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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Erlangen
Base in Erlangen one night only if Siemens, the university or the Huguenot old town is your reason; otherwise sleep in Nuremberg and day-trip in 20 min.
Erlangen is a university and Siemens city of about 120,000 people, 20 min by train from Nuremberg and 30 min from Bamberg. The compact old town, the Huguenot quarter and the Regnitz meadows are worth half a day; the city is a practical, cheaper base for Nuremberg rather than a destination on its own.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- May–Sep, Dec
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (grey and cold)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €85–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €2.50–4 |
| Beer, 0.5 l in a tavern | €4–5.50 |
| Lunch, bakery or Döner | €5–9 |
| Main course in a mid-range restaurant | €12–20 |
| VGN single trip, price level C | €2.30 (check) |
| VGN Tagesticket solo | €4.70 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €8–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NUE · Nuremberg Airport
- U-Bahn to Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof about 13 min, then train to Erlangen about 20 min; bus 30 runs direct to Erlangen on weekdays, about 30 min
- FRA · Frankfurt Airport
- Train with one change in Nuremberg; allow 3 h+
- MUC · Munich Airport
- Train with one change; allow 3 h+
Typical fares
- Nuremberg Airport → Erlangen, bus 30
- VGN fare, about 30 min on weekdays (check)
- Erlangen → Nuremberg, regional train
- about 20 min, VGN fare (check)
- VAG Rad bikeshare
- €0.10 start plus €0.10 per minute (check)
Get around
Bikes beat buses in the centre: many one-way streets are two-way for cyclists and the Regnitz has few car crossings. Buses run under the VGN tariff (price level C); night buses run only on Friday, Saturday and pre-holiday nights. S-Bahn S1 has four stops in the city.
See and do
Known for
- Huguenot old town and Hugenottenplatz
- Friedrich-Alexander University
- Siemens headquarters
- Regnitz meadows (Wiesengrund)
- Bergkirchweih beer festival
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Nuremberg | S1 or regional train from Erlangen Hauptbahnhof | About 30–40 min |
| Fürth | S1 towards Nuremberg, change or continue | About 40–50 min |
| Bamberg | Regional or ICE train from Erlangen | About 40–50 min |
| Herzogenaurach | Bus 199, 200 or 201 from Erlangen | About 40–50 min |
| Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Train via Ansbach or Steinach, one or two changes | 1.5–2 h |
| Ansbach | Regional train from Erlangen | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Old town around Hugenottenplatz
- Pedestrian core, cafés and the market square; walk to everything, but few beds and higher prices.
- Hauptbahnhof and Arcaden
- Best for one night with bags: trains, buses and the tourist office within a few minutes on foot.
- South of the centre near the university
- Quieter, cheaper rooms and student bars; 10–15 min walk or a short bike ride to the old town.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me | Entschuldigungent-SHOOL-dee-goong |
| Thank you | DankeDAN-kuh |
| Please | BitteBIT-tuh |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel KOS-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?vo ist dee toy-LET-tuh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Forests east of the city were used for artillery training and still hold unexploded ordnance: stay on marked trails.
- Cyclists ride fast and expect pedestrians to move; keep off the red-brick cycle lanes.
- Cycling in the pedestrian zone is only allowed evening to early morning; a fine of around €20 applies if enforced.
- Night buses run only on Friday, Saturday and pre-holiday nights; plan a taxi otherwise.
A calm, well-lit university city; the real risks are fast cyclists, the unexploded ordnance in the eastern forests and a thin night-bus network outside Friday and Saturday.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Erlangen yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Huguenot old town and Hugenottenplatz
- Friedrich-Alexander University
- Siemens headquarters
- Regnitz meadows (Wiesengrund)
- Bergkirchweih beer festival
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Erlangen official city site: www.erlangen.de/
- Erlangen Marketing tourist information: www.erlangen-marketing.de/service/kontakt/
- VGN — Nuremberg region transport authority: www.vgn.de/
- VAG Rad bikeshare: www.vagrad.de/en/
- Wikivoyage: Erlangen, revision 5314682 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5314682
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Erlangen
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Erlangen; the US consulate-general is in Munich, the UK and most others have embassies in Berlin.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10% and say the total as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/erlangen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.