Fürth

Fürth (also Fuerth; especially when the letter "ü" is unavailable) is a city in Bavaria, Germany in the region of Franconia. It is right next to Nuremberg, so close that they are basically attached to each other. Unlike Nuremberg, Fürth suffered only a few air raids in World War II, so most buildings were untouched.

Understand

During the Middle Ages Fürth was jointly governed by the city of Nuremberg, the bishop of Bamberg and the count of Ansbach. Therefore Fürth's coat of arms shows a cloverleaf. Fürth is also older than Nuremberg, dating back to November 1007.

Fürth had a large Jewish population before the Nazis expelled or murdered them (the most famous being Henry Kissinger, who was born in Fürth and fled to the USA when the Nazis came to power).

As is often the case with cities that close to each other Nuremberg and Fürth enjoy a fierce rivalry that is even more pronounced in soccer, with both teams being dominant in Germany for most of the 1920s. While there is not much love lost between the two cities today, attitudes (outside of soccer games) are more relaxed now than they seem at first glance and the rivalry is mostly folklore.

Get in

By car

On the A73 just north of Nuremberg.

By train

The railway between Nuremberg and Fürth was the first in what would later become Germany. There are direct rail connections to Erlangen and Nuremberg, but for most places farther away it makes more sense to change in either Nuremberg or Erlangen and take the S-Bahn or another regional train from there.  S1  has three stops in Fürth: Vach, Unterfarrnbach ( U1  Klinikum) and Main Station.

By subway

From Nuremberg, take subway line U1. Alight at 🌍 Fürth Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) ( S1   U1 ).  or 🌍 Fürth Rathaus ( U1 ). .

By plane

The closest airport is Nuremberg (NUE IATA). From there take the subway (U2) to the main station and then either another subway (U1) or a regional train. There is no regular train service (yet) connecting the airport to the train station, but at 12 minutes (NUE to Nuremberg main station) by subway there is hardly any need for such a connection. Instead of doubling back into central Nuremberg, you can also take bus line number 33 which goes via some outer districts and takes 30 minutes to Fürth main station.

From Frankfurt airport (FRA IATA) take the train to Nuremberg and from there on to Fürth. From Munich airport (MUC IATA) you can take a regional train with the Bayern ticket (€23 per person + €4 per each additional member of your group) that is valid on all regional trains (no ICE or Intercity, but all RE and RB as well as all S-Bahn trains) and also on the Nuremberg-Fürth subway and all VGN buses.

By bus

Although some domestic bus lines do stop in Fürth, it might be more practicable to alight in Nuremberg and take the subway to town, as the Nuremberg ZOB (right next to the main station, about 400 meter on foot to the subway) has more connections than Fürth does.

Get around

You can travel to just about anywhere in Fürth by foot or via bus. If a bus is not available, you can always take a taxi or ride a bike. Local public transportation is provided by VGN, see here for timetables and ticket prices.

You can buy tickets at electronic ticket machines located at bigger bus stops, all subway stations, all train stations, and from bus drivers. Tickets can be purchased with cash or card, but the ticketing machines do not accept bills larger than €20 unless your purchase exceeds €30. A one-way ticket within Fürth costs €2.50. If you plan on taking more than 2 one-way rides, it will make sense to buy a Day Ticket Solo B for €5.30 or a Day Ticket Plus B for €8.70. The Day Ticket Plus allows up to 2 adults and up to 4 children under the age of 18 to ride within 2 specified zones as much as they want. Fürth city buses have free WiFi and USB ports to charge a mobile device.

When traveling from Fürth to Nuremberg (or vice-versa) buy a Day Ticket Solo A for €8.10 or Day Ticket Plus A for €12.30. There are also discounts for students, children between the ages of 6-14, and senior citizens. Children 5 and under ride free.

Buses and subways in Fürth are all handicap-accessible.

