The Romantic Road takes you through Bavaria’s medieval heartland, a route strewn with picturesque villages, farmhouses, onion-domed churches, Baroque palaces, and walled cities. The route, which runs from Würzburg to Füssen, is the most scenic way to connect Frankfurt with Munich. No trains run along the full length of the Romantic Road, but Rothenburg (ROH-tehn-burg), the most interesting town along the way, is easy to reach by rail. Drivers can either zero in on Rothenburg or take some extra time to meander from town to town on the way. For nondrivers, a tour bus travels the Romantic Road once daily in each direction.
Countless travelers have searched for the elusive “untouristy Rothenburg.” There are many contenders (such as Michelstadt, Miltenberg, Bamberg, Bad Windsheim, and Dinkelsbühl), but none holds a candle to the king of medieval German cuteness. Even with crowds, overpriced souvenirs, Japanese-speaking night watchmen, and, yes, even Schneeballen, Rothenburg is best. Save time and mileage and be satisfied with the winner.
In the Middle Ages, when Berlin and Munich were just wide spots on the road, Rothenburg ob der Tauber was a “free imperial city” beholden only to the Holy Roman Emperor. During Rothenburg’s heyday, from 1150 to 1400, it was a strategic stop on the trade routes between northern and southern Europe. Because of its privileged position, along with the abundant resources of its surrounding countryside (textile-producing sheep and fertile farmlands), Rothenburg thrived. With a whopping population of 6,000, it was one of Germany’s largest towns. But as with many of Europe’s best time-warp towns, Rothenburg’s fortunes tumbled suddenly. (In this case, it was an occupation/ransacking during the Thirty Years’ War, and a plague that followed soon after, that did the town in.) With no money to fix up its antiquated, severely leaning buildings, the town was left to languish in this state. Today, it’s the country’s best-preserved medieval walled town, enjoying tremendous tourist popularity without losing its charm.
Rothenburg’s great trade these days is tourism: Two-thirds of the 2,500 people who live within its walls are employed to serve you. While roughly 2 million people visit each year, most come only on day trips. Rothenburg is yours after dark, when the groups vacate and the town’s floodlit cobbles wring some romance out of any travel partner.
Too often, Rothenburg brings out the shopper in visitors before they’ve had a chance to see the historic town. True, this is a fine place to do your German shopping. But appreciate Rothenburg’s great history and sights, too.
Germany has several towns named Rothenburg, so make sure you’re going to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (not “ob der” any other river); people really do sometimes drive or ride the train to nondescript Rothenburgs by accident.
Rothenburg in one day is easy. If time is short, you can make just a two- to three-hour midday stop in Rothenburg, but the town is really best appreciated after the day-trippers have gone home. Ideally, spend at least one night in Rothenburg (hotels are cheap and good).
With two nights and a full day, you’ll be able to see more than the essentials and actually relax a little. I’d suggest starting your day with my self-guided town walk, including a visit to St. Jakob’s Church (for the carved altarpiece) and the Imperial City Museum (historic artifacts). Then spend the afternoon visiting the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum and taking my “Schmiedgasse-Spitalgasse Shopping Stroll,” followed by a walk on the wall (from Spitaltor to Klingentor). Cap your day with the entertaining Night Watchman’s Tour (at 20:00). Locals love “Die blaue Stunde” (the blue hour)—the time just before dark when city lamps and the sky hold hands. Be sure to be out enjoying the magic of the city at this time.
For nature lovers, there are plenty of relaxing walks and bike rides in the forested environs around the town.
Rothenburg is very busy through the summer and in the Christmas Market month of December. Spring and fall are a joy, but it’s pretty bleak in November and from January through March—when most locals are hibernating or on vacation. Legally, shops are only allowed to remain open 40 Sundays a year; this means that many close on Sundays during the slow off-season months.
To orient yourself in Rothenburg, think of the town map as a human head. Its nose—the castle garden—sticks out to the left, and the skinny lower part forms a neck, with the youth hostel and a recommended hotel being the Adam’s apple. The town is a delight on foot. No sights or hotels are more than a 15-minute walk from the train station or each other.
Most of the buildings you’ll see were in place by 1400. The city was born around its long-gone castle fortress—built in 1142, destroyed in 1356—which was located where the castle garden is now. You can see the shadow of the first town wall, which defines the oldest part of Rothenburg, in its contemporary street plan. Two gates from this wall still survive: the Markus Tower and the White Tower. The richest and biggest houses were in this central part. The commoners built higgledy-piggledy (read: picturesque) houses farther from the center but still inside the present walls.
Although Rothenburg is technically in Bavaria, the region around the town is called—and strongly identifies itself as—“Franken,” one of Germany’s many medieval dukedoms (“Franconia” in English).
The TI is on Market Square (May-Oct and Dec Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00; off-season Mon-Fri until 17:00, Sat until 13:00, closed Sun; Marktplatz 2, tel. 09861/404-800, www.rothenburg.de/tourismus, run by Jörg Christöphler). If there’s a long line, just raid the rack where they keep all the free pamphlets. The free city map comes with a walking guide to the town. The Events booklet covers the basics in English. They offer a variety of themed tours; ask when you arrive or check their website in advance. Also look for current concert-listing posters here (and at your hotel).
A fun pictorial town map, which also helpfully indicates some walking paths in the countryside beyond the town walls, is available for free when you show this book at the Friese shop, two doors west from the TI (toward St. Jakob’s Church; see “Shopping in Rothenburg,” later).
By Train: It’s a 10-minute walk from the station to Rothenburg’s Market Square (following the brown Altstadt signs, exit left from station, walk a block down Bahnhofstrasse, turn right on Ansbacher Strasse, and head straight into the Middle Ages). Taxis wait at the station (€10 to any hotel). Day-trippers can leave luggage in lockers on the platform. Free WCs are behind the Speedy snack bar on track 1. If killing time, you can pay to get online on one of the computers in the station’s Spielothek gaming room (long hours daily).
By Car: Driving and parking rules in Rothenburg change constantly—ask your hotelier for advice. In general, you’re allowed to drive into the old town to get to your hotel. Otherwise, driving within the old walled center is discouraged. Some hotels offer private parking (either free or paid). To keep things simple, park in one of the lots—numbered P-1 through P-5—that line the outside of the town walls (€5/day, buy ticket from Parkscheinautomat machines and display, 5- to 10-minute walk to Market Square).
For tips on getting here from Frankfurt, see “Route Tips for Drivers” on here.
Festivals: For one weekend each spring (during Pentecost), beer gardens spill out into the street and Rothenburgers dress up in medieval costumes to celebrate Mayor Nusch’s Meistertrunk victory (June 7-10 in 2019, www.meistertrunk.de). The Reichsstadt festival every September celebrates Rothenburg’s history (Sept 6-8 in 2019), and the town’s Weindorf festival celebrates its wine (mid-Aug). Check the TI website for specifics.
Christmas Market: Rothenburg is dead for much of the winter except in December (its busiest month), when the entire town cranks up the medieval cuteness with concerts and costumes, shops with schnapps, stalls filling squares, hot spiced wine, giddy nutcrackers, and mobs of ear-muffed Germans. Christmas markets are big all over Germany, and Rothenburg’s is considered one of the best. The market takes place each year during Advent. Try to avoid Saturdays and Sundays, when big-city day-trippers really clog the grog.
Wi-Fi: Free Wi-Fi (Network: rothenburg.freifunk.net) is available at varying strengths around town. As it requires no password, it’s not a secure signal—use it to look up info (train schedules, museum hours) but not to check email or make purchases.
Mailing Your Goodies Home: You can get handy yellow €2.50 boxes at the old town post office (Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:30 except closed Wed afternoon, Sat 9:00-12:00, closed Sun, inside photo shop at Rödergasse 11). The main post office is in the shopping center across from the train station.
Bike Rental: A ride through the nearby countryside is enjoyable on nice days (follow route described on here). Rad & Tat rents bikes for €14 for a 24-hour day (otherwise €10/6 hours, electric bike-€28/day; Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat until 13:00, closed Sun; Bensenstrasse 17, tel. 09861/87984, www.mietraeder.de). To reach it, leave the old town toward the train station, take a right on Erlbacher Strasse, cross the tracks, and look across the street from the Lidl supermarket.
Taxi: For a taxi, call 09861/2000 or 09861/7227.
Haircuts: At Salon Wack (pronounced “vahk,” not “whack”), Horst and his team speak English and welcome both men and women (Tue-Fri 8:00-12:00 & 13:30-18:00, Sat 8:30-14:00, closed Sun-Mon; off Wenggasse at Goldene Ringgasse 8, tel. 09861/7834).
Swimming: Rothenburg has a fine swimming complex, with a heated outdoor pool (Freibad) from mid-May to mid-Sept (when the weather’s good), and an indoor pool and sauna the rest of the year. It’s about a 15-minute walk south of Spitaltor along the main road toward Dinkelsbühl (€3.50, kids-€2; outdoor pool daily 9:00-20:00; indoor pool Tue-Thu 9:00-21:00, Fri-Sun until 18:00, Mon 14:00-21:00; Nördlinger Strasse 20, tel. 09861/4565).
This tour is flat-out the most entertaining hour of medieval wonder anywhere in Germany and the best evening activity in town. The Night Watchman (a.k.a. Hans-Georg Baumgartner) jokes like a medieval John Cleese as he lights his lamp and takes tourists on his rounds, telling slice-of-gritty-life tales of medieval Rothenburg (€8, teens-€4, free for kids 12 and under, mid-March-Dec nightly at 20:00, in English, meet at Market Square, www.nightwatchman.de). What’s almost as entertaining as the tour is watching the parade of tourists following this pied piper through town each night.
The TI offers engaging 1.5-hour guided walking tours in English (€8, Easter-Oct and Dec daily at 14:00, departs from Market Square). Just show up and pay the guide directly—there’s always room. Take this tour for the serious side of Rothenburg’s history, and to make sense of the town’s architecture; you won’t get as much of that on the fun—and completely different—Night Watchman’s Tour. Taking both tours is a smart way to round out your overall Rothenburg experience.
A local historian can really bring the ramparts alive. Reserve a guide by emailing the TI (info@rothenburg.de; more info at www.tourismus.rothenburg.de—look under “Guided Tours”; €75/1.5 hours, €95/2 hours). I’ve had good experiences with Martin Kamphans (tel. 09861/7941, www.stadtfuehrungen-rothenburg.de, kamphans@posteo.de) and Daniel Weber (to get rates listed above ask for Rick Steves discount, mobile 0795-8311, www.toot-tours.com, mail@toot-tours.com).
