Best Guided Tours In Nuremberg (Nürnberg) in 2024

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Looking for a way to see a lot of Nuremberg (Nürnberg) on a short visit? Want to dive into Nuremberg’s fascinating history and culture? Interested in experiencing Nürnberg beyond the obvious sights? We’ve got you covered with our handpicked list of the best guided tours.

old town Nuremberg

Private Tour of Nuremberg (Nürnberg)

We highly recommend setting up a private, custom tour of Nürnberg with Kevin, who is one of our preferred partners. You’ll get to experience Nuremberg like a local and dive into history, culture, food and drink, and more according to your interest. You’ll get so much more out of your time in and around Nuremberg by doing a personalized tour with Kevin! (If you do set up a tour with Kevin, please tell him we sent you. )

Nuremberg Old Town Guided Walking Tour

As with any beautiful historic city in Germany like Nuremberg, the Old Town (Altstadt) is the heart of the city center.

Most of the Old Town is a pedestrian zone, which makes it perfect for walking tours. With this 1.5-hour walking tour, you’ll explore all of Nuremberg’s main landmarks including the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, the Hauptmarkt, St. Lawrence Church, Albrecht Dürer House, and the Craftsmen’s Courtyard.

While walking through Old Town, you’ll also get to admire the medieval walls that surround the center. As a bonus, the tour guide will also share places where you can enjoy some of the best traditional food and beer.

Click here to book a walking tour that brings you to the best spots of Nuremberg’s Old Town.

Nuremberg Castle

Nuremberg Defensive Corridors in the City Wall

We did this tour recently and found it to be more interesting and enjoyable than expected! If you’d like to learn about the medieval history of Nuremberg, this tour is a must.

In this 1-hour tour, you’ll walk along the well-preserved sandstone city walls at the castle and discover narrow tunnels and high-vaulted chambers that were used for defense during the medieval times.

You’ll be amazed by the many inventive ways the designers of this castle successfully keep out invaders. You’ll also get access to secret passages and underground corridors that are connected to the Imperial Castle, all while learning about the fascinating history of Nuremberg.

Tip: this is a great tour to do on a hot summer day because half of it is underground!

Click here to learn about Nuremberg’s medieval past by exploring its defensive city walls.

Tour entrace
wall tunnel fortifications

Walking Tour of Former Nazi Party Rally Grounds

Another interesting aspect of Nuremberg’s history is its role during Nazi Germany. Nuremberg is home to the Nazi Party Rally Grounds, a complex southeast of the city where National Socialists held their Party Rallies in the 1930s.

Nowadays, the grounds and their remaining structures and buildings are open for visit. We recommend going on this guided walking tour to really learn the historical context behind this place. The professional tour guide will take you to landmarks like the Congress Hall, Great Road, Zeppelin Field, and the Golden Hall. 

Click here to learn about the history of Nuremberg during the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany.

A Culinary Walk Through Nuremberg

If you’re more interested in the culinary heritage of Nuremberg, then we recommend going on a guided food tour through the city.

Nuremberg is especially known for some famous German delicacies like Nuremberg Bratwurst (sausage) and Lebkuchen (gingerbread). In this 2-hour culinary walking tour, a local professional guide will take you to some of the best spots in Old Town.

Stops include Bratwurst Röslein, Hauptmarkt (main market square), Altstadthof Brewery, and more. In each stop, you’ll get to sample either local food or beer.

Click here to taste Nuremberg’s delicious local food while exploring Old Town.

Art Bunker tour
tour sign

Historischer Kunstbunker WWII Art Bunker Tour

If you want to learn more about WWII in Nuremberg, this immersive guided tour of the Historischer Kunstbunker Museum will take you back in time.

The Historischer Kunstbunker (Historical Art Bunker) is a network of tunnels and rock passages built into the Nuremberg Castle. During WWII, the bunker was used to protect valuable works of art and cultural artifacts from bombings and air raids.

Now visitors can tour the tunnels and discover how art has been preserved in Nuremberg through history. Members of our Facebook group have said they loved this tour!

Click here to book an informative guided museum tour of the historical art bunkers.

mini tour train

Nuremberg Sightseeing Mini Train Tour

This Nuremberg city tour aboard the Bimmelbahn train is a fun option for those traveling with kids – but it’s great for all ages too!

