Nuremberg or Wurzburg?
 

Hi,

My boyfriend and I will be spending one month in Europe this Aug-Sept. We fly into Frankfurt in the morning and will be making our way to Prague, but want to spend a night or two in Germany before doing so. Wurzburg is close to Frankfurt (1.5 hours by train), so I was originally thinking of making that our stop, since we'll be tired from the flight. But what do you think about going from Frankfurt to Nuremberg, making the next trip to Prague a bit shorter? Which city/stop is the better choice? I am also open to other suggestions. Thanks for any advice!

They are both good choices, but in this case I think I would opt for Wurzburg. As you said, it is very close to Ffurt, and you can catch the train right in the airport terminal and go directly to Wburg. I imagine that going by train to Nburg would require a change of trains, but not sure.
Try to take the tour of the "Residenz", which is in the city (it is NOT the beautiful building up on the hill overlooking the city). That is worth a look too.

If you are going to spend a few days, you might could train down to Rothenburg, which is very touristy, but worth it.

I would suggest Würzburg, mainly because while there, you could tour the Residenz and also check out the nearby chapel, called the Hofkapelle (court chapel). The Residenz is a wonderful palace, and the Hofkapelle is a baroque dream.

I think the two of them alone are worth a trip to Würzburg.

Attn Pegontheroad:
the chapel that you mention.......I am remembering a church building which had a very colorful outside.....I think it was trimmed in red/crimson. It stood out a lot in my travel photos, and I think it was very close to the Residenz???

Is that the chapel of which you are speaking???

Wurzberg. Don't forget the local wine

You can't go wrong with either. I personally would opt for the shorter trip to wurzburg after the flight. it is a nice city to walk around when you are trying to stay up late enough to adjust to the new time zone. I also recommend the Mainfrankishes Museum especially the Riemenshneider sculptures.

I'd suggest Würzburg, too.

ekellyga: The Hofkapelle is inside one wing of the Residenz building and doesn't look like a church from the outside.
Your red church (baroque?) might be the Neumünster: http://www.würzburg.de/tourismu...s/31,1591.html

Ekellyga:

Quokka is right. The Hofkapelle doesn't look like much from the outside. It is actually attached to the Residenz. Nearby is a restaurant which has a nice outdoor section where you could rest after seeing the Residenz.

Thank you for all the advice/suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Kenzipher-

I was at both towns last month. You can read about it on my trip report here:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34991739

We took a direct train from the Frankfurt airport to Nuremberg on the day of our arrival. Did not find the journey too long and it's a lovely town. I haven't been to Wurzburg so I can't compare the two but we did enjoy our short stay in Nuremberg. We stayed at the Novotel just down from the train station just outside the walls of the old town....mind you the old town was completely rebuilt after WWII but it's very nice none the less.

Can anyone add a little more detail on how to find train info from Prague to Nuremberg? (the "other way" from the previous trip report by crazy4travel)

Also how long by train from Frankfurt to Nuremberg, Nurem to Prague? (assuming same for "the other way" Prague to Nuremburg)

For train schedule: www.bahn.de

If you are looking for trains from Frankfurt aiport to Würzburg, check Frankfurt Main Flughafen. "Main" here stands for the river Main. There's also a Frankfurt at the Oder.

The difference in travel time between Prag and Nürnberg and Würzburg is minor. I would opt for Wzbg. It is a very compact city. Definitely visit the Residenz also the castle (Festung Marienberg)overlooking the city. It is a very enjoyable walk from the top into the city. The Festung also has a very interesting museum, Das Mainfränkische Museum.

I was assigned to the respective US Army Hospitals at Nürnberg and Würzburg at different times in my army career. We returned this June to visit both cities again. I think that you can not go far wrong with either, but Würzburg has always been my favorite German city. Treplow has already mentioned my two favorite tourist sights in Würzburg: the Marienberg Festung and the Mainfrankishes Museum. My wife is a big Residenz fan. Without selling Nürnberg short, my choice would be Würzburg.

Regards, Gary