Nuremberg’s U-Bahn, its underground railway, connects Hauptbahnhof with the airport, exhibition centre and districts beyond the Old Town. For a journey, the two things to recognise are the line number and the destination on the train: services sharing a platform do not necessarily share their final stop.
When to use the U-Bahn
- Network
- U-Bahn
- Operator
- VAG Nürnberg
- Lines
- U1, U2 and U3
Walking is usually the simplest choice within the central Old Town. From Hauptbahnhof, start at the forecourt on Bahnhofsplatz and head towards St Lawrence’s Church (Lorenzkirche), whose twin towers mark the southern Old Town. This leg is about 700 metres and about 10 minutes on foot.
DALIBRI · CC BY-SA 4.0
From St Lawrence’s Church, continue across the Pegnitz towards Hauptmarkt, the main market square beside the Church of Our Lady. That leg is about 400 metres and about 5 minutes. Allow extra time for visiting the churches or pausing in the square.
The U-Bahn is useful for longer journeys to Nuremberg Airport and the exhibition centre, rather than a long walk with luggage. Hauptbahnhof is the starting point for direct trains to both, so you can transfer from a railway arrival without first crossing the Old Town.
U1, U2 and U3: stops and directions
| Stop | Line | Destination display | Place served |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hauptbahnhof | U1 / U2 / U3 | Both directions | Main railway station |
| Plärrer | U1 / U2 / U3 | Fürth Hardhöhe / Röthenbach / Großreuth bei Schweinau | Western Old Town |
| Lorenzkirche | U1 | Fürth Hardhöhe | St Lawrence’s Church |
| Weißer Turm | U1 | Fürth Hardhöhe | Central shopping streets |
| Messe | U1 | Langwasser Süd | Exhibition centre |
| Flughafen | U2 | Flughafen | Airport terminal |
| Rathenauplatz | U2 / U3 | Flughafen / Nordwestring | North-eastern Old Town edge |
| Opernhaus | U2 / U3 | Röthenbach / Großreuth bei Schweinau | State Theatre |
U1 runs between Fürth Hardhöhe and Langwasser Süd, passing the central shopping streets and Messe. U2 links Röthenbach and Flughafen. U3 runs between Großreuth bei Schweinau and Nordwestring, serving western and northern districts.
On the shared U2/U3 corridor, read both the line number and destination before boarding. The lines share stops between Rothenburger Straße and Rathenauplatz, then branch. For example, a northbound U3 train at Hauptbahnhof does not continue to the airport. On a schematic metro map, trace your line through the interchange and towards its named terminus, because the diagram is not a street map.
From Hauptbahnhof, take U2 towards Flughafen for the airport journey, about 14 minutes. The Flughafen station entrance is directly in front of the passenger terminal, with a covered walkway connecting them. Keep time for waiting, moving through the station and continuing into the terminal separate from the metro journey.
- Name
- Flughafen U-Bahn station
- Location
- Nordwestliche Außenstadt, Nuremberg Maps
- Essential fact
- The U-Bahn station serving Nuremberg Airport on line U2.
For the exhibition centre, board U1 at Hauptbahnhof towards Langwasser Süd and leave at Messe, a journey of about 10 minutes. The station serves the exhibition centre’s west entrance, so allow additional time to reach your hall.
Opernhaus is the U2/U3 stop for the State Theatre and the southern Old Town edge. Its moat-side entrance gives you a recognisable landmark when returning to the underground after a theatre visit.
Achates · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edited
Service patterns and late journeys
| Line / pattern | Daytime interval | Evening interval | Day distinctions |
|---|---|---|---|
| U1 | Generally 10 minutes | Generally 20 minutes | School weekdays / holiday weekdays / Saturdays / Sundays and public holidays |
| U2, school-free weekdays | 5 minutes, 05:00–20:00 | 10 minutes, 21:00–00:54 | Separate school-day / holiday / weekend patterns |
| U3, school weekdays | Generally 5 minutes | Generally 10 minutes | Separate school-free weekday pattern |
| U3, weekends and public holidays | Generally 5 minutes | Generally 10 minutes | Early services generally 10 minutes |
First and last departures depend on your boarding stop and direction. U1 runs daily. U2 distinguishes school weekdays, school-free weekdays, school holidays, Saturdays and Sundays/public holidays. U3 also varies by hour, with wider gaps in the early morning than through much of the day.
On U2 and U3, the final day of the summer holidays and the Day of Repentance and Prayer (Buß- und Bettag) follow the school-day pattern. These recurring exceptions matter if you are travelling during an otherwise school-free period.
At Rathenauplatz, where U2 and U3 share the station before branching northwards, allow for your intended line’s evening interval. A train arriving on the shared track may be heading for the other branch, so do not count it as your connection.
Silesia711 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
After metro services finish, NightLiner buses run on Friday-to-Saturday and Saturday-to-Sunday nights, and on nights before public holidays. A licensed taxi is a fallback for a late journey when the metro is no longer running, particularly if your destination is away from the night-bus routes.
Tickets for a metro journey
| Purchase | Fare | Coverage | Validity | Journey | Transfers / interruptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station machine | €3.90 | Nuremberg, Fürth and Stein | 90 minutes | One way; no return | Unlimited within validity |
| App / online | €3.65 | Nuremberg, Fürth and Stein | 90 minutes | One way; no return | Unlimited within validity |
Public transport in Nuremberg is not free: the U-Bahn uses paid VGN network tickets. The ordinary urban single ticket covers journeys to the airport and Messe as well as trips within the named urban area. It is not a separate metro-only fare.
The short-distance single ticket permits neither transfers nor journey interruptions. Choose the ordinary ticket for a journey that needs a change, rather than treating the short-distance product as a cheaper version with the same conditions.
VGN day passes are network products for repeated journeys, including travel by other covered public transport modes. They are worth considering when your day involves several separate trips rather than one continuous journey.
Finding the platform and boarding
At Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof, follow the U-Bahn signs inside the main station to the underground platforms. Select the platform using your line and terminus, not just the name of the stop you want to reach.
- Name
- Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof
- Location
- Bahnhofspl. 9, Nürnberg Maps
- Essential fact
- Nuremberg’s main railway station, with a U-Bahn interchange beneath the station.
Silesia711 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Ordinary single tickets are sold at machines in every U-Bahn station. For a mobile ticket, use either the VGN Fahrplan & Tickets app or NürnbergMOBIL. Complete a digital purchase before entering the U-Bahn station, rather than waiting until you are on the platform.
Passengers under 16 may instead use a Verbundpass, the VGN passenger identification pass, as identification during a digital-ticket inspection.
Do
- Use a machine-issued ordinary single ticket as printed: it is already stamped and needs no validation.
- Use a digital single ticket immediately after purchase; no separate activation is needed.
- Show your digital ticket with official photo ID or a VGN-issued photo chip card during inspection.
Don’t
- Board first and buy your ticket afterwards.
- Assume a digital single ticket can be saved for later by postponing activation.
- Rely on the ticket alone as proof of identity during a digital-ticket inspection.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services and fares and charges.
- Kauf- und Bestellmöglichkeiten
- Nürnberg | VGN
- Single ticket | VGN
- VGN Onlineshop | FAQ
- Digitale Fahrausweise, Verbundpass und digitale Ticketkontrolle
- Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg (VGN); statutory maximum set under Germany’s BefBedV — fares and charges
- VAG – Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft — service
- Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg (VAG) — service
- Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft, Nürnberg — service
- NightLiner | VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg
- Single ticket | VGN
- Einzelfahrkarte | VGN
- VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg — fares and charges
