Franconia’s largest city joins eleven independent cities and 23 counties to form a metropolitan region. Its transport network is the largest in Bavaria, with buses and trains taking visitors almost anywhere. There are plenty of options for day trips. Here are our top 8 day trips!
Nuremberg Region: 8 Day Trips by Train and Bus
Nuremberg, the largest city in Franconia, offers a broad range of options for day trips. The metropolitan transport network takes visitors wherever they want to go by bus and train. Here are our top 8 day trips.
1
Fürth: A Splendid History and Art Nouveau
The city with the cloverleaf in its coat of arms has many faces, with more than 2,000 architectural monuments, over 1,000 years of history, green oases and beautiful nooks and crannies in the Old Town. The town hall with its 52-metre-high tower resembles the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The Jewish Museum provides visitors with insights into the history of the Jewish community, which has helped shape Fürth.
For a long time, the city was even considered the “Franconian Jerusalem”. Also worth seeing are the Hornschuchpromenade and Königswarterstraße, two boulevards dating from the Wilhelminian period with their historic as well as art nouveau buildings. Gustavstraße, on the other hand, is a pub hotspot and a popular meeting place. The Ludwig Erhard Centre commemorates the former Federal Minister of Economics.
How to get there: 10 kilometres to the north-west, 6 or 7 minutes by train or with the S1, fifteen minutes with the U1
2
The Majestic Cadolzburg Castle
“Cadolzburg” was first documented in 1157. In the mid 13th century, the area around the castle, one of the most powerful complexes in Bavaria, then became the property of the Burgraves of Nuremberg. The counts came from the House of Hohenzollern and moved their “headquarters” to Cadolzburg Castle in the 14th century. In 1415, they are bestowed as Electors with the Margraviate of Brandenburg – Berlin is even governed from Cadolzburg for a certain period of time.
The Hitler Youth began using Cadolzburg in 1933, and it was destroyed at the end of the war. In 2017, following extensive reconstruction, it was opened as an interactive museum: an exhibition illustrates the history of the Hohenzollern dynasty in the late Middle Ages. Using original artefacts, reproductions, stagings and media stations, visitors can learn what life was like in a castle.
How to get there: 15 kilometres to the west, 46 minutes with the S6 and from Siegelsdorf with bus 126 to the castle
3
Franconian Lake District: Ahoy from the “MV Brombachsee”!
The Franconian Lake District is made up of five man-made lakes to the south of Nuremberg. In the centre are the Großer and Kleiner Brombachsee lakes and the Igelsbachsee lake, while 10 kilometres to the west is the Altmühlsee lake and 20 kilometres to the north-east is the Rothsee lake. The lakes are popular destinations for water sports enthusiasts and offer a range of other leisure activities.
The region boasts many attractions, from the Roman Limes to castles and museums. Taking a ride on the “MS Brombachsee”, a trimaran with three decks, is especially fun. The round trip, starting from “Ramsberg Seezentrum”, takes 1.5 hours. Don’t forget your swimming trunks! Ramsberg – Germany’s largest inland lake harbour – features a sandy beach with a grassy sunbathing area as well as boat hire, mini-golf, a beer garden and other fun activities.
How to get there: 40 kilometres to the south, one hour with the RE16 train and from Pleinfeld with bus 645 to “Ramsberg Seezentrum”
fraenkisches-seenland.de (only in German)
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4
Rupprechtstegen: A Paddle Tour and a Water Castle
An easy, scenic paddle tour on the Pegnitz takes off from Rupprechtstegen, north-east of Nuremberg. It ends in Artelshofen. The boat trip is perfect for families with children and for nature lovers. Plan on two hours for the five-kilometre route. There are two weirs that you have to go around.
You can find the canoe entrance of the FP canoe tour provider right next to the railway station below the “Rastwaggon” restaurant. After disembarking in Artelshofen, it is a 15-minute walk to Vorra station. Before you leave, it is worth taking a look at the moated castle in Artelshofen from the outside (it cannot be visited). This is considered a perfect example of a Nuremberg patrician residence and has not been significantly altered since the 16th century.
