# Middle Franconia

Middle Franconia (Mittelfranken) is the southernmost, central and most urbanized part of Franconia in Germany. Its heart is the urbanized area around Nuremberg Fürth and Erlangen but there are also delightful Bierkeller or natural attractions in its rural parts.

## Cities

* 49.45388911.07751 Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) — the biggest city in the region and notable as one of the preeminent Reichsstädte during much of the Middle Ages
* 49.59638911.0044442 Erlangen — a university town with a big presence by Siemens and a cosmopolitan feeling to it unusual in a town of only 100,000
* 49.310.5833333 Ansbach — the administrative center and former residence of the margraves of Ansbach-Bayreuth
* 49.47833310.9902784 Fürth — Nuremberg's neighbour and most important rival with a rich Jewish history
* 49.5710.8819445 Herzogenaurach — world-famous as the city of Adidas and Puma, this place offers superb outlet shopping as well as an underappreciated old town
* 49.37722210.1788896 Rothenburg ob der Tauber — famous for its intact medieval Altstadt encircled by 13th-century town walls
* 49.32916711.0208337 Schwabach — famous for its goldsmith crafts, in particular gold leaf work
* 49.51027811.2772228 Lauf an der Pegnitz — a smaller city with nice half-timber buildings, two old town gates and a castle, about 18 km from Nuremberg at the Pegnitz river
* 49.08333311.2166679 Thalmässing — has an archaeological museum and walking
* 49.03055610.97194410 Weißenburg — has a largely preserved city wall, the Gothic town hall, the town church and the Ellinger Gate
* 49.41666711.01666711 Stein bei Nürnberg — a small city near Nuremberg, home to the world-famous "Faber-Castell" pencils with quite some impressive buildings related to the factory and family
* 49.07083310.31944412 Dinkelsbühl — a stop along the Romantic Road renowned for its largely preserved mediaeval old town
* 49.24611111.09111113 Roth — known for its "Challenge Roth" Triathlon held every year
* 49.510.41666714 Bad Windsheim — a self-governing Reichsstadt into the early 19th century; its main claim to fame is the Freilandmuseum

## Other destinations

* 49.12827210.8174891 Franconian Lake District — its 7 lakes and several “waters” offer many recreational opportunities

## Get in
### By plane

The only airport with scheduled flights in this area is in Nuremberg (NUE). If you arrive from further away, you will most likely have to change planes in Frankfurt (FRA).

### By car

The Autobahns A3, A9 and A73 run through this area

### By train

The main hub is Nuremberg. From there S-Bahn or Regional trains connect to (almost) all points with a train station in the region and some beyond

### By bus

Some Intercity buses in Germany stop in some places, again most of them in Nuremberg

## Get around

Practically all of Middle Franconia is served by the VGN with a fairly extensive network of buses and trains

## See
### Itineraries

Depending on which part of Middle Franconia you are interested in most, you would want to cover more than this administrative region. Many interesting cities around are in Upper Franconia (e.g. Bamberg).

## Do

* Deutsches national Museum (Nürnberg)
* Spielzueg Museum (Nürnberg)

## Eat

    See also: Franconian cuisine

## Drink

Breweries in Franconia lists breweries, beer cellars, brewery museums.

## Go next

* Franconian Switzerland — a region with steep hills, great castles, loved by climbers do to its rocks and an incredible density of breweries. It "touches" the north of Middle Franconia, but is not really in it (it lies in Upper Franconia)