Things to do in Nördlingen: The Crater Town

Lydia Fulson

By: Lydia Fulson / Writer, Photographer, Blogger, Artist, Thrill Seeker, and Adventurer

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So, you've stumbled across the mysterious town of Nördlingen, a city with a crazy secret. But I'll let you in on the secret. The unique Bavarian city was built inside of a massive meteorite crater named the Nördlinger Ries.

Nördlingen drone view!

It's also among the best-hidden gems and top places to see along the Romantic Road/ romantische straße tourist route.

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Location & Getting to Nördlingen

From Nördlingen, the closest airport is the Augsburg Airport at (35.7 miles / 57.5 kilometers) from the city. By car, it's about an hour's drive. Augsburg Airport offers shuttle services that will drop you off right at your hotel door, with car rentals also available.

Welcome to Nördlingen, a city with one of the coolest histories in the Donau-Ries district. Nearly 15 million years ago, a massive meteorite crashed into the site of present-day Nördlingen.

This picturesque town is the perfect stop to add to your travel bucket list. It includes just enough activities to fill your visiting time among learning about the nifty history behind the town. Contrary to its amazing story and geography, it's a hidden touring gem.

Nördlingen isn't a spot that people think to visit during their travels, as it's not a bustling city like Berlin or the area near Neuschwanstein Castle; it's not as heard of, especially among tourists. While it may be in southern Germany, Bavaria, it's not just a hop, step, and jump away from the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. They're over two hours distance from each other. When people think of stopping by or spending a day in Bavaria, they think 'Neuschwanstein'!

But I'm here to add another stop to your Bavarian tour. An under-appreciated gem!

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No Really, GEMS!

What if I told you that these houses in this photo have thousands and thousands of tiny diamonds in the walls... Would you think I'm crazy? Well, that's okay because history backs up my chatter.

When the meteorite hit the area where the town now stands, it hit a local graphite deposit on impact, shooting 72,000 tons of diamonds flying through the stone in the ground. This same stone was used to build these homes and hundreds more in Nördlingen!

Streets of NordlingenGerman cobblestone streets are so picturesque!

They're too small to see with the naked eye, and you'd think there would have been a rise in crime in the town having this discovery been made. But these diamonds aren't the rocks you can add to a gold band or display in the Guinness Book of World Records. They're a mere 0.2mm big. You won't be making much with those.

Nördlingen remains a quiet city of tons of micro-diamonds, respected and still fascinating astronomers and geologists to this day.

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Good Morning Star Shine, The Earth says Hello!

Nördlingen was honored to serve as the background in a famous movie featuring a golden ticket. Can you guess which one based on that quote in the title? It's the fun 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! The strange but well-known worldwide film, now with three remakes, featured the view of Nördlingens houses in its ending scenes.

Willy Wonka Chocolate factory gate

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A Rare Phenomenon

The meteor that struck the area was something astronomers never expected to see on Earth. The type of crater that hit where Nördlingen stands today was known as no other than a rampart crater. Before Nördlingen, this type of crater was only ever seen on Mars!

Rampart craters cause a massive explosion of mud on impact. After being studied for years on Mars, it was discovered that these happen when the meteor strikes a spot covered by water or has large water deposits underground.

They also have a very distinct edge, and as one can see from the photos of the town, there is a very prominent and noticeable rise in the ground, showing off the crater edge so clearly that it can be seen just by walking through the town. From an aerial view of the town, it really is just one massive circle.

Nordlingen panoramic viewNördlingen from a birds-eye view

Here's a super cool panoramic picture taken of Nördlingen from the skies' point of view. Even without this panoramic lens, one can clearly see the outline of the crater's edge!

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Ground Control to Major Tom

Get a load of this to stay on track with the amazing space theme of Nördlingen's history.

Since this is the only meteorite crater of its kind on Earth that resembles those being explored in space, the Nördlinger Ries has been the site of training for official NASA missions!

The Apollo 14 mission set off to investigate rampart craters on the moon's surface in 1971. One year before this amazing mission, the astronauts had to undergo extensive training, ... as you do before going into the big black abyss in the sky. In order to train on similar terrain, the crew traveled to Nördlingen to train in the crater for four straight days.

Astronaut in spaceSay cheese!

Thanks to the training and the incredible crew, Apollo Mission 14 was a success and was the very first to land in the lunar highlands and the third Apollo program to land on the moon!

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Top Restaurants in The Ries

Wengers-Brettl

The Wengers-Brettl Restaurant serves authentic German food in big portions right in the heart of the city.

During the later evenings and on weekends, it's a good idea to call ahead of time to reserve your desired spot. It's so good, it's a busy place! But if you're looking for a reasonably priced stop to get a traditional taste of Germany in Nördlingen, this 4.5-star restaurant is it.

Stuck

You'll be ' stuck ' on this place when you try the traditional German meals at the Stuck restaurant and Biergarten. If there's one thing that German restaurants do well, it's portion sizes, and Nördlingen is home to many that are highly rated for their generous portions. Stuck is no exception, and their plating is *chefs kiss*. Don't forget to grab a mug of beer to top off the authentically German meal.

Like the Wegners-Brettl, a good restaurant is a busy one, so make a reservation ahead of time if you can. Try the schnitzel!

