Fürth travel guide
Germany's first railway terminus, Gustavstraße inns and a vast autumn street fair
Fürth is a Franconian city fused with Nuremberg, known for well-preserved 19th-century streets, the Jewish Museum Franken and the bar street Gustavstraße. Visit from May to early October, ideally during the Michaelis-Kirchweih. A day is enough, or use it as a quieter base for Nuremberg. Costs are high, and Schengen rules apply.
Fürth runs straight into Nuremberg on its north-west side. The two centres lie only about 7 km apart, joined by the U1 underground. It is the older of the pair, with a first mention in 1007. In 1835 it also became the terminus of the first railway in what became Germany, when the Ludwigsbahn steamed in from Nuremberg. Far less damaged in the war than its neighbour, it keeps whole streets of 19th-century apartment blocks, merchants' villas and an old town of crooked Franconian inns.
For centuries Fürth had one of the most important Jewish communities in southern Germany, and the Jewish Museum Franken on Königstraße tells that story; Henry Kissinger was born here and fled with his family in 1938. Today people come for the architecture and the old inns of Gustavstraße. In autumn the huge Michaelis-Kirchweih street fair is the big draw. Plan a full day. Sleeping here and riding the underground into Nuremberg is often cheaper, and calmer, than staying in the bigger city.
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Fürth is about streets more than single sights: Königstraße, the old town lanes, the Jewish museum and the riverside park.
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Best time to visit Fürth
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
The Michaelis-Kirchweih takes over the old town and Königstraße for about twelve days of rides, stalls and food.
Long evenings at outdoor tables on Gustavstraße and walks along the Pegnitz and the Rednitz through the Stadtpark.
During the Michaelis-Kirchweih, Königstraße and the old town are packed with stalls; book rooms early and expect crowds from late afternoon.
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Getting there
U1 from Nuremberg and bus 33 from the airport
Nuremberg Airport (NUE) is the one to use. The quickest route is underground line U2 to Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof, about 12 minutes, then U1 north-west to Fürth or an S-Bahn or regional train; count on about 35 to 40 minutes in all. A useful shortcut is city bus 33, which loops round the outer districts from the airport to Fürth Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes without going through central Nuremberg. Coming from further afield, fly into Frankfurt or Munich and take the train to Nuremberg; from Munich, regional trains are a slower but cheaper alternative to the ICE. Fürth Hauptbahnhof has direct trains to Nuremberg, Erlangen, Bamberg and Würzburg, plus the S1 S-Bahn, but most long-distance trips mean changing in Nuremberg. Long-distance coaches mostly stop at the Nuremberg bus station beside its main station; from there walk a few minutes to the underground. Drivers use the A73, which passes just east of the city.
- Nuremberg Airport (NUE)
- U2 and U1 via Nuremberg Hbf, about 40 minutes; or bus 33 direct to Fürth Hbf, about 30 minutes
- Nuremberg Hbf
- U1 to Fürth Hauptbahnhof or Rathaus in under 15 minutes, every few minutes
- S1 S-Bahn
- Stops at Fürth Hbf, Unterfarrnbach and Vach, continuing to Erlangen and Bamberg
- For the old town, get off the U1 at Rathaus; the Hauptbahnhof stop is better for the Südstadt.
Where to stay
Gustavstraße old town, Südstadt villas or the Stadtpark
Stay near a U1 station, since most visitors use Fürth as a calmer and often cheaper base for Nuremberg. The Altstadt around Gustavstraße puts half-timbered inns and bars on your doorstep, and the Südstadt near the Hauptbahnhof has quieter evenings. Small family hotels and pensions outnumber chains here.
