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Arriving at the Hauptbahnhof, at the western side of town, you're immediately confronted with the quarter of the original refugees. Across Bahnhofplatz stand the parish administration buildings of the Hugenottenkirche , which fronts the eponymous square on the far side. Outside, it appears as a plain box, enlivened only by the tower which was added a generation after the main body of the building. Inside, the wooden galleries have been arranged to give the illusion that the church is round in shape; otherwise, the pulpit provides the only decorative touch. Across Hugenottenplatz is the Universitätskirche , which has a similar tower but is otherwise less austere, its double-galleried hall interior, in which pulpit and altar are combined in a single unit, being enlivened with rich stuccowork. A fine group of eighteenth-century houses, including the old pharmacy, stand around the church.

A couple of blocks to the north, divided by the pedestrian section of the central Hauptstrasse, are two more important squares. To the west is Marktplatz, on whose southern side is the Stutterheimsches Palais , formerly the Rathaus, now the public library and main local cultural centre. Across the road is Schlossplatz, in the centre of which stands a statue to Margrave Friedrich, the founder of the university. The Schloss itself, which takes up the entire eastern side of the square, now serves as the university's administrative headquarters. Despite Erlangen's association with technology, its academic tradition has been strongest in the humanities. Three of Germany's best-known nineteenth-century philosophers - Fichte, Schelling and Feuerbach - taught here. However, the most famous professor was the Orientalist Friedrich Rückert , who introduced poetry based on Persian, Sanskrit and Chinese models into the German language. Schubert and Brahms were among the composers who set his texts, while Mahler's kaleidoscopic song cycles Rückert-Lieder and Kindertotenlieder have raised his artistic standing to a level far beyond its purely literary merit.

Some compensation for the loss of the Schloss's original interiors in a nineteenth-century fire comes with the Schlosspark to the rear. The first part of this is a formal French garden, closed off by the horseshoe-shaped Orangerie to the north, and with the Hugenottenbrunnen , a large allegorical fountain, as centrepiece. Further reaches of the park are laid out in the English manner; tucked away in the middle is an equestrian memorial to Margrave Christian Ernst.

Immediately north of the Schloss is the Wasserturm , which served as the student prison for most of nineteenth century. Northeast of here is Theaterplatz, whose south side is lined by the three buildings primarily responsible for Erlangen's continued high standing in the dramatic field. The Markgrafentheater , indeed, is the town's finest feature, a part-Baroque part-Rococo jewel worthy of Bayreuth itself and still put to regular use. Alongside it stand the Redoutensaal , built as the main festival hall of the local Margraves, and the Marstall (stables), now the home of the experimental Theater in der Garage. North of here, at the top end of Hauptstrasse, the Dreifaltigkeitskirche was originally the parish church of the Altstadt, but rebuilt in the Lutheran Baroque style of its two counterparts in the new town. Once again the pulpit and altar blend seamlessly into one.

Beyond the built-up area are the ample open spaces of the Burgberg , the main public park. For eleven days up to and including Pentecost (variable date in May/June) each year, this is the site of the Bergkirchweih , one of Bavaria's leading folk festivals. It's rather like a smaller version of Munich's Oktoberfest , with orgies of beer drinking in massive tents, hairy funfair rides and performances of traditional and rock music. However, it is less blatantly commercialized and thus more authentically German, and all the attractions are concentrated in a manageable area.