It’s free to walk along Rothenburg’s town wall, and 20 info plaques provide good English descriptions. (Ask at the TI for a pamphlet with narrated walk.) For details, see “Walk the Wall” on here.
My self-guided circular “Rothenburg Town Walk” weaves the town’s top sights together, takes about an hour without stops, and starts and ends on Market Square. (Note that this is roughly the same route followed by city guides on their daily Old Town Historic Walk, described earlier.) It flows into my “Schmiedgasse-Spitalgasse Shopping Stroll,” which traces a straight shot from Market Square to Spitaltor, passing traditional shops and eateries on the way. Both walks are shown on the “Walks in Rothenburg” map.
Download my free Rothenburg Town Walk audio tour.
This loop walk, worth ▲▲▲, links Market Square to St. Jakob’s Church, the Imperial City Museum, the castle garden, and Herrngasse.
• Start the walk on Market Square.
Stand in front of the fountain at the bottom of Market Square (watch for occasional cars) and spin 360 degrees clockwise, starting with the Town Hall tower. Now do it again, this time more slowly to take in some details:
Town Hall and Tower: Rothenburg’s tallest spire is the Town Hall tower (Rathausturm). At 200 feet, it stands atop the old Town Hall, a white, Gothic, 13th-century building. Notice the tourists enjoying the best view in town from the black top of the tower (see “Sights in Rothenburg” for details on climbing the tower). After a fire in 1501 burned down part of the original building, a new Town Hall was built alongside what survived of the old one (fronting the square). This half of the rebuilt complex is in the Renaissance style from 1570. The double eagles you see decorating many buildings here are a repeated reminder that this was a “free imperial city” belonging directly to the (Habsburg) Holy Roman Emperor, a designation that came with benefits.
Meistertrunk Show: At the top of Market Square stands the proud Councilors’ Tavern (clock tower from 1466). In its day, the city council—the rich guys who ran the town government—drank here. Today, it’s the TI and the focus of most tourists’ attention when the little doors on either side of the clock flip open and the wooden figures (from 1910) do their thing. Be on Market Square at the top of any hour (between 10:00 and 22:00) for the ritual gathering of the tourists to see the less-than-breathtaking reenactment of the Meistertrunk (“Master Draught”) story:
In 1631, in the middle of the Thirty Years’ War, the Catholic army took this Protestant town and was about to do its rape, pillage, and plunder thing. As was the etiquette, the mayor had to give the conquering general a welcoming drink. The general enjoyed a huge tankard of local wine. Feeling really good, he told the mayor, “Hey, if you can drink this entire three-liter tankard of wine in one gulp, I’ll spare your town.” The mayor amazed everyone by drinking the entire thing, and Rothenburg was saved. (While this is a nice story, it was dreamed up in the late 1800s for a theatrical play designed—effectively—to promote a romantic image of the town. In actuality, if Rothenburg was spared, it had likely bribed its way out of the jam.) The city was occupied and ransacked several times in the Thirty Years’ War, and it never recovered—which is why it’s such a well-preserved time capsule today.
For the best show, don’t watch the clock; watch the open-mouthed tourists gasp as the old windows flip open. At the late shows, the square flickers with camera flashes.
Bottom of Market Square: As this was the most prestigious address in town, it’s ringed by big homes with big carriage gates. One of the finest is just downhill from the bottom end of the square—the Baumeister (“master builder”) Haus, where the man who designed and built the Town Hall lived. It features a famous Renaissance facade with statues of the seven virtues and the seven vices. The statues are copies; the originals are in the Imperial City Museum (described later on this walk). While “Gluttony” is easy to find, see if you can figure out what his companions represent.
Behind you, take in the big 17th-century St. George’s fountain. Its long metal gutters could slide to deposit the water into villagers’ buckets. It’s part of Rothenburg’s ingenious water system: Built on a rock, the town had one real source above, which was plumbed to serve a series of fountains; water flowed from high to low through Rothenburg. Its many fountains had practical functions beyond providing drinking water—some were stocked with fish on market days and during times of siege, and their water was useful for fighting fire. Because of its plentiful water supply—and its policy of requiring relatively wide lanes as fire breaks—the town never burned entirely, as so many neighboring villages did.
Two fine half-timbered buildings behind the fountain show the old-time lofts with warehouse doors and pulleys on top for hoisting. All over town, lofts like these were filled with grain. A year’s supply was required by the city so it could survive any siege. The building behind the fountain is an art gallery showing off work by members of the local artists’ association. To the right is Marien Apotheke, an old-time pharmacy mixing old and new in typical Rothenburg style.
The broad street running under the Town Hall tower is Herrngasse. The town originated with its castle fortress (built in 1142 but now long gone; a lovely garden now fills that space). Herrngasse connected the castle to Market Square. The last leg of this circular walking tour will take you from the castle garden up Herrngasse and back here.
For now, walk a few steps down Herrngasse and stop by the arch under the Town Hall tower (between the new and old town halls). On the wall to the left of the gate are the town’s measuring rods—a reminder that medieval Germany was made of 300 independent little countries, many with their own weights and measures. Merchants and shoppers knew that these were the local standards: the rod (4.3 yards), the Schuh (“shoe,” roughly a foot), and the Ell (from elbow to fingertip—four inches longer than mine...climb up and try it). The protruding cornerstone you’re standing on is one of many all over town—intended to protect buildings from careening horse carts. In German, going recklessly fast is called “scratching the cornerstone.”
• Careen around that stone and under the arch to find the...
The vaults house an eclectic and grade-schoolish little museum that gives a waxy but interesting look at Rothenburg during the Catholics-vs.-Protestants Thirty Years’ War. Popping in here can help prep your imagination to filter out the tourists and picture ye olde Rothenburg along the rest of this walk. With helpful English descriptions, it offers a look at “the fateful year 1631,” a replica of the mythical Meistertrunk tankard, an alchemist’s workshop, and a dungeon—used as a bomb shelter during World War II—complete with three dank cells and some torture lore.
Cost and Hours: €3.50, daily 9:30-17:30, shorter hours Nov-April, closed Jan, weekends only Feb, tel. 09861/86751, www.meistertrunk.de.
• Leaving the museum, turn left (past a venerable and much-sketched-and-photographed door) and find a posted copy of a centuries-old map showing the territory of Rothenburg.
In 1537 Rothenburg actually ruled a little country—one of about 300 petty dukedoms like this that made up what is today’s Germany. The territory spanned a 12-by-12-mile area (about 400 square kilometers), encompassing 180 villages—a good example of the fragmentation of feudal Germany. While not to scale (Rothenburg is actually less than a mile wide), the map is fun to study. In the 1380s, Mayor Toppler purchased much of this territory. In 1562 the city sold off some of its land to neighboring dukes, which gave it the money for all the fine Renaissance buildings that embellish the town to this day.
• Continue through the courtyard and into a square called...
Once a produce market, this parking lot fills with Christmas stands during December. Notice the clay-tile roofs. These “beaver tail” tiles became standard after thatched roofs were outlawed to prevent fires. Today, all the town’s roofs are made of these. The little fences stop heaps of snow from falling off the roof and onto people below. A free public WC is on your left, and the recommended Friese gift shop (see listing under “Shopping in Rothenburg,” later) is on your right.
• Continue straight ahead to St. Jakob’s Church. Study the exterior first, then pay to go inside.
Rothenburg’s main church is home to Tilman Riemenschneider’s breathtaking, wood-carved Altar of the Holy Blood.
Cost and Hours: €2.50, daily April-Oct 9:00-17:00, Dec 10:00-16:45, off-season 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-16:00, on Sun wait to enter until services end at 10:45.
Tours and Information: A free, helpful English info sheet is available. Concerts and a tour schedule are posted near the door. Guided tours in English run on Sat at 15:30 (April-Oct) for no extra charge. Or get the worthwhile audioguide (€2, 45 minutes) to tailor your education with dual commentary—historical and theological—for a handful of important stops in the church.
Visiting the Church: Start by viewing the exterior. Next, enter the church, where you’ll see the main nave first, then climb above the pipe organ (in the back) to finish with the famous carved altar.
Exterior: Outside the church, under the little roof at the base of the tower, you’ll see 14th-century statues (mostly original) showing Jesus praying at Gethsemane, a common feature of Gothic churches. The sculptor is anonymous—in the Gothic age (pre-Albrecht Dürer), artists were just nameless craftspeople working only for the glory of God. Five yards to the left (on the wall), notice the nub of a sandstone statue—a rare original, looking pretty bad after 500 years of weather and, more recently, pollution. Most original statues are now in the city museum. The better-preserved statues you see on the church are copies. Also outside the church is a bronze model of the city. Look closely to appreciate the detail, including descriptions in braille.
Before entering, notice how the church was extended to the west and actually built over the street. The newer chapel was built to accommodate pilgrims and to contain the sumptuous Riemenschneider carved altarpiece.
If it’s your wedding day, take the first entrance—marked by a very fertile Eve and, around the corner, Adam showing off an impressive six-pack. Otherwise, head toward the church’s second (downhill) door. Before going inside, notice the modern statue at the base of the stairs. This is St. James (a.k.a. Sankt Jakob in German, Santiago in Spanish, and Saint-Jacques in French). You can tell this important saint by his big, floppy hat, his walking stick, the gourd on his hip (used by pilgrims to carry water), and—most importantly—the scallop shell in his hand. St. James’ remains are entombed in the grand cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in the northwestern corner of Spain. The medieval pilgrimage route called the Camino de Santiago passed through here on its way to that distant corner of Europe. Pilgrims would wear the scallop shell as a symbol of their destination (where that type of marine life was abundant). To this day, the word for “scallop” in many languages carries the name of this saint: Jakobsmuschel in German, coquille Saint-Jacques in French, and so on.
Inside the Church: Built in the 14th century, this church has been Lutheran since 1544. The interior was “purified” by Romantics in the 19th century—cleaned of everything Baroque or not original and refitted in the Neo-Gothic style. (For example, the baptismal font—in the middle of the choir—and the pulpit above the second pew look Gothic but are actually Neo-Gothic.) The stained-glass windows behind the altar, which are most colorful in the morning light, are originals from the 1330s. Admiring this church, consider what it says about the priorities of a town of just a few thousand people, who decided to use their collective wealth to build such a place. The size of a church is a good indication of the town’s wealth when it was built. Medallions and portraits of Rothenburg’s leading families and church leaders line the walls above the choir in the front of the church.