See
  • Historic city streets ( U1  Fürth Rathaus). North of the town hall. 
  • 🌍 Fürther Freiheit, Rudolf-Breitscheid-Straße. The location of the first train to run in Germany. Now the open-air market is there. (updated Nov 2018)
  • 🌍 Jewish Museum Franken, Königstraße 89, ☏ +49 911 9774853. This is the main site; there are smaller museums in Schwabach and Schnaittach. Fürth was an important center of Jewish life in Franconia up until the Nazi era but far from the only one. Among Fürth's best known Jewish sons is Henry Kissinger, who fled the Nazis and went on to a successful political career in the U.S. in the Nixon and Ford administrations. 
  • 🌍 Rundfunk Museum, Kurgartenstraße 37, ☏ +49 911 7568110. The radio museum of the City of Fürth. 
  • 🌍 Rathaus (City hall), Königstraße 86 ( U1  Fürth Rathaus). Constructed between 1840 and 1850, the building was strongly inspired by the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. 
  • 🌍 Cadolzburg Castle is 12 km west of town, about 20 min by train, then a short walk. It was the seat of the Burgraves of Nuremberg, rising and falling with their fortunes there. It burned out near the end of the Second World War, but was refurbished and re-opened in 2017. Open Tu-Su: Apr-Sep 09:00-18:00, Oct-Mar: 10:00-16:00. Admission €7; a combi ticket with Nuremberg's Kaiserburg is €12. There is also a Historic Museum. W-Su 14:00-17:00, €3.50.
  • 🌍 Ludwig Erhard Zentrum, Ludwig-Erhard-Straße 6 90762 Fürth ( U1  Rathaus Fürth). This museum is dedicated to Ludwig Erhard, a Fürth native and long-term minister of the economy (1949-1963) and short-term chancellor (1963-1966). (updated Apr 2019)

Do
  • Take a walk in the beautiful Stadtpark (city park). Most parts of Stadtpark are still in typical 1950s-style of German city parks. If you walk along the Pegnitz river (which is adjacent to the park) you will arrive in downtown Nuremberg in about 2 hours, just follow the signs labeled "Nürnberg Altstadt". On your way you will pass "Auferstehungskirche" (resurrection church), a neo-classical church; Uferstadt, former Grundig factory which is now a business and research park with Rundfunk museum; and "Mainau", a little park with medicinal spring ("Gaggerlesquelle" in local dialect).
  • Take a walk around the old city. You may for example start on Königswarter Straße and then head West towards the city hall and then over Gustavstraße, side streets and St. Michael's church. Fürth Altstadt has typical franconian baroque style buildings. Innenstadt around Schwabacher Str, Hirschenstr. and Friedrichstr. as well as Königswarterstr. is one of only few almost complete city centres in Historism and Art Nouveau in Germany.
  • Take a walk along Rednitz river (Uferpromenade) with nice impressions of river and Altstadt. North of Altstadt Rednitz and Pegnitz flowing together to Regnitz river.
  • Take a walk through the large floodplains of Rednitz and Regnitz. You can watch storks and other birds living close to city centre. There is even a stork's nest in midst of town! At Stadeln, a northern suburb, is an old water wheel at Regnitz river.
  • Taste Grüner Bier, a typical Franconian style pale beer brewed in Fürth.
  • Football: Greuther Fürth were relegated in 2022 and now play soccer in 2. Bundesliga, Germany's second tier. Their home ground is Sportpark Ronhof (capacity 26,600) two km north of town centre.
  • 🌍 Kofferfabrik, Lange Str. 81, 90762 Fürth ( U1  Stadtgrenze, then walk on Nürnberger Straße towards Fürth (the Aral gas station is in the right direction, head right into Lobitzstraße, Kofferfabrik is straigt ahead), ☏ +49-911-706806. Kofferfabrik is a great place with a lot of non-mainstream culture happenings (concerts, theatre), see website for details. (updated Apr 2016)
  • 🌍 Kulturort Badstraße, Badstraße 8. A rather small venue, while there are times without any offers, it regularly hosts nice exhibitions and concerts (see website for current activities). (updated Sep 2016)
  • You can also find up-to-date information on what is happening and interesting in the magazines curt (local pop culture magazine and on websites such as Fürth Faktor (shopping and event guide) and on the website FürthWiki (unfortunately all German only).

