the main duty-free area.
I went and checked the closest gates to see if that is where the flight was leaving from and it was. I just went to the area of those gates and sat there until it was time to board.
The gate agents were running the show like they owned the airport. They were checking everything and everyone looking to see where they could sting people for bags they deemed unfit to travel. Thankfully mine was not one of them. I do this thing now where I take stuff in my tote bag and put it inside an airport duty-free bag until I am on the stairs to the apron – then I’ll take it out of that and just keep it in the tote. You’ve got to try and game the system where you can since it’s so stingy!
I had a window seat on this flight so it meant I could rest my head to try and get some much needed sleep. I think I slept for most of the flight.
We landed in Nuremberg and I headed to passport control. The queue was massive. We queued down stairs and then round the corner. They had 3 people running the border for non-EU citizens. It took me almost an hour to cross the border. I could hear them asking people why they were visiting Germany and how long they were staying and if they had an onward or return ticket.
Luckily for me, public transport to the main station was running until about 01:30.
I got to the train and it only took about 13 minutes to get to the main station. From there it was only a 5 minute walk to the hostel.
I was trying to check-in on the app but it kept saying my email address wasn’t valid. It was annoying me. Thankfully I have a .com email address that allowed me to check-in. The queues at this hostel brand are always massive so it’s easier to check-in beforehand.
I got there and there were no queues – surprisingly. I got my towel and asked for a lower bed and headed up to the room. I was happy for the lower bed but it was 2 single beds pushed together with very little room between them. Thankfully the first night there was nobody in the room.
I got myself all ready for bed in about 20 minutes. I was super tired and I wanted to be up and out of the hostel by about 09:30 so I could walk to the meeting point for the walking tour and view some stuff on the way.
Today was the only full day I had here and the day I was doing a walking tour.
I headed out about 09:10 and went to the supermarket to pick up something to eat and drink and then headed on my way to the old town.
I managed to cross the street without getting hit by a car, bus or tram.
The old town is pretty cool. It has some cool old style buildings. There were a couple of churches I wanted to check out on the way to the river. I went into St Lorenz church to see how it was. I paid my €2 “suggested donation” for it. It has some cool stained glass windows and some cool statues and some cool frescoes. It might have been nice to be in there away from the cold too. Don’t tell anyone I said that though.
I left here and then walked down to the river. I was looking on Google Maps and they had some pretty cool bridges and views from there.
The views were really cool. I enjoyed walking along the river and meandering along the streets and across the bridges. I got some pretty cool shots.
I decided to put my coat and gloves on as I was getting so cold. Of course, I was still wearing my shorts though. My legs don’t get cold. I then carried on with my walk and headed to Frauenkirche to have a look inside. This was not anywhere near as ornate as the one in Dresden (you can read about my Dresden trip here). It was also the meeting point for the walking tour. I went and also got my souvenirs.
I still had about 30 minutes until the tour started so I walked back along the river a different way to see what was there. It was just as nice as the other way. It was pretty cool to see the changing colours of the trees on the river. It made for a very scenic view.
I headed back to Frauenkirche to meet the guide for the walking tour.
The tour itself was about 2 hours. The guide talked about the history of the city and how it started from the town hall and grew out from there. He then talked about the castle and how they built it for the king. They also built a second castle to protect the first. The rivals of the city then built a third castle. So convoluted.
We went by Sebalduskirche and he talked about how this is where Pachelbel was organist. It is also said that this is where he wrote and played his Canon in D. Pachelbel was born in Nuremberg. I wanted to go back and see the church but it was closed. Friday was the only day that it was open for half a day. I knew I should have went inside when I was going to but then went to Frauenkirche instead.
There is a tower in the castle and he said that all of these points were true about it:
- It was the tallest
- It wasn’t the tallest
- It was the widest
- It was also not the widest
Very confusing.
The reasons all of these are true:
- It was on a platform making it the highest point on the complex
- When off the platform it is not the tallest
- The outer walls make it wide
- The inside is just stairs and it is narrow
Once we were done here, we headed round the corner and we talked about the war and the role Nuremberg played in it.