The main altar, from 1466, is by Friedrich Herlin. Below Christ are statues of six saints—including St. James (a.k.a. Jakob), with the telltale shell on his floppy hat. Study the painted panels—ever see Peter with spectacles (below the carved saints)? Go around the back of the altarpiece to look at the doors. In the upper left, you’ll see a painting of Rothenburg’s Market Square in the 15th century, looking much like it does today, with the exception of the full-Gothic Town Hall (as it was before the big fire of 1501). Notice Christ’s face on the white “veil of Veronica” (center of back side, bottom edge). It follows you as you walk from side to side—this must have given the faithful the religious heebie-jeebies four centuries ago.
The Tabernacle of the Holy Eucharist (just left of the main altar—on your right as you walk back around) is a century older. It stored the wine and bread used for Holy Communion. Before the Reformation this was a Roman Catholic church, which meant that the bread and wine were considered to be the actual body and blood of Jesus (and therefore needed a worthy repository). Notice the unusual Trinity: The Father and Son are bridged by a dove, which represents the Holy Spirit. Stepping back, you can see that Jesus is standing on a skull—clearly “overcoming death.”
Now, as pilgrims did centuries ago, climb the stairs at the back of the church that lead up behind the pipe organ to a loft-like chapel. Here you’ll find the artistic highlight of Rothenburg and perhaps the most wonderful wood carving in all of Germany: the glorious 500-year-old, 35-foot-high Altar of the Holy Blood. Tilman Riemenschneider, the Michelangelo of German woodcarvers, carved this from 1499 to 1504 (at the same time Michelangelo was working on his own masterpieces). The altarpiece was designed to hold a rock-crystal capsule—set in the cross you see high above—that contains a precious scrap of tablecloth stained in the shape of a cross by a drop of communion wine considered to be the actual blood of Christ.
The altar is a realistic commotion, showing that Riemenschneider—a High Gothic artist—was ahead of his time. Below, in the scene of the Last Supper, Jesus gives Judas a piece of bread, marking him as the traitor, while John lays his head on Christ’s lap. Judas, with his big bag of cash, could be removed from the scene (illustrated by photos on the wall nearby), as was the tradition for the four days leading up to Easter.
Everything is portrayed exactly as described in the Bible. In the relief panel on the left, Jesus enters the walled city of Jerusalem. Notice the exacting attention to detail—down to the nails on the horseshoe. In the relief panel on the right, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Before continuing on, take a moment to simply linger over the lovingly executed details: the curly locks of the apostles’ hair and beards, and the folds of their garments; the delicate vines intertwining above their heads; Jesus’ expression, at once tender and accusing.
• After leaving the church, walk around the corner to the right and under the chapel (built over the road). Go two blocks down Klingengasse and stop at the corner of the street called Klosterhof. Looking farther ahead of you down Klingengasse, you see the...
This cliff tower was Rothenburg’s water reservoir. From 1595 until 1910, a 900-liter (240-gallon) copper tank high in the tower provided clean spring water—pumped up by river power—to the privileged. To the right of the Klingentor is a good stretch of wall rampart to walk. To the left, the wall is low and simple, lacking a rampart because it guards only a cliff.
Now find the shell decorating a building on the street corner next to you. That’s once again the symbol of St. James, indicating that this building is associated with the church.
• Turn left down Klosterhof, passing the shell and, on your right, the colorful, recommended Altfränkische Weinstube am Klosterhof pub. As you approach the next stop, notice the lazy Susan embedded in the wall (to the right of the museum door), which allowed cloistered nuns to give food to the poor without being seen.
You’ll get a vivid and artifact-filled sweep through Rothenburg’s history at this excellent museum, housed in a former Dominican convent. The highlight for many is the painted glass mug said to have prompted the myth of the Meistertrunk.
Cost and Hours: €6; daily 9:30-17:30, Nov-March generally 13:00-16:00; pick up English info sheet at entrance, Klosterhof 5, tel. 09861/939-043, www.reichsstadtmuseum.rothenburg.de.
Visiting the Museum: As you follow the Rundgang/Tour signs to the left, watch for the following highlights:
Immediately inside the entry, a glass case shows off the 1616 Prince Elector’s colorful glass tankard (which inspired the famous legend of the Meistertrunk, created in 1881 to drive tourism) and a set of golden Rothenburg coins. Down the hall, find a modern city model and trace the city’s growth, its walls expanding like rings on a big tree. Before going upstairs, you’ll see medieval and Renaissance sculptures, including original sandstone statues from St. Jakob’s Church and original statues that once decorated the Baumeister Haus near Market Square. Upstairs in the nuns’ dormitory are craftsmen’s signs that once hung outside shops (see if you can guess the craft before reading the museum’s label), ornate locks, tools for various professions, and a valuable collection of armor and weapons. You’ll then go through two levels of rooms showcasing old furniture, housewares, and the Baroque statues that decorated the organ loft in St. Jakob’s Church from 1669 until the 19th century, when they were cleared out to achieve “Gothic purity.” Take time to enjoy the several rooms and shop fronts outfitted as they would have been centuries ago.
The painting gallery is lined with Romantic paintings of Rothenburg, which served as the first tourist promotion and give visitors today a chance to envision the city as it appeared in centuries past. Look for the large, gloomy work by Englishman Arthur Wasse (labeled “Es spukt”)—does that door look familiar?
Back downstairs near where you entered, circle left around the cloister to see a 14th-century convent kitchen (Klosterküche) with a working model of a lazy Susan (the kind that nuns would have used to share food with the poor outside the convent—go ahead, give it a swing) and a massive chimney (step inside and look up). Continue around to an exhibit of Jewish culture in Rothenburg through the ages (Judaika), then see the grand finale (in the Konventsaal), the Rothenburger Passion. This 12-panel series of paintings showing scenes leading up to Christ’s Crucifixion—originally intended for the town’s Franciscan church (which we’ll pass later)—dates from 1492.
• Leaving the museum, go around to the right and into the Convent Garden (when locked at night, continue straight to the T-intersection and turn right).
This spot is a peaceful place to work on your tan...or mix a poisoned potion. Monks and nuns—who were responsible for concocting herbal cures in the olden days, finding disinfectants, and coming up with ways to disguise the taste of rotten food—often tended herb gardens. Smell (but don’t pick) the Pfefferminze (peppermint), Heidewacholder (juniper/gin), Rosmarin (rosemary), Lavandel (lavender), and the tallest plant, Hopfen (hops...monks were the great medieval brewers). Don’t smell the plants that are poisonous (potency indicated by the number of crosses, like stars indicating spiciness on a Thai food menu). Appreciate the setting, taking in the fine architecture and expansive garden—all within the city walls, where land was at such a premium. It’s a reminder of the power of the pre-Reformation Church.
• Exit opposite from where you entered, angling left through the nuns’ garden, leaving via an arch along the far wall. Then turn right and go downhill to the...
This part of the wall takes advantage of the natural fortification provided by the cliff (view through bars, look to far right) and is therefore much shorter than the ramparts.
• Angle left along the wall. Cross the big street (Herrngasse, with the Burgtor tower on your right—which we’ll enter from outside soon) and continue downhill on Burggasse until you hit another section of the town wall. Turn right, go through a small tower gate, and park yourself at the town’s finest viewpoint.
From here enjoy a fine view of fortified Rothenburg. You’re looking at the Spitaltor end of town (with the most interesting gate and the former hospital). After this walk, you can continue with my “Schmiedgasse-Spitalgasse Shopping Stroll,” which leads from Market Square down to this end of town, known as Plönlein, and then enter the city walls and walk the ramparts 180 degrees to the Klingentor tower (which we saw earlier on our walk, in the distance just after St. Jakob’s Church). The droopy-eyed building at the far end of town (today’s youth hostel) was the horse mill—which provided grinding power when the water mill in the valley below was not working (during drought or siege). Stretching below you is the fine park-like land around the Tauber River, nicknamed the “Tauber Riviera.”
• Now explore deeper into the park.
The park before you was a castle fortress until it was destroyed in the 14th century. The chapel (50 yards straight into the park, on the left) is the only surviving bit of the original castle. In front of the chapel is a memorial to local Jews killed in a 1298 slaughter. A few steps beyond that is a flowery trellis that provides a fine picnic spot. If you walk all the way out to the garden’s far end, you’ll find another great viewpoint (well past the tourists, and considered by local teenagers the best place to make out).
When you’re ready to leave the park, approach the Burgtor, the ornate fortified gate flanked by twin stubby towers, and imagine being locked out in the year 1400. (There’s a WC on the left.) The tall tower behind the gate was accessed by a wooden drawbridge—see the chain slits above the inner gate, and between them the “pitch” mask with holes designed to allow defenders to pour boiling Nutella on attackers. High above is the town coat of arms: a red (roten) castle (Burg).
As you go through the gate, study the big wooden door with the tiny “eye of the needle” door cut into it. If you were trying to enter town after curfew, you could have bribed the guard to let you through this door, which was small enough to keep out any fully armed attackers. Note also the square hole on the right and imagine the massive timber that once barricaded the gate.
• Now climb up the big street, Herrngasse, as you return to your starting point.
Many towns have a Herrngasse, where the richest patricians and merchants (the Herren) lived. Predictably, it’s your best chance to see the town’s finest old mansions. Strolling back to Market Square, you’ll pass, on the right, the Franciscan Church (from 1285—the oldest in town). Across the street, the mint-green house at #18 is the biggest patrician house on this main drag. The front door was big enough to allow a carriage to drive through it; a human-sized door cut into it was used by those on foot. The family, which has lived here for three centuries, has disconnected the four tempting old-time doorbells. The gift shop at #11 (Hornburghaus, on the right) offers a chance to poke into one of these big landowners’ homes and appreciate their structure: living quarters in front above carriage-sized doors, courtyard out back functioning as a garage, stables, warehouse, servants’ quarters, and a private well.
Farther up, also on the right, is Hotel Eisenhut, Rothenburg’s fanciest hotel and worth a peek inside. Finally, passing the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas headquarters/shop (described under “Shopping in Rothenburg,” later), you’ll be back at Market Square, where you started this walk.
• From here, you can continue walking by following my “Schmiedgasse-Spitalgasse Shopping Stroll,” next. This stroll ends at the city gate called Spitaltor, a good access point for a walk on the town walls.
After doing the basic town walk and visiting the town’s three essential interior sights (Imperial City Museum, Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum, and St. Jakob’s Church), your next priority might be Rothenburg’s shops and its town wall. I’d propose this fun walk, which goes from Market Square in a straight line south (past the best selection of characteristic family-run shops) to the city’s most impressive fortification (Spitaltor).
