Getting there, parking and public transport

Christkindlesmarkt Guide editorial team · updated 21 September 2026 · 5 min read

The city explicitly advises against driving into the old town. What works instead: park-and-ride, the U1, and the tickets that actually pay off.

Short version: do not drive into the old town

This is not this guide's opinion but the city's own. The city portal states in as many words: “Arriving by car is not recommended because of the exceptionally heavy demand.” And the Christkindlesmarkt's official travel page recommends leaving the car at one of the signposted park-and-ride sites, particularly on the Advent weekends.

When two municipal sources write that independently of each other, the matter is settled.

Park-and-ride: the practical answer

The VAG runs ten park-and-ride sites with over 1,000 spaces between them. They are free for up to 48 hours, provided you hold a valid public transport ticket. The six largest and best connected:

If you arrive on the A6 from the east, Langwasser Süd makes the most sense: the U1 runs from there straight to Lorenzkirche, which is the market. Coming from the A3, Herrnhütte with the U2 is the first choice.

If it has to be a car park

The city centre has, according to the city, 19 car parks with over 5,300 spaces. On Advent weekends the central ones are regularly full and the queues at the entrance are long.

Prices checked in September 2026: in the large ones (Hauptmarkt, Katharinenhof, Jakobsmarkt, Sterntor) parking costs €2.00 for each hour begun, with a daily maximum of €20.00. The Sebalder Höfe is considerably cheaper at a €12.00 daily maximum. The Hauptmarkt car park is open around the clock; the entrance height is 2.00 m — relevant for vans and roof boxes.

On the street there are around 800 paid short-stay spaces in the old town: €2.50 an hour in the old town and immediately around it, €2.00 further out. You can also pay by phone through PayByPhone.

Two things worth knowing beforehand:

• The city runs a page showing car park occupancy in real time, updated roughly every 15 minutes. A quick look before you drive in saves half an hour of hunting.
• The old town is divided into five traffic-separated sectors, colour-coded in the parking guidance system, and you can only move between them to a limited extent. That means you have to enter the right sector from the Altstadtring in the first place — get it wrong and you go round the outside again.

By U-Bahn, bus and train to the Hauptmarkt

The best connection is the U1 to Lorenzkirche — from there it is, in the city's words, “not five minutes' walk” to the market. From the main station and from Weißer Turm it is about 15 minutes on foot through the old town, which is a fine walk in daylight and less so in the evening crush.

By bus: routes 37, 46 and 47 stop at Nürnberg Rathaus, and route 36 right at the Hauptmarkt. The 36 doubles as the tourist route linking 36 sights.

An important restriction: at Lorenzkirche U-Bahn station the exit towards the Museumsbrücke/Stangengässchen is closed because of the Lorenzer Passage refurbishment; use the Karolinenstraße/Königstraße exit. The lift only runs between the platform and the passage — if you need step-free access, stay on to Hauptbahnhof or Weißer Turm.

Which ticket is worth it

Nuremberg, Fürth and Stein sit together in fare zone A. Prices as of 1 January 2026:

The arithmetic is quick: two single tickets cost €7.80 and the TagesTicket Solo €10.60 — it pays from the third journey. For two adults together the TagesTicket Plus at €15.50 is almost always right; it covers up to six people, at most two of them 18 or over, and a dog travels free. A TagesTicket Solo bought on a Saturday is also valid all Sunday.

The easiest way to buy is the NürnbergMOBIL or VGN Fahrplan & Tickets apps — no registration needed, paying by card, PayPal or Apple/Google Pay. Otherwise at machines or from the bus driver.

For longer stays there is the NÜRNBERG CARD: 48 hours of free travel across the whole of zone A plus entry to some 30 museums. Children up to 5 travel free; for 6- to 11-year-olds it costs €12. We could not read the adult price off the official page — it appears there only inside the booking widget.

Out to Stein — and why it costs nothing extra

For anyone planning the light park in Stein, one thing is important and welcome: Stein is in the same fare zone A as Nuremberg and Fürth. Your ordinary Nuremberg ticket, and the NÜRNBERG CARD too, are valid there — no supplement and no second ticket.

Two routes from the main station:

• The S4 straight to Stein station: about 6 to 7 minutes, roughly every 25 minutes. Fast — but the station is away from the centre of the town.
• The U2 to Röthenbach, changing there to bus 64 into the centre of Stein: around 25 minutes in total. The longer route, but closer to where you want to be.

From the market itself, that is from Lorenzkirche, it comes to roughly 19 to 24 minutes (U1 to the main station, then the S4). By car it is about 9 kilometres from the Hauptmarkt, some 17 minutes.

The light park's dates and prices had not been published as of September 2026; the operator will announce travel directions and parking together with the opening date.

Common questions