Our 3 Days Family Holiday in Nuremberg and Ingolstadt, Germany
Nuremberg is a lovely city in the south of Germany in Bayern. It is famous for hosting the biggest Christmas market in Germany. That is why when we moved to Germany in 2019 and were thrilled to experience European Christmas, we chose Nuremberg as our first holiday destination. It was part of our ten days holiday in Germany, where we visited Nuremberg, Berlin, and Hamburg. In this article, you will read about our experience in Nuremberg – the first leg of the journey. We also made a day trip to Ingolstadt to visit the Audi Museum. Anyway, I shall explain everything in detail below.
With great anticipation, we reached Nuremberg, and the city certainly did not disappoint. Though we spent only about three days here, it was a memorable experience and gave us a real feel of the lovely Christmas markets of Germany.
Here is the Itinerary that we followed for our three days in Nuremberg and Ingolstadt:
Day 1: Reach Nuremberg, Visit the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg
Day 2: Visit the Nazi Documentation Centre, followed by a visit to the Christmas market later in the day
Day 3: Day trip to Ingolstadt – Audi Forum
Day 4: Leave for our next destination, i.e., Berlin
How we reached Nuremberg
Nuremberg was the 1st leg of our ten days trip to see the highlights of Germany. As a part of that trip, we visited Nuremberg, Berlin, and Hamburg. We travelled to Nuremberg using the Deutsche Bahn (Train) from Darmstadt. It took approximately 2.5 hours. So we left in the morning from Darmstadt and caught the direct train to Nuremberg from Frankfurt. We reached Nuremberg by afternoon.
The tickets for Deutsche Bahn trains can be bought on their official website:
Where we stayed
Since we are a family with kids already in their teens, having enough space for each of us is essential. Hotel rooms are not spacious and restrict everyone to a small room. So, off late, we have started booking homestays. We usually reserve a flat or house, preferably with an equipped kitchen and a minimum of two bedrooms, so that each of us has our own space and there is always an option of cooking something.
We, as a family, like having a good breakfast and starting our day, and a homestay allows us to make simple meals at home. Also, we like exploring the local supermarkets, finding what’s new, and trying out foods and drinks that are locally available. Homestays are an excellent option for all the people who want to add this to their holiday experience.
For this trip, too, we booked a homestay, and as usual, the experience was great.
You can check out accommodations as per your preference here:
How we travelled around the city
In Nuremberg, we used public transport to travel around places.
The public transport that works in Nuremberg is:
The VGN app can be downloaded on the phone and used for booking buses/trams/underground and also regional and city trains( Regionalbahn, S Bahn)
Now, let’s get on with the Itinerary:
Day 1 :
On the first day, after reaching Nuremberg, we explored the city on foot and reached the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg.
About the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg:
This medieval castle made of Sandstone is a prominent landmark of Nurenberg and can be easily reached on foot. After a brief climb, one can get fantastic views of the city. The castle houses a museum with a lovely collection of armoury and other possessions of the royal family.
One can visit the museum housed inside the castle, but the views you get after climbing are lovely and are the main highlight of the castle visit. The castle also houses a deep well which can be seen with a guide who demonstrates how deep the well is by lowering a candle and explaining the significance of the well.
If you explore the castle entirely, you will need at least 1.5-2 hours.
More information about this castle can be found on their official website:
https://www.kaiserburg-nuernberg.de/englisch/castle/sinwell.htm
After the castle visit, we climbed down, had dinner, and returned home.
Day 2:
Our first destination for today was the Nazi Documentation Center.
About the Nazi documentation centre:
Nazi documentation centre is a museum that houses a permanent exhibition called Fascination and Terror. This exhibition demonstrates everything related to the rise of the Nazis, their activities, important historical events, etc. The audio guide, exhibits, and displays explain everything in detail and aim to educate people about the chapter in German history through the 2nd World War. This museum is a treat for history lovers. You need a minimum of half-day at the museum if you see everything.
More information about this museum can be found here:
https://museen.nuernberg.de/dokuzentrum/
We spent about 3 hours in the museum, after which we had lunch and headed to the Christmas market at the heart of Nuremberg.
About the Christmas market in Nuremberg
The Christmas market of Nuremberg is said to be the oldest and the most famous in the world. It is set up in the city centre. There are plenty of stalls of Christmas goodies ranging from traditional gingerbread and Glühwein to new and innovative foods and desserts.
Christmas decorations and souvenirs are also a highlight of the market. The market usually gets pretty crowded despite the chilling weather and is a must-visit in Nuremberg.
The official website of the Nuremberg Christmas Market is:
https://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/
Day 3:
We planned a day trip to Ingolstadt from Nuremberg on this day. Located about 100 km south of Nuremberg, Ingolstadt is a small city in the same state ( Bavaria), most famous for the Audi Forum and the Museum of classic cars. It took us about 45 minutes to reach Ingolstadt from Nuremberg by regional train. From there, we got to the Audi forum using the bus.
The Audi forum has an extensive collection that showcases the latest and the old models of machines manufactured by Audi. It’s a treat for car enthusiasts. One can easily spend 2-3 hours in the museum and have lunch at the adjoining cafe.
Check out their website for more information:
https://www.audi.de/de/foren/de/audi-forum-ingolstadt/audi-museum-mobile.html
After lunch, since the kids were in the mood for some fun, we visited mystery rooms in Ingolstadt. We could have done this activity anywhere, but we decided to try it since the place was nearby and we had time. The mystery room experience was fun; we spent about an hour there.
Their official website is:
After that, we headed back to Nuremberg and called it a day.
On day 4, we took the train and headed to our next destination Berlin.
To check out more photos of Nuremberg and Ingolstadt, click here.
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