- Altstadt around Gustavstraße and the Grüner Markt
- Half-timbered inns and bars on the doorstep; lively and noisy until late on weekends
- Südstadt near the Hauptbahnhof
- Grand 19th-century blocks and the Hornschuchpromenade, close to the U1 and trains, quieter evenings
- Stadtpark and Königstraße north
- Walks along the river and near the Rathaus; good for longer stays
- Towards the Nuremberg boundary
- Larger hotels along the U1 line, practical but anonymous
Getting around
VGN tickets, U1 stops and a Pegnitz walk to Nuremberg
Central Fürth is easily walked; from the Hauptbahnhof to the Rathaus and Gustavstraße is about 15 minutes along Königswarterstraße, past some of the finest Gründerzeit facades in town. Buses reach the outer districts, and the U1 runs through the centre with stops at Hauptbahnhof, Rathaus, Stadthalle and Klinikum before it heads to Nuremberg. All of it belongs to the VGN network. Tickets come from machines at U-Bahn and train stations, on buses or in the VGN app, and note that a ticket for Fürth alone does not cover the ride into Nuremberg; for several trips a day ticket covering both cities pays off quickly. Cycling is popular and flat. The prettiest way to Nuremberg is on foot: a signposted path follows the Pegnitz from the Stadtpark past the old Grundig works to Nuremberg's old town in about two hours.
- U1
- Hauptbahnhof, Rathaus, Stadthalle and Klinikum stops, then on to Nuremberg
- Pegnitz path
- Signed 'Nürnberg Altstadt', about two hours on foot
Know before you go
Fürth is quieter than Nuremberg next door.
Why travelers love it
- Königswarterstraße and the Hornschuchpromenade, block after block of 19th-century facades that escaped the bombing.
- An evening on Gustavstraße, Franconian beer at old inns with tables spilling into the lane.
- The Rathaus tower, modelled on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and rising above the old town.
Good to know
- Football rivalry with Nuremberg runs deep; on derby days wear neutral colours on the U1.
- Tickets are zoned: a Fürth-only ticket will not cover you into central Nuremberg.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Fürth, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Fürth are being researched.
A walking day from the Fürther Freiheit to the Rathaus tower
You can walk the centre of Fürth in a day. Start at the Fürther Freiheit, where Germany's first railway ended in 1835, walk Königstraße to the Jewish Museum Franken, then see the Florentine-style Rathaus and the old town lanes. Spend the afternoon at the Ludwig Erhard Zentrum or Rundfunkmuseum and finish with dinner on Gustavstraße.
Morning. Begin at the Fürther Freiheit, the broad square where the 1835 Ludwigsbahn from Nuremberg ended its six-kilometre run. Today the site holds markets and the fair. Walk north up Königstraße to the Jewish Museum Franken at number 89, set in an old house with a ritual bath in the cellar; it traces Jewish life in Franconia from the Middle Ages and gives Fürth's own story its due.
Midday. Continue to the Rathaus, built in the 1840s with a tower copied from Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, then lose yourself in the old town lanes behind it around the Grüner Markt and Gustavstraße. Lunch on a bratwurst roll or in a Franconian inn.
Afternoon. Head to the Ludwig Erhard Zentrum, about the Fürth-born economics minister who shaped post-war West Germany, or to the Rundfunkmuseum in the former Grundig works by the river. Then walk the Stadtpark, laid out in the style of the 1950s, and the riverbank beyond.
Evening. Back to Gustavstraße for beer and dinner. With an extra half day, take the train 12 km west to Cadolzburg, a Hohenzollern castle restored and reopened in 2017 with exhibits on medieval court life.
Drei im Weckla, Schäufele and Kärwa snacks
Fürth eats Franconian food: small Nuremberg bratwurst grilled over beech wood, served as Drei im Weckla in a roll or by the dozen with sauerkraut, and Schäufele, roast pork shoulder with crackling, on Sundays. Pair it with a local Kellerbier, and come during the Michaelis-Kirchweih for street stalls and beer tents.
