Nuremberg holidays

With the Christmas market such a highlight of Nuremberg’s calendar, it would be a shame to go home without a festive souvenir or two. Monkey-bar your way from stall to stall and pick up budget-friendly treats, like sequinned tree ornaments, bottles of gluhwein, and handcrafted wooden angels. If you’re visiting outside of December, there’s no need to miss out, thanks to a Christmas store in Nuremberg that’s open year-round.

Nuremberg’s locally know as Toy City, thanks to its history of toy manufacturing. The Toy Museum’s a great place to find out all about this. To buy some to take home with you, head to the area known as the Craftman’s Courtyard, where shops are packed with all sorts of handmade traditional German toys.

You’ll find the most expensive shops along elegant Kaiserstrasse, a promenade lined with fancy designer stores and exclusive interior design shops. You can also find high-end items like perfume, jewellery, watches, and leather along here.

Nuremberg’s uber-famous for its beers, so it would be a shame to miss out on a cosy evening in one of its breweries. Try Schanzenbrau, a brewery where you can take a tour of the beer-making facilities, then chill out with a stein or two in the beer garden.

You’ll find plenty of clubs and bars in the very centre of Nuremberg, with Weibgerbergasse Street at the heart of the action. Today, this colourful and history-soaked street houses some of the city’s most popular late-night hangouts, including a tiki bar and nightclubs that stay open until dawn.

Lebkuchen is popular all over Germany, but Nuremberg’s version of gingerbread has a particularly distinctive and rich taste. The recipe for this Franconian gingerbread dates back to the 13th century, and is still used today with the same ingredients – flour, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and nuts. It makes for a perfect gift to take home, too.

You can’t visit Nuremberg and not try a traditional Nuremberg bratwurst sausage. They’re available in every restaurant in Nuremberg. This little sausage – no longer than your index finger – is famous across Germany. In fact, it even has a protected PGI status, meaning a Nuremberg sausage can only be made in this city, and nowhere else.

Taking a long cool sip of locally produced German beer from a traditional stein has got to be on your Nuremberg to-do list. If you also want to learn about the history and process of beer production in Nuremberg, make sure you visit the historic rock-cut beer cellars from the 13th century, alongside the Red Beer Brewery.

Roasted almonds are another staple in Nuremberg’s foodie scene. You’re most likely to find them at one of the Christmas markets, and are best enjoyed with a steaming mug of mulled wine. While many stalls serve them plain, a version of this snack comes sprinkled with sugar.

If you want a real taste of Nuremberg, get yourself a forkful of frankisches schaufele. This is tender pig’s shoulder, rubbed with salt and spices, then roasted until the rind’s a crispy crust. It’s usually served with fluffy potato dumplings that are packed with cubes of bread, cabbage and a gravy sauce, which is sometimes flavoured by dark Bavarian beer.