Self-Guided Walking Tour in Nuremberg

This self-guided route links 14 stops across Nuremberg's walled old town, starting high at the Kaiserburg and looping down to the Pegnitz river and back up. The page gives you the full map, per-leg walking times, real opening hours and ticket prices, plus shorter versions if you have less time.

14 Stops5.3 km~3 hours walkingAbout 4–5 hours with a couple of interiors
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Nuremberg Walking Tour at a Glance

This route is built for a traveller who wants to see the whole old town on foot at their own pace. It strings 14 stops into one loop and puts the interiors in your hands: every ticketed building here, from the castle to the museums, is optional, and you can walk the entire circuit paying for nothing at all. Stop for a beer where you like, skip what does not interest you, and read each stop as you reach it.

StartKaiserburg Nürnberg museum (Kaiserburg Nürnberg - Kaiserburgmuseum)
FinishStadtmuseum Fembohaus
Route typeA rough loop that starts high at the Kaiserburg on the northern ridge, drops south through the churches and market to the Pegnitz, then climbs the north bank back to the castle gate, so you finish a few minutes from where you began.
Realistic timeTwo to two and a half hours of walking with photo stops if you enter nothing, or a comfortable full day once you add two or three interiors and a long lunch on the Hauptmarkt.
DifficultyEasy underfoot but not flat: 5.3 kilometers of pedestrianized cobbled lanes, with one real climb from the river up to the castle and sandstone steps that get slick when wet. Proper shoes matter.
Cost to followThe outdoor route is entirely free. The only paid interiors are the Kaiserburg (7 €), the Germanisches Nationalmuseum (10 €), the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus (7,50 €) and the Stadtmuseum Fembohaus (7,50 €), and you choose which to enter.
Best for:

First-time visitors who want the full old town in one self-paced walk without a group, a fixed schedule or a guide's agenda dictating how long you linger at the river.

The Route

Free Walking Tour Map of Nuremberg

14 stops5.3 kmabout 3 hours
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The 14 stops along this route

  1. Kaiserburg Nürnberg museum (Kaiserburg Nürnberg - Kaiserburgmuseum) in Nuremberg, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour
    1Kaiserburg Nürnberg museum (Kaiserburg Nürnberg - Kaiserburgmuseum)
  2. City walls of Nuremberg (Stadtmauer Nürnberg) in Nuremberg, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour
    2City walls of Nuremberg (Stadtmauer Nürnberg)
  3. St. Sebaldus (St. Sebald) in Nuremberg, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour
    3St. Sebaldus (St. Sebald)
  4. Hauptmarkt in Nuremberg, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour
    4Hauptmarkt
  5. Schöner Brunnen in Nuremberg, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour
    5Schöner Brunnen
  6. Frauenkirche in Nuremberg, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour
    6Frauenkirche
  7. Lorenzkirche metro station (U-Bahnhof Lorenzkirche) in Nuremberg, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour
    7Lorenzkirche metro station (U-Bahnhof Lorenzkirche)
  8. Filialkirche Königstraße 66 in Nuremberg, stop 8 on the self-guided walking tour
    8Filialkirche Königstraße 66
  9. Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, stop 9 on the self-guided walking tour
    9Germanisches Nationalmuseum
  10. Henkersteg in Nuremberg, stop 10 on the self-guided walking tour
    10Henkersteg
  11. Weinstadel in Nuremberg, stop 11 on the self-guided walking tour
    11Weinstadel
  12. Albrecht Dürer's House (Albrecht-Dürer-Haus) in Nuremberg, stop 12 on the self-guided walking tour
    12Albrecht Dürer's House (Albrecht-Dürer-Haus)
  13. Tiergärtnertorplatz in Nuremberg, stop 13 on the self-guided walking tour
    13Tiergärtnertorplatz
  14. Stadtmuseum Fembohaus in Nuremberg, stop 14 on the self-guided walking tour
    14Stadtmuseum Fembohaus
  15. That's the complete route.

