In a nutshell
- Erlangen is the smallest major city in Bavaria — a university town with a surprising amount of culture and history.
- A stroll through the historic old town with its charming lanes will lead you to some really lovely hidden corners.
- The Bergkirchweih folk festival — Europe’s largest beer garden — is the absolute highlight of the year and something you have to experience at least once.
- Erlangen is best known as a Siemens hub and for its fascinating Huguenot history, which shaped the city’s unique checkerboard street layout.
Kristina and Thomas are here to tell you exactly why Erlangen is worth getting to know — in an interview from our Heimatliebe series. They answered our 22 questions and share their best insider tips on sights, activities, and restaurants in and around Erlangen.
Tips and Info for a Trip to Erlangen
Before we get to our interview, here’s the most important information you need before visiting Erlangen.
Location
Erlangen is a large city in Bavaria — more specifically, in Middle Franconia.
Munich is just under two hours away by car.
You can be in Nuremberg in just 20 minutes, in Bamberg in 30 minutes, and after just under an hour’s drive you’ll reach Bad Windsheim.
If you want to get out into nature, the Bavarian Forest is reachable in under two hours.
Our Hotel Recommendations
Here are our hotel picks for Erlangen to suit every budget:
Travel Guides
Erlangen tends to come bundled with neighboring cities in travel guides — which is actually a great excuse to plan a multi-city trip through Franconia. Here are two solid options worth checking out.
111 Places in Fürth & Erlangen That You Must Not Miss: This series does a great job mixing well-known spots with lesser-known finds. Perfect if you’re short on time but want to make the most of your visit.
Jede Menge Leben: Erlangen, Nürnberg, Fürth: A comprehensive guide covering not just the classic sights but also the best places to eat, go out, and unwind — everything a traveler’s heart could want.
Interview with Two Locals: Insider Tips for Erlangen
Our Experts
We’re Kristina and Thomas from the travel blog pixelschmitt. Thomas was born in Erlangen, grew up here, and has been rooted here for many years.
Kristina is originally from Bratislava but has been living in Germany for years — and for most of that time, right here in Erlangen.
Erlangen in Three Words
Green. Cozy. HighTech.
Why Visit?
Erlangen competes directly with the highlights of neighboring cities Nuremberg and Bamberg, which have some seriously impressive sights. Erlangen’s beauty reveals itself only on a second look — you need a little time to discover its hidden corners.
For example, there’s a stunning Margrave’s Theater, the oldest still-operating Baroque theater in southern Germany.
But its breathtaking interior hides behind a completely unremarkable façade that gives absolutely no hint of what’s inside.
Erlangen has a large university, several top-tier hospitals, and of course a major Siemens presence. You could almost say 50% of the city is Siemens, and the rest has something to do with universities or hospitals.
Thanks to the university, there are well over 30,000 students in the city. And just as many bicycles out on the streets.
Historically, Erlangen is really fascinating — in the 16th century, the city took in Huguenot refugees who left a lasting mark on the cityscape and its history.
So Erlangen has a few French roots as well. And not just because of this chapter in the city’s past — its motto is “Open by Tradition.”
Today, this small city is home to people from 152 nations. Walk through the pedestrian zone with your ears open and you’ll catch just how many languages are spoken here.
The Huguenot architecture has shaped the city, and they’re responsible for the checkerboard street layout in the historic center.
That’s also how the city’s logo came to be: a 5-by-5 grid of squares with a cutout in the outermost column, symbolizing the old town and the palace along with its square.
The best time to visit Erlangen is summer, because that’s when the city really comes alive. During the summer months, several tons of sand are poured onto the Schlossplatz, creating the Erlanger Schlossstrand — the palace beach.
What Makes Erlangen Unique
Erlangen is home to what is probably the best folk festival in the world — sorry, Oktoberfest. The Erlanger Bergkirchweih takes place every year around Pentecost and honestly blows the Oktoberfest out of the water.
This tradition has been going since 1755. Munich didn’t come up with their meadow festival until 1810.
