Nuremberg is one of my favorite places! I visited at the end of a trip to Germany this summer.
There’s a tourist info just at the Konigstor, across from the Hauptbahnhof. They spoke English there, and I got a map of the city. You can also buy a Nuremberg Card there, although I got mine at my hotel. It’s basically a two day pass to most of the museums and public transport. But you have to commit, because it doesn’t make economic sense unless you’re going to do a couple of hardcore tourist days. But having the card encouraged me to go into some museums I wouldn’t otherwise have seen (like the toy museum), because they were essentially free.
Just inside Konigstor on your right is an Indian restaurant. Really, really good food (although that may be colored by the fact that it was freezing cold and raining when I ate there, and I was tired of German food). The owner spoke English, but the waiters didn’t.
I second (third?) the doner kebab recommendations; those were the second best meals I had in Nuremberg. Best one was on Konigstrasse, I think, south of Hauptmarkt.
Speaking of Hauptmarkt… you’re coming during the Christmas season, and the Hauptmarkt will probably be packed with stalls selling good stuff. Try some lebkuchen; it’s a Nuremberg tradition. And if you’re into that, pick up a creche; they have some amazing ones there.
Avoid the faux touristy market on your left as you enter Konigstor; I found it depressing and you can get much better stuff elsewhere.
Outside Nuremberg, you can go to the Document Center, which is a newish museum on the Nuremberg Nazi Party Rally Grounds. I didn’t go when I was in Nuremberg because, frankly, by that time I was all Nazi’d out. There was a numbing dullness to the memorials across Germany and Eastern Europe, memorials that “remembered” without assigning any responsibility. But I won’t derail your thread…
I’d recommend a daytrip to Regensburg, if you have time. It’s about an hour by train outside Nuremburg, and it’s an old Roman town. You can see remnants of the wall there (running through a parking garage of all things!), as well as a great museum with several historical finds, including a recent find of a cache of Roman coins.
Also, last point: when I traveled to Germany this summer, I accompanied two nine month old babies, my nephews. (Don’t worry; I wasn’t responsible for them, their parents came too.) Their parents had booked “bassinet” seats (we were on Lufthansa). It’s probably too late now, since those seats book up fast, but they’re at the bulkhead, and once the plane is in the air, the flight attendants put a bassinet up at the bulkhead for the baby. Also, check with the airline, but you can probably also order some baby food for the flight. Good luck!