How to get there: 35 kilometres to the north-east, 44 minutes with the RB 30 train to “Rupprechtstegen”, return journey with the RB 30 from Vorra takes 40 minutes
fp-kanutouren.de (only in German)
5
A Wildly Romantic Hike Through the Schwarzachklamm Gorge to the Jägersee Lake
The hike starts at the railway station in Ochenbruck in the Nürnberger Land region. It first leads to Schwarzachgrund and to the banks of the Schwarzach, a right tributary of the Rednitz. Before long, sandstone cliffs herald the Schwarzachklamm gorge, one of Bavaria’s most beautiful biotopes. The path runs 2.5 kilometres near the river – past the Gustav Adolf Cave, through stone gates and over footbridges up to the “Brückkanal”.
The 19th century trough bridge is part of the old Ludwig-Danube-Main Canal. It is used to cross the old waterway over the Schwarzach. The route continues along the canal until it reaches Röthenbach and the Jägersee, until it reaches the Feucht S-Bahn station.
How to get there: 17 kilometres to the south-east, 15 minutes with the S3 to Ochenbruck, returning from Feucht with the S2/S3 in 15 and 10 minutes respectively; hiking distance 11 kilometres, duration 3 hours; detailed directions and Gps data can be found at
6
At Rothsee Lake: A Castle, a Palace and Iron Hammers
The leisure region around the Rothsee is easy to reach with public transportation thanks to the new regional railway station “Allersberg/Rothsee”. You can explore it through a network of hiking trails or take a bus to individual destinations. For example, Allersberg with its baroque market square. The Gilardihaus was once the seat of the oldest Leonese wire goods factory in Germany (founded in 1689). Or Hiltpoltstein under the approximately 1,000-year-old castle. You can climb the keep to a viewing platform.
Ratibor Palace, which dates back to the 16th century, is well worth a visit and is the landmark of the town of Roth with its grand hall and palace garden. The Historic Iron Hammer Museum (Eisenhammer Museum) in the Eckersmühlen district is also worth a visit.
How to get there: 30 kilometres to the south-east, 15 minutes with the RB1 or S5 to Allersberg station (Rothsee), from there bus lines to the surrounding area depart: bus 505/516 to “Allersberg”, 633 to “Hiltpoltstein”, 608 to “Roth”; from “Hiltpoltstein” with RB61 to “Roth” via “Eckersmühlen”; or take a 29-minute ride from Nuremberg with the S2 or a 16-minute ride with RB 16. From Roth take the S3 or the train back to Nuremberg. More information can be found at
7
Stein: A Pencil Paradise
The Faber-Castell palace complex, built by the famous pencil dynasty of the same name (since 1761!), comprises two parts: the old palace in neo-Renaissance style (completed in 1846) and the new palace in German Romanesque style (completed in 1906). During the Nuremberg trials, it housed international lawyers and journalists.
The palace has been open to visitors since 1986. You can also visit the historic mine production rooms in Stein – a monument to Bavarian industrial history. There is also a visitor centre and a flagship store. Anyone who still has time to spare can visit Stein’s open-air aquarium and terrarium, which is two kilometres to the south and gives visitors a glimpse of the local reptile, amphibian and fish world.
How to get there: 6 kilometres to the south-west, 20 minutes with the U2 to Röthenbach and bus 63; guided tours available three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, register online in advance
8
Kalchreuth: Cherries and Cellars
The town of Kalchreuth, just north of Nuremberg, is famous for its cherry orchards. They are perfect for a stroll, with views of the surrounding countryside. Departure is in Großgeschaidt, which is easy to reach by train. On the Gräfenbergbahn trail you ascend towards Kalchreuth... and to a culinary highlight of the tour: the homemade Kalchreuth Kirschsecco offered by the Kalchreuth Cherry Garden collective. Rustic stone cellars also await you in the Kalchreuther Forest.
The 19th-century facilities are a popular place to stop for refreshments and an excursion. The last stage leads over root paths above the fairytale enchanted Stettenbach gorge to Heroldsberg. From there, you return to Nuremberg.
How to get there: 12 kilometres to the north, 30 minutes with the U2 via “Nuremberg Nordost” and from there with the RB21 to “Großgeschaidt”, returning in 16 minutes from “Heroldsberg” with the RB21 and the U2 from “Nuremberg Nordost”; walking distance 13 kilometres, duration 3 hours; detailed directions can be found at
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