Restaurant Schlössle

Here's one of the best places outside of the city, but not too far that you can't walk back in to keep sightseeing around. The Schlössle is located outside the Baldinger Gate of the city wall.

It has a beautiful cottage feel and has large grounds and a terrace with a lovely little stream to enjoy while you wait for your meals or for the kids to run and burn off energy. It's a bright and relaxed atmosphere, serving big plates of traditional goodness.

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Top Things to do in Nördlingen

Tourist-Information center, der Stadt Noerdlingen

Before touring the Ries, stop by the Stadt Noerdlingen in the Marktplatz (Market Square) for all the info you need on events, tourist attractions, museums, festivals, and more happening in the city around you during your stay. The staff can tell you the easiest way to see all of the best attractions in the time of your visit, and have the best experience in this charming town.

Here in the tourist office, you can grab brochures and maps, and if you need them, the kind and helpful staff can hook you up with safe and reliable taxis to get you where you need to go, in or outside of the city.

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Walk the City Wall ~ Historic Stadtmauer

Coming across a walkable city wall in Germany is rare. And this one is on the site of a rare meteor crash site. So, by climbing the city wall inside a crater, you'll kill two birds with one stone on the rare experience scale.

There are only three cities in Germany that still have nearly a fully intact city wall. Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl, and Rothenburg ob der tauber. This completely established city wall stands 138ft tall and is the perfect photo opportunity.

I took the photos below on Rothenburg's city wall. It was such a cool experience. We don't have anything like this in Canada!

Rothenburg city wall collageI did, in fact, trip going up...and down the city wall stairs. But the view was worth the bruises

Walk along the half-timbered houses and red roofs on this nearly 3km/1.86-mile city wall accessible by many points. There are stairways leading up to the walkable wall throughout the city, and if you're just visiting, there are car parks outside the city wall to leave the car and enjoy yourself on and within the city walls.

This walk is an easy one, making it accessible for all ages. See a great view of the city from different angles in one of the eleven city wall towers during your leisurely stroll. The walkway has a railing and is completely covered, so one could still do this tourist activity in the rain. This walk is free of charge, and one can grab a map at the Tourist-Information Center, der Stadt Noerdlingen. These maps show the nearest parking to the wall, its many entrances, and more.

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Stadtmuseum

This museum is located in a city gate and offers insight into the history of this famous wall and the city's first settlers. The Stadtmuseum tells the stories of battles in and outside the wall, including the 'Battle of Noerdlingen' during the Thirty Years War.

See the impressive tapestries and paintings depicting important historical moments with informative guides to show you along and give extra insight into the nifty artifacts, paintings, and other displays. Visit the museum anytime between :

  • Tue - Sun 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

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Ries Crater Museum

What better place to learn about this space city than to visit a spacey museum? The Ries Crater Museum/ Rieskrater Museum, has all the information you need and more to fill your brain with loads of interesting history and facts about the impact.

The museum offers tours with knowledgeable guides in German and English with informative displays and actual samples of space rocks like the one that hit Nördlingen 15 million years ago.

See samples of the Earth from the area displaying those micro diamonds mentioned earlier. Learn more about the crater itself and the layers it created on impact. It's certainly worth visiting, especially if you love astronomy and geology. The Rieskrater Museum goes into deep detail about the geology of the ries. It's a must-see popular tourist destination! Visit the crater museum anytime between:

  • Tue - Sun 10:00am - 4:30 p.m.

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Bavarian Railway Museum

This railway museum is the perfect tourist stop for train enthusiasts. See old steam locomotives, steam engines, cars, and more. Housed in old locomotive sheds, you can explore, take photos, and learn about the history of the many old trains located inside the sheds and out front of the museum.

Steam engine locomotiveChoo choo!

If you're lucky, you just might be able to catch a ride in an old Diesel locomotive and watch the other steam engines use the round table! There's an entrance fee of 6 EUR, and being able to see such incredible machines and original railway vehicles at work makes it so worth it. Visit the railway museum any day from:

  • Tue - Fri 12:00pm - 4:00pm
  • Sat - Sun 10:00am - 5:00pm

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Self Guided Murder Mystery Game

This unique Murder Mystery game is a self-guided, fun way to tour the town while playing an interactive activity, alone or with your travel buddies. The theme? Sherlock Holmes Murder Mystery!

Sherlock Holmes hatGrab your best detective hat, and solve that mystery!

It's easy to set up, simply with an app that you download to your phone. Hints, clues, and locations will be sent to you personally. You only need to purchase one ticket, at $29.00, for up to a group of four.

As you move through the city, starting wherever you want, you will unlock new clues, meet new helpful characters, solve puzzles, and more until you solve the crime! This is a super fun way to see Nördlingen. The best part of this tour is that you can take your time because it's self-guided. If you want to stop somewhere for a quick bite while solving puzzles, enjoy some treats and visit local small shops before continuing with your serious sleuthing.

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What do you say? Will you be planning a trip to the space city of Nördlingen? It's one of the best-preserved impact craters in the world! It doesn't get much cooler than that.

That's a pretty amazing place to check off of the travel bucket list. I know it's on mine for my next trip to Germany to walk the wonderfully-preserved city wall, and see the beautiful buildings full of diamonds on the impact crater of a meteorite!

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