Must-see attractions in Nuremberg & Franconia

This enormous castle complex above the Altstadt poignantly reflects Nuremberg's medieval might. The main attraction is a tour of the renovated residential…

Forget Dürer and wartime rallies, Nuremberg is a railway town at heart. Germany's first passenger trains ran between here and Fürth, a fact reflected in…

The erstwhile residence of the Coburg dukes, Ehrenburg is a must for fans of the British monarchy – it was here that Prince Albert spent his childhood and…

Designed by Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, a famous 18th-century architect from Bologna, Bayreuth's opera house is one of Europe's most stunningly ornate baroque…

Beneath the quartet of spires, Bamberg’s cathedral is packed with artistic treasures, most famously the slender equestrian statue of the Bamberger Reiter …

Towering above Coburg's centre is a story-book medieval fortress, the Veste Coburg. With its triple ring of fortified walls, it’s one of the most…

In the early 1870s King Ludwig II, Wagner's most devoted fan, gave the composer the cash to build Haus Wahnfried, a pleasingly symmetrical minimansion on…

North of the Hauptbahnhof, the main venue for Bayreuth’s annual Wagner Festival is the Festspielhaus, constructed in 1872 with King Ludwig II’s backing…

Spanning prehistory to the early 20th century, this museum is the German-speaking world's biggest and most important museum of Teutonic culture. It…

If you’ve ever wondered where the infamous B&W images of ecstatic Nazi supporters hailing their Führer were taken, it was here in Nuremberg. Much of the…

Göring, Hess, Speer and 21 other Nazi leaders were tried for crimes against peace and humanity by the Allies in Schwurgerichtssaal 600 (Court Room 600) of…

A row of diminutive, half-timbered cottages once inhabited by fishermen and their families (hence the street's name meaning 'fishery') comprises Bamberg’s…

Nuremberg's oldest church was hoisted skywards in rusty pink-veined sandstone in the 13th century. Its exterior is replete with religious sculptures and…

At the foot of the fortified Weisser Turm (White Tower; now the gateway to the U-Bahn station of the same name) stands this large and startlingly…

Above Domplatz, at the top of Michaelsberg, is the Benedictine Kloster St Michael, a former monastery and now an aged people’s home. The monastery church…

Around 6km east of the centre lies the Eremitage, a lush park girding the Altes Schloss, the summer residence that belonged to 18th-century margrave…

Dark and atmospheric, the Lorenzkirche has dramatically downlit pillars, taupe stone columns, sooty ceilings and many artistic highlights. Check out the…

Opening into the vast Hofgarten, the Neues Schloss lies a short distance south of the main shopping street, Maxmilianstrasse. A riot of rococo style, the…

Dürer, Germany’s most famous Renaissance draughtsperson, lived and worked at this site from 1509 until his death in 1528. Enjoy the slightly OTT…

The Historischer Kunstbunker is a climate-controlled bomb shelter deep under the Burgberg that was used to protect art treasures during WWII. Priceless…