Standing on Market Square, with your back to the TI, you’ll see a street sloping downward toward the south end of town. That’s where you’re headed. This street changes names as you walk, from Obere Schmiedgasse (upper blacksmith street) to Spitalgasse (hospital street), and runs directly to the Spitaltor tower and gate. From Spitaltor you can access the town wall and walk the ramparts 180 degrees around the city to the Klingentor tower.
As you stroll down this delightful lane, feel welcome to pop in and explore any shop along this cultural and historical scavenger hunt. I’ve provided the street number and “left” or “right” to indicate the side of the street (see the “Walks in Rothenburg” map, earlier).
The facade of the fine Renaissance Baumeister Haus at #3 (left) celebrates a secular (rather than religious) morality, with statues representing the seven virtues and the seven vices. Which ones do you recognize?
At #5 (left), Gasthof Goldener Greifen was once the home of the illustrious Mayor Toppler (d. 1408). By the looks of its door (right of the main entrance), the mayor must have had an impressive wine cellar. Note the fine hanging sign (much nicer than “hanging out your shingle”) of a gilded griffin. Business signs in a mostly illiterate medieval world needed to be easy for all to read. The entire street is ornamented with fun signs like this one. Nearby, a pretzel marks the bakery, and the crossed swords advertise the weaponmaker.
Shops on both sides of the street at #7 display examples of Schneeballen gone wild. These “snowballs,” once a humble way to bake extra flour into a simple treat, are now iced and dolled up a million ways—none of which would be recognizable to the kids who originally enjoyed them. Long ago locals used a fork to pierce the middle, but today’s tourists eat them like an apple. Watch them crumble.
Waffenkammer, at #9 (left), is “the weapons chamber,” where Johannes Wittmann works hard to make a wonderland in which young-at-heart tourists can shop for (and try out) medieval weapons, armor, and clothing. Fun photo ops abound, especially downstairs—where you can try on a set of chain mail and pose with a knight in shining armor (ask about Rick Steves discount).
At #18 (right), Metzgerei Trumpp, a top-end butcher, is a carnivores’ heaven. Check out the endless wurst offerings in the window—a reminder that in the unrefrigerated Middle Ages meat needed to be smoked or salted. Locals who love bacon opt for fat slices of pork with crackling skins.
At the next corner, with Burggasse, find the Catholic St. John’s Church. The Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum (just down the lane to the right) marks the site of Rothenburg’s first town wall. Below the church (on the right) is an old fountain. Behind and below that find a cute little dog park complete with a doggie WC.
The Jutta Korn shop, on the right at #4, showcases the work of a local artisan who designs her own jewelry. She’s been a jewelry master here for more than 30 years. At #6 (right), Leyk sells “lighthouses” made in town, many modeled after local buildings. The Kleiderey, an offbeat clothing store at #7 (left), is run by Tina, the Night Watchman’s wife. The clothing is inspired by their southeast Asian travels.
At #13 (left), look opposite to find a narrow lane (Ander Eich) that leads to a little viewpoint in the town wall. Overlooking the “Tauber Riviera,” it’s a popular romantic perch in the evening.
The Sumiko Ishii souvenir shop, on the corner on the left, is a reminder that tourism from Asia is big business, and German shops are learning to cater to that crowd.
Continuing along, at #17 (left), the Lebe Gesund Vegetarian shop is all about healthy living. This charming little place (run by tasty-sample-dealing Universalist Christians who like to think of Jesus as a vegan) seems designed to offer forgiveness to those who loved the butcher’s shop but are ready to repent.
On the right at #18, the Da Vinci Lounge café is decorated as if out of Clockwork Orange. Its modern interior is a stark contrast to this medieval city.
The Käthe Wohlfahrt shop at #19 (left) is one of the six Wohlfahrt stores around town, all owned by a local family and selling German clichés with gusto. Also on the left, at #21, the An Ra shop is where Annett Perner designs and sells her flowery clothes. You can pop in to see the actual work in the back. (There’s more of An Ra across the street at #26.) Annett was behind a recent initiative, called “Handmade in Rothenburg,” that formed a coalition between 10 local business owners who make everything from chocolate to jewelry to ceramics. They meet once a week to support each other and collaborate on ideas to strengthen the community, an example of the special bond of Rothenburg’s town members.
At this point, stop and take a moment to notice the “vernacular architecture” (developed to meet local needs), with the cute gables and higgledy-piggledy rooflines, tiny doors closing narrow slits between homes, and the fountain that’s hooked into pipes plumbed in the 1590s. In the Middle Ages, nothing was standard. Everything was built to order.
At #29 (left), Glocke Weinladen am Plönlein is an inviting shop of wine glasses and related accessories. The Gasthof Glocke, next door, with its wine-barrel-sized cellar door just waiting for some action, is a respected restaurant and home to the town’s last vintner—a wonderful place to try local wines, as they serve a flight of five tiny glasses (several different flights: half-dry, dry, red, and sweet dessert wines) for those ready to appreciate this production.
The corner immediately to your right is dubbed Plönlein and is famously picturesque. Plönlein is named for the carpenter’s plumb line—a string that dangles exactly straight down when anchored by a plumb (a lead weight; the Latin word for lead is plumbum). The line helps carpenters build things straight, but of course, here, nothing is made “to plumb.” If this scene brings you back to your childhood, that’s because Rothenburg was the inspiration for the village in the 1940 Disney animated film Pinocchio.
Walk a few more yards and look far up the lane (Neugasse) to the left. You’ll see some cute pastel buildings with uniform windows and rooflines—clues that the buildings were rebuilt after WWII bombings hit that part of town. Straight ahead, the Siebertstor Tower marks the next layer of expansion to the town wall. Continue through the tower. The former tannery is now a pub featuring Landwehr Bräu, the local brew.
Farther along, at #14 (right), Antiq & Trödel, which smells like an antique shop should, is fun to browse through.
Still farther down, on the left at #25, Hotel-Café Gerberhaus is a fine stop for a coffee and cake, with a delicate dining room and a peaceful courtyard hiding out back under the town wall.
From here, the town runs out of energy and the remaining stretch is a bit glum. This is Spitalhof—the former Hospital Quarter—with some nice architecture and the town’s retirement home. Stick with me and continue a few blocks to Spitaltor, the gate with the tall tower marking the end of town (and a good place to begin a ramparts ramble, if you’re up for it).
In any walled city, the gate—made of wood—was the weak point. A bastion is an architectural shield, built beyond the wall proper to protect its wooden doors from cannon fire. Spitaltor is a double bastion, built around 1600 with the advent of stronger artillery. Walk through the gate (taking note of the stairs to the right—that’s where you could begin your wall walk). Notice how the entry is curved: Any cannon that got past the first door and tried to blow the second door down would be vulnerable to cannon fire from the ramparts and arrows from the slits above.
Outside the fortified gate is the ditch that kept artillery at a distance (most medieval moats were dry like this one; water and alligators were mostly added by Hollywood). Standing outside the wall, ponder this sight as if approaching the city 400 years ago. The wealth of a city was shown by its walls and towers. (Stone was costly—in fact, the German saying for “filthy rich” is “stone rich.”)
Circle around to the right. Look up at the formidable tower. The guardhouse atop it, one of several in the wall, was manned 24/7. Above the entry gate, notice the emblem: Angels bless the double eagle of the Holy Roman Emperor, which blesses the town (symbolized by the two red towers).
Cross the wooden bridge ahead and take a right. Past the first arch, you can access the cannon gallery upstairs in the double bastion—with stone ramps rather than stairs so that horse-drawn caissons bearing ammunition could make deliveries easily (free, always open, worth exploring but very dark). To the right of the second arch are the stairs that lead to the ramparts (from where you can start your ramparts walk around the east side of town; see “Walk the Wall” on here). Or you can hike back up the street you just walked down to return to the town center.
From Market Square you can see tourists on the crow’s nest capping the Town Hall’s tower. For a commanding view from the town’s tallest perch, climb the steps of the tower. It’s a rigorous but interesting 214-step climb that gets narrow and steep near the top—watch your head. Be here during the first or last hour of the day to avoid day-tripping crowds.
Cost and Hours: €2.50, pay at top, daily in season 9:30-12:30 & 13:00-17:00, enter from the grand steps overlooking Market Square.
Specializing in everything connected to medieval criminal justice, this exhibit (well described in English) is a cut above all the tacky and popular torture museums around Europe. Nearly everything on display here is an actual medieval artifact. In addition to ogling spiked chairs, thumbscrews, and shame masks, you’ll learn about medieval police and criminal law. The museum is more eclectic than its name and includes exhibits on general history, superstition, biblical art, and so on. The museum is undergoing renovations in 2019, which may affect some areas when you visit.
A thoughtfully curated Luther and the Witches exhibit, created for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, should still be on display when you visit. In the same building as the museum’s café, you can explore two floors of original artifacts and multimedia displays on the history and lore of witchcraft, sorcery, and medieval and early Renaissance Christianity.
Cost and Hours: €7, includes Luther exhibit; daily 10:00-18:00, Nov and Jan-Feb 14:00-16:00, Dec and March 13:00-16:00; last entry 45 minutes before closing, fun cards and posters, Burggasse 3-5, tel. 09861/5359, www.kriminalmuseum.eu.
Visiting the Museum: It’s a one-way route. Just follow the yellow arrows and you’ll see it all. Keep an eye out for several well-done interactive media stations that provide extra background on the museum’s highlights.
From the entrance, head downstairs to the cellar to see some enhanced-interrogation devices. Torture was common in the Middle Ages—not to punish, but to extract a confession (medieval “justice” required a confession). Just the sight of these tools was often enough to make an innocent man confess. You’ll see the rack, “stretching ladder,” thumb screws, spiked leg screws, and other items that would make Dick Cheney proud. Medieval torturers also employed a waterboarding-like technique—but here, the special ingredient was holy water.
Upstairs, on the first and second floors, the walls are lined with various legal documents of the age, while the dusty glass cases show off law-enforcement tools—many of them quite creative. Shame was a big tool back then. The town could publicly humiliate those who ran afoul of the law by tying them to a pillory in the main square and covering their faces in an iron mask of shame. Fanciful mask decorations indicated the crime: Chicken feathers meant promiscuity, horns indicated that a man’s wife slept around (i.e., cuckold), and a snout suggested that the person had acted piggishly. A gossip might wear a mask with giant ears (heard everything), eyeglasses (saw everything), and a giant, wagging tongue (couldn’t keep her mouth shut). The infamous “iron maiden” started out as more of a “shame barrel”; the internal spikes were added to play up popular lore when it went on display for 18th-century tourists. For more serious offenses, criminals were branded—so that even if they left town, they’d take that shame with them for the rest of their lives. When all else failed, those in charge could always turn to the executioner’s sword.
