I know this question--or a variation with other cities listed--has been raised in the past. But I invite any comments by those who have visited those cities as to which is your favorite or how many nights you would spend in those cities.
And another factor might be that the Nazi Documentation Center in Nuremberg is still under renovation (see the other thread I just started seeking information as to when it might fully reopen).
Hamburg and Nuremberg (not Nuremburg, too close wording to Nürburg) are culturally and by style very different cities and a few hours of train / car traveling away from each other. So, in an itinerary context they are not just replaceable.
Funny-wise Nuremberg still has a "Burg" castle, Hamburg not.
Hamburg is Germany's second largest city and is a metropolis which belongs more to the Scandinavian world. The international port plays a huge role. For history fans day trips such as Lübeck, Stade, Lüneburg or Schwerin are worth exploring because Hamburg does not have an own old town. A former WWII bunker is a hotel now. Submarines of these times are also in reach by day trips (Laboe, Bremerhaven). Former c-camp Neuengamme can be visited. The Miniatur Wunderland is #1 tourist attraction in Germany (voted by tourists). For music fans the Elphi is worth booking a classic concert. The new HafenCity has established a lot of new quarters in former port-related areas.
Nuremberg offers a lot of history impressions from various epochs. It also has an old town and fulfills more the stereotype of an older German city. In general Southern Germany has less war related places / items but of course some Nazi history. Day trips to Bamberg, Bayreuth or Regensburg have positive responses in the forum. Compared to Northern towns which have more a red-brick architecture and style Nuremberg has a more classic town style, also with half-timbered houses.
For Nazi terror impression the Topography of Terror in Berlin is a recommendation.
Hope this helps.
Mark, thanks for the response and the spelling correction (sincerely). Ordinarily, I would be leaning towards Nuremberg. But these are the reasons I might go in a different direction. First, a reason for visiting Nuremberg is the Documentation Center. The latest information is that the Center is supposed to fully reopen in 2026, but no information regarding date or month currently exists. I fear that the reopening will be closer to December than January. Any visit will be in the spring.
Second, there are two time periods when I might visit Nuremberg. Incredibly, during those two periods, hotel pricing is much higher--during one time period, by three times because of a major trade show. As a result, I am considering other options.
Given the these two choices I would suggest Hamburg, the cultural center of North Germany.
As suggested doing s day to Schwerin from Hamburg Hbf is quite easy, time well-spent, and a direct shot, much easier than from Berlin Hbf. The famous Schloss in Schwerin is under (part of it) reconstruction but still worth seeing and not to be missed.
Historically, if you're after that, in front of the Schloss is the large Victory Column (Siegesäule) to the War of 1870, it is also the memorial to German soldiers from the Mecklenburg-Schwerin grand duchy , (there were 2 duchies of Mecklenburg prior to WW1, Schwerin and Neustrelitz) , killed in that war, just as I saw large soldiers' memorials in France, such as in Troyes, Toul, Epinal , to name a few of these sites.
In the greater Hamburg is also a site of remembrance of Nazi horror, the camp site of Neuengamme, accessible by the S-Bahn.
There is a lot more Prussian-German , WW1 and WW2 history in this area if you want to track them down from Lüneburg to Flensburg, as well cultural historical sites, obviously.
Fred, as always, thank you. You have always been generous about sharing your vast experience with and knowledge of Germany.
This is a pretty open ended question. What are your interests? When do you plan to visit? Where else are you looking to go? All of these would play into any plan I would have when deciding between two extremely different cities in completely different parts of the country. It's like choosing between St Louis and Atlanta, or Billings vs. Sacramento.
It's been decades since I was last in Hamburg, but I work seaports, and my perspective is very different than your average visitor. And frankly, between October and late April, I don't think northern Germany is a lot of fun. It's cold and wet and less sunshine than Seattle. But Nuremberg at the same time is different. Yes, they both have Christmas markets; you won't see a lot of tourists interested in those up around the North Sea, but they're there. Nuremberg is, of course, famous for theirs. And both will get snow, and rain, but Nuremberg is more of a cozy place to ride out a storm.
I'm biased. I lived almost 4 years between Nuremberg and Rothenburg odT. I have been back many times including several visits in the past 2 years. I have a great fondness for Bavaria, and Franconia especially. But it all goes back to the questions I posted, as I can make the argument for either as worthy of spending time visiting.
We went to Hamburg for the first time in March of this year for four overnights. We booked a train, hotel and Hamburg Card package through the Hamburg tourist office. 1st class train tickets included in the package. This was our first trip to Hamburg too. Hotel was the Best Western Plus Hotel St. Raphael. You might want to check the tourist office first before going there. Oddly enough we went to Hamburg from Nürnberg which is about an hour from my home. 4 nights in Hamberg was good for us. We saw most of the tourist sights and took advantage of the Hamburg Card for the ferries and a trip out to Blankenese. The ICE trip was about 4.5 hours. I'm partial to Nürnberg as family went to University there and I've been there many many times. Fürth and Erlangen are nearby, and as mentioned daytrips to other cities in Bavaria are relatively easy and not far away.
To KGC and others who have responded, yes, the question is open-ended. Time of year--April. I am looking for a place to visit before Dresden, from which I will go to Prague. I have been to Berlin twice. Yes, I know the distance from both cities to Dresden is substantial. The interest in Hamburg is visiting the Miniatur Wunderland, seeing what is arguably the most livable city in Germany, and possibly going to the U-boat memorial outside Kiel. I will also note that I have been to Lubeck.
