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Nurnberg or Munich for 2 nights with tween and teen?

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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
590 posts

I'm assuming you're coming to Munich at a time of year (sorry if I missed that) when you can spend a lot of time outside.

You should definitely go to the English Garden (no, not to drink beer), but the Eisbach Surfers are very popular with everyone.

You might not believe it, but Munich has a lot of Street Art to offer.
For example, there's the Schlachthofviertel (slaughterhouse district) with the 'Bahnwärter Thiel' and the 'Alte Utting'. The Alte Utting is a steamboat from Lake Ammersee, which now stands on a disused railway bridge. There's food and drinks available for purchase at stalls and consumed on board.
The 'Bahnwärter Thiel' also invites you to have something to eat there (a small beer garden next to a Brazilian restaurant for example). It's a collection of old Munich subway cars, old trams, and containers. Everything is covered in graffiti.

Or you can go behind the Ostbahnhof (Trainstation Munich East) to the Werksviertel. The Ferris Wheel should be running on weekends. You'll find plenty of food and it is colerful as well.

In the evening, a stroll through Maxvorstadt is a great option. Especially in the streets surrounding the universities (Türkenstraße and Schellingstraße for example) life takes place outdoors when the weather is nice.

In Maxvorstadt, you'll also be at the 'Ludwig Maximilian University LMU'. Not just an university, but also an important memorial site for WWII. Especially since you have teens with you, I think it's important to know the history of the 'White Rose resistance group'. It was students at LMU who lost their lives resisting the Nazis. There's an exhibition in the university's main building at 'Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1'. Here's a great YouTube video in English that explains everything in detail. Only open on weekdays - I would suggest to check that before in google.

And before you consider taking your teens to KZ Dachau, I'd recommend going to the NS Documentation Center first - also in Maxvorstadt. There, they don't just talk about the war itself, but more importantly, why it started and what it was like afterwards and everything related to Munich.
German kids don't talk so much about battles in school, but rather about what to watch out that it never happens again. You can learn a lot at the NS Documentation Center. And you're geographically located on the very site where the "Brown House" was - the Nazi Party headquarters in Munich. The entrance is free.

I hope the links help you to dive deeper into my suggestions.

Have fun

Posted by
3599 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
21691 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
922 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.

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