Events
  • International Kletzmer Festival: . Early March. (date needs fixing)
  • New Orleans Festival
  • Michaelis-Kirchweih (The St. Michael’s Festival): October. Unlike most church festivals which were appointed as official festival sites from the city authorities, has earned its reputation and popularity through the years. As the second oldest but yet mother of the Kirchweih-Church Festivals it was named after the valiant archangel. It is estimated that this simple, rather modest church reflecting the image of "The old Temple on the Hill" was founded in the year 1100. As early as 601 Pope Gregor declared that the Kircheneinweihung-inauguration of the church should be opened with a cultural feast. And not only recognized as a religious ceremony, historians believe that the foundation of the building occurred approximately 900 years ago, just as the first festival had. The residents of the city of Fürth were very proud and initiated this festival as the Michael und aller Engel Tag to be celebrated on the 29 of September or the Sunday thereafter. The popularity grew as did the area in which it is celebrated, the church of St. Michael, Gustavstraße/street and in the city of Fürth. In 2010 it is estimated to have had over 1.6 million visitors. Early-mid October.
    • June and September: Grafflmarkt (Flohmarkt) in the Gustavstraße, where the streets are filled with young and old. Meeting is the focus, rather than the buying and selling. Since 1975.
    • July: Fürth Festival Over three days, a variety of musicians perform at eight venues in the city. One event is the "Merciless Grand Prix" on Fürth Freedom, where viewers rate the performances with red and green voting cards.
    • October: Die Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften takes place every two years on a Saturday in October from 18:00 to 01:00. For young scientists from 4 years old, there is a children's program between 14:00 and 17:00. There are more than 300 facilities in Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen involved. Visitors are offered tours of the facilities, exhibitions, lectures and experiments. The entrance fee is €12, concessions €8; the ticket can also be used as a ticket in the entire network of the VGN.
    • December: 'Fürth Christmas Market' with medieval market on the Fürth Freedom.

Buy

On the Fußgängerzone (pedestrian zone) you will find department stores and small shops ranging from antiques to groceries. They are scattered around downtown, but since downtown is so small, they are all a short walk away from one another. Just take a walk from the main train station through a square called Fürther Freiheit and to the Fußgängerzone in the direction to the town-hall; you will come along most shops on this route.

Souvenirs and postcards are not so easy to come by in Fürth. But, you will find a small selection in the local Tourism Office (across the street from the Main train station). Otherwise, you will just have to look around in all the little shops for anything you might like.

As souvenirs you can bring beer, which you will find in every supermarket. And in the winter gingerbread (Lebkuchen).

Eat

Budget
  • Döner Kebab shops scattered throughout the city
  • Bratwurst stands, there is one on Fuerther Freiheit. Ask for a Fränkische Bratwurst, and you will receive a Bratwurst in a bread roll or ask for "Drei im Weckla" (three in a bread roll) and you`ll get three Nuremberg style Bratwurst. Some places will offer Sauerkraut or grilled onions to top off your meal.
  • Local butcher shops and bakeries offer pre-made sandwiches and sometimes hard-boiled eggs, as well as other products. Some of them will even prepare your sandwich the way you want it. For a Bavarian specialty, try a Leberkäs Semmel which is similar to a slice of meat loaf made from the same products and having the same consistency of a hot dog. One of these traditional butcher shops is Schuster und Sellerer at Hirschenstr.15, where you can also get canned franconian sausage delicacies f.e. Stadtwurst, Bratwurstgehäck, Pressack and Göttinger. Or taste a fresh "Hausmacher Stadtwurst", a special kind of pork sausage which is a franconian delicacy.
  • 🌍 Asia Küche, Schwabacher Str. 56, Fürth, ☏ +49 911 7419689. Good Chinese food for a decent price; they offer a lunch special. When you eat here you either eat standing up or take-out and eat at home. They also offer a delivery service. 
  • 🌍 Suppenkaspar, Königswarterstraße 38, ☏ +49 911 78 72 33 22. M-F 10-15. Soups 