Franconian food is meaty, cheap and best with beer, and Fürth eats it without fuss. The basic unit is the small Nuremberg bratwurst, finger-sized and grilled over beech wood. Order Drei im Weckla at a stand and you get three of them in a crusty roll, with mustard; there is usually one on the Fürther Freiheit. In a restaurant they come by the half-dozen or dozen on a pewter plate with sauerkraut or potato salad.
The great Sunday dish is Schäufele, roast pork shoulder on the bone with crackling, dark beer gravy and a potato dumpling. Old inns on and around Gustavstraße serve it, along with Saure Zipfel, sausages poached in a vinegar and onion broth. Butchers' counters sell Leberkäs in a roll as a mid-morning snack.
Franconia has more small breweries than almost anywhere in the world, so ask for a local Kellerbier or Landbier from one of them. Beyond German food, Fürth has plenty of Turkish döner shops, Italian places and bakeries around the station.
During the Michaelis-Kirchweih the streets turn into a long buffet of grilled fish on sticks, roasted almonds, gingerbread hearts and beer tents, and locals plan their evenings around it.
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How we research our Fürth travel guide
For Fürth we lean on fuerth.de for museum hours and Kirchweih dates, and on Deutsche Bahn for the rail link with Nuremberg. U1 and bus 33 changes trigger an edit, as does any update from the German National Tourist Board.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Fürth questions travellers send us most, answered in a line or two each.
Getting there
City bus 33 runs from the airport via the outer districts to Fürth Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes, so you avoid changing in central Nuremberg.
Nuremberg Airport (NUE) is the one to use. The quickest route is underground line U2 to Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof, about 12 minutes, then U1 north-west to Fürth or an S-Bahn or regional train; count on about 35 to 40 minutes in all. A useful shortcut is city bus 33, which loops round the outer districts from the airport to Fürth Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes without going through central Nuremberg.
Timing & weather
Under 15 minutes from Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof to Fürth Rathaus, with trains every few minutes. Buy a ticket that covers both cities.
It runs for twelve days, starting on Michaelmas (29 September) or the Saturday after, so it often lasts until mid-October, and fills Königstraße and the old town with rides, stalls and beer tents.
The best time to visit Fürth is May to early Oct. Beer gardens and riverside walks, ending with the Michaelis-Kirchweih, which starts around 29 September and runs well into October.
- Kärwa time: Late September - mid-October (The Michaelis-Kirchweih takes over the old town and Königstraße for about twelve days of rides, stalls and food)
- Summer: May - August (Long evenings at outdoor tables on Gustavstraße and walks along the Pegnitz and the Rednitz through the Stadtpark)
General
Between Nuremberg and Fürth. The Ludwigsbahn opened in 1835 and ended where the Fürther Freiheit square now lies.
Exhibits on Jewish life in Franconia over centuries, in a historic house on Königstraße with a ritual bath. There are branch museums in Schwabach and Schnaittach.
Yes, in 1923. His family fled Nazi persecution in 1938 and emigrated to the United States.
Its tower was modelled on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence when the town hall was built in the 1840s.
Gustavstraße in the old town. It is lined with traditional Franconian inns and bars that put tables outside in summer.
Ask for it at any bratwurst stand: three small Nuremberg-style sausages in a bread roll, with mustard.
Yes. Follow the signs to Nürnberg Altstadt from the Stadtpark; the riverside walk takes about two hours past the former Grundig works and small parks.
Central Fürth is easily walked; from the Hauptbahnhof to the Rathaus and Gustavstraße is about 15 minutes along Königswarterstraße, past some of the finest Gründerzeit facades in town. Buses reach the outer districts, and the U1 runs through the centre with stops at Hauptbahnhof, Rathaus, Stadthalle and Klinikum before it heads to Nuremberg. All of it belongs to the VGN network.
Visa & documents
As a Schengen member, Germany shares one set of entry rules with most of the EU. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing at large stations, Christmas markets and on big-city public transport is the main risk in a very safe country. Carry ID and validate paper tickets where required. Call 110 for police and 112 for fire or ambulance.
