As befits an insider tip in Nuremberg, the Bürgermeistergarten (Mayor's Garden) is not easy to find. The best way to begin looking is in the Burggarten (castle moat) on the upper and lower bastions to the west and north of the Nuremberg Castle. You walk through the splendid gardens into an idyllic park in which the silence is uninterrupted, save for the twittering and chirping of birds and grasshoppers.

From the imperial stables, today the home of the Youth Hostel, you walk to the left of the bulky Fünfeck tower through a small gate to the upper bastion and into the rose garden. The sea of blossom in the stone squares invite you to take a rest, especially in summer. The path leads across the lower Castle Gardens, with their artfully set circle of trees, and along the wall of the Nuremberg Castle along and through the Bürgermeistergarten; so called because this part of the castle grounds used to be rented out to the mayor. This is also the only place, by the way, where  the castle wall is accessible to the public.

In contrast to the stately gardens on the bastion, this has a fairy-tale-like character and even feels slightly enchanted. Stone gates, figures, benches and staircases line the winding path and from a stone gallery you can find a wonderful view of the Tiergärtnertorplatz and the Albrecht Dürer House.