Attraction · Nuremberg · Updated on 1 November 2026.
Imperial Castle is an attraction in Nuremberg, Bavaria. This place has an audio tour of about 2 minutes, in English or Dutch. 32 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km. Within 510 m you'll find a bench, a public toilet and a water point.
Audio tour · Imperial Castle
1:56
You're standing at Nuremberg Castle, high on a sandstone ridge above the historic city centre. It isn't one castle, but a group of fortified buildings. There's the Imperial Castle, the Kaiserburg. There's the Burgraves' Castle. And there are buildings put up by the city itself.
Read and hear the whole story in the Outdoor Pitstop app: check in at this place and it is yours (with Pro; new users are Pro for the first 4 weeks).
Source: OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons. In the app you add your own photo when you are there.
The Kaiserburg is a group of fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge, high above the old town centre. In medieval times, the kings and emperors had no fixed capital and travelled from castle to castle. Nuremberg was one of their most important stops: every king and emperor stayed here, most of them several times. In 1219, the city received a major charter of freedoms. You will find the Kaiserburg in the centre of Nuremberg. Nearby stand the Heidenturm at 48 metres, the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus museum at 155 metres and St. Sebald at 321 metres.
The round Sinwelltoren stands out from the outside. In Middelhoogduits, "Sinwell" means "perfectly round". In the courtyard stands a small half-timbered house, which contains the Diepe Put, the castle's only water source, with a shaft 50 metres deep. Inside, the imperial chapel from around 1200 is the showpiece. It is a double chapel, with chapels stacked on top of each other, connected only by an opening in the ceiling. The Palas, the main building, has a permanent exhibition on emperor, empire and city. In the Kemenate you can watch a multimedia show about the building's history and find a small shop, where you also buy your ticket. The old imperial stables, once a granary, are now a youth hostel.
Keizer Frederik de Tweede visited Nuremberg at least 16 times. His charter of freedom from 1219 also gave the city the right to mint its own coins. When the emperor came to stay, the well in the castle was not enough. Wagons carrying water casks were then brought in from the city. After the Dertigjarige Oorlog, the castle lost its significance. During the Tweede Wereldoorlog, a large part of the buildings was destroyed. Only the keizerskapel and the Sinwelltoren survived completely intact. Much of what stands today was restored after the war.
The Imperial Castle in Nuremberg is open from Monday to Sunday, from 09:00 to 18:00, according to OpenStreetMap. Check the official website, kaiserburg-nuernberg.de, for the latest information before you visit. The castle is partly accessible for wheelchair users, which means that not every area is equally easy to reach. There is a wheelchair-accessible toilet inside. Which parts of the castle can be visited by wheelchair is not included in our data.
There are 130 benches at the Imperial Castle in Nuremberg within 500 metres. The nearest bench is 19 metres away, at Burghof. The nearest public toilet is 76 metres away, at Burg. It is free to use and wheelchair accessible. There are 10 public toilets within 500 metres in total. Drinking water is further away at the Imperial Castle in Nuremberg. There is no water point within 500 metres. The nearest one is 514 metres away, at Yoshimi-Hashimoto-Brunnen. Here you can fill a bottle, and it is also wheelchair accessible. If you are walking up, it is a good idea to bring your own water.
The Frauenkirche is 492 metres from the castle, and St. Lorenz Church is 823 metres away. The Germanisches Nationalmuseum is the furthest point, at 1,114 metres. This museum has an audio story as well. When you have seen the Imperial Castle in Nuremberg, you can continue on foot through the old town. There is an audio story about the castle itself in the Outdoor Pitstop app, which you can play on the spot. It lasts 2 minutes, so it is easy to listen to during a short break.
The nearest pitstop of each kind within 1 km, as the crow flies. No bike pump or honesty box within 1 km.
50 well-known points of interest nearby, those with an audio tour first. 32 of the 50 well-known points of interest nearby are within 1 km.
Hear the story of Germanisches Nationalmuseum on the spot with the app
The imperial castle in Nuremberg is the Kaiserburg, a group of fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge above the historic old town. It consists of the imperial part, the castle of the burgraves and buildings the city itself erected.
The Kaiserburg is open Monday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00. You buy your ticket at the Kemenate.
Yes, the nearest bench is 19 metres from the Kaiserburg, at Burghof. There are 130 benches within 500 metres.
No, there is no water tap within 500 metres of the Kaiserburg. The nearest is 514 metres away, at the Yoshimi-Hashimoto-Brunnen. It is wheelchair accessible and suitable for filling a bottle.
Yes, the nearest public toilet is 76 metres from the Kaiserburg, at Burg. It is free and wheelchair accessible. There is also a wheelchair-accessible toilet inside the Kaiserburg.
The highlight is the double chapel from around 1200, with two chapels stacked on top of each other. In the Palas there is a permanent exhibition on the emperor, empire and city, and in the Kemenate there is a multimedia show on the building's history.
Find the nearest pitstop, navigate there, listen to audio tours, earn XP and make routes and lists together.
Scan with your iPhone camera
Outdoor Pitstop