To safely capture potential witches, lawmen used a device resembling a metal collar—with spikes pointing in—that was easy to get into but nearly impossible to get out of. A neck violin—like a portable version of a stock—kept the accused under control. (The double neck violin could be used to lock together a quarrelsome couple to force them to work things out.) The chastity belts were used to ensure a wife’s loyalty (giving her traveling husband peace of mind) and/or to protect women from rape, then a commonplace crime.
The exit routes you through a courtyard garden to a last building with temporary exhibits (see “Luther and the Witches,” earlier) and a café. If you must buy a Schneeball, consider doing it here. A recent blind taste test among the town’s tour guides deemed these the best. They’re inexpensive; they come in regular, medium, and bite-sized; and you’ll support the museum.
This excellent museum, in a Disney-esque space upstairs in the giant Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village shop, tells the history of Christmas decorations. There’s a unique and thoughtfully described collection of tree stands, mini trees sent in boxes to WWI soldiers at the front, early Advent calendars, old-time Christmas cards, Christmas pyramids, and a look at the evolution of Father Christmas as well as tree decorations through the ages—including the Nazi era and when you were a kid. The museum is not just a ploy to get shoppers to spend more money but a serious collection managed by professional curator Felicitas Höptner.
Cost and Hours: €4 most of the year, €2.50 low-season rate available to my readers year-round with this book; daily 10:00-17:30, shorter and irregular hours Jan-March; Herrngasse 1, tel. 09861/409-365, www.christmasmuseum.com.
If all the higgledy-piggledy buildings make you curious about how people lived way back when, stop into this restored 700-year-old home to see the everyday life of a Rothenburger in the town’s heyday. You’ll crouch under low ceilings as you explore a house that doesn’t seem to have a single right angle—kitchen (with soot-blackened ceilings); tight, shared bedrooms; and attic workshop. Ponder the rugged reality of medieval Bürger life. While the house itself is fascinating, information (in any language) is scarce; pick up the free, paltry English handout, or shell out some cash for a little more background.
Cost and Hours: €3, daily 11:00-17:00, closed Nov-Easter except in early Dec, two blocks east of Market Square, near Markus Tower at Alter Stadtgraben 26.
Just longer than a mile and a half around, providing great views and a good orientation, this walk can be done by those under six feet tall in less than an hour. The hike requires no special sense of balance. Much of the walk is covered and is a great option in the rain. Photographers will stay very busy, especially before breakfast or at sunset, when the lighting is best and the crowds are gone. You can enter or exit the ramparts at nearly every tower.
While the ramparts circle the city, some stretches aren’t walkable per se: Along much of the western side of town, you can’t walk atop the wall, but you can walk right alongside it and peek over or through it for great views outward from street level. Refer to the “Rothenburg” map at the start of this chapter to see which portions of the wall are walkable.
If you want to make a full town circuit, Spitaltor—at the south end of town, with the best fortifications—is a good starting place. From here it’s a counterclockwise walk along the eastern and northern ramparts. After exiting at Klingentor you can still follow the wall for a bit, but you’ll have to cut inland, away from the wall, when you hit the Imperial City Museum and again near the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum. At the Kohlturm tower, back at the southern end of town, you can climb the stairs and walk atop the remaining short stretch of wall to the Spitalhof quarter, where you’ll need to exit again. Spitaltor, where you started, is just a Schneeball’s toss away.
The TI has installed a helpful series of English-language plaques at about 20 stops along the route. The names you see along the way belong to people who donated money to rebuild the wall after World War II, and those who’ve more recently donated €1,200 per meter for the maintenance of Rothenburg’s heritage.
For a quiet and scenic break from the tourist crowds and a chance to appreciate the marvelous fortifications of Rothenburg, consider this hike: From the Castle Garden, go right and walk outside the wall to the Klingentor. At the Klingentor, climb up to the ramparts and walk on the wall past the Galgentor to the Rödertor. Then descend, leave the old town, and hike through the park (once the moat) down to Spitaltor. Explore the fortifications here before hiking a block up Spitalgasse, turning left on Rossmühlgasse to pass the youth hostel, popping back outside the wall, and heading along the upper scenic reaches of the river valley and above the vineyards back to the Castle Garden. Note that on the west (cliff-top) side of town, some of the outside-the-wall sections are steeper and harder to hike than the wall-top walkway.
This fortified Gothic church (which feels like a pale imitation of St. Jakob’s) is built into the medieval wall at the Klingentor. While it sounds intriguing—and looks striking from the outside—its dungeon-like passages and shepherd’s-dance exhibit are pretty lame.
Cost and Hours: €2, July-Aug Wed-Mon 11:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00, closed Tue; April-Oct Fri-Sat 9:30-17:00, Sun 9:30-13:00, closed Mon-Thu; closed Nov-March.
This pleasant stroll—easy and downhill at the start, with an uphill return at the end—takes you through the tranquil countryside below Rothenburg, including stops at a characteristic little “castle-ette,” a Biergarten, and a historic church.
From the Burggarten (castle garden), head into the Tauber Valley. As you come through the Burgtor into the castle garden, veer left to find the path that leads out of the garden (via the archway below and to the left of the chapel). At the fork just beyond the arch, keep right and head down and around, keeping the castle garden on your right. A few minutes later, at the next big fork, continue downhill (the level path on the right leads around and back into the castle garden). From here the trail becomes quite steep, taking you down to the wooden covered bridge on the valley floor. Across the bridge, the road goes left to Toppler Castle (5 minutes away) and right (downstream, with a pleasant parallel footpath) to Detwang (20 minutes).
Tiny Toppler Castle (Topplerschlösschen) is cute, skinny, sky-blue, and 600 years old. It was the castle/summer home of the medieval Mayor Toppler. The tower’s top looks like a house—a sort of tree fort for grownups. It’s in a farmer’s garden, and while generally closed to visitors these days, it’s still worth a look from the outside (open to groups of at least 5 people—call ahead, €3 each, one mile from town center at Taubertalweg 100, tel. 09861/7358).
People say the mayor had this valley-floor escape built to get people to relax about leaving the fortified town...or to hide a mistress. After leaving the “castle,” you can continue straight along the same road to reach the big bridge in the valley just below town; from here, various roads and paths lead steeply back up into town.
Or, to extend your stroll, walk back to the small footbridge and follow the river downstream (passing the recommended Unter den Linden beer garden) to the peaceful village of Detwang. One of the oldest villages in Franconia, Detwang dates from 968. Like Rothenburg, it has a Riemenschneider altarpiece in its Church of Sts. Peter and Paul. Founded more than a millennium ago, this church has a dimly lit Romanesque interior with some Gothic frills. Riemenschneider’s Altar of the Holy Cross depicts the moment when Christ, up on the cross, takes his last breath. While the central figures carry the same level of detail and emotion as any of Riemenschneider’s work, the side panels (praying in Gethsemane on the left, the Resurrection on the right) exhibit a bit less mastery than the altarpiece in St. Jakob’s. Originally carved for a church in Rothenburg, the altar was later trimmed to fit this smaller space. Notice the soldier on the right looking at an angle into thin air. Before being scooted in, his gaze fell on the dying Christ. Angels and other figures were cut out entirely.
From Detwang, it’s a reasonably steep 15-minute hike back up into Rothenburg (arriving at the northern edge of town), or backtrack to the wooden footbridge—or all the way to Toppler Castle—and head up from there.
To get a fun, breezy look at the countryside around Rothenburg, rent a bike (see “Helpful Hints,” earlier). For a pleasant 10.5-mile, half-day pedal, do the first portion of the 60-mile “Delightful Tauber Valley” bike route. Escape the old town through the Rödertor, bike along Topplerweg to Spitaltor, and follow the curvy road down into the river valley. Turn right at the yellow Leutzenbronn sign to cross the double-arcaded bridge. From here a peaceful road follows the river downstream to Detwang, passing the cute Toppler Castle (described earlier). From Detwang, follow the main road to the old mill, and turn left to follow the Liebliches Taubertal bike path signs as far up the Tauber River (direction: Bettwar) as you like. About 5.2 miles from Rothenburg (and 2.5 miles after Detwang), you’ll arrive in the sleepy farming town of Bettwar, where you can claim a spot among the chickens and the apple trees for a picnic or have a drink at one of the two restaurants in town. Ride back the way you came to return to Rothenburg.
A 20-minute drive from Rothenburg—in the undiscovered “Rothenburgy” town of Bad Windsheim—is an open-air folk museum that, compared with others in Europe, is a bit humble. But it tries very hard and gives you a good look at traditional rural Franconia.
Cost and Hours: €7, Tue-Sun 9:00-18:00, shorter hours Nov-Feb, check website for schedule, last entry one hour before closing, tel. 09841/66800, www.freilandmuseum.de.
Take note...Rothenburg is one of Germany’s best shopping towns. Do it here and be done with it. Lovely prints, carvings, wine glasses, Christmas-tree ornaments, and beer steins are popular. Rödergasse is the old town’s everyday shopping street. There’s also a modern shopping center across the street from the train station.
To find local artisans, pick up the Handmade in Rothenburg pamphlet at the TI or visit the group’s website (www.rothenburg-handmade.com).
For an appealing string of family-run shops, follow my “Schmiedgasse-Spitalgasse Shopping Stroll” (described earlier, under “Walks in Rothenburg”). Below are two shops not on that walk:
Rothenburg is the headquarters of the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas trinkets empire, which has spread across the half-timbered reaches of Europe. Rothenburg has six Wohlfahrts. Tourists flock to the two biggest, just below Market Square (Herrngasse 1 and 2). Start with the Christmas Village (Weihnachtsdorf) at Herrngasse 1. This Christmas wonderland is filled with enough twinkling lights (196,000—mostly LEDs) to require a special electrical hookup. You’re greeted by instant Christmas mood music (best appreciated on a hot day in July) and tourists hungrily filling little woven shopping baskets with goodies to hang on their trees (items handmade in Germany are the most expensive). With this book, you’ll get 10 percent off official wooden KW products (look for the Käthes Original tag; must show book to receive discount).
Let the spinning, flocked tree whisk you in, and pause at the wall of Steiff stuffed animals, jerking uncontrollably and mesmerizing little kids. Then head downstairs to find the vast and sprawling “made in Germany” section, surrounding a slowly spinning 15-foot tree decorated with a thousand glass balls. The fascinating Christmas Museum upstairs is described earlier, under “Sights in Rothenburg.” The smaller shop (across the street at Herrngasse 2) specializes in finely crafted wooden ornaments. Käthe opened her first storefront here in Rothenburg in 1977. The company is now run by her son Harald, who lives in town (Christmas Village open Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun from 10:00 beginning in late April; shorter hours at other locations).
