Find a pharmacy in Nuernberg
Nuernberg's pharmacy network reflects a city of roughly half a million residents, a major regional teaching hospital at Klinikum Nürnberg, and a steady flow of trade-fair visitors passing through Messe Nürnberg. PillsCard lists 88 verified pharmacies across the Altstadt, Gostenhof, Johannis, St. Peter, Langwasser and the outer districts of Schweinau, Hohe Marter and Ziegelstein. Concentrations cluster around the Hauptbahnhof and the Lorenzer Altstadt, where foot traffic from commuters and tourists keeps several pharmacies open into the evening, while suburban branches in Langwasser and Röthenbach serve the post-war housing estates and their older, long-settled patient base. A meaningful share of counter conversations happen in Turkish, Russian and English, reflecting the city's long-standing migrant communities and the academic intake at Technische Hochschule Nürnberg.
The market is fragmented rather than chain-dominated — German law still prohibits corporate pharmacy chains, so each Apotheke is owner-operated, with pharmacists permitted up to four branches. The Stadtpark-Apotheke and Theresien-Apotheke anchor the inner-ring residential zones, while the Franconia-Apotheke an der Burg and St. Sebastian-Apotheke trade on Altstadt foot traffic near the castle and St. Sebald church. In the southern districts, Apotheke Hohe Marter and the Niederbronner Apotheke handle higher prescription volumes from the dense apartment blocks around Schweinau and Sündersbühl. Hospital-adjacent dispensing leans on the Hirsch-Apotheke and St. Johannis-Apotheke for post-discharge prescriptions, and Apotheke im Marktkauf inside the Langwasser retail centre captures the weekly-shop trade with extended hours.
Pricing & coverage
For GKV (statutory) patients, the prescription co-payment is fixed at 10% of the retail price with a €5 minimum and €10 maximum per item, capped annually at 2% of gross household income (1% for chronic conditions). A standard antibiotic course typically runs €15–€40 retail, common antihypertensives €20–€60 per pack, and branded inhalers €40–€90 before reimbursement. PKV (private) patients pay upfront and claim back according to their tariff. Over-the-counter items, vaccinations administered in-pharmacy and most lifestyle medications fall outside GKV. Pricing is regulated nationally under the Arzneimittelpreisverordnung; see BfArM for the authoritative drug register.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
Outside normal hours, Nuernberg pharmacies operate a rotating Notdienst (duty rota): on any given night and Sunday a small number of Apotheken stay open across the city, posted on the door of every closed pharmacy and listed via the nationwide 22 8 33 service or aponet.de. Klinikum Nürnberg (Nord and Süd campuses) handles medical emergencies, with the Süd site at Breslauer Straße taking most acute admissions. Dial 112 for life-threatening situations — ambulance, fire and medical rescue share the number across Germany. For non-urgent after-hours medical advice, call 116 117 (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst).
Frequently asked questions
Which pharmacies in Nuernberg stay open late or on Sundays?
There is no permanently 24-hour pharmacy in Nuernberg. Instead, the Bayerische Landesapothekerkammer assigns a rotating Notdienst covering night, Sunday and public-holiday hours. Each closed pharmacy posts that day's duty roster on its door, and the list is published on aponet.de or by calling 22 8 33 from any phone. The roster is structured so at least one open Apotheke is reachable within a short tram or U-Bahn ride from any district, including outer areas like Langwasser, Ziegelstein and Eibach.
Can I get an English-speaking pharmacist in Nuernberg?
Many pharmacists in the Altstadt, around the Hauptbahnhof and near the Messe speak working English, given regular contact with trade-fair visitors and tourists. Outside the centre, English fluency varies — pharmacies in university-adjacent zones around Bismarckstraße and St. Johannis tend to have at least one English-speaking staff member on duty. Translation apps are widely accepted, and pictograms on packaging follow EU standards. For complex consultations, calling ahead or visiting one of the larger inner-city Apotheken raises your chances of a fully English exchange.
Do Nuernberg pharmacies dispense medicines from non-German EU prescriptions?
Yes. Under EU Directive 2011/24/EU, German pharmacies accept cross-border prescriptions from other EU/EEA member states provided they carry the prescriber's full identification, patient name, drug INN, dosage and signature. The medicine must be licensed in Germany — substitution to an equivalent product is common. Controlled substances and narcotics require a specific EU cross-border form. Prescriptions from outside the EU generally need to be re-issued by a German doctor, which the practitioners at Klinikum Nürnberg or any Hausarzt can arrange.
How does the e-prescription (E-Rezept) system work for visitors?
Since 2024, German GKV prescriptions are issued electronically and retrieved via the patient's insurance card (eGK) or the gematik E-Rezept app. Visitors without a German eGK still receive paper "Privatrezept" or "Blaues Rezept" forms, which any Nuernberg pharmacy will dispense against. If you hold an EHIC from another EU country, the pharmacist can process your prescription under GKV terms — bring your EHIC and passport. PKV and self-paying patients receive an itemised receipt suitable for insurer reimbursement.
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. For individual clinical decisions, dosing questions or drug interactions, consult a licensed pharmacist or physician in person.