A place was needed that could host a huge amount of people. They wanted somewhere that allowed for the crowds to be transported easily. Nuremberg fit this. They also constructed a purpose-built stadium to host about a million people.
Following the war, Nuremberg was chosen for the trials because it was somewhere that could host the media and public for the trials.
The guide also said that Nuremberg was heavily damaged in the war and they decided to rebuild it in the previous style – unlike other German cities where they decided to go modern. He said it took about 15 years to fully rebuild the city.
We carried on with the walk and went to the house of Albrecht Dürer. He was a German painter. I didn’t really pay attention here. I’m not so much into the art scene.
We then headed to an original Nuremberg street. He said that these houses were wooden on top but looked like stone because this is what was thought to be the sign of wealth. They put concrete on the wood and then styled it to look like wood. Very strange.
We then headed back to the starting point of the tour. He showed us the fountain on the square and said that the builder of it had an apprentice who wanted to marry his daughter but he wasn’t allowed because he was the apprentice. It is said the apprentice put in a rotating ring to show that he was worthy of the master’s daughter.
You can see the route we took below.
After the tour was done, I headed to find a supermarket so I could get some Haribo and some Yogurette to take home with me. These are an absolute must for me when visiting Germany.
After I got my stuff, I went to go for the tram and then just rode on the tram for a couple of hours.
After one of the trips, I found a cemetery and walked around there. It was very well kept. I was here for about 20 minutes and then got back on the tram. I had seen a Rewe (the guide told me the correct pronunciation and I was shocked at how wrong I had been saying it) and then got off here and got the rest of the stuff I wanted to bring back.
I then got back on the tram and headed back to the castle to see how the city looked at night. The views were really cool too. Once I was done here, I walked back down and then headed back to the hostel. I was really cool and tired and needed some sleep.
I got there and there were 3 other people in the room. They were older men who had musical instruments and loads of luggage. I had to move some stuff out of the way so I could get into the toilet. Housekeeping had also cleaned the room and had taken my towel away. I had to go back to reception to get another one. As I was almost at the room, the guy from reception chased me to ask if I had paid for the towel and I told him I paid him last night and he gave me back less change than he should have done.
When I got to the room, one of the guys was moving my stuff off the bed and I told him to leave it as I was sleeping there and had been since Thursday night. He put it down. He was the one that was in the bed right next to me. It was so awkward.
Anyway, I just got into bed and started watching stuff on my phone before going to sleep.
Total steps: 19,397Total miles: 8.81
Total kilometers: 14.18
Below are some pics from today
I didn’t have to get up early this morning since my flight was at 13:40. I needed to checkout by 11 and that still gave me enough time to have a little more than 2 hours at the airport.
I got up about 09:30 and left about 10. I went to get something to eat and then went to get the train to the airport.
I got there with about 3 hours until the flight. I just wanted to get through security and go sit somewhere. It was really quick to get through.
I went to find where the gate was and sat there. I had to speak to someone to see how we got into it because it seemed blocked off. She said that we had to go through immigration and that the route to the gate would be open then.
I crossed the border and we got to the gate check-in. The gate agent made us non-priority folk wait until priority people had passed through. It was so strange because the door to the staircase to go to the plane didn’t differentiate between priority and non-priority. I was the second down the stairs and to the plane. I had a window seat on this flight too. I got in and got myself settled in.
There was a middle seat free and it was nice to have that little extra space. The flight was uneventful until we got towards Stansted. It was super cloudy and foggy on the way down. It was so disorientating and we seemed to be coming in pretty fast.
I was the last off the flight as I wasn’t in a rush as the train was in just under 2 hours. It didn’t matter as we were stuck waiting outside on the apron for about 10 minutes as someone needed to come and open the gate to go through to immigration.
There was no queue at immigration and it was nice to just get straight through. I headed to BK and then just sat on the platform waiting for the train.
I got home and immediately logged on for work.
Nuremberg was a great trip and I want to go back so I can see the side of the city regarding the war.
View all of my Nuremberg media here