The Bergkirchweih (or “Berg” / “Berch,” as the locals call it) is the largest beer garden in Europe. For twelve days, the party is held outdoors under giant trees.
It’s also the world’s largest class reunion of sorts — former students and alumni return to Erlangen year after year just for the Berch.
Erlangen also has a rich brewing history. Up until 150 years ago, the city had 18 breweries!
That’s also how the Bergkirchweih tradition got started. On the festival grounds, there are the so-called Keller (cellars), where beer was once cooled with blocks of ice in tunnels dug into the hillside — long before mechanical refrigeration existed.
Today, unfortunately, only two active breweries remain: Kitzmann and Steinbach. But throughout the city you’ll find relics from the era when Erlangen’s beers were known even internationally.
Every two years, Erlangen becomes the center of the comics world when the International Comic Salon takes place. Top-caliber comic artists from around the globe visit, bringing a splash of color to the city for a few days.
Also unique to Erlangen is the University’s Palace Garden Festival. It’s considered the largest and most beautiful garden party in Europe — but tickets are reserved for university employees and their families.
The few tickets that make it into public circulation through personal connections are highly sought after. The grand finale every year is a spectacular fireworks display.
Things to Do in Erlangen: Top Sights and Activities
Must-Sees
Start on the grounds of the Bergkirchweih. The history of the Bergkirchweih is closely tied to Erlangen’s identity as a beer city.
During the festival, you sit “on the cellars” that were once dug to keep the beer cool. Erlangen without the Berg simply doesn’t work.
Here you can kick back, relax, and enjoy a beer along with a hearty snack from the Entlas Keller — the only cellar that’s also open outside of the Bergkirchweih, from April through September.
From the Berg, you can stroll through the Erlangen old town via a few hidden side streets.
Passing by the stork pair nesting on the chimney of the Steinbach brewery (probably the only storks with their own webcam), you’ll discover the beautiful corners of the historic district. Be sure to take a coffee break on Schiffstraße — locals consider it the most beautiful street in Erlangen.
After that, make your way to the Schlossgarten. The palace gardens are to Erlangen what Central Park is to New York.
It’s a beautifully landscaped park that connects directly to Erlangen Palace. The Orangerie is always a delight — in summer, open-air concerts are even held in front of it.
When It Rains
A movie is always a solid plan, and the best cinemas in the city are Lamm Lichtspiele and the Manhattan-Kino — award-winning arthouse cinemas with a great selection of films.
With Kids
In eastern Erlangen, the US Army was once stationed. Part of that land has since been developed into a new neighborhood known as Rötelheimpark. The large former military training ground is now a nature reserve and home to wild boars and even the very rare Przewalski’s horses.
The animals are behind fences but have more than enough room to roam. The sprawling grounds are best explored by bike.
Best Day Trips
A side trip to Franconian Switzerland is always a great idea. We’d especially recommend the so-called 5 Seidla Trail starting from Gräfenberg.
Seidla are Franconian beer mugs holding 0.5 liters. On an easy hike of about 8 kilometers, you stop at five breweries and enjoy a Seidla at each one. Or two.
For Relaxation
We both love the area along the Schwabach River, heading upstream from the Kopfklinik. Long-time Erlangen locals call this stretch the Riviera — and even without a beach it’s a wonderful place to unwind. You’ll always find a bench where you can sit and soak up the sun.
A real local favorite here is the University’s Aroma Garden, filled with herbs and fragrant plants. Especially during blooming season, it’s a genuine treat for the nose.
Best Viewpoints
The sculpture garden above the Bergkirchweih grounds is seriously worth the climb. In this beautifully landscaped hillside park, you’ll find the massive sculptures of Erlangen artist Heinrich Kirchner.
At the top of the hill you’ll find Erlangen’s best vantage point. From here, you can see the Schwabach valley and the old town in the foreground.
Behind that, the buildings of the universities and hospitals come into view, followed by the various Siemens headquarters — and on a clear day, you can even spot Nuremberg Castle on the horizon.
Best Photo Spot
One great thing about Erlangen: there’s no well-worn tourist trail here. That means you can explore the city completely on your own terms as a photographer.