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Your Nuremberg Walking Tour, Stop by Stop

  1. 1

    Kaiserburg Nürnberg museum (Kaiserburg Nürnberg - Kaiserburgmuseum)

    Kaiserburg Nürnberg museum (Kaiserburg Nürnberg - Kaiserburgmuseum) in Nuremberg, stop 1 on the self-guided walking tour

    Start at the top, because everything from here is downhill. The Imperial Castle sits on a sandstone crag at the highest point of the old town, and the climb up to it is the only real effort of the day. Every Holy Roman Emperor between 1050 and 1571 stayed here at some point, which is why it is the symbol of the city. The view from the terrace over the red rooftops is free and reason enough to come up. Inside, the Palas with its double chapel and the Kaiserburg-Museum cost 7 EUR (6 EUR reduced, under 18 free), and it is open daily 9:00 to 18:00. Worth it if you want the deep well and the Sinwell Tower, skippable if you are short on time. Leaving, follow the wall east along the ridge toward the Stadtmauer.

    Hours
    Daily: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
    Price
    7 € (Palas mit Doppelkapelle + Kaiserburg-Museum; ermäßigt 6 €; unter 18 frei)
  2. 2

    City walls of Nuremberg (Stadtmauer Nürnberg)

    City walls of Nuremberg (Stadtmauer Nürnberg) in Nuremberg, stop 2 on the self-guided walking tour

    The wall is the thing most cities lost and Nuremberg kept. Roughly five kilometers of it still ring the old town, with towers, gates and a dry moat, and it is the reason the city was never taken by force until April 1945, when the US Seventh Army finally did it with overwhelming numbers. Walk a stretch of it and you understand the scale: thick sandstone, deep ditches, the kind of defense that made medieval armies turn around. It is open all the time and free. You do not need to walk the whole ring, just enough of it to feel how the town was sealed in. From here turn back west and downhill into the lanes toward St. Sebald, the older of the two great churches.

    Hours
    Open 24/7
    Price
    Free
  3. 3

    St. Sebaldus (St. Sebald)

    St. Sebaldus (St. Sebald) in Nuremberg, stop 3 on the self-guided walking tour

    This is the oldest parish church in the city, named for an 8th-century hermit, and it sits just above the Hauptmarkt next to the old town hall. After the open sky on the wall, the dim interior feels like stepping into a different temperature. The piece to find is the bronze shrine of St. Sebaldus by Peter Vischer and his sons, a freestanding cast tomb that took the workshop years and is one of the great works of German Renaissance bronze. Entry is free. Open Monday to Saturday 9:30 to 18:00, Sunday from 11:00. Ten minutes inside is enough unless you want to sit. Leave by the south door and the Hauptmarkt opens up right in front of you down the slope.

    Hours
    Mon-Sat: 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM | Sun: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
    Price
    Free
  4. 4

    Hauptmarkt

    Hauptmarkt in Nuremberg, stop 4 on the self-guided walking tour

    The square hits you with noise and color, especially on a weekday morning when the Wochenmarkt is set up across its 5,000 square meters of open ground. Flowers, bratwurst, gingerbread, produce. This is the same square that turns into the Christkindlesmarkt every December, the most famous Christmas market in Germany. Keep in mind that the architecturally grand version of this square was destroyed in the war and rebuilt simply, so what survived as landmarks are the two things on its edges: the Frauenkirche and the Schöner Brunnen. It is always open and free to stand in. Grab a Drei im Weckla, three small Nürnberger sausages in a roll, from a market stall for a couple of euros while you are here. The golden fountain is in the corner.

    Hours
    Always open
    Price
    Free
  5. 5

    Schöner Brunnen

    Schöner Brunnen in Nuremberg, stop 5 on the self-guided walking tour

    You cannot miss it: a 19-meter gilded Gothic spire rising out of the corner of the Hauptmarkt like a church steeple that lost its church. The original is 14th century, and the figures climbing its tiers run from prophets to electors to the heroes of antiquity. The thing everyone actually comes for is small and easy to overlook: a seamless brass ring set into the surrounding iron grille. Turn it for luck. There is no joint in it, which is the whole legend, and it is polished bright from centuries of hands. Free, always accessible. It takes two minutes and a photo. The fountain stands a few steps from the Frauenkirche, so just turn to face the church on the east side of the square for your next stop.

