Overview
Nuremberg's public transport is run by Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg (VAG), the Nuremberg Transport Corporation, which operates the city's U-Bahn, trams and buses. VAG is itself a member of the Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg (VGN), the Greater Nuremberg Transport Network — an integrated transport authority covering a wide region stretching as far as Bayreuth and Bamberg.
For a visitor, the practical upshot is simple: one ticket covers almost everything. VGN tickets are valid and allow transfers on virtually every bus, tram, U-Bahn, S-Bahn and regional train in the network — but not on IC or ICE long-distance trains. That means you can buy a single ticket, hop between modes, and never worry about which operator runs the vehicle you're boarding.
A typical end-to-end journey looks like this: buy a ticket from a machine or app before boarding, validate it if required, ride to your stop, and exit — no gates, no turnstiles, no tapping out. Inspections are carried out on board, so keep your ticket with you for the whole journey.
The network
Nuremberg's network combines a metro, suburban rail, trams, buses and even a ferry. The metro is the backbone for visitors, since it links the airport, the main station and the old town.
U-Bahn (metro)
The Nuremberg U-Bahn is Germany's newest metro system, having begun operation in 1972, and it serves Nuremberg and neighbouring Fürth in Bavaria. It is the shortest of Germany's four heavy-rail metro systems, behind Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, with three lines, 49 stations and 38.2 kilometres (23.7 mi) of operational route. The U1 between Nuremberg and Fürth uses part of the right of way of the Bavarian Ludwig Railway, which opened in 1835 as Germany's first passenger railway.
- U1 — the original axis, running from Langwasser via the main station, the old town and the Plärrer to Fürth.
- U2 — connects the airport with the city; converted to driverless operation by 2010, the first such conversion anywhere in the world.
- U3 — introduced driverless, fully automated trains in 2008, making it Germany's first automatic U-Bahn line.
Note that many U2 trains terminate before the airport, usually at Ziegelstein — so when heading to the airport, check that your train's destination reads "Flughafen/Airport".
S-Bahn (suburban rail)
The S-Bahn forms part of the same VGN fare network, so your ticket is valid on it just as on the U-Bahn. Nuremberg is at the heart of the VGN, and regional trains within the network are covered by VGN tickets (excluding IC and ICE).
Tram
Trams complement the metro, and several lines serve as useful connectors. Tram Lines 4 and 10 meet buses at the am Wegfeld hub, where local bus lines from Erlangen and Fürth connect.
Bus
Local buses link Nuremberg to surrounding towns and suburbs, including Stein bei Nürnberg and Erlangen, and may be a better option than the S-Bahn for some origin/destination pairs.
- Lines 20, 290 and 30 run from Erlangen to am Wegfeld, where you can change onto Tram Lines 4 and 10. Line 30 is the most express of the three and continues to the airport and the Nordostbahnhof; the others terminate at am Wegfeld.
- Line 33 links Fürth with the airport and also serves am Wegfeld.
- Line 199 links Herzogenaurach via a single stop at Erlangen Paul Gossen Straße (S1) to am Wegfeld, though its schedule is mostly oriented towards commuters.
There is also a small Park and Ride lot near the am Wegfeld tram/bus hub, which is popular with commuters and fills up during the week.
Ferries
Nuremberg lies on the Main-Danube canal, and relatively large ships can navigate south into the Danube towards Vienna and Budapest, and north into the Rhine towards Cologne and Rotterdam. These are not point-to-point ferries, however, but scenic cruises, typically on a 7- or 14-day itinerary — so they are a slow but luxurious way to arrive rather than a practical way to get around town.
Tickets & fares
VGN sells a range of tickets valid across the whole network. The fare structure is based on price levels or zones: levels A–F for cities, and levels 1–10 for the wider region. Exact prices depend on the zones you travel through, so treat any figure you see as approximate and subject to change — always check current fares before you travel.
Ticket types include:
- Single ticket (Einzelfahrkarte) — one person, one journey, valid immediately after purchase.
- 4-trip ticket (4er-Ticket) — four trips on one ticket; available for cities with price level A–F, short-distance rides and price level 1.
