Are you planning to visit Nuremberg (Nürnberg in German) in one day and you want to see everything possible? Well, let’s say first off that one day in Nuremberg is never enough, but we can only do what we can so many take a day trip to this postcard-worthy town with its gorgeous timbered houses, imperial castle, cobblestoned streets, beautiful stone bridges and more.
There are so many things to do and see in Nuremberg, so if you are short on time, I suggest you do the same thing I did. This comes in handy especially for those planning to spend only one day in Nuremberg but still want to have a general picture of the city.
In my case, even though I stayed 5 days in Nuremberg, which meant that we had enough time to go around and see all the things, the second day Alessandro and I decided to take a day tour with “Nuremberg Tours” because we wanted someone to explain things to us well.
We bought the tickets on the get your guide website.
Nuremberg Old Town and Nazi grounds walking tour: Meeting point.
Well, at the time of purchase, you will receive by email your e-tickets where the information about the meeting point is reported. Most of the time, to facilitate also those arriving by train for this “one day in Nuremberg trip” from any other German city, the meeting point is Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof, main railway station.
In our case, the tour was starting at 11.30. We were asked to be at the main arch (the biggest one) of the station at least 15 minutes before the tour was supposed to start. We did so.
There are three arches on the main entrance side of Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof. The two lateral ones are smaller than the middle one where we are asked to wait.
Nuremberg Old Town and Nazi grounds walking tour: guide.
On our e-ticket there was also a small note about the guide, which said he was supposed to have a red and white board sign saying “Nuremberg Tours.”
He didn’t have that. Actually, to be precise, he kept that board sign in his bag and took it out only once in a while. So, it took us a while to find him and we were afraid that we might miss our tour.
Three of our group arrived 40 minutes late. At first I was glad to see that our guide waited for all the subscribers, but later I realized that this was a big disadvantage for many who, in fact, had to leave the tour before it was finished due to its delay because they already had other commitments for that day.
Being on time matters a lot. Being punctual helps to best organize everyone’s “One day in Nuremberg.”
Once this step is finished, your guide will give you a fast introduction and the tour starts.
Nuremberg Old Town and Nazi grounds walking tour.
To speed up the story, I would divide this tour into two parts: first, Nuremberg Old Town and second, Nazi grounds. After all, this is how our “One Day In Nuremberg tour” is called on the Get your Guide website: Nuremberg Old Town and Nazi grounds walking tour.
During the first half of the tour you are taken around the old town. The guide, besides showing and telling you about the history and architecture of the town, will also give you some details about the Franconian handcrafts, wine, beer, typical foods, and sweets. You will also learn about where some traditional shops and restaurants are and so on.
About two o’clock you will be left alone an hour for lunch break. During this time you can eat wherever you want. We had our lunch at the restaurant where our guide suggested, but we took a big risk by doing so because an hour is not enough for sitting and eating at the restaurant. I suggest you eat at the market stall so that you can return on time to the meeting point later.
The second half of the “One day in Nuremberg tour” is at the Nazi grounds site which is in the southeast of Nuremberg. So, after the lunch, your guide will help to take a local bus to reach this area. The bus ride from the old town of Nuremberg to the Nazi Grounds is paid for by the guide and it is about 25 minutes.
The Nazi grounds, designed by Hitler’s architect Albert Speer, and the Congress Hall there, designed by Ludwig and Franz Ruff, cover a huge area. So you should know that it takes a lot of time to go around and see everything.
Well, this second half of the “One day in Nuremberg tour” will finish around 6 PM. After that you will be taken back to the railway station by tram. Obviously, during this way back you can get off wherever you want. And also this journey is paid for by the guide.
Our guide was very informative, and he explained the history very well. I mean, he knew how to make everything clear to everyone. And most importantly, he knew how to make everyone involved. This is something that I greatly appreciated because this :One day in Nuremberg tour” takes so long and there is a lot of walking which is often up and down the city of Nuremberg. If the guide is not good enough, it would be easy to give up and leave the group.
One day in Nuremberg: Some important things to know
- If you are not a native English speaker, make sure that the guide speaks slowly before the tour starts. There are so many things to say, so they tend to speak quickly.
- Many who join this tour are tourists who don’t stay in Nuremberg, but they are just there for a day trip to Nuremberg from some other German city. Some of them are there by themselves, whereas others are there with organized group tours.
- Nuremberg market stalls are closed on Sundays. This not only means that you can’t see what they sell, but also means that you can’t stop here and buy something fast during the lunch break.
- This one day in Nuremberg tour doesn’t show you places that require an entrance ticket. They just stay outside and explain the history and the architecture.
- A one hour lunch break becomes short if you decide to sit and eat at the restaurant. And if you are taking this tour on Sunday when the food stalls in the markets are closed, it might be difficult to manage this circumstance. So taking a snack or meal with you could be simpler.
- Our tour was supposed to last 4 hours but because of various things, ours lasted six hours.
- Being on time is very important. Many who join this tour come from other German cities and because of their train or bus booked back they can’t stay longer. If the guide can’t start on time, they also can’t finish on time. If this happens they can’t continue. They have to miss the end of their tour.
- This tour is not wheelchair friendly. There is a lot of up and down walking here.
- If you are planning to buy Nuremberg Old Town and Nazi Rally Grounds Walking Tour on Get you Guide website then I suggest you download their App. It comes in very handy.
- During the Christmas season, because of the Christmas markets in Nuremberg, this tour can last even longer.
Is the One day in Nuremberg tour worth it?
So, summing up, I bought this Nuremberg Old Town and Nazi grounds walking tour on the get your guide website, and I can just say that I was so pleased that the same day I booked another trip with them to visit the bunkers.
There were so many things to see, so we had to walk a lot, but we got a general picture of the city of Nuremberg. I must say that it is truly well worth it because you’d be able to see the best of Nuremberg in just one day. If you are interested to take a look at the get your guide Nuremberg city tour here is the link → Nuremberg Old Town and Nazi Rally Grounds Walking Tour
