Germany / Franconia & the Romantic Road / Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Imperial Castle, Gingerbread and Germany's Hardest History

2 daysIdeal stay₹8,520From / night₹2,880Food / day₹850Entry

Franconia's capital, its walled old town rebuilt after 1945 under the Imperial Castle. Albrecht Dürer's house, St Lorenz and St Sebald churches, and the half-timbered lanes along the Pegnitz; then the 20th century: the Nazi Party Rally Grounds and their documentation centre, and Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Trials. The Christkindlesmarkt, from late November to 24 December, is one of the most famous Christmas markets, and Lebkuchen gingerbread is the local speciality. An hour from Munich by ICE; Bamberg and Würzburg are short train rides.

Highlights

Imperial Castle and the old-town walls
Albrecht Dürer's House
Nazi Party Rally Grounds
Courtroom 600 of the Nuremberg Trials
Germanisches Nationalmuseum
Christkindlesmarkt in December

Things to do

Imperial Castle and the old townMorning · 3h
Nazi Party Rally Grounds walk and documentation centreAfternoon · 3h
Memorium Nuremberg TrialsAfternoon · 2h
Germanisches NationalmuseumMorning · 3h
Christmas market or Lebkuchen tastingEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Nurembergvia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Nurembergvia Klook

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When to go

Best time: May – September, late November – December

Heads up

Christmas: Shops and Sights Close 24-26 December

Christmas Eve afternoon, Christmas Day and 26 December are Germany's quietest days: shops, most museums and many restaurants close, the Christmas markets end on or before the 24th, and trains run a holiday timetable. Plan arrivals and sightseeing around them. Shops are closed every Sunday too.

Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt · 27 or 28 Nov – 24 Dec — One of the oldest and most famous Christmas markets, on the Hauptmarkt: wooden stalls with red-and-white awnings, Lebkuchen gingerbread, plum-figure dolls and mulled wine, and the opening prologue by the Christkind from the church balcony. Very crowded at weekends and with coach tours; hotel prices rise and rooms sell out on December weekends.

Getting there

Fly into Munich (MUC), 151 km away

Then: Train · 1h 24m (ICE high-speed train (high-speed line))

Search flights to MUC from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹23,000
From Mumbaifrom ₹22,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹27,000
From Bengalurufrom ₹25,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000

Fly into Frankfurt (FRA), 187 km away

Then: Train · 2h 24m (ICE high-speed train (via Würzburg))

Search flights to FRA from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhifrom ₹22,000
From Mumbaifrom ₹21,000
From Ahmedabad (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹26,000
From Kochi (1 stop)from ₹25,000
From Bengalurufrom ₹24,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

Visa needed before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹12,100

Apply for a Schengen short-stay (type C) visa at any VFS Global Germany centre in India (New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and others), 4-8 weeks before you fly and about 8 weeks ahead for May to September, when appointments are scarce (no earlier than 6 months). Apply to Germany if it is your only or longest stay in Schengen. The fee is €90 (charged in rupees at the mission's rate, about ₹10,100; €45 for children 6-11) plus the VFS service charge of about ₹2,000, and none of it is refunded if the visa is refused.
At the appointment give your fingerprints and photo (skipped if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months). Processing takes up to 15 working days after the day you submit, and longer in summer and over Christmas.
If you have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the last three years, ask for a multiple-entry visa: under the EU's 2024 cascade rules for Indians you can be given a two-year visa, then a five-year one.
On your first arrival in the Schengen Area your fingerprints and face are scanned at passport control (the EU Entry/Exit System, in full use since April 2026) instead of a stamp. Allow extra time at Frankfurt and Munich.

Carry: Passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages; Completed visa application form (VIDEX) and two recent biometric photos (35 x 45 mm); Travel insurance with at least €30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip; Return flight booking and a day-by-day itinerary; Hotel bookings for every night, or an invitation from your host (a formal letter of obligation if they are paying); Bank statements for the last 3-6 months, income-tax returns, and a leave letter from your employer (or business or college papers).

One Schengen visa covers Germany and every other Schengen country (France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and more) for up to 90 days in any 180. ETIAS is only for visa-free travellers, so it does not affect you. Sources disagree on which German mission decides applications from your state, but VFS takes them at any of its Germany centres: check visa.vfsglobal.com for appointments and the current charges before you book flights.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Franconia & the Romantic Road

🏘️ Rothenburg ob der Tauber · A Walled Medieval Town on the Romantic Road
🍷 Würzburg · A Baroque Residence and Wine on the Old Main Bridge
🌉 Bamberg · Little Venice, a River-Island Town Hall and Smoked Beer

Plan a trip to Nuremberg

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Munich (MUC)