I have been to both Munich and Nurnberg many times as a child, teen and then single and then once with my husband before we had our girls. However, we are taking our daughters to Germany for the first time. We have family there and are visiting family 25 minutes outside of Nurnberg and 45 minutes outside of Munich. We will be staying with each set of family members each for a night and enjoying our time in their homes and their neighborhoods. However, we have time for 2 days independently in either Munich or Nurnberg and I'd love to show the girls one of these cities and stay in the city center for 2 nights. It has been 16 years since I have been back and now back with tween/teens. Which city and why? I was thinking Nurnberg because of the Fortress, the pedestrian friendly streets, the size, and the WW2 and grave Nazi history which both of my children are interested in learning more about experientially. However, Munich has a soft spot in my heart- I lived there one summer in college, my parents met there (who are no longer together), and I love the liberal vibe of the city. Thoughts? And also, things to do in Munich with kids this age? Nurnberg I know I have ideas about but Munich, I can only remember the main Platz and drinking a lot of beer in the Englisher Garden with my friends as a 20 something (!) and then also doing a bike / beer tour with my husband when we went- so I have no idea about things to do with kids tween/ teen age in Munich!
Posted by
Schwerin
4088 posts
I would vote for Nuremberg because Munich is a little bit like a bubble.
Another idea is cosy Bamberg:
- World Heritage old town
- much smaller than Nuremberg or Munich
- beautiful places to stay such as old hotel "Zur Brudermühle"
- own ICE station (long-distance trains)
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
24115 posts
However, Munich has a soft spot in my heart- I lived there one summer
in college, my parents met there (who are no longer together), and I
love the liberal vibe of the city.
If you are like me, and I went to Nuremberg instead of Munich I would regret it.
Posted by
OP
28 posts
Yes, we are going in the summertime- late June/ early July. Thank you for your help on this!
Posted by
Maryland
1035 posts
Perhaps for an afternoon trip from whichever place you will be staying.
https://museums.nuernberg.de/memorium-nuremberg-trials/
Courtroom 600 where the actual Nuremberg trials occurred (although "refurbished" by Germany soon thereafter) can now be included in the tour of the Courthouse, which has an excellent museum as well.
from their website:
As of 1 March 2020, Courtroom 600 is no longer being used for trials. For the first time in its over 100 yearlong history, it is no longer a place of jurisprudence and its changing process from court room to site of memory is being completed.
For you that means that up from now, you will be able to see Courtroom 600 much more often when you visit the Memorium Nuremberg Trials. However, it can still be the case now that Courtroom 600 cannot be seen due to events happening there and therefore the media installation cannot be shown. We try to limit these restrictions for you whenever possible. These restrictions do not concern our permanent exhibition. It can always be visited during our opening hours, also when Courtroom 600 is closed. Please be advised that we are closed every Tuesday.
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
2327 posts
I love both, it would be hard to choose. I had a cousin with her two teens in both this past June. They really liked walking around Nuremberg at night with everything lite up, and the farmers market in the daytime. The older one liked the trip out to Zepplin stadium. In Munich the Residence was the big hit; the girls loved the jewels. I had fun buying local stuff at the victual market and them having them try something other than pizza. Leberkase, currywurst, weisswurst, kotzbullar, and of course, pretzels and pastries. If you are there during asparagus season, make sure they try the white ones.
Posted by
Minnesota🌲
10380 posts
I enjoyed both Nuremberg and Munich, but if I had a tween and a teen traveling with me, I would opt for Munich. Nuremberg does have the WWI" sites and Nazi history, but Munich is more of an iconic Bavarian city, and I think your kids would really enjoy seeing sites such as the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz, the Residenz München, Nymphenburg Palace, the fun shops with dirndls and lederhosen, beer halls, and so on. You could always take a quick train ride to Dachau if you want to show them something of the Holocaust.
For what it's worth, I have two grandchildren (tween and teen) who are traveling with me to London and Paris this week, and when I ask them what they want to see, it's always the iconic sites they associate with a place. I do think most people think of Munich when they think of Germany, so it would be a fun experience for your children to visit there. You know, of course, that Germany is much more than that, but hopefully there will be more opportunities in the future to go back and visit other places.
Posted by
Northwest Arkansas
1001 posts
Munich has the https://www.deutsches-museum.de/ if your kids are into science. Nurnberg, as I understand, has a smaller and more future-focused version.
Posted by
Utah via SF Bay Area
455 posts
Nuremberg!
We were there for the Christmas Market a couple of months ago. We weren’t able to visit this museum, but would go back to Nuremberg just to see it. FYI, there is a tourist office on the main square by the Brunnen fountain that is full of great ideas if you find yourselves there and need maps and information. The WW 2 tour that takes you to the Rally fields, documentation center and courtroom 600 is amazing and impactful. We had an amazing guide.