GERMANY - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 271

Conducted tours of the city from May to October and in the Christmas season
depart daily at 1300, €10. Individual tours may be arranged at any time; one of the
Tourist Board's experienced city guides will serve as escort. Tel: [phone].
Or put your own tour together with the Nuremberg Cultour Ticket, available at
the tourist office. This two-day ticket offers entrance to many museums and sites. If
you decide to stay over, hotel guests get free public transport in Nuremberg, Fürth,
and Stein with the card as well. Ask about the Welcome Pack at the tourist office if
you do book a hotel. You'll be in for a nice surprise.
One of the main gates of the old walled city of Nuremberg, the Kingsgate, is dir-
ectly across from the railway station. Start at Königstrasse (King Street) and follow
it to the heart of the old walled area known as the Hauptmarkt (Central Market).
Plan to be there at noon; a mechanical clock will entertain you at the stroke of 12
with its seven electors paying homage to the emperor. Then look for a nearby pub
… shouldn't be too hard, as they seem to be everywhere.
What goes better with beer than an authentic “Three in One”? Famous for their
sausages, these Nuremberg minis may only be as big as your little finger, but they
are spicy—and famous across Germany. Now, about that beer….
Connoisseurs of the brewer's art won't want to miss a visit to Nuremberg's Mu-
seum Brewery and Medieval Cellars. The museum is really the Altstadthof brew-
ery, whose motto, “Beer like our Forefathers,” is observed today by the use of only
the finest materials and brewing methods, which date from the 19th century. The
cellars, going down 85 feet through solid rock, form a labyrinth of tunnels dug in
the 14th century for the storage of beer. A guided tour is available.
Nuremberg offers not only beer but gingerbread and toys as well. The aroma of
Nuremberg's special gingerbread, Lebkuchen, fills the Hauptmarkt every Christ-
mas. At other times, including the pre-Christmas period (which starts in mid-
August), the same aroma may be savored—and tasted—in the many pastry shops
throughout the city. The traditional recipes of the original gingerbread are kept
secret by the bakeries that produce it. Companies such as Lebkuchen Schmidt in-
vite visitors to sample their products. Arrangements may be made by either of the
tourist offices. Have the bakery shop ship some home for you.
Toy shops are in profusion, and the Toy Museum on Karl Street, 2 blocks from
the Hauptmarkt via Augustinerstrasse, has a splendid display of dolls, puppets,
and tin soldiers. The museum also houses an interesting model-railway layout, fea-
turing—of all things—the train station in Omaha, Nebraska.
Nuremberg's most famous citizen was Albrecht Dürer, a man who towered
above his time. The stately home in which he lived, from 1509 until his death in
1529, is located 2 blocks north of the Toy Museum, past the Wine Market, on Al-
brecht Dürer Strasse. The house holds a collection of the famed artist's works.