An afternoon in Nuremberg in July 2022

What would you do with a July Saturday afternoon in Nuremberg?

Recommendations for hotels, restaurants, museums, spa. local shops and
attractions, and airport transport is welcomed. We love to walk and
wander. Neither of us speaks German though I can muddle along in
French if need be.

Walkers with little time to spare should probably take a walking tour. No need to tax your French listening comprehension; if there's a 2nd-language tour in Germany, 9 times out of 10 it's the more universal language, English. After lunch, meet at 2 pm at the TI office for the daily English walking tour of Nuremberg:

https://www.nuernberg-tours.de/tour-detail/guidetour/show/71?cHash=5d2cc40427e8cc68c3e44df57b6943b7

There are dozens of museums, restaurants, shops and attractions in Nuremberg. You know yourselves best - I suggest that YOU sift through the list of things to find what else interests you and what you might have time for:

https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/museums/
https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/places-of-interest/

We love Nuremberg, one of our favorites. If you need a place to stay - we LOVE Hotel Victoria - it is within the old wall, across from the train station, right next door to the old Craftmen's Courtyard area (do not miss this) and a super easy walk to both amazing cathedrals (do not miss these). If you need a great tour guide - I highly recommend the OLD TOWN walk with "Nuremberg tours in English" --- tourguide-kevin.com

check out his website - he also has great restaurant recommendations.

My memorable favorites in Nuremberg were...

Hotel: Hotel Victoria, just steps outside the main train station and around the corner from the narrow lanes of the medieval Craftmen's Courtyard.

Tour: World War II Art Bunker Tour

Museum: Germanisches Nationalmuseum, in particular the Late Middle Age collection "exhibited in the historical buildings of the old Carthusian monastery."

I don't speak more than a few courtesy words of German; I got along perfectly in English, nearly everywhere.

CWsocial, thanks for the suggestion of Craftsmens Courtyard.

In all the years I've been going to that fabulous city I had never discovered that!! I'm really looking forward to a visit. They must be hiding it in plain sight!!

CWsocial, is it very "toursity"?

Years ago we enjoyed Restaurant Der Nassauer Keller zu Nürnberg, Karolinenstraße 2. Watch your step going in since there are steep steps down immediately upon entry.

Thank you to everyone so far!

Please keep your suggestions coming.

They must be hiding it in plain sight!!
Yes indeed, Nigel, when you leave the station and walk through the pedestrian underpass heading into the city center, immediately upon exit you make a quick and very hard left to pass through the medieval gate and into the little lanes. It's a small little area with a few restaurants and some fun little artisan shops.

is it very "touristy"?
I suppose the little lanes do attract a lot of tourists, but the craftsmen I saw working, and their handiworks, seemed real enough. As in most of Nuremberg, I heard far more German than English, though I was there in October, so not really high season for Americans.

I really did enjoy Nuremberg! There was also a street market in the town center on the weekend I was there, but I can't recall whether it was on the Saturday afternoon or the Sunday.

CWsocial has described the Handwerkerhof:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU7qmhO5uwM

There was also a street market in the town center on the weekend I was there, but I can't recall whether it was on the Saturday afternoon or the Sunday.

I've been researching Nuremberg and found out that the street market is open everyday except Sunday. https://www.nuernberger-wochenmarkt-aktuell.de/

There is also a spring and autumn Volksfeste each year, too. The spring festival overlaps with my visit so I will be able to see it. Can't wait! https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/food-drink/culinary-experiences/festivals-and-markets/news/nuernberger-volksfeste-nuremberg-folk-festivals/

You can pretty much walk along the Pegnitz River acoss the old city. Maybe start/stop at the Biergaten at the Krakauer Turm. Good photo ops along the way. The Ubahn station to the Airport is nearby the Krakauer Turm. I also like the square by the Tiergärtnertor and Dürerhaus. (bronze rabbit). You can walk thru the Tor there along the outer wall and enter the castle by the Hexenhäusle. For many Germans Engish is a second language, especially in a university and international city like Nürnberg.

https://www.restauration-kopernikus.de/en

Another vote for Hotel Victoria. We stayed there in December 2018 for two nights. Very comfortable, and steps from transit and all that you'd want to see during the day. You'll probably miss their great breakfast though.

My wife and I spent a few nights in old town in the summer of 2019 before a Viking Danube cruise. We stayed at the Melter Hotel and Apartments. The hotel was more than comfortable and my wife was psyched that they had a laundry room after we were living out of suitcases for two weeks. They had no in-hotel breakfast but they had an arrangement with the cafe right next door that was very nice.

While there, we really enjoyed the market and, of course, their famous sausages. The gingerbread was excellent as well. We had some other nice dinners but no place left an impression as fond as the marketplace.

Since you like to wander, old town is very walkable. A trio of churches and plazas, some nice stores and cafes. . a few interesting statues as well. You could easily spend a nice summer afternoon just strolling but I think it's obligatory in Europe to stop for coffee and cake in the afternoon.

For us, the Albrecht Durer house was fasinating and with the castle right next door, that was worth a visit as well. Too bad we missed the craftsmen. We must have walked right past on our way into the old town from the train station. It sounds like it would have been worth the time.

Don't sweat not speaking German. Almost all Germans I met there spoke English well. In fact, many enjoy the chance to hold a conversation in English.
Hope you have a wonderful cruise and a pleasant day in Nurnberg.