  6. 6

    Frauenkirche

    Frauenkirche in Nuremberg, stop 6 on the self-guided walking tour

    Time this one. The brick Gothic church on the east side of the Hauptmarkt has the Männleinlaufen, a mechanical clock from 1509 that performs once a day at noon, when seven figures representing the prince-electors circle the seated emperor. It lasts a couple of minutes and draws a crowd onto the square below, so stake out a spot a few minutes early and look up at the gable. Inside is free and quieter than the noon scene outside. Opening hours shift by day: Monday and Tuesday 10:00 to 17:00, Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 to 18:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 18:00, Sunday from 12:00. If you are not here at noon, the facade is still worth a look from the square. From here head south across the Hauptmarkt and down toward the river and the second great church.

  7. 7

    Lorenzkirche metro station (U-Bahnhof Lorenzkirche)

    Lorenzkirche metro station (U-Bahnhof Lorenzkirche) in Nuremberg, stop 7 on the self-guided walking tour

    Cross the Pegnitz and the southern half of the old town announces itself with two soaring towers. St. Lorenz is the Frauenkirche's bigger Gothic counterpart on the south bank, and unlike most of the city it kept its medieval treasures. Look up for Veit Stoss's Annunciation, a carved wreath of figures hanging in the choir, and find Adam Kraft's stone tabernacle, a slender spire of carved sandstone that curls over at the top because it was too tall for the vault. Entry is free. Open Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 17:30, Sunday 13:00 to 15:30, so it is the church to skip if you arrive on a Sunday afternoon. Step back out the front and the long shopping street runs off to the southeast.

    Hours
    Mon-Sat: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM | Sun: 1:00 – 3:30 PM
    Price
    Free
  8. 8

    Filialkirche Königstraße 66

    Filialkirche Königstraße 66 in Nuremberg, stop 8 on the self-guided walking tour

    This is the spine of the southern old town, the pedestrian street that runs from the main station up to the Lorenzkirche, and it is where Nuremberg does its shopping. Crowds, chain stores, street musicians, the occasional grand old facade above the shopfronts. It is always open and costs nothing to walk, obviously, but it is more a connector than a destination. The honest verdict: do not linger unless you want to shop or need a quick bite from one of the bakeries along it. Use it to get your bearings, because almost everyone arrives in Nuremberg down this street from the station. When you have had enough of the retail, cut west off the street toward the big museum on the southern edge of the loop.

    Hours
    Always open
    Price
    Free
  9. 9

    Germanisches Nationalmuseum

    Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, stop 9 on the self-guided walking tour

    The largest museum of German cultural history sits on the southern edge of the old town, and the approach is through the Way of Human Rights, a row of white pillars each carved with an article of the Universal Declaration in a different language. Inside are 1.3 million objects, 25,000 on display, from prehistory to now. The single thing to seek out is the Behaim Globe, the oldest surviving globe of the Earth, made in 1492 and on the UNESCO Memory of the World register. Entry is 10 EUR (6 EUR reduced, under 18 free), and it is free on Wednesdays from 17:30. Closed Mondays; Wednesday it stays open to 20:30, otherwise 10:00 to 18:00. This is a half-day if you go in, so save it for after the walk or just see the pillars outside. Head north back toward the river and the covered wooden bridge.

    Hours
    Mon: Closed | Tue: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Wed: 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM | Thu-Sun: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
    Price
    10 € (ermäßigt 6 €; unter 18 frei; mittwochs ab 17.30 Uhr frei)
    Website
    gnm.de ↗
  10. 10

    Henkersteg

    Henkersteg in Nuremberg, stop 10 on the self-guided walking tour

    Back down at the Pegnitz you reach the picture everyone takes home. The Henkersteg, the Hangman's Bridge, is a covered wooden footbridge that crosses the river beside an old water tower, and the executioner of the city once lived in the tower because his trade made him an outcast who had to stay outside normal society. Stand on the bridge upstream of it for the classic shot of half-timbered houses leaning over the water. It is free and open at all hours, which makes it a good stop at dusk when the lights come on. Crossing the wooden planks takes a minute and the view takes longer. The huge half-timbered building right beside it is your next stop, so you barely have to move.