- 10-strip ticket (10er-Streifenkarte) — up to five trips; intended for travelling the region (price levels 2–10).
- All day ticket solo — one day or a weekend.
- All day ticket plus (TagesTicket Plus) — for 1–6 people (maximum two aged 18 or older); one day or a weekend.
- 7-day MobiCard — for 1–6 people (maximum two aged 18+); seven days; transferable.
- 31-day MobiCard — for 1–6 people (maximum two aged 18+); 31 days; transferable.
- 9 a.m. MobiCard (9-Uhr-MobiCard) — for 1–6 people (maximum two aged 18+); 31 days; no travel before 9 a.m. on weekdays; transferable.
- 31-day ticket (Solo31) — a solo monthly option.
- 3-month, 6-month and 12-month season tickets — longer-term options.
- Annual ticket and Annual ticket plus (JahresAbo Plus) — 12 months; the Plus version covers 1–6 people (maximum two aged 18+).
- 9 a.m. Annual ticket — 12 months, with no travel before 9 a.m. on weekdays.
- Weekly and monthly tickets for trainees, pupils and students — one calendar week (Monday to Sunday) or one calendar month.
- Deutschlandticket — also linked from the VGN ticket range.
For a short visit, the day tickets and the group-friendly TagesTicket Plus are usually the most economical choices, particularly if you are travelling with others. Buy tickets from ticket machines at stations, from the operator's app or sales points, and remember that using discount fares such as day tickets, "Sparpreis" and group tickets makes regional travel here a real bargain, while single short trips in and around the city are somewhat more expensive.
From the airport
Nuremberg (Albrecht Dürer) Airport (NUE) sits at Flughafenstraße 100, 90411 Nürnberg, and is comparatively close to the city centre. Its station is served by the U2 line, which connects the airport with the central train station in about 13 minutes. U2 trains to the airport run once every ten minutes throughout the operating hours of the subway.
One important caution: when heading towards the airport, be careful to board a U2 with the destination "Flughafen/Airport", as many U2 trains terminate earlier, usually at Ziegelstein.
Be aware that the airport has no limit on night flights, but most public transport does not run at night — except for some limited bus service on nights before non-working days. If you have a late flight, you may have to wait at the airport or arrange other transport.
If you are arriving via a different airport, note that from Frankfurt Airport you can take the high-speed ICE train directly to Nuremberg in around 2 hours 25 minutes. From Munich Airport you usually take the S-Bahn to Munich central station (40 minutes) and then a regional train (about 2 hours more), though there are some direct buses from Munich to Nuremberg and some airlines offer Rail&Fly including the ICE (about 1 hour from Munich to Nuremberg).
Etiquette & customs
German transit runs on a few unwritten rules that make everyone's journey smoother.
- Queuing — wait behind the marked line on the platform and let passengers off before you board. Boarding order is generally first-come, first-served, but pushing ahead of people who were waiting first is frowned upon.
- Escalators — stand on the right and walk on the left. This is the standard convention across Germany and is expected in Nuremberg too.
- Quiet and priority seating — priority seats near the doors are reserved for older passengers, people with disabilities and those with small children; give them up without being asked. Keep phone calls short and your volume low, especially in the quiet zones of trains.
- Eating and drinking — a quick coffee or snack is generally tolerated, but avoid full meals and anything messy or smelly. Take your rubbish with you.
- Rush hour — at peak times, move right down the carriage, take off your backpack and hold it in front of you, and have your ticket ready for inspection. Don't block the doors.
Official links
Survival terms
- U-Bahn (oo-bahn) — subway/metro
- Fahrkarte (fahr-kar-teh) — ticket
- Linie (lee-nee-eh) — line
- Eingang (ine-gahng) — entrance
- Ausgang (ows-gahng) — exit
- Umsteigen (oom-shty-gen) — transfer
- Einzelfahrkarte (ine-tsel-fahr-kar-teh) — single fare
- TagesTicket (tah-ges-tik-et) — day pass
Buy your ticket before you board and keep it with you until you leave the network, because inspectors can appear on any line at any time and the fine for riding without a valid ticket is far more than the fare itself.