Stein, also referred to as "Stein bei Nürnberg", is a city in Franconia in the county of Fürth. It borders Nuremberg to the south. Stein had about 14,000 inhabitants in 2019.

Understand

Stein's high street

Stein is home to world-famous pencils. Since Medieval times, several pencil mills have given rise to the current pencil industry. Faber Castell has its company headquarters in Stein, though most of the manufacturing is now done in Brazil.

Get in

While an extension of Nuremberg U2 (metro) towards downtown Stein was a part of the original 1960s and 70s plans for the U-Bahn and repeatedly talked about since, empty municipal coffers and fears on the part of the city of Stein about running costs outstripping the yearly budget have kept those a pipe dream for the last decades. As such you will have to change to a bus for public transit access to most points of interest.

By public transit

Buses and local trains are part of the VGN Verkehrsverbund. The train station 1 Nürnberg-Stein is not really close to downtown (in fact it is not even inside the municipal boundaries). The easiest way to get in from Nürnberg is to take U-Bahn U2 to Röthenbach and change to the busses from there.

By plane

From Nuremberg Airport (NUE ^IATA) take the U-Bahn U2 to 2 Röthenbach and bus number 63 or 64 from there.

Get around

The local bus lines 63 and 64 link the town to the U-Bahn and cover most of it every five to ten minutes on weekdays.

See

The Faber castle

• 1 Faber castle (Faberschloss), Rednitzstraße (parking access via Nürnberger Straße). The Faber castle was built in the 19th and early 20th century mostly in the neorenaissance style, in the newer parts in neoromantic style. (updated Apr 2017)

Do

• 1 Kristall Palm Beach, Albertus-Magnus-Straße 29, 90547 Stein, ☏ +49 911 688 35-0. Su-Th 09:00-22:00, F Sa 09:00-00:00, Friday after 19:00 bathing without clothing. A fun bath with many pools, solariums, saunas, how whirl-pools, an open air area and five chutes. 2 hours without sauna: €15; 4-hour ticket without sauna: €18; day ticket without sauna: €21 sauna surcharge: €5. (updated Apr 2017)
• The Christmas Market in Stein always takes place during the first weekend in Advent. On the first evening, school children walk with lanterns from the town hall to Mecklenburger Platz, where the mayor opens the market together with St. Nicolas and the Christkind. The booths usually represent the town's associations, unions or businesses.
• The Stadtfest (City Festival) is an event which takes place every spring. The shops are open during all the weekend and there is a stage with music and entertainment. The festival is always accompanied by an arts exhibition in the town hall

Buy

• 1 Faber-Castell Shop, Nürnberger Str. 2, ☏ +49 911 99650. Selling all the products of the famous pencil-maker, some of them surprisingly high scale and expensive. 

Eat

• 1 Gasthof Geiger, Unterweihersbucher Straße 12, ☏ +49 911 67 21 53, he-pfeiffer.helmut@t-online.de. (updated Apr 2017)

Sleep

• 1 Bio Hotel Kunst Quartier Stein, Hauptstraße 32-34 (Bus stop "Stein Kirche"), ☏ +49 911 376 577 60, info@kunstquartier-stein.de. (updated Apr 2017)

Go next

• As you've likely arrived from Nuremberg already, why not check out its rival and neighbour Fürth?
• Schwabach