Nuremberg Food and Red Beer Tours: Bratwurst, Rotbier and Gingerbread on a Walk
4 min read
The four tours on Nuremberg’s own specialities compared here (bratwurst, Rotbier, Lebkuchen) are all led in German; only the Red Beer Tour adds an audio guide in several languages. Of the four, the broadest is the Food History Walk “Rotes Bier” and “Blaue Zipfel” at €25 per person: two hours through the Old Town with several tastings.
The four tours
| Tour | Length | From | Starts at | Not suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food History Walk | 2 hours | €25 per person | Old Town Hall | – |
| The Red Beer Tour | 1 hour | €17.50 per person | Bergstraße 19 | Claustrophobia, wheelchair users, visually impaired |
| Bratwurst Walking Tour | 1 hour | €15 per person | Bratwurst Museum | – |
| 700 Years of Red Beer Brewing | 2 hours | €29 per person | Bergstraße 19 | Under 16, mobility impairments, claustrophobia, wheelchair users, visually impaired |
Food History Walk
The route runs from the Old Town Hall past a bratwurst kitchen, the Hauptmarkt, the Unschlitthaus and St. Sebaldus Church to the Altstadthof brewery. The listing promises tastes of a Nuremberg bratwurst (“and why it is so small”), the local red beer and gingerbread. Under includes, the listing names the guide, snacks and beer. The booking page carries an accessibility label; confirm the details with the operator if you need step-free access. Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes; it runs rain or shine.
The Red Beer Tour and the combined brewing tour
Both start at the Altstadthof house brewery, Bergstraße 19, and go into the rock cellars, where the first passages for storing beer were cut in 1380. The one-hour tour includes the beer cellar, a Second World War air-raid shelter, the brewery and distillery, the whisky warehouse, an audio guide and 0.2 litres of Rotbier. The two-hour tour adds a walk through the Old Town (Weißgerbergasse, Kettensteg, Fleischbrücke, Hauptmarkt), then the rock corridors and a small tasting. For the two-hour tour the listing says the cellars stay at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius all year and asks for closed-toe shoes, so take a layer.
The longer tour excludes children under 16. The shorter one lists unaccompanied minors, prams, crutches and walking frames among the things not allowed; read the full list before booking.
Bratwurst Walking Tour
A one-hour walk with the entry ticket to the Nuremberg Bratwurst Museum and a sample of a Nuremberg bratwurst, offered with the sausage makers’ protection association (Schutzverband Nürnberger Bratwürste). The listing says it explains why the sausages are so small, why they are sold in even numbers (6, 8, 10, 12) in the bratwurst kitchens and why street stands serve “3 in a bun”. The museum opened in November 2021, according to the association’s press release.
Which one for you
- First visit, want the whole picture: the Food History Walk.
- Beer, and you do not mind cellars: the Red Beer Tour, or the longer brewing tour if you want the Old Town walk as well.
- One hour, bratwurst rather than beer: the Bratwurst walk.
If you do not speak German
The Red Beer Tour is led in German, but its listing includes an audio guide and mentions audio guides in several languages. For a food walk with an English-speaking guide, the Old Town Food Tour with Full Meal & Local Drinks at €92.65 per person runs in English and German: 3.5 hours from St. Lorenz church to the castle, in a group of up to 12, with tastings of Rostbratwurst, pretzel, Schäufele and Lebkuchen and drinks across four or more stops, according to the listing. It is listed as not suitable for people with mobility impairments. More food and beer tours, private ones included, are on our beer and food tours page, and our comparison of Old Town tours gives the guide language of each walk.