Cuckoo with friendliness, trinkets, and reasonably priced souvenirs, the Friese shop has been open for more than 90 years—and they’ve been welcoming my readers for more than 30 of those years. They give shoppers with this book tremendous service: a 10 percent discount off all items and a free pictorial map. Run for many years by Anneliese Friese, it’s now lovingly run by her son, Bernie, with help from his daughter Amber, nieces Dolores and Nicole, and their friend Elizabeth. They let tired travelers leave their bags in the back room for free (Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun from 10:00, 20 steps off Market Square at Grüner Markt 8—around the corner from TI and across from free public WC, tel. 09861/7166).
Rothenburg is crowded with visitors, but most are day-trippers. Except for the rare Saturday night and during festivals (see here), finding a room is easy. Competition keeps quality high. If you want to splurge, you’ll snare the best value by paying extra for the biggest and best rooms at the hotels I recommend. In the off-season (Nov and Jan-March), hoteliers may be willing to discount.
Train travelers save steps by staying in the Rödertor area (east end of town). Hotels and guesthouses will sometimes pick up tired heavy-packers at the station. If you’re driving, call ahead to get directions and parking tips. Save some energy to climb the stairs: Only one of my recommended hotels has an elevator.
Keep your key when out late. As Rothenburg’s hotels are small and mostly family-run, they often lock up early (at about 22:00) and take one day a week off, so you’ll need to let yourself in at those times.
For locations, see the “Rothenburg” map at the beginning of this chapter.
$$$$ Hotel Herrnschlösschen prides itself on being the smallest (8 rooms) and most exclusive hotel in Rothenburg. If you’re looking for a splurge, this is your best bet. This 1,000-year-old building has a beautiful Baroque garden and every amenity you’d ever want (including a sauna), but you’ll pay for them (Herrngasse 20, tel. 09861/873-890, www.herrnschloesschen.de, info@herrnschloesschen.de).
$$$ Gasthof Goldener Greifen, once Mayor Toppler’s home, is a big, traditional, 650-year-old place with 14 spacious rooms and all the comforts. It’s run by a helpful family staff and creaks with rustic splendor (family rooms, free loaner bikes for guests, free and easy parking, half a block downhill from Market Square at Obere Schmiedgasse 5, tel. 09861/2281, www.gasthof-greifen-rothenburg.de, info@gasthof-greifen-rothenburg.de; Brigitte, daughter Ursula, and Klingler family). The family also runs a good restaurant, serving meals in the back garden or dining room.
$$$ Gästehaus am Klosterhof, offering four apartments with kitchenettes, provides splurge-worthy comfort. Three apartments are outfitted in contemporary German style and one in charming Bavarian decor. Breakfast at the Altfränkische Weinstube (listed below and run by the same people) is included for the three contemporary apartments but is extra for the Bavarian one (Klingengasse 8, tel. 15151/086-047, www.am-klosterhof.de, info@am-klosterhof.de).
$$ Hotel Kloster-Stüble, deep in the old town near the castle garden, is one of my classiest listings. Twenty-one rooms, plus two apartments, each with its own special touches, fill two medieval buildings connected by a modern atrium (family rooms, just off Herrngasse at Heringsbronnengasse 5, tel. 09861/938-890, www.klosterstueble.de, hotel@klosterstueble.de, energetic Erika).
$$ Hotel Spitzweg is a rustic-yet-elegant 1536 mansion (never bombed or burned) with 10 big rooms, new bathrooms, open beams, and endearing hand-painted antique furniture. It’s run by gentle Herr Hocher, whom I suspect is the former Wizard of Oz—now retired and in a very good mood (apartment, inviting old-fashioned breakfast room, free but limited parking, Paradeisgasse 2, tel. 09861/94290, www.hotel-spitzweg.de, info@hotel-spitzweg.de).
$$ Hotel Gerberhaus mixes modern comforts into 20 bright and airy rooms—some with four-poster Himmel beds—that maintain a sense of half-timbered elegance. Enjoy the pleasant garden in back and the delightful breakfast buffet. It’s just inside the town wall, a five-minute walk to the main square (family rooms, apartment, pay parking, pay laundry, Spitalgasse 25, tel. 09861/94900, www.gerberhaus.rothenburg.de, info@hotelgerberhaus.com, Inge).
$$ Hotel Altfränkische Weinstube am Klosterhof is the place for well-heeled bohemians. Mario and Hanne rent eight cozy rooms above their dark and evocative pub in a 650-year-old building. It’s an upscale Lord of the Rings atmosphere, with modern plumbing, open-beam ceilings, and some canopied four-poster beds (off Klingengasse at Klosterhof 7, tel. 09861/6404, www.altfraenkische.de, altfraenkische-weinstube@web.de). Their pub is a candlelit classic—and a favorite with locals, serving hot food to Hobbits (see listing later, under “Eating in Rothenburg”). It also hosts the Wednesday evening English Conversation Club (see “Meet the Locals” on here).
$ Pension Elke, run by spry Erich Endress and his son Klaus, rents 12 comfy rooms above the family grocery store. Guests who jog are welcome to join Klaus on his half-hour run around the city every evening at 19:30 (RS%, cheaper rooms with shared bath, cash only; reception in grocery store until 19:00, otherwise go around back and ring bell at top of stairs; near Markus Tower at Rödergasse 6, tel. 09861/2331, www.pension-elke-rothenburg.de, info@pension-elke-rothenburg.de).
$ Gästehaus Raidel rents eight rooms in a 500-year-old house filled with beds and furniture all handmade by friendly, soft-spoken Norry Raidel. The ramshackle ambience makes me want to sing the Addams Family theme song, but the place has a rare, time-passed family charm. Norry, who plays in a Dixieland band, has invented a fascinating hybrid saxophone/trombone called the Norryphone...and loves to jam (family rooms, cash only, pleasant terrace with small garden, Wenggasse 3, tel. 09861/3115, Norry asks you to use the reservations form at www.romanticroad.com/raidel).
$ Gasthof zum Breiterle offers 23 comfortable rooms with wooden accents above their spacious breakfast room near the Rödertor. Because the inn sits on a busy street, light sleepers may want to request a room not facing Wenggasse (apartment, reception in restaurant, pay parking, Rödergasse 30, tel. 09861/6730, www.breiterle.de, info@breiterle.de, Mike and Nicole).
$ Gästehaus Gerlinger, a fine value, has five comfortable rooms in a pretty 16th-century house with a small terrace for guests (family apartment, cash only, easy parking, Schlegeleinsweth 10, tel. 09861/87979, mobile 0171-690-0752, www.pension-gerlinger.de, info@pension-gerlinger.de, Hermann).
$ Kreuzerhof Hotel offers 11 decent rooms surrounding a courtyard on a quiet side street near the Rödertor (family rooms, pay parking in courtyard, Millergasse 2, tel. 09861/3424, www.kreuzerhof.eu, info@kreuzerhof.eu, Heike and Walter Maltz).
$ Gästehaus Liebler, run by Frau Liebler, rents two large, modern, ground-floor rooms with kitchenettes. They’re great for those looking for real privacy close to the action. On the top floor is an attractive two-bedroom apartment (RS%, no breakfast but café nearby, cash only, behind Christmas shop at Pfäffleinsgässchen 10, tel. 09861/709-215, www.gaestehaus-liebler.de, info@gaestehaus-liebler.de). Frau Liebler has three more apartments a couple blocks away.
$ Pension Pöschel is simple, with six plain rooms in a concrete but pleasant building and an inviting garden out back. Five rooms have shared baths; one pricier room has a private shower and toilet (cash only, Wenggasse 22, tel. 09861/3430, mobile 0170-700-7041, www.pensionpoeschel.de, pension.poeschel@t-online.de, Bettina).
¢ Rossmühle Youth Hostel rents 182 beds in two institutional yet charming buildings. Reception is in the huge building with droopy dormer windows—formerly a horse-powered mill, it was used when the old town was under siege and the river-powered mill was inaccessible (private rooms available, all-you-can-eat dinner-€6.50, membership required, close to P-1 parking lot, entrance on Rossmühlgasse, tel. 09861/94160, www.rothenburg.jugendherberge.de, rothenburg@jugendherberge.de).
$$ Wildbad provides a tranquil escape on the edge of the Tauber River. Built into the hillside and offering 58 stylish rooms, this historic building occupies the site of a former 10th-century spa. The owners promote mixing and mingling of guests (including pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago)—TVs are found in common areas only. The vast park surrounding the hotel, replete with walking trails, offers free summer concerts and Sunday Kaffee und Kuchen on the terrace. There’s even a covered Kegeln lane where you can rent 19th-century wooden pins and try your hand at ninepin bowling. An elevator covers the first seven floors, but you’ll have to walk to the eighth, where there’s a tiny chapel and library (family rooms, free parking, Taubertalweg 42, tel. 09861/9770, www.wildbad.de, info@wildbad.de). While it’s walkable to town, those arriving by train can take a taxi for around €7.
$ Pension Fuchsmühle is charmingly located in a renovated old mill on the river below the castle end of Rothenburg, across from Toppler Castle. It feels rural but is a pleasant (though steep) 15-minute hike from Market Square or a €12 taxi ride from the train station. Alex and Heidi Molitor, a young couple with kids, offer eight bright, modern, light-wood rooms. The building’s electric power comes from the millwheel by the entrance, with excess sold to the municipal grid (family rooms, healthy farm-fresh breakfast, free parking, Taubertalweg 101, tel. 09861/92633, www.fuchsmuehle.de, info@fuchsmuehle.de).
My recommendations are all within a five-minute walk of Market Square. While all survive on tourism, many still feel like local hangouts. Your choices are typical German or ethnic. You’ll see regional Franconian (fränkische) specialties advertised, such as the German ravioli called Maultaschen and Franconian bratwurst (similar to other brats, but a bit more coarsely ground, with less fat, and liberally seasoned with marjoram). Many restaurants take a midafternoon break and stop serving lunch at 14:00; dinner may end as early as 20:00.