    Hours
    Open 24/7
    Price
    Free
  11. 11

    Weinstadel

    Weinstadel in Nuremberg, stop 11 on the self-guided walking tour

    Right next to the bridge looms a vast half-timbered block sitting half over the water, one of the largest such buildings in the country. The Weinstadl was the city's wine depot from around 1571, the place where the free imperial city stored its wine stocks, and the timber upper floors hanging out toward the river are the photogenic part. Today it is a student dormitory, so there is no going inside, but the exterior is the whole point and it is free to look at any time. Pair it with the Henkersteg and the water tower for the riverside set of photos that defines the city. From here you climb back up the north bank toward the Dürer house, retracing the slope you came down earlier.

    Hours
    Open 24/7 (Außenansicht jederzeit; heute Studentenwohnheim, kein Innenzugang)
    Price
    Free (Außenansicht; nicht öffentlich zugänglich)
  12. 12

    Albrecht Dürer's House (Albrecht-Dürer-Haus)

    Albrecht Dürer's House (Albrecht-Dürer-Haus) in Nuremberg, stop 12 on the self-guided walking tour

    The climb back up the north side brings you to the half-timbered house where Albrecht Dürer lived and worked from 1509 until his death in 1528, the only surviving artist's house of its kind from the German Renaissance. Dürer was the most important artist Nuremberg ever produced, and the house has been a museum since 1949 after war damage was repaired. Inside you get the reconstructed living quarters, a working print studio, and a sense of how a master ran his workshop with apprentices under one roof. Entry is 7,50 EUR (2,50 EUR reduced, under 18 free). Closed Mondays; Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, weekends 10:00 to 18:00. Worth the ticket if you care about Dürer, otherwise the facade and the square below it are the draw. Step out the door and you are on the postcard square.

    Hours
    Mon: Closed | Tue-Fri: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Sat-Sun: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
    Price
    7,50 € (ermäßigt 2,50 €; unter 18 frei)
  13. 13

    Tiergärtnertorplatz

    Tiergärtnertorplatz in Nuremberg, stop 13 on the self-guided walking tour

    This little square just below the castle gate is where locals actually sit. Cobblestones, a cluster of leaning half-timbered houses, the medieval Tiergärtnertor gate on one side and the Dürer house on the other, and on a warm evening half the city seems to be sitting on the steps with a beer from the kiosk. It is the most photographed square in the old town and it costs nothing to enjoy. There is no museum here and no ticket, which is the appeal: this is the stop where you stop walking, sit down, and just watch the place. Buy a bottle from the small shop on the corner and take the steps. When you are ready, the lane back down toward the city heads to the last stop, the merchant house museum.

  14. 14

    Stadtmuseum Fembohaus

    Stadtmuseum Fembohaus in Nuremberg, stop 14 on the self-guided walking tour

    End on the descent from the castle at the Fembohaus, the only large merchant's house from the late Renaissance that survived in the old town intact. That alone makes the building worth a look, with its tall gabled facade and original interiors. Inside, the city museum walks you through 950 years of Nuremberg history, which is the right note to finish on after a day of seeing the pieces out of order. Entry is 7,50 EUR (2,50 EUR reduced, under 18 free). Closed Mondays; Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, weekends 10:00 to 18:00. If your legs are done, the genuine 16th-century rooms are worth the half-hour even without the full exhibition. From here it is a short downhill walk back into the heart of the old town and the Hauptmarkt where you started.

    Hours
    Mon: Closed | Tue-Fri: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Sat-Sun: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
    Price
    7,50 € (ermäßigt 2,50 €; unter 18 frei)

How Long Does This Walking Tour Really Take?

Walking the loop without going inside anything takes about two to two and a half hours including photos. Add real time wherever you buy a ticket: the Germanisches Nationalmuseum alone can swallow half a day, while the Kaiserburg, Dürer house and Fembohaus run 30 to 60 minutes each. A full day with a few interiors is the realistic plan.

Walking the route without going inside anything takes about two to two and a half hours, including photo stops. Add real time wherever you buy a ticket. The Germanisches Nationalmuseum is the big one: it can swallow half a day on its own, so treat it as optional or do it on a separate visit. The Kaiserburg interior is about 45 minutes to an hour, and the Dürer and Fembo houses are 30 to 45 minutes each. A comfortable full day with two or three interiors and a long lunch is realistic.

