Nürnberg, the pitstop before my Vienna adventure started. A city filled with charm and Christmas spirit.
Nürnberg, or in English Nuremberg, is the second-largest city in the German state of Bavaria. Lying in the Bavarian administrative region of Middle Franconia, it is the largest city and unofficial capital of the cultural region of Franconia. I’ve always wanted to explore Bavaria. I have seen a lot Of the North and the West of Germany, but not as much from the South. And after going to Nürnberg I know I want to explore much more, but that’s for future travel plans.
Originally this city was for me just a passthrough to get to Vienna, but once I saw the amount of things to do in the city I knew I had to stay an extra night. Close to the trainstation I stayed at The Cloud One Hotel Nürnberg-Hauptbahnhof. I loved my experience with this Hotel chain, I like how the rooms are very solo travel friendly.
The city is known for many things. From the Castle and its medieval old town to the city’s walls with their many towers. For their music and plays like Staatstheater, Opera House, Schauspielhaus and Meistersingerhalle. Not to forget their orchestra, the Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg, is Bavaria’s second-largest opera orchestra.
Did you know World’s biggest Toy Fair is in this town as well? Luckily you can visit the Toy Museum all year round. Of course I have to mention Christkindlesmarkt, Germany’s largest Christmas market and the gingerbread capital of the world. And yes, that place is also amazing for us vegans/plant based people.
Nürnberg is also known for a lot of foods, for example: lebkuchen, gingerbread, local beer, Schäufele, and Nürnberger Rostbratwürste. There is plenty of choice of bakeries and restaurants to pick from when in town. For my very first morning I picked to go to THE GREEN Rooftop Café, the perfect spot for everyone but especially for us vegans and plant based people. In case you feel something coming up (healthwise) they have lots of different kinds of fresh juices and even shots that most likely make you feel better. The pineapple passion juice definitely did its magic for me, haha.
After breakfast and a coffee I decided to stroll to the Trödelmarkt bridge where I had a great view of the well known bridges of Nürnberg. I couldn’t get enough of the medieval vibes, so I followed my way to the Weißgerbergasse. This is a pedestrian street in the old town famous for the half-timbered townhouses. The vibrant colours made it a view worthwhile to see even if the street itself is very short.
Walking past the city’s walls and checking out as many views as possible before Christkindlesmarkt called my name with a lot of vegan goods. I have been to a decent amount of Christmas Markets in my life, and I must say this one is so far my favourite. It has the perfect balance of food, handcraft and other stalls. I also enjoyed how accessible it was for us vegan and plant based people. On the website of Christkindlesmarkt you can find a Vegan Tour to walk over the market or if you have other interests, they also probably made a tour for that as well.
I went for the vegan Nürnberger Rostbratwürste and hot coco. My mom and I collect walking stick medallions and even though it has been hard over the last few years to find these, I found one at a miscellaneous stall. That was not my only souvenir that I am taking home, I also took the mug from my hot coco. In case you’re not familiar with the concept, when you order a drink at the Christmas Market you also pay a fee for the mug. You can get the fee back or you can take the mug home. In my case I took the mug, I mean I had too. The colour of this year is pink! It’s now my favourite coffee and tea mug in my apartment in Vienna.
After the market I went into the more modern side of town for some shopping. I ended my day at Handwerkerhof, or The Craftsmen’s Courtyard. In the style of a medieval village it houses several local family-run businesses which sell handcrafted items from glass, wood, leather, pottery, and precious metals. And is also home to traditional German restaurants and beer gardens.
There is so much more to do and see, but I had a long travelday the day before and the next day I was going to leave for Vienna. So instead I opted to go take my rest at the hotel. But I do hope to come back one day to explore more of the city and also the rest of Bavaria.
Love,
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