The Bimmelbahn train is a small, picturesque tourist train that runs through the city center. It starts off right at the main market square, where you’ll pass by the famous gold fountain Schöner Brunnen. While on the train, you’ll get glimpses of many other landmarks like the Maxbrücke Bridge, St. Lawrence Church, the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, and the Imperial Castle.

The tour, which is accompanied by an audio guide (available in 7 languages), is only 40 minutes. So you’ll get to enjoy panoramic views of all major landmarks from the comfort of your seat before doing your own in-depth sightseeing.

Click here to ride a fun tourist train that passes through Nuremberg’s historic center.

Private 1.5-Hour Tour with Brewery Visit

For foodies who are also into German beer, this private tour around Nuremberg’s Old Town with a visit to a traditional brewery is perfect. You’ll get to see all the iconic landmarks like Albrecht Dürer’s House, the Imperial Castle, and the main market square while led by an expert tour guide.

The highlight of this tour is the visit to a microbrewery where you can tour the facilities and sample some delicious beer.

Click here to go on a private tour of Old Town and sample German beer in a microbrewery.

Old Town Nuremberg
Old Town Nuremberg

Nuremberg Medieval Dungeons Guided Tour

This tour is an interesting option for those wanting something a bit more off the beaten path. This short tour guides you through the dungeons located beneath Nuremberg’s old city hall.

These networks of cells were used during the medieval times as prisons. They used to house all sorts of prisoners who were held and questioned while awaiting judgment.

In this tour, the guide takes you back in time through the vaulted cellars and original furnishings of the dungeons as he explains how punishment and torture was like in the Middle Ages. 

Click here for a dark but fascinating look into the middle ages through Nuremberg’s medieval dungeons.

Rock-Cut Cellars Tour

Aaron did the rock cut cellars tour and really enjoyed spending an hour exploring Nuremberg’s cellars. Carved out of sandstone, these structures were primarily used for the storage of beer and date back to 1380. The tunnels were also used as a bunker complex by thousands during air raids in 1945.

It was neat to walk through the maze of rooms and tunnels beneath the city and experience the cooler underground conditions (another great tour if it’s hot outside). At the end of the tour we stopped a nearby craft brewery and whisky distillery.

Tip: there are some English guided tours available, but the German tour includes an audio guide so you can follow along.

Click here for tour times and tickets.

Stone cellars
Distillery barrels

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Here’s how we can help you plan your perfect trip in 2024

GERMANY TRAVEL PLANNER: Just getting started? Have questions about Germany’s confusing train tickets or how to find the best guided tours? Not sure which parts of Germany should be in your itinerary (and what to leave out)? Our Germany Travel Planner answers those questions and more via how-to videos, our interactive Germany Planning Map, City Cheatsheets, and MUCH more. Click here to unlock the best of Germany the easy way!

GERMANY TRAVEL CONSULT: Feeling overwhelmed? Itinerary just not coming together? Wonder if a few tweaks would take your trip to the next level? Book a Mini or Full consult with Cate! She’ll help you create or tweak your itinerary, recommend train tickets/passes, hotels, things to do, guided tours, show you how to buy train tickets, orient you to specific cities, help you plan out day trips, and answer your Germany travel questions.

ACCOMMODATIONS: We recommend using Booking.com since they have widest range of accommodations available from hostels, boutique hotels, luxury chains, aparthotels, at the best prices. Check out our accommodation guides for specific recommended hotels.

WHAT TO PACK: If you’re bringing your phone, be sure to bring this plug adapter, this power bank, and this wrist strap. They’ve been lifesavers for us! You can see our other packing essentials here and here.

TICKETS & TOURS: For guided tours, day trips, private tours, and skip-the-line tickets, Get Your Guide is our go-to!

TRAINS & BUSES: To research train schedules and buy tickets or a Germany Rail Pass, we recommend the official Deutsche Bahn (German Rail System) website (and download their DB Navigator app). For buses, look at FlixBus , which offers tickets for routes within Germany and to other European countries. FlixBus is often cheaper than trains but can take longer.

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