Nuremberg Advice

You raise an interesting question how to “discover more of the WW II historical sites.”
The conflict was total war imposed on most of Germany. Bombing and the eventual invasion of the country made most if not all of the nation a historic site to some degree. US ARMY campaign maps might assist in finding how Nuremberg was overrun in the final days of the war. Researching further you could visit the site of the “real” Stalag XIII in the suburbs. The list goes on and the sites are not often easy to find.

Following the war requires detailed knowledge thus a guided tour is not a bad idea.

10 years ago, we too took an off day from Bayreuth to visit Nuremberg (by train). We just happened on a tour group and asked if we could join and the guide said sure. It was not anywhere near $100 per person, but we ended it at the Imperial castle. Afternoon they were going to the Nazi Documentation Center, so perhaps that would put it near $100 adjusting for inflation.

BTW, you might consider going by train with a VGN TagesTicket Plus. Avoids the issue of finding parking. Cost is 25.50 EUR, and you can use the Nuremberg U-Bahn system as it is included.

Thank you Sam. I was hoping to take the train from Bayreuth to Nuremberg, but when I searched there was none found? I'll try again specifically for the one you mentioned.

What is your date? Normally 2 trains every hour, at least in the morning. I was looking at Aug 6. There is a pretty little gorge that the railway passes though along the Pegnitz River

"I was hoping to take the train from Bayreuth to Nuremberg, but when I searched there was none found?"

Search HERE:

https://int.bahn.de/en/

Enter date, time of departure, # of travelers, Bayreuth Hbf as your "from" station, Nuremberg as your "to" station.

You will find schedules as Sam described. It is a simple, direct train ride of roughly one hour on the Regional Express train. You might not find schedules if you are searching for a date in the very distant future.

DO NOT BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE. Regional trains do not offer seat guarantees or reservations and you get no discount for pre-purchasing - only a ticket that is non-refundable. So just chill and buy your ticket when you get to the station that day. Traveling by regional train is super easy - just get your ticket from a ticket machine at the station (or using the DB app) - machines will have an English-language option - then get on and ride. Keep your ticket in case a ticket inspector requests to see it.

The Tagesticket Plus which Sam mentions is perfect for you. It's a day pass costing €26 (level 10 price) or so and good for any trips you want to make all day long on any trains withn the VGN travel zone (which your trip is within.)

https://www.vgn.de/en/tickets/all-day-ticket-plus/

Stations will have signage indicate train destinations, platform numbers, departure times, etc.

If I'm not mistaken, Rick Steves guides offer information on getting to the Documentation Center / Rally Grounds, the Nuremberg Trials courthouse, etc.

https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/museums/location/documentation-centre-nazi-party-rally-grounds/
https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/museums/location/memorium-nuremberg-trials/

I don't go in much for the WW II museums - Nuremberg has other fun museums that might be more entertaining:

https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/museums/science-technology-museums/
https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/museums/unusual-museums/

Main website:
https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/

You can visit the Imperial Castle too - right in the old town zone:

https://www.kaiserburg-nuernberg.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm
https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/discover/places-of-interest/location/imperial-castle/

The Tagesticket Plus you bought to reach Nuremberg will get you anywhere you want within the city on buses, trams, and subway as well.

Wow Russ! Thank you. You have answered each and every question I had thought of in relation to the travel!! Very helpful is the don't fret purchasing online way ahead, just show up and buy. THNX.

I'm still conflicted as to whether to have a guide meet us and walk for a couple of hours or so . . .

I don't see any service disruptions in the month of Aug. When we were were there 10 years ago, on the day we left, they shut down the line through that pretty little gorge I mentioned and we had to get off at Pegnitz and take the replacement bus to Nuremberg to get our connecting train to Stuttgart. A minor inconvenience.

You buy the VGN ticket out of the ticket machine at the station and write all the travelers names on the back of the ticket.

Here is a walking tour, starting at the Tourist Info Office across the street from the main station aand it is only 14 EUR.
https://eu5.bookingkit.de/checkout2/addToCart?eventDate_id=84e300fcc0aef72118c6ae419080d793&&ref=ybbwHzmD54mhyY7&lang=en&resid=1

Are you sure it is 100€ per person? That sounds wildly expensive for a normally run private tour. That sounds more like an hourly rate.

There's a train about every 30 minutes. RE 30 or RE 38.

There's not a lot of WWII left compared with even just 20 years ago. The Hindenburg stadium is very worn down and the signage is in disrepair. The document center was under construction/renovation when I was there earlier this year. The old Darby Kaserne, which was where the SS held out, is almost impossible to find, and a couple other locations I used to know are no longer standing.

You can do a very good walk if you can find a copy of the old British publication "After the Battle; Nuremberg".

I find walking Nuremberg very easy. From the train station you can cut across the plaza and into the old part of the city and walk inside the walls, in the old moat, or outside counterclockwise up to Albrect Durer Haus. From there to the castle, then down the main drag into the old town center.

Most of the WWII stuff is outside the walls, and you need to have a way to get around. You can take a train to the stadium, but you need to plan on at least 2 hours to see that (train and walking, plus time there).

The Nuremberg Tourist Office offers several tours for around €15 per person. You can check out the tours and see if any sound appealing and are offered on the day you are visiting.

https://tourismus.nuernberg.de/en/guidedtours/