I posted earlier today, gathering opinions on itinerary. Nurnberg is first leg of visit for 4 nights, doing 2 day trips while based there. Just wondering, other than it being very popular for Christmas Markets I don't see it mentioned much as a tourist stop. For family vacations we shoot for charming, interesting, and fun for our teens. From what I could find posted here and on the web it seems this spot may not be a good place to base from. I have never been to Germany so am looking for your experiences here. Our other 2 bases are Munich and Strasbourg. Is there a better base than Nurnberg? As I said, looking for fun,a good base with good transportation options to see nearby towns, hopefully a few on the Romantic Road. Any wisdom here appreciated!
Tiller

I visited Nurnberg in April of this year and enjoyed my stay there. I used it as a base for 2 day trips - 1 day to Bamberg and 1 day to Bayreuth. I also spent 1 full day in Nurnberg. It's a charming town. You can also do day trip to Wurzberg from there.

See my trip report for details:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34991739

Tiller;

Nurnberg makes a good base for Bamberg (must see) , Iphofen, Rothenburg, Wurzburg, Bayreuth, and more.

It has an interesting castle, massive pedestrian area and is well worth the time.

Rothenburg could also be a good base, allowing much the same day trips (Nurnberg is now one).

We visited Nürnberg this summer and may go back next year for Christkindlmarkt. We previously lived there for about 18 months.

Nürnberg is nice town that still shows its medieval origins, though rebuilt after WWII. There is the Kaiserberg (castle), 3 gothic cathedrals and Dürer's home. As mentioned above there is an extensive pedestrian zone for shopping. I would add Regensburg to possible day visits.

All that said, I still think that I would prefer nearby Würzburg for a couple days. The Festung (castle) across the river with its 2 museums is my favorite sight, though the archbishop's residence is generally more popular. It also has its share of older churches and rebuilt medieval buildings damage by WWII. Bamberg and Rothenburg are day visits.

Regards, Gary

We stayed in Nuremberg for 3 nights last summer and really enjoyed it. We made day trips to Ansbach (my husband was stationed there when he was in the Army) and Rothenberg. In Nuremberg, we toured the castle and wandered around the old town, which we really liked. Also, the train station is literally across the street from the old town and is also a hub, so it makes an ideal base.

Also, Munich to Nuremberg on the train was a direct train, which made it esspecially nice with luggage.

The most amazing thing i saw in Nurnberg was the old Nazi parade grounds about a mile or so south of the town centre

somewhat overgrown there was a long street made of marble or granite blocks that was a main parade site

and a stadium where the Fuhrer stood reviewing the spectacle - you often see photos of this.

I think these grounds were amongst the foremost in Germany for these propadansitic affairs.

Evoked a lot of thoughts and in its forlorn condition even more. Not on the Tourist office's walking tour, at least at that time

I just stumbled on it, literally because i was camping in the local camp and walked thru this area to get to an S-Bahn station.

Tiller,

I think Nurnberg makes sense as a base for exploring upper Bavaria. It is a major stop along many train routes. Not only that, it has a lot of medieval charm.

From Nurnberg it is an hours train ride to Bamberg and Regensburg. Passau and Bayreuth are also interesting places to visit from Nurnberg.

My teenage son went with me to Nurnberg one winter and loved it - it was one of the highlights of his trip through Germany.

Hope this helps.

don't want to be the odd man out but i've visited practically every city in Germany and Nurnberg would be very low on my list

mostly destroyed in war it seems

don't get me wrong - every German city is very nice but there are dozens and dozens finer than Nurnberg IMO - nearby Bamberg and Regensburg for example

Indeed in the Michelin Green Guide one of the very few German cities to garner no - zilch - stars

and the Michelin star rating is:

* Interesting
** Worth a detour
*** Worth a journey

So to Michelin folks Nurnberg is not even 'interesting'

Nurnberg's German National Museum does albeit gather ***

PB,

I agree that Bamberg is more charming than Nuremberg, but it doesn't make as good a base for traveling to other parts of Frankonia - which I think is what Tiller was asking about.

<Our other 2 bases are Munich and Strasbourg. Is there a better base than Nurnberg? As I said, looking for fun,a good base with good transportation options to see nearby towns, hopefully a few on the Romantic Road.>

there are better bases than Nurenberg for rothenburg, dinkelsbuhl, etc. like augsburg - can also day trip from there to Fussen or to heidelberg, etc.