As a matter of logistics, Nuremberg works better, and there are small cities outside Nuremberg like Bamberg and Regensburg that I might want to visit. And regarding logistics, a problem is that I will using Delta SkyMiles, which for an April flight forces me to at least consider flying into a major airport like Munich or Frankfurt
And the bottom line is that both cities, though I know they are different, are at the top of my list of places in Germany to visit.
@ RJ. You're most welcome.
As to military , ie war sites in North Germany including the Berlin area, 2 other singular places might well be of interest to you .
Seelow, east of Berlin (accessible by the S-Bahn) which was site of the massive, horrendous Soviet offensive opened up against Berlin, where the Russians threw wave after wave of troops against German defences picked out by the best defensive general on their side. In spite of the Soviet superiority in numbers, the first wave was thrown back. The Museum at Seelow used to display this general's (Heinrici) photo, no longer.
I went to the Seelow Heights Battlefield Memorial (Gedenkstätte Seelower Hoehen the first time in 2011, as a day trip from Berlin, the 2nd time six years later. Looking down and scanning the field below from the Heights, you can imagine what happened, the biggest battle ever fought on German soil. Aside from changes in tech, the focus of the exhibition seemed to have changed.
The second site is easier to get to from Berlin: the town of Halbe and its cemetery, this was the place where the Germans were caught in a pocket by the Russians, the Halbe Pocket (Die Kessel von Halbe)
part 2 here.
If you want to see some cultural sites in North Germany, I suggest Eutin/Holstein, Frankfurt an der Oder (re: German literature), Husum, Ludwigslust (the Schloss), and Hamburg too for Brahms House/Museum. Spend the time in North Germany, it's different, go to Schwerin and you will notice the difference in "vibe" etc, and a different feel to the place.
I went to Schwerin this summer, utterly fantastic, captivating, very different seeing a town in Mecklenburg.
Just to add one information: a relatively important but widely unknown WWII place was airfield Parchim. It was the base for various air units and test field for new plane types, e. g. night fighter and jet planes. For these the airfield had one of the first tarred runways. Today there is no museum or memorial caring of these times but sometimes I eat lunch with a senior who lived closely to airfield Parchim in his young days. A few pilots of regular machines allowed the boys to jump onto the planes' wings while taxiing on the airfield.
Using Delta you're probably best looking at a flight through Atlanta. If you go into Amsterdam then Hamburg is good, otherwise into either Frankfurt or Munich will be closer to Nuremberg.
In April the weather will be nicer in Nuremberg; still wet, but warmer, and the flowers will be coming in.
Yes, the Documentation Center is worth a visit (when open), but there's a bit of WWII still visible in Nuremberg if you know where to look. Zeppelin Stadium is easy to get to, but pretty ragged. It's really difficult to find much trace of the large US military population that once was a major part of the city. The last of those forces moved out in 1994 and the buildings have all been re-purposed or removed.
But the Castle is good (take the tour), Albrect Drurer's house is there, the city wall is mostly walkable, old town is beautiful, and the Germanish Museum is world class.
A really good resource is the now out of print After the Battle magazine, issue 2, which covers Nuremberg quite well. You can still see places and compare them to the photos (from during the war and then around 1970), I have a hard bound copy from Amazon, but you can get soft reprints from England.
Again, many thanks to all. It will all work out, but at this time, I am not sure what route I will take.
Yes, in April, the weather will be better in Nuremberg. And the logistics and some personal interests favor Nuremberg. But the high Nuremberg hotel pricing in incredibly the only two time periods I am looking at and the real possibility that the Documentation Center will not be fully reopened suggest I visit Nuremberg at another time and consider other options like Hamburg (or simply delay my flight and visit only Dresden before Prague). There are always trade-offs with pricing, weather, time, and logistics.
Hi,
Unless you intend on staying in the old town (Altstadt), good choices there too, I stay close to the train station, ca. a minute or so from Nürnberg Hbf. at the InterCity, it's decent , better still if you get there when a cheaper rate is offered. That's in the summer, daily rates fluctuate.
If you end up choosing Nürnberg , have the time to do day trip and want to see an esoteric site dealing with Prussian-German history, you're in luck. That museum is situated ca. 40 mins or so away located in the little town of Ellingen/Bayern.
It's the Cultural Center East Prussia. (Kulturzentrum Ostpreußen ), nowhere as large and extensive as the museum in Lüneburg but certainly worthy of your time and historical interest.
Walkable from the train station. After years of procrastination and so on, I finally got myself out there as a day trip in 2023 to see this unique site.
I know that on threads like these, those who have spent time contributing are curious as to what choice the OP made. At this time, I am leaning strongly towards Nuremberg with two nights thereafter in Bamberg. Less rail time overall. And if I spend time in Bamberg, the hotel pricing in Nuremberg is reasonable (which it normally is).
April in Nuremberg is Trade Show time. That impacts the hotel prices. To avoid this you can stay a little ways out of town, on the train line, and still visit. (Hamburg has shows also). Look at Furth or Erlangen, both of which are pretty nice on their own.
KGC, thank you. Yes, the time period in May I was looking at coincided with the trade show, and the pricing for the hotel I was looking at tripled. I think now have an itinerary that works.
