Our first stop after Berlin was Nuremberg and Rothenburg – which according to Hitler were ”the most German of German towns”.
Nuremberg is perhaps most famous for its significance to the Nazi era and the huge Nazi party rallies that were held there.
But strolling around the city center we were amazed by the beauty of the medieval city we found behind the surrounding stone walls.
The traditional German houses lined along the cobble stoned streets was a big contrast to what we had seen in Berlin.
Nuremberg did feel very German, and very traditional.
There were shops selling Lederhosen and Drindls (traditional Bavarian pants and dresses) everywhere, every five meters there were shops selling traditional Lebkuchen (a type of gingerbread), and every ten meters a stall selling fresh Pretzels.
Within ten minutes of arriving we had already bought and finished a whole bag of Lebkuchen, and I was already fantasizing about when I could possibly find the excuse to wear those Drindls…
You could tell the people were proud of their food, and I would definitely say that when it comes to food tradition, Germany has a lot to thank Nuremberg for its Lebkuchen and sausages.
The Christmas City
The next day we took a day trip to a small town outside of Nuremberg called Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber.
Rothenburg is everything foreigners picture of Germany.
This place seriously looks as though it has been taken from a fairytale like Hansel and Gretel, with wonky half timbered houses in different colors, and steep red rooftops.
It’s often nicknamed the ”Christmas city”, since the streets are lined with amazing Christmas shops that are open all year round.
If Nuremberg doesn’t captivate you with its food, then Rothenburg will with its quaint Old Town.
For some reason the people in Nuremberg were the friendliest out of all the places we’ve visited in Germany – the easy going and cheerful strangers we met made this place Nathan’s favorite.
Have you been to Germany? If so, which German city did you most enjoy?
I lived not too far from Rothenburg o.d. Tauber but I have to say I found it a bit touristy – probably I kept visiting at the wrong times. I was much more taken with smaller towns like Noerdlingen and Dinkelsbuehl, they had the same traditional feel but without the hoards of tourist buses.
I’ve heard that it gets very crowded in summer and during Christmas, but when we were there it was very quiet on the streets, no tourist buses or anything like that – maybe be were just lucky
Haven’t been to any of those two places yet, thanks for the tip!!
Hope to hit both of these one day…
Interested read on Nuremberg – definitely didn’t know about the Most German of German cities. Despite having a large number of German friends from the office, I’ve yet to make it to Germany though. But am interested in visiting Berlin and yes probably Rothenburg too
Hoping to visit both of these on my road trip through Germany this summer! Was just in Germany for a spell in December and only got to visit the hbf in Nuremburg en route to Stuttgart. Thanks for the article!
Im planning a trip to Berlin this summer! Will definitely check out Nuremberg- the most german city in Germany! I really wonder what Hitler meant when he said that, though!
I’ve been to Berlin and Munich and whilst I thought Berlin was pretty cool, I absolutely loved Munich and would definitely go back! I loved the Bavarian feel to it and the architecture around the Marienplatz, plus It’s a stones throw from Dachau too, which is a must see if you’re interested in World War 2 history
Oh yeah and the beer there is amazing!
-Craig
wow its really lovely
Dresden…and Zugspitze…
i’ve seen a lot of Germany from the windows of an ICE train, obviously I need to stop and get out more…
I visited family in Ettlingen, raced through central Germany on a 5 hour trip on the autobahn, took a challenging 2-day tour of Berlin by bike, and traveled to scenic Koblenz where a good friend of mine lives (she gave a great tour, & we visited the Marksburg castle among other places). Thr trip was…amazing.
Freiburg i. Breisgau! If you haven’t been there yet, you should definitely go – it’s the sunniest city in Germany and probably the awesomest
very green, black forest behind the old town, full of students and alternative scene activities and activists, a river, random underground parties in old railway stations, and little canals (mini) through the old town with a special ‘curse’ on them if you step in them…..
I lived there for more than a year and visit a lot; it’s my favourite place out of everywhere I’ve lived I think, maybe even including Barcelona!