Underground Nuremberg: the four places you cannot get into alone
Why there is so much of it
The old town sits on Burgsandstein, a sandstone soft enough to cut with hand tools and firm enough to hold a vault. From the fourteenth century a city ordinance effectively required brewers to keep beer in rock cellars, so the ground under the houses was hollowed out floor by floor. By the nineteenth century there were kilometres of it.
That accident of geology is why the city had somewhere to put its art in 1940, and somewhere to put its population in 1961.
The four
The Historic Rock-Cut Cellars. The classic, and the one to take if you only take one. Four storeys of brewery cellars under the Altstadthof, entered through the brewery itself. Cheap, about an hour, and it usually ends with a beer.
The Historic Art Bunker. The most remarkable of them. A climate-controlled chamber cut into the rock beneath the castle where the city hid its own treasures through the war — Dürer's work, the Imperial Regalia, the St Sebaldus tomb. It survived the raid that destroyed everything above it. This is the single most affecting hour in Nuremberg and very few visitors know it exists.
The city wall tunnels. Passages inside the fortifications themselves rather than under the town. Good if you are interested in how the wall actually worked.
The railway station bunker. A Cold War fallout shelter under the Hauptbahnhof, built to hold several thousand people and left more or less as it was. Quite different in tone from the others, and worth it for that.
The medieval dungeons under the old town hall are a fifth option, and the most straightforwardly grim.
| Nuremberg: Historic Rock Passages Tour | Most remarkableNuremberg: Historischer Kunstbunker WWII Art Bunker Tour | Nuremberg: Nuclear Bunker in the Main Railway Station | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | from EUR 16 | from EUR 12 | from EUR 13 |
| Length | About 1 hour | About 1 hour | About 1 hour |
| Subject | Brewing and geology | The war | The Cold War |
| Steps | Many | Some | Many |
| Ends with a beer | Usually | No | No |
| Best for | Everyone | The one to choose | Something different |
| View → | Book this → | View → |
It is about 8°C down there whatever the month. In August that is the best reason in the city to go underground; in January take the coat you were already wearing.
What works
- The only genuinely unlockable thing in Nuremberg — no free alternative exists
- Cheap by any standard, mostly around EUR 10
- Weatherproof, which matters in a city with real winters
- Short enough to slot into a half-day
Worth knowing
- A lot of steps, and no lift on most routes
- Cold and damp year-round
- Not for anyone uneasy in confined spaces
- English departures are less frequent than German ones — check times
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Frequently asked questions
Can you visit the Nuremberg underground cellars on your own?
No. Every underground site in Nuremberg is locked and accessible only on a guided visit. This is the one category in the city with no self-guided alternative, which is also why it is the easiest spend to justify.
What is the Nuremberg Art Bunker?
A climate-controlled chamber cut into the sandstone beneath the castle where the city hid its most important art from 1940, including work by Albrecht Durer, the Imperial Regalia and the shrine of St Sebaldus. It survived the January 1945 raid that destroyed the town above it, and it is open to visitors on guided tours.
How cold is it in the Nuremberg rock cellars?
Around 8 degrees Celsius all year, which is why they were dug in the first place. In summer it is a relief and in winter you will want the coat you already have on. There are a lot of steps and the floors can be damp.
Which Nuremberg underground tour is best?
The Historic Rock-Cut Cellars under the Altstadthof brewery are the standard choice, cheap and about an hour. The Art Bunker is the more remarkable visit and far fewer people know it exists. If you have time for two, take both, since they are a short walk apart.
Is the Nuremberg underground suitable for children?
The rock cellars generally are, and children often like them. The stairs are the limiting factor rather than the subject matter, and there is no lift on most routes. The medieval dungeons are a different matter and are worth thinking about before taking younger children.