Nuremberg: The Dark Chapters

Nuremberg eats Franconian, and three things anchor the table: the Rostbratwurst — small, grilled, marjoram-scented sausages served threes-in-a-bun or the classic “Drei im Weggla” — the Elisenlebkuchen gingerbread the city has baked since the 14th century, and the Franconian beer poured from wooden kegs in cellars older than the walls.

The Bratwursthäusle by the Rathaus has grilled its sausages on beechwood since 1313; the gold-roasted Bratwurstglöcklein under the Handwerkerhof arcade is its historic sibling. Both are tourist-right despite the queues — the recipe is the reason the queues exist.

The old town’s dining range runs from historic cellar restaurants (the Barfüßer and Hausbrauerei Altstadthof brew their own red beer, Nuremberg’s speciality) to the modern Franconian kitchens around the Weißgerbergasse and the Kraftshof village inn out at the walls’ edge. Lebkuchen is best at the source: the Schmidt and Fraunholz shops sell the Elisen grade all year, and the Christkindlesmarkt stalls roast almonds over the whole December city.

Around the Hauptmarkt the market fruit and bakery stalls make a walking breakfast; the Handwerkerhof’s craft-court inns cover a quick medieval-flavoured lunch; and the Gostenhof district west of the walls carries the most inventive young kitchens. Camping travellers: the KNAUS park’s kiosk covers basics, and the U-Bahn puts the old town’s tables at the campsite’s door in fifteen minutes.

The old town inside the walls (Altstadt) is the right base for a first visit: the castle, the Hauptmarkt and the museums all walkable, hotel-in-historic-house character around the Sebald quarter, and the Pegnitz’s riverside walks at the end of every lane. Prices spike in December.

Just outside the walls, the Königstor and Plärrer quarters offer calmer rates with the Altstadt a five-minute walk away; the Garden-quarter (Gartenstadt) hotels near the Messe suit trade-fair visitors.

For atmosphere, the Handwerkerhof’s inns and the Weißgerbergasse’s small hotels put you in the medieval streets themselves — small rooms, big location.

Camping: the KNAUS Campingpark Nürnberg (4-star, at the Dutzendteich lake by the Reichsparteitagsgelände, open year-round) is the city’s classic site — U-Bahn to the old town in fifteen minutes, the Documentation Centre and the lake walks at the gate. Book early for December; the market weeks fill the whole city’s beds.