The natural break is the Tiergärtnertorplatz near the end, the square below the castle gate where the kiosk sells cold beer and the steps are the local living room. Sit there. Earlier in the loop, the cafes around the Hauptmarkt give you a spot to rest after the churches, and the riverbank by the Henkersteg has benches if you want a quiet pause with the water tower in view. Build the noon clock at the Frauenkirche into your timing so you are on the Hauptmarkt at midday.

Full Route, Shorter Walk or Two-Day Version?

The full circuit is short and it flows in one direction, but it splits cleanly if your time or your legs are limited. Here are three ways to walk it, using the real stop numbers and the per-leg distances so you know exactly what you are trading away.

Full

The complete loop

Stops 1–14, about 5.3 km, a full day with two or three interiors (or 2–2.5 hours walking only)

The whole route as laid out, from the Kaiserburg down through both great churches and the Hauptmarkt, across the river at the Henkersteg, and back up the north bank to the Dürer house and Fembohaus. Nothing is backtracked and the one big hill is climbed only once.

Short

The core without the long detours

Stops 1, 3–8, 10–14, about 3.5 km, roughly 2 hours

Drops the two longest side-legs: the walk east to the Stadtmauer (stop 2) and the swing south to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum (stop 9), which is a half-day museum in itself. You keep the castle, both churches, the market, the fountain, the river bridges and the Dürer square.

Two-part

Split at the river across two visits

Part 1: stops 1–6 (castle to Frauenkirche, ~2.5 km); Part 2: stops 7–14 (river and back, ~2.8 km)

The natural break is the Pegnitz. Part one covers the northern high ground: castle, wall, Sebalduskirche and the Hauptmarkt with the noon clock at the Frauenkirche. Part two crosses to St. Lorenz, the river bridges and the Dürer quarter, ideal split over two half-days or a morning and an evening.

You can walk it backwards from the Fembohaus up to the Kaiserburg, but the given direction is better: you get the castle view first while your legs are fresh and then drift downhill, instead of finishing with the one steep climb. Most people arrive at the Hauptbahnhof and come up Königstraße, which drops you naturally near the southern end of the loop.

Is This Nuremberg Walking Tour Right for You?

This walk suits some travellers better than others. Here is who it is built for and how to bend it if your day, your pace or your interests do not match the default plan.

A good fit if you…

  • First-time visitors who want the whole old town in one coherent self-guided loop rather than scattered sights
  • Walkers comfortable with 5.3 km of cobbles and one real climb from the river up to the castle
  • People who want to choose their own interiors and skip the ones that do not interest them, paying only for what they enter
  • Anyone who prefers to set their own pace, sit at the Tiergärtnertorplatz with a beer, and not be marched along by a group guide

Adapt the route if you…

  • Short on time: take the Short version, dropping the Stadtmauer and the Germanisches Nationalmuseum for a 3.5 km, two-hour walk
  • Travelling with kids or tired legs: split it at the river into two half-days and use the trams and U-Bahn for the station stretch
  • Coming on a Sunday afternoon: the Lorenzkirche closes at 15:30 and the Frauenkirche noon clock is a fixed midday event, so time your loop around them
  • Chasing the signature photo: save the Henkersteg, Weinstadl and Tiergärtnertorplatz for late afternoon or dusk when the riverside light is best

Tickets & Skip-the-Line in Nuremberg

Nuremberg's museums rarely need timed tickets, so most of the time you just pay at the door. What matters more here is knowing the real prices, the closing days and the free windows before you plan your day. Here is the ticket picture for the paid stops on this route.