Your best bet is to wander through the city center and try your hand at street photography.
Lots of impressions, lots of people, and therefore plenty of great subjects. The area around the Schlossplatz and the market square is especially beautiful when all the market stalls are full of goods.
Most Unusual Activity
Explore Erlangen by Segway — there are some great city tours available that can be booked through the city management office.
Erlangen has also become a small internet phenomenon in recent years, thanks to a street called Einhornstraße — or “Unicorn Street.” The street has had that name for a very long time, but it only went viral after a national radio station reported on it. Now souvenir hunters occasionally make the street sign disappear.
And there really is a real unicorn on Einhornstraße — in the form of an iron door handle.
Best Event of the Year
Bergkirchweih! For twelve days around Pentecost, Erlangen goes into full festival mode and over 1 million visitors pour into the city. Twelve days of celebrating and drinking. When things wrap up at 11 PM on the Bergkirchweih grounds in the north of the city, a huge crowd of revelers — especially on weekends — spills into the bars and pubs of the city center.
The Erlanger Bergkirchweih is something you have to experience at least once, because you won’t find anything like it anywhere else in the world.
Bergkirchweih Erlangen: Everything you need to know. And we really do mean everything!
Food and Drink in Erlangen
Local Specialties
We’d point you toward two Erlangen classics. First, the bratwurst from the city’s very own bratwurst king at Metzgerei Brunner on Vierzigmannstraße.
The owner personally earned the title of bratwurst king in 2014 — and his sausages are truly outstanding.
And the only thing that goes perfectly with them is an original Bergbreze from Bäckerei Gulden. Just as unique as the Bergkirchweih itself, so are these pretzels.
There are plenty of pretzel bakers in Erlangen, but the best ones simply come from Gulden. You’ll find the bakery right on Bergstraße 1, just before you head up to the Berg.
Best Burger in Town
Head to Glüxrausch (formerly Papa Joes) on Martin-Luther-Platz. The burgers are genuinely delicious and the ingredients are sourced locally.
The meat comes from the bratwurst king and the buns are baked specially by Bäckerei Gulden.
Both suppliers are no more than 500 meters from Glüxrausch, and the butcher sometimes even delivers the meat on foot. It all adds up to seriously good, sustainable burgers.
Best Ice Cream
After plenty of taste-testing, the verdict is in: the best ice cream in town is at Gelateria Toscani on Nürnberger Straße.
Best Breakfast
The finest breakfast in town is at Café Mengin, right on the palace gardens. The café is a true institution in the city with a very long history.
From the conservatory, you have a wonderful view of the Orangerie, the palace, and the palace gardens.
Favorite Restaurants
Spezerei: A small restaurant with delicious Franconian cuisine and plenty of seasonal dishes.
Kulisse: A wonderfully cozy restaurant right next door to the Theater in der Garage and the well-hidden Margrave’s Theater. Our recommendation: the Kren-Schnitzel. Just give it a try.
Taverne Mythos: This spot calls itself the “best Greek cuisine in the city” — and it lives up to the claim. The restaurant isn’t large, but that’s exactly what gives it such a warm, welcoming feel.
Favorite Bars
Gummi Wörner: This bar simply kept the name of its former owner. For many years, a shop selling specialty rubber and household goods operated here under the name Gummi Wörner — they had everything rubber. After the shop closed, a young hospitality team took over the space and turned it into one of Erlangen’s coolest spots.
Best Midnight Snack
Even though Erlangen is a university city, the late-night dining scene is pretty slim. The classic go-to for night owls who need something to eat is the Schwarze Ritter on Goethestraße.
This is where you’ll find everyone who doesn’t want to go home yet — though more often than not, it’s the ones who probably should have headed home already.
Where to Stay in Erlangen
Our Hotel Pick
Either the Graue Wolf or the Hotel Stadthaus. Both are fairly centrally located and rooms start at 80 euros.
Budget Accommodations
Erlangen used to have a youth hostel, but since it closed, finding affordable lodging has become quite difficult. There are a few options on Airbnb, as well as a campground in Dechsendorf (about 10 kilometers outside the city).
