Traveling by Train to Nuremberg (Nürnberg) in Germany

Published on

by Henk Bekker

in Bavaria, Franken / Franconia, Germany

German Railways (DB Deutsche Bahn) has fast trains to the Nürnberger Chirstkindlesmarkt (Nuremberg Christmas Market). Many cheap savings deals are available.

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German Railways trains give travelers many and flexible transportation options to the Nuremberg Christmas market (Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt) in Germany. Fast Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains as well as cheap local trains go to Nuremberg from many parts of Germany and Europe. The very cheap Bayern Ticket may also be used for local train travel from any part of Bavaria (including Munich Hauptbahnhof and Airport) to Nuremberg. Flying to Nuremberg Airport (NUE) is also an attractive option for travelers to the most famous Weihnachtsmarkt in Germany.

Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof Hbf (Nuremberg Central Main Train Station) is modern with excellent facilities. The station is next to the old town walls and a pleasant 15-minute walk from the main Christmas market.

Fast Inter-City-Express Trains to Nuremberg (Nürnberg)

Trains in München Hauptbahnhof

Nuremberg is a major railway hub with fast train connections to many parts of Germany and Europe. In Germany, Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains are the fastest and most luxurious while Inter-City (IC) and Euro-City (EC) trains are often hardly slower but cheaper. For the best savings, use local trains only – see the Bavarian Ticket section below for the cheapest deals.

On the Deutsche Bahn website, simply using N as departure / arrival station will automatically default to Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof.

ICE trains from Nuremberg run generally twice times per hour to Munich and Frankfurt am Main, and hourly to Berlin and Cologne. More ICE trains arrive in Nürnberg from Vienna (Wien), Essen, Hamburg, and Bremen.

Traveling times per ICE train to Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof are from:

  • München Hauptbahnhof – 1h03 nonstop, 1h12 via Ingolstadt, 1h45 via Augsburg
  • Frankfurt am Main Hbf – 2h00
  • Frankfurt Airport (FRA) – 2h20
  • Cologne / Köln – 3h15
  • Düsseldorf – 3h40
  • Essen – 4h00
  • Berlin – 4h40
  • Leipzig – 3h10
  • Hamburg – 4h30
  • Würzburg – 0h54
  • Regensburg – 0h50
  • Passau – 1h50
  • Linz (Austria) – 3h10
  • Vienna / Wien Westbahnhof (Austria) – 4h50

See Transportation from Munich Airport to Nuremberg for rail options that include the S-Bahn, ICE, or local trains.

Due to the high number of ICE trains passing through Nürnberg, few IC/EC trains are available to Nuremberg. IC/EC connections from Nürnberg include:

  • Ansbach – 0h25
  • Stuttgart – 2h10
  • Karlsruhe – 3h10
  • Freiburg – 4h20
  • Basel (Switzerland) – 5h00

Save with the Bavaria Bayern Ticket to the Nuremberg Christmas Market

Regional trains (Nahverkehr) in Germany are slower but much cheaper than the ICE and IC trains – on shorter distances the time difference could be negligible, especially when a regional train is available for example half an hour before the ICE train will depart. Regional trains have the abbreviations IRE, RE, RB, or S before the train numbers. (Long-distance trains have the prefixes D, IR, IC, EC, or ICE.)

In Bavaria, users of regional trains may qualify for the cheap Bavaria Ticket, one of the biggest bargains available to travelers in Bavaria. See Bayern Ticket for the specific details of this ticket that allows unlimited travel for a day for as cheap as €23 for an individual and an amazing €43 for a group of up to five. (First Class and Night Time ticket options are also available.) The Bayern Ticket is valid for travel on all S and U-Bahn trains, trams, and city buses in Nürnberg and the immediate vicinity. When buying the Bavaria Ticket online, remember to tick the Local Transportation checkbox to receive the Bayern Ticket as an option in the Sparpreise. The Bayern Ticket is only valid on weekdays after 9 am and weekends all day. The Quer-Durchs-Land Ticket is a similar alternative but allow for travel from outside Bavaria.

Traveling times on regional trains from Nürnberg to destinations in Bavaria (where the Bayern Ticket is valid) are:

  • Würzburg – 1h15
  • Ansbach – 0h45
  • Augsburg – 1h10 to 2h10
  • München Hauptbahnhof – 1h45 (avoid trains not going direct – some take up to 3h!)
  • Regensburg – 1h45
  • Bayreuth – 1h06
  • Bamberg – 0h50
  • Kronach – 1h50
  • Lindau – 3h45
  • Munich Airport – 2h45 (change at München Hauptbahnhof and note large gaps in the time table)
  • Salzburg – around 5h (The Bayern Ticket may be used on the cross-border train into Austria up to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof but not on local trains or buses here).

Direct regional trains are also available to destinations outside Bavaria and although the Bayern Ticket may not be used once across the Bavarian border, these slow trains are still cheaper than the ICE. Some destinations that can be reached on regional trains from Nürnberg without transferring include:

  • Stuttgart – 2h45
  • Frankfurt am Main – 3h20
  • Frankfurt Airport – around 4h00 (See Rail&Fly for cheap rail tickets.)
  • Dresden – 4h25
  • Prague (Czech Republic) – 5h00 (The bus is often a better option!)
  • Salzburg (Austria) – 3h00

Flying to Nuremberg Airport (NUE) is also a very convenient way to travel to the Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt from many airports in Germany and Europe (London-Stansted, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam).

More on Traveling to Nürnberg:

More resources for planning travel to Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany:

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