Mid-range
  • 🌍 Zum Tannenbaum, Helmstraße 10, ☏ +49 911 7660485. It offers wonderful traditional German and Franconian dishes - a short walk from the town hall. 
  • 🌍 Cafe am Park, Moststraße 27, ☏ +49 911 778596. A nice little family business where you get excellent coffee, nice bakery and a daily offered warm dish. Has some tables in the small park in front of it. 
  • 🌍 Stubenhocker, Marktplatz 7, 90762 Fürth (at the western end of Gustavstraße). Burger place. (updated Apr 2016)
  • 🌍 Zum Alten Rentamt, Gustavstraße 61 (in the middle part of Gustavstraße). Tu-Th 18:00-01:00, F Sa 18:00-02:00, closed on Su and M. Traditional German food quite popular amongst locals. (updated Jan 2017)
  • 🌍 Grüner Brauhaus, Theresienstraße 1, 90762 Fürth, ☏ +49 911 74929947. Tu-Sa 11:30-00:00, Su 11:30-21:00; M closed; hot food until 1 hour before closing. Mains frim €9. (updated Apr 2017)
  • 🌍 Schillers Glocke, Schillerstraße 11, 90762 Fürth, ☏ +49 911 748147. M-F 10:30–18:00. Franconian (updated Apr 2017)
  • 🌍 Pastarello, Hirschenstraße 33, 90762 Fürth, ☏ +49 152 377 26 260. W-Sa 11:30-14:30, 17:30-21:30, Su-Tu 17:30-21:30. A small and friendly restaurant that offers delicious home-made pasta and desserts. (updated Jan 2019)
  • 🌍 Humbser & Freunde, Schwabacher Straße 106, ☏ +49 911 21709999. W-F 18:30-23:00, Sa 17:30-23, Su 11:30-21:00 (kitchen closed between 14:00 and 17:30), closed M Th. A newly made "Wirtshaus" with a positive imitation of classical breweries, located in a former brewery. (updated Apr 2019)

Upper-range
  • 🌍 Our Place, Beim Liershof 3, ☏ +49 911 7809881. A local American restaurant where you get so much food that you need to share! They are hidden behind the subway stop Fuerth Rathaus. 
  • 🌍 Poseidon, Bäumenstraße 30 (in Fuerth City Center), ☏ +49 911 771696. An excellent local Greek restaurant. 
  • 🌍 Schwarzes Kreuz, Königstr. 81, 90762 Fürth. (across town hall), ☏ +49 911 97 90 78-60. Tu-Sa 11:00 - 14:00 and 18:00 - 21:00, Su 11:00 - 14:00. Restaurant and hotel. Main dish from €13. (updated Sep 2018)

Splurge

Cafés
  • Quite some nice cafés line Gustavstraße and surroundings, some of which are:
  • 🌍 Süße Freiheit, Friedrichstraße 5, ☏ +49 911 70 43 774, . Oct – Mar: M-F 09:00-19:00, Sa 09:00-18:00; Apr - Sep: M-Sa 09:00-18:00. A cosy café with a lot of sweet temptation. (updated Jan 2018)
  • 🌍 Kaffee Bohne, Gustavstraße 40, 90762 Fürth, ☏ +49 911 774604. Daily 08:30-01:00 (F Sa until 02:00 depending on number of guests), terrace until 23:00 latest. A nice café in the center. (updated Apr 2016)
  • 🌍 Tante Förster, Königstraße 37 (located at the "Grüner Markt"), ☏ +49 911 931 696 41. Daily 11:30-01:00. One of the relatively new additions to Fürth's café landscape, this is a rather hip and friendly place. (updated Sep 2016)
  • 🌍 Café Portier, Schwabacher Straße 106 (Porter's house of the Malzböden complex, access via Fichtenstraße (you will see it from the junction of Schwabacher Straße and Fichtenstraße), less than 10 min walk from Hauptbahnhof). M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-18:00, Su closed. A nice and friendly café which usually also offers a soup for a small lunch and delicious cakes, in the former porter's house of what used to be a brewery. It has been nicely renovated. Quite small inside, but offers sufficient outdoor seating in summer. (updated Nov 2018)

Breakfast and brunch
  • Stubenhocker (weekends & public holidays) - see midrange above
  • 🌍 Kofferfabrik (breakfast only on weekends) - creative community

Drink
  • Most bars are located on or around Gustavstraße. One is Gelber Löwe at Gustavstr. 41, a typical old franconian style "Wirtshaus", which is also a mid range restaurant with franconian menues.
  • 🌍 Café Badehaus, Badstraße 8. Apr-Sep: W Th 15:00-20:00, F 15:00-22:00, Sa 12:00-22:00, Su 12:00-20:00; Oct-Mar: F 15:00-18:00, Sa Su 12:00-18:00. a cosy and creative space with a friendly host. In summer people taking a swim in the river Rednitz that passes in front of the garden like to come for a drink afterwards; furthermore a variety of interesting people, creative community etc. like to meet here (updated Sep 2016)
  • 🌍 Frieda. Club. Concerts. 

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Go next
Routes through Fürth
Bamberg ← Erlangen ←  Main  Danube  → Nuremberg


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