For locations, see the “Rothenburg” map at the beginning of this chapter.
$$$ Reichsküchenmeister’s interior is like any forgettable big-hotel restaurant’s, but on a balmy evening, its pleasant tree-shaded terrace overlooking St. Jakob’s Church and reliably good dishes are hard to beat, including the Flammkuchen—southern German flatbread (daily 11:30-22:30, reservations smart, Kirchplatz 8, tel. 09861/9700, www.hotel-reichskuechenmeister-rothenburg.de).
$$$ Hotel Restaurant Kloster-Stüble, on a small street off Herrngasse near the castle garden, is a classy place for delicious and beautifully presented traditional cuisine, including homemade Maultaschen. Chef Rudi cooks while head waitress Erika makes sure communication goes smoothly. Choose from their shaded terrace, sleek-and-stony modern dining room, or woody traditional dining room (daily 18:00-20:30, Sat-Sun also 12:00-14:30, Heringsbronnengasse 5, tel. 09861/938-890).
$$ Gasthof Goldener Greifen, in a historic building with a peaceful garden out back, is just off the main square. The Klingler family serves quality Franconian food at a good price...and with a smile. The wood is ancient and polished from generations of happy use, and the ambience is practical rather than posh (affordable kids’ meals, Wed-Mon 11:30-21:00, closed Tue, Obere Schmiedgasse 5, tel. 09861/2281, Ursula).
$$ Altfränkische Weinstube am Klosterhof seems designed for gnomes to celebrate their anniversaries. At this very dark pub, classically candlelit in a 650-year-old building, Mario whips up gourmet pub grub (hot food served Wed-Mon 18:00-21:30, closed Tue, off Klingengasse at Klosterhof 7, tel. 09861/6404). If you’d like dinner company, drop by on Wednesday evening, when the English Conversation Club has a big table reserved from 18:30 on (see “Meet the Locals,” here). You’ll eat well and with new friends—both travelers and locals.
$$ Zum Pulverer (“The Powderer”) is a very traditional Weinstube (wine bar) just inside the Burgtor gate that serves a menu of affordable and well-executed regional fare, some with modern flourishes. The interior is a cozy wood-hewn place that oozes history, with chairs carved in the shape of past senators of Rothenburg (daily 17:00-23:00 except Sat-Sun from 12:00, closed Tue, Herrengasse 31, tel. 09861/976-182).
$$ Alter Keller is a modest, tourist-friendly restaurant with an extremely characteristic interior and outdoor tables on a peaceful square just a couple blocks off Market Square. The menu has German classics at reasonable prices—Spätzle, schnitzel, and roasts—as well as steak (Wed-Sun 11:30-15:00 & 17:30-21:00, closed Mon-Tue, Alter Keller 8, tel. 09861/2268, Markus and Miriam).
$$$$ Hotel Restaurant Herrnschlösschen is the local favorite for gourmet presentation and a departure from Franconian fare. They offer a small menu of international and seasonal dishes with a theme. There’s always a serious vegetarian option and a €50 fixed-price meal with matching wine. It’s perhaps the most elegant dining in town, whether in the classy dining hall or in the shaded Baroque garden out back. Reservations are a must (Herrngasse 20, tel. 09861/873-890, Ulrika, www.hotel-rothenburg.de).
$$ Pizzeria Roma is the locals’ favorite for pizza and pastas, with good Italian wine. The Magrini family moved here from Tuscany in 1968 (many Italians immigrated to Germany in those years), and they’ve been cooking pasta for Rothenburg ever since (Thu-Tue 11:30-23:00, closed Wed and mid-Aug-mid-Sept, Galgengasse 19, tel. 09861/4540, Riccardo).
$ TobinGo, just off Market Square, serves cheap and tasty Turkish food to eat in or take away. Their döner kebab must be the best €4.20 hot meal in Rothenburg. For about €1 more, try a less-bready dürüm döner—same ingredients but in a warm tortilla (daily 10:00-22:00, Hafengasse 2).
$ Brot & Zeit (a pun on Brotzeit, “bread time,” the German term for snacking), conveniently located a block off Market Square, is like a German bakery dressed up as a Starbucks. In a bright, modern atmosphere just inside the super-picturesque Markus Tower gate, they sell takeaway coffee, sandwiches, and a few hot dishes, making it a good one-stop shop for grabbing a meal to go or to eat inside or outside at its few small tables (Mon-Sat 6:00-18:30, Sun 7:30-18:00, Hafengasse 24, tel. 09861/936-8701).
Bakery and Butcher Sandwiches: While any bakery in town can sell you a sandwich for a couple of euros, I like to pop into $ Metzgerei Trumpp, a high-quality butcher shop serving up cheap and tasty sausages on a bun with kraut to go (Mon-Fri 7:30-18:00, Sat until 16:00, usually closed Sun, a block off Market Square at Schmiedgasse 18).
Grocery Stores: A small grocery store is in the center of town at Rödergasse 6. Larger supermarkets are outside the wall: Exit the town through the Rödertor, turn left through the cobbled gate, and cross the parking lot to reach the Edeka supermarket; or head to the even bigger Kaufland across from the train station (grocery stores generally open Mon-Sat until 20:00, closed Sun).
Rothenburg’s beer gardens can be great fun, but they’re open only when the weather is balmy. My first listing is just outside the gate; the second is a hike away in the valley.
$$ Gasthof Rödertor, just outside the wall through the Rödertor, runs a backyard Biergarten that’s popular with locals. It’s great for a rowdy crowd looking for pizza, classic beer garden fare, and good beer. Their passion is potatoes—the menu is dedicated to spud cuisine. Try a plate of Schupfnudeln—potato noodles with sauerkraut and bacon (May-Sept Tue-Sat 17:30-22:00, Sun until 21:00, closed Mon and in bad weather, table service only—no ordering at counter, Ansbacher Strasse 7, look for wooden gate, tel. 09861/2022). If the Biergarten is closed, their indoor restaurant, with a more extensive menu, is a good value (Tue-Sun 11:30-14:00 & 17:30-21:00, closed Mon).
$$ Unter den Linden is a family-friendly (with sandbox and swing), slightly bohemian Biergarten in the valley along the river. It’s worth the 20-minute hike on a pleasant evening, or on Sunday morning for the breakfast buffet (in season with decent weather open Wed-Sun 10:00-22:00, Mon-Tue from 14:00, good food and good beer, order at the kiosk and they’ll yell your name when it’s ready, Kurze Steige 7, tel. 09861/5909). As it’s in the valley on the river, it’s cooler than Rothenburg; bring a sweater. Take a right outside the Burgtor, then a left on the footpath toward Detwang; it’s at the bottom of the hill on the left.
Eis Café D’Isep, with a pleasant “Venetian minimalist” interior, has been making gelato in Rothenburg since 1960, using family recipes that span four generations. They proudly serve up cakes, drinks, fresh-fruit ice cream, and fancy sundaes. Their sidewalk tables are great for lazy people-watching (daily 10:00-22:00, closed early Oct-mid-Feb, one block off Market Square at Hafengasse 17, run by Paolo and Paola D’Isep and son Enrico).
The Allegra Schokolade chocolate shop is run by delightful Alex, a pastry chef-turned-chocolatier who trained in Switzerland. He makes artisan chocolates with local ingredients like mint, hazelnuts, and even beer, and can arrange group workshops for you to create your own chocolate Santa or animal (Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun from 11:00, closed Mon; workshops from €10, minimum 4 people, 1.5 hours, arrange in advance; Georgengasse 9, tel. 9861/688-0293, www.allegra-schokolade.de, info@allegra-schokolade.de).
Pastries: Rothenburg’s bakeries (Bäckereien) offer succulent pastries, pies, and cakes...but skip the bad-tasting Rothenburger Schneeballen. Unworthy of the heavy promotion they receive, Schneeballen are bland pie crusts crumpled into a ball and dusted with powdered sugar or frosted with sticky-sweet glop. If the curiosity is too much to bear, avoid the slick places on the busier tourist avenues—instead, try a fresh (frisch), handmade (handgemacht) one from a smaller bakery or a sweet mini-Schnee at the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum’s café. There’s little reason to waste your appetite on a Schneeball when you can enjoy a curvy Mandelhörnchen (almond crescent cookie), a triangular Nussecke (“nut corner”), a round Florentiner cookie, a couple of fresh Krapfen (like jelly doughnuts), or a soft, warm German pretzel.
$$$ Trinkstube zur Hölle (“Hell”) is dark and foreboding, offering a thick wine-drinking atmosphere, pub food, and a few main courses. It’s small and can get painfully touristy in summer (Mon-Sat 17:00-24:00, food until 22:00, closed Sun, a block past Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum on Burggasse, look for the devil hanging out front, tel. 09861/4229).
Altfränkische Weinstube am Klosterhof (listed earlier, under “Traditional German Restaurants”) is the liveliest place and a clear favorite with locals for an atmospheric drink or late meal. When every other place is asleep, you’re likely to find good food, drink, and energy here.
$$ Restaurant Glocke, a Weinstube (wine bar) with a full menu, is run by Rothenburg’s oldest and only surviving winemakers, the Thürauf family. The very extensive wine list is in German only because the friendly staff wants to explain your options in person. Their special €5.60 flight lets you sample five Franconian white wines (Mon-Sat 11:00-21:00, Sun until 14:00, Plönlein 1, tel. 09861/958-990).
For a rare chance to mix it up with locals who aren’t selling anything, bring your favorite slang and tongue twisters to the English Conversation Club at Mario’s Altfränkische Weinstube am Klosterhof (Wed 18:30-24:00, restaurant listed earlier). This group of intrepid linguists has met more than 1,000 times. Hermann the German and his sidekick Wolfgang are regulars. Consider arriving early for dinner, or after 21:00, when the beer starts to sink in, the crowd grows, and everyone seems to speak that second language a bit more easily.
If you take the train to or from Rothenburg, you’ll transfer at Steinach. A tiny branch train line shuttles back and forth hourly between Steinach and Rothenburg (15 minutes, generally departs Steinach at :35 and Rothenburg at :06). Train connections in Steinach are usually quick and efficient (trains to and from Rothenburg generally use track 5; use the conveyor belts to haul your bags smartly up and down the stairs).
Note that the last train from Steinach to Rothenburg departs at about 22:30. But all is not lost if you arrive in Steinach after the last train: A subsidized taxi service runs to Rothenburg (cheaper for the government than running an almost-empty train). To use this handy service, called AST (Anrufsammeltaxi), make an appointment with a participating taxi service (call 09861/2000 or 09861/7227) at least an hour in advance (2 hours ahead is better), and they’ll drive you from Steinach to Rothenburg for the cost of train fare (€4.70/person) rather than the regular €30 taxi fare.
The Rothenburg station has ticket machines for fare and schedule information and ticket sales. If you need extra help, visit the combined ticket office/travel agency in the station (€1-3 surcharge for most tickets, Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-13:00, closed Sun, tel. 09861/7711). The station at Steinach is entirely unstaffed but has ticket machines. Train info: www.bahn.com.
