Hi
We will be staying in Nuremberg over Christmas. I know everything shuts down both days. We are looking for something to see and/or do that day. Any suggestions?
I believe that there will be some trains running that day? Do you think it's possible to do a day trip somewhere and just walk around? I know we would have to bring our own food.
That's a good idea. Trains run all day long to places like Würzburg, Bamberg, Munich and Regensburg. Bamberg and Nuremberg are UNESCO World Heritage cities and rate among the best-preserved old-town zones in the country.
A VGN Tagesticket Plus (day pass for two passengers ) will take you to Bamberg and back for €25.50. Or you can get a Bayern Ticket Day pass to (and back from) the other destinations. Be sure to use only the regional trains on these trips.
https://www.vgn.de/en/tickets/all-day-ticket-plus/
https://www.discover-bavaria.com/tickets
Train stations are generally likely to have some form of food & beverage services available on holidays.
If you haven’t been to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, go there on one of the days
Even if not religious, Christmas Eve or Day services in a grand cathedral can be beautiful, especially with a full choir and orchestra. (Arrive a bit early to secure seating.)
Rothenburg would be a great day trip. Maybe you'll get lucky and have snow! Have a great trip! Safe travels.
Things shut down on Christmas eve by 1400, though usually all museums and many restaurants won't be open at all. On the 25th, you may find a lot of museums open as well as restaurants doing a booming business.
Christmas Eve is the major family holiday and nothing will be open much past noon. My experience is that, other than places to eat, and not too many of those, you won't find much open in Nuremberg on the 25th. Some of the Christmas market, and the stuff around the train station mainly. But it's a great day to walk the city.
But if you want to see someplace different, you don't have to go to Wurzburg or Bamberg. And Rothenburg is a pain to get to from Nuremberg. Go just up the line to Erlangen. Or just south to Ansbach. Trains run about every 15 minutes. And those a really nice towns and will have nice Christmas decorations. But for something off the beaten path go to Amberg. Closer than Bamberg and really pretty. See the Stadtbrille, the Glockenspiel, the old marketplace. All the old town streets will have lights and decorations. And they have a nice holiday market. You'll probably be the only Americans there.
Thank you all for your advice! We had everything lined up to go this week, but unfortunately we had to postpone. We are hoping that being there at Christmas time will make our trip even more special. It has been a bit of a challenge to figure everything out with most places shutting down 12/24-12/26. I feel better that we should still have the opportunity to explore despite the shut down. Thanks for your feedback!