Nurnberg has a great Christmas Market but is otherwise lacking any dreamy aspect that tourists have sketched in their minds' eye.

Day trip to Nurnberg from other better bases. Lots of cities have main rail links. IMO

Wurzburg is a fine fine town.

Regensburg one of the nicest

Augsburg surprisingly nice as you don't hear much about it

Tiller,

Do you already have lodging reserved in Nurnberg? If not, then you might find good rooms scarce or very expensive.

As PB mentioned, Wurzberg is nice and would also make a good base for exploring northern Bavaria - especially the Romantic Road, Bamberg, etc.

bookmarking... thanks

In Nuremberg we stayed at the Romantik Hotel am Josephsplatz, which was great - and if memory serves, about 90 euro per night. This was July of last year.

While I already said that I prefer Würzburg to Nürnberg, Nürnberg has 2 stars in the Michelin Green Guide not zilch as reported above, same as Würzburg. Must have been a misreading. I am good at that myself.

Regards, Gary

Tiller,

I must join the majority here (Sorry PalQ) and highly recommend Nurnberg, especially the way you want to "use" it.

I lived there for about 2.5 years in the mid-60s, and have visited twice since, in 2004 and this past May. I plan to go again on future trips. I think it'll make an ideal central location for the places you want to make day trips to.

As someone else pointed-out, lodging can get pricey and availability can pose challenges but look carefully, some hotels offer 3-for-2 or 2-for-1 deals, especially weekends. Check out yk's trip report, we stayed at the same hotel and found it a very nice location (100 meters from train station), reasonably priced and a decent, but not "world beating" restaurant.

Take a gander at my photos from this year and 2004's trip at
http://community.webshots.com/user/mcharlton55

MvK

I agree with those who say Nurnberg would be a good choice especially in December when you are planning to visit.
One thing you should do without fail is sample the traditional lebkuchen (gingerbread/spicy cookies) sold at that time of year. OUr family orders a box from Lebkuchen Schmidt every year for the holidays.
http://ww2.lebkuchen-schmidt.com/eng_index.php
there are many other companies.
When I lived in Bavaria years ago there were lebkuchen factory tour trips in December and you might be able to go on one if that interests you.

Not sure what in Nurnberg might be considered "fun" for teenagers. The Spielzeug (toy) museum is interesting. The German National Museum has an outstanding collection.
there will probably be some excellent concerts at the various churches during the pre-Christmas season

&quot;<i>Not sure what in Nurnberg might be considered &quot;fun&quot; for teenagers.</i>&quot;

Well, it a fair sized modern city with tons of history and a walking district that could keep teens occupied for hours. Get a transportation pass and (if old enough and trustworthy) send them to the zoo, the rally grounds, the DB railway museum. I spent many hours climbibng all over that city as a middle teen. Why it's not in many tourist books I'll never understand but as a fan of the city, that may be a good thing. It's amazing to watch the tourist busses pull into the central market square, unload a bunch of tourists into the curio shops and then leave about an hour later, missing all the wonderful things it has to offer. Maybe a prejudice against the Nazi-related past or the fact that it was totally rebuilt after the war and not an &quot;authentic&quot; representation of medeival Europe. I just don't know or care, I love the place and recommend it to anyone looking for a central location for the day trips you mention. Look at the city's website and pay attention to the Historische Meile (Historic Mile, pardon spelling and translation) with the many things to see.

MvK

I am not sure why my comment about not knowing what teens would consider &quot;fun&quot; was so objectionable. I was trying to respond to the OP's interest in finding activities that would be fun for his teen age children (2 daughters based on information in another post)
My own teenage son would not consider the zoo, the German National museum, the toy museum, the transportation museum or a church organ concert &quot;fun&quot; although my husband and I would enjoy all of these except the zoo. Tourists, whether adults or teenagers, have different interests.

I do agree with you that Nurnberg is an interesting city with much to see beyond the Hauptmarkt area.

Thank you everyone for your posts, it seems overwhelming positive views about Nurnberg. Lots of good info to consider!

Tiller

You could do much much better however.