Nuremberg rewards travelers who like to see history in stone. Start at the Imperial Castle, where Holy Roman Emperors once resided, and climb the Sinwell Tower for a panoramic view over the city. Nearby, Albrecht Dürer's House shows how the artist lived and worked from 1509 to 1528.

Walk down to the Hauptmarkt for the Beautiful Fountain and the noon clock on the Church of Our Lady, then continue to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, where works by Dürer and Rembrandt sit alongside the earliest surviving terrestrial globe. Give each stop room to breathe rather than rushing between them.

Nuremberg faces its 20th-century history openly, and a visit here adds real depth to any trip. The Documentation Center sits in the north wing of the unfinished Congress Hall on the Nazi Party Rally Grounds, and its new permanent exhibition is bilingual. Outside, information panels explain each part of the grounds that cover about 4 square kilometers.

Across the city, the Memorium Nuremberg Trials tells the story of Courtroom 600, where the International Military Tribunal sat from 1945 to 1946. The Memorial closes on Tuesdays and recommends visits for those aged 14 and older, and the courtroom can close for events, so check official hours before you go.

Nuremberg's churches are some of the Old Town's most striking sights. St Lawrence Church was begun around 1250 in the high Gothic style, while St Sebald's Church, built around 1215, is the city's oldest parish church. On the Hauptmarkt, the Church of Our Lady was the first Gothic hall church in Franconia, and its mechanical clock performs every day at noon.

Music lovers can time a visit around ION, the International Organ Festival, which the city describes as Europe's largest and oldest festival of sacred music. For a quieter moment, visit St John's Cemetery, where Albrecht Dürer and Veit Stoß are buried.