Kaiserburg Nürnberg museum (Kaiserburg Nürnberg - Kaiserburgmuseum)7 € for the Palas with the double chapel plus the Kaiserburg-Museum (6 € reduced, under 18 free). Open daily 9:00 to 18:00. Buy on arrival at the top; the terrace view itself is free. official ticket site ↗
Germanisches Nationalmuseum10 € (6 € reduced, under 18 free), and free every Wednesday from 17:30. Closed Mondays; Wednesday it stays open to 20:30, otherwise 10:00 to 18:00. Plan a half-day if you go in. official ticket site ↗
Albrecht Dürer's House (Albrecht-Dürer-Haus)7,50 € (2,50 € reduced, under 18 free). Closed Mondays; Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, weekends 10:00 to 18:00. Roughly 30 to 45 minutes inside. official ticket site ↗
Stadtmuseum Fembohaus7,50 € (2,50 € reduced, under 18 free). Closed Mondays; Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, weekends 10:00 to 18:00. The genuine 16th-century rooms are worth the half-hour even without the full exhibition. official ticket site ↗
Everything elseThe rest of the route is free open ground: the Stadtmauer, both churches, the Hauptmarkt, the Schöner Brunnen, the Henkersteg, the Weinstadl exterior and the Tiergärtnertorplatz all cost nothing and need no ticket.
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Tips for Walking in Nuremberg

  • Arrive at Hauptbahnhof and walk up Königstraße into the old town; it is about 10 minutes on foot to the Lorenzkirche, so you can start the loop from either end. Trams and the U-Bahn cover the city if you want to skip the station-to-center stretch.
  • The old town is cobblestones and a real hill from the river up to the Kaiserburg. Wear proper shoes, not smooth-soled flats, because the sandstone steps near the castle get slick when wet.
  • Public toilets are limited, so use the facilities inside the Germanisches Nationalmuseum or a Hauptmarkt cafe while you are buying something. The churches do not reliably have public restrooms.
  • On the Hauptmarkt, get a Drei im Weckla, three grilled Nürnberger sausages in a bread roll, from a market stall for around 3 to 4 EUR. It is the local snack and the bratwurst here is the small finger-length kind, not the fat fairground sort.
  • For the signature photo, stand on the Maxbrücke just west of the Henkersteg and face east at golden hour; you get the covered wooden bridge, the water tower and the Weinstadl reflected in the Pegnitz all in one frame.

Why Walk This Route?

Nuremberg is built for walking and it knows it. The old town is a tight sandstone bowl wrapped in a five-kilometer medieval wall, sloped from the castle on its rocky ridge down to the Pegnitz river and back up the other side. The whole historic center fits inside that ring, so you are never more than a few minutes from the next thing worth seeing. Cars are mostly kept out of the core, the streets are pedestrianized, and the distances are short. This route is 5.3 kilometers with 14 stops, and you do almost none of it on a busy road.

What makes this loop work is the order. You start high at the Kaiserburg, where you get the view first while your legs are fresh, then drift downhill through the two great Gothic churches and the Hauptmarkt, cross the river at the most photographed bridge in the city, and climb back up to the Dürer house and the castle gate to close the circle. You are not backtracking and you are not fighting the hill twice. Most of the old town was flattened in 1945 and rebuilt stone by stone, which is the thing to keep in mind as you walk: a lot of what looks 600 years old was carefully put back together after the war.

Wandering Nuremberg blind will leave you missing half of it, because the best bits sit in courtyards and on riverbanks you would walk straight past. This route strings them together in the way a local would actually move through the day, and it tells you which interiors are worth the ticket and which you can admire from the street and keep moving.

Common Questions

Is Nuremberg safe to walk around?

Yes, the old town is calm and well-trafficked, day and night. The usual caution applies around the main station after dark, where the area can feel a bit rougher, but the historic core is fine. Watch your bag in the December Christkindlesmarkt crush, which is the one time the Hauptmarkt gets genuinely packed and pickpockets work the crowd. No notable scams target tourists on this route.

What if it rains during my Nuremberg tour?

You have good indoor options right on the route. Duck into the Sebalduskirche, Lorenzkirche or Frauenkirche, all free. For a longer dry spell, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum (10 EUR) is the obvious refuge and can fill hours, and the Kaiserburg museum, Dürer house and Fembohaus are all covered. The covered Henkersteg gives you a brief shelter too. The wall and squares are the parts to save for a clear hour.

What's the best time of day for this walking tour?

Start mid-morning, around 9:30 to 10:00, so the Kaiserburg is open when you arrive at the top and you reach the Frauenkirche on the Hauptmarkt for the noon clock. That also puts you at the Tiergärtnertorplatz and the Henkersteg in the late afternoon and early evening, which is when the riverside light is best and the square fills with locals. Avoid starting late, since the churches and museums close between 17:00 and 18:00.

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