From Rothenburg (via Steinach) by Train to: Würzburg (hourly, 70 minutes), Cochem (every 1-2 hours, 6 hours, 4 changes), Nürnberg (hourly, 1.5 hours, change in Ansbach), Munich (hourly, 3.5 hours, 2-3 changes), Füssen (hourly, 5 hours, often with changes in Treuchtlingen and Augsburg), Frankfurt (hourly, 3 hours, change in Würzburg), Frankfurt Airport (hourly, 3.5 hours, change in Würzburg), Berlin (hourly, 5.5 hours, 3 changes).
The Romantic Road bus stops in Rothenburg once a day (mid-April-mid-Oct) on its way from Frankfurt to Munich and Füssen (and vice versa). The bus stop is at Schrannenplatz, a short walk north of Market Square. See the schedule and tour description at the end of this chapter.
The three-hour autobahn drive from Frankfurt Airport (and other points north) to Rothenburg is something even a jet-lagged zombie can handle. It’s a 75-mile straight shot to Würzburg on the A-3 autobahn; just follow the blue autobahn signs toward Würzburg. Then turn south on A-7 and take the Rothenburg o.d.T. exit (#108). For a back-roads alternative, consider driving along the Romantic Road—see “From Würzburg (or Frankfurt) to Rothenburg,” below.
The countryside between Frankfurt and Munich is Germany’s medieval heartland. Walls and towers ring half-timbered towns, and flowers spill over the windowsills of well-kept houses. Glockenspiels dance from town halls by day, while night watchmen still call the hours after dark. Many travelers bypass these small towns by fast train or autobahn. But consider an extra day or two to take in the slow pace of small-town German life. With a car, you can wander through quaint hills and rolling villages and stop wherever the cows look friendly or a town fountain beckons.
In the 1950s, towns in this region joined together to work out a scenic driving route for visitors that they called the Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse, www.romantischestrasse.de). Because local train service was poor, they also organized a bus along the route for tourists, from Würzburg in the north to Füssen in the south.
The Romantic Road is the oldest and most famous of Germany’s two dozen signposted scenic routes. Others celebrate toys, porcelain, architecture (Swabian Baroque or brick Gothic), clocks, and baths—and there are even two separate Spargelstrassen (asparagus roads). The “Castle Road” that runs between Rothenburg and Mannheim sounds intriguing, but it’s nowhere near as interesting.
Now that the A-7 autobahn parallels the old two-lane route, the Romantic Road itself has become less important, but its destinations are still worthwhile. For drivers, the Romantic Road is basically a set of scenic stepping stones to Rothenburg, which is the most exciting town along the way. You can make a day out of the drive between Würzburg (or Frankfurt) and Rothenburg, stopping in the small towns along the Tauber River valley. If linking Rothenburg and Munich, stop in Dinkelsbühl and/or Nördlingen. The drive from Rothenburg to Füssen on two-lane roads makes for a full day, but it’s possible to squeeze in a quick visit to Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen, the Wieskirche, or Landsberg am Lech, hopping on the autobahn to speed up parts of the trip. If you’re driving with limited time, just zero in on Rothenburg by autobahn.
A confusing web of roads crisscrosses the Romantic Road region, and drivers will find that the official, signposted route is rarely the fastest option. Using GPS or a mapping app to find your way is confusing, as you’ll usually be routed to the nearest highway or autobahn. This is smart if your time is tight and you want to focus on a few carefully selected stopovers. But if your goal is to meander and explore, skip the GPS, get a good map, and follow the brown Romantische Strasse signs.
For those without a car, the tour bus that still runs along the Romantic Road route once a day during the summer is a way to connect Rothenburg with Frankfurt, Würzburg, and Munich, or to go between Munich and Füssen, while seeing more scenery than you’d get on the train.
I’ve divided the Romantic Road into three sections. The stretch from Würzburg (or Frankfurt) to Rothenburg runs up the Tauber River valley, offering pleasant views. Rothenburg to Augsburg is fairly flat and dull. From Augsburg south to Füssen, the route follows the Lech River up to where the Alps begin, and the scenery gets more exciting at every turn. To help you find your way, I’ve included some driving directions. While you can reach some of these destinations by public transit, most aren’t worth the hassle without a car (try the Romantic Road bus, though the schedule can be sparse—see end of chapter).
To follow this scenic back-road approach from Frankfurt, take A-3, then turn south on A-81, get off at the Tauberbischofsheim exit, and track signs for Bad Mergentheim. Or stay on A-3 to the Heidingsfeld-Würzburg exit and follow Stuttgart/Ulm/Road 19 signs south to Bad Mergentheim. From Würzburg, follow Ulm/Road 19 signs to Bad Mergentheim.
This town, one of the less romantic stops along this route, holds a unique footnote in Germanic history: In 1525, the Teutonic Knights (called the Deutschorden, or “German Order”) lost their lands in East Prussia (today’s Poland) and the Baltic states. The order’s leadership retreated to their castle at Bad Mergentheim, which became their headquarters for the next three centuries. Today the building houses the German Order Museum—practically a pilgrimage for German historians but underwhelming for casual visitors, who will find it dry and with limited English (www.deutschordensmuseum.de).
Leaving Bad Mergentheim, continue east. Turn into Weikersheim off the main road, following Stadtmitte and Schloss signs, then bear right to park in the large free lot. From there it’s a couple minutes’ walk to the town square.
This picturesquely set town, nestled between hills, has a charming little main square offering easy access to a fine park and an impressive palace.
Weikersheim’s palace (Schloss Weikersheim), across a moat-turned-park from the main square, was built in the late 16th century as the Renaissance country estate of a local count. With its bucolic location and glowing sandstone texture, it gives off a Downton Abbey vibe. The palace interior boasts an unusual triangular floor plan but is only viewable by a guided tour in German (tel. 07934/992-950, www.schloss-weikersheim.de).
I’d skip the tour and instead focus on exploring the palace’s fine Baroque gardens. From the ticket office, cut through the courtyard and pop out at the finely manicured gardens, originally laid out in the early 18th century and populated by an army of whimsical stony statues (most of them mythological figures). Along the balustrade separating the palace from the gardens are the most photographed statues, the so-called “Dwarves’ Gallery.” At the far end of the complex is an orangery, offering fine views back over the gardens to the palace.
The rose garden, to the right as you face the palace, is free (but likely not at its best, as it’s been recovering from an infestation). A gate off the rose garden leads to a spooky “alchemy garden” with plants used by medieval witches.
If you have time after your garden visit, Weikersheim’s pleasant town square and cobbled old town are worth exploring. The city park (Stadtpark, enter off town square) is a fine picnic spot, and from it you can peer over the hedge into the palace gardens.
While Creglingen itself isn’t worth much fuss (TI tel. 07933/631, www.creglingen.de), two quick and rewarding sights sit across the road from each other a mile south of town.
The peaceful 14th-century Herrgottskirche Church, worth ▲, is graced with Tilman Riemenschneider’s greatest carved altarpiece, completed sometime between 1505 and 1510. The church was built on the site where a local farmer found a seemingly miraculous communion host in a field. Centuries later, Riemenschneider graced the space with an impressive altar nearly 30 feet high—tall enough that its tip pokes up between the rafters. While Riemenschneider’s altars in Rothenburg and Detwang (see here, here, and here) are focused on Jesus, the star here is Mary, captured in the moment she ascends to heaven. Angels—with their angular wings jutting out in all directions—whisk Mary off into the sky as the 12 apostles watch in wonder. Just above Mary, appreciate the remarkably intricate tangle of vines. Higher up is the heavenly coronation of Mary, who is surrounded by God and Jesus (distinguished by the bushiness of their beards) and the Holy Spirit. The side panels show important scenes from Mary’s life. The church’s other, colorful (non-Riemenschneider) altars are also worth a peek (tel. 07933/338, www.herrgottskirche.de).
The Fingerhut Museum, showing off thimbles (literally, “finger hats”), is far more interesting than it sounds. You’ll step from case to case to squint at the collection, which numbers about 4,000 (but still fits in a single room) and comes from all over the world; some pieces are centuries old. Owner Thorvald Greif got a head start from his father, who owned a thimble factory (tel. 07933/370, www.fingerhutmuseum.de).
Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen (via B-25) are the main attractions between Rothenburg and Augsburg. From Donauwörth, taking the B-2 highway (which parallels the Romantic Road here) can speed up your trip.
Rothenburg’s little sister is cute enough to merit a short stop. A moat, towers, gates, and a beautifully preserved medieval wall all surround this town. Dinkelsbühl is pretty, and a bit less touristy than Rothenburg, but also less exciting. Still, it’s a delight to simply stroll for an hour or two. Park at one of the free lots outside the town walls, which are well signed from the main road (parking inside the town is limited to one hour).
To orient yourself, head for the tower of St. Georg’s Cathedral, at the center of town. This 15th-century church has a surprisingly light, airy interior and fine carved altarpieces. On good-weather summer weekends, you can climb to the top of the tower.
Back outside the church, follow the signs around the corner (first into Ledermarkt, then Altrathausplatz) to the TI, which offers a free “Tour of the Town” brochure (tel. 09851/902-440, www.dinkelsbuehl.de). In the TI, take a minute to watch the TV monitor showing the stork nest on top of the old Town Hall (also visible at www.storch24.de). Dinkelsbühl offers an evening Night Watchman Tour similar to Rothenburg’s, but it’s in German only (details at TI).
The TI doubles as the ticket office for the fine City History Museum (Haus der Geschichte) in the same building. This shiny, up-to-date museum fills three floors. Learn about Dinkelsbühl’s location along important north-south travel routes in early times, its role in the Thirty Years’ War, and how the tug-of-war between Catholics and Protestants ended in a power-sharing agreement and the loss of the town’s medieval prosperity. The self-service movie theater shows short film clips about Dinkelsbühl. On the top floor is the large, recently restored town model (Stadtschaue) with only the walls and a few key buildings set up on a medieval street plan. There’s also a kids’ play area.
Sleeping in Dinkelsbühl: Dinkelsbühl has a good selection of hotels, many of them lining the main drag in front of the church (though more choices and lower prices are available in Rothenburg and Nördlingen). Options include: $$$ Hezelhof Hotel (modern rooms in an old shell at Segringer Strasse 7, tel. 09851/555-420, www.hezelhof.com), $$$ Weisses Ross (“White Horse,” attached to a historic restaurant at Steingasse 12, tel. 09851/579-890, www.hotel-weisses-ross.de), and Dinkelsbühl’s unique ¢ youth hostel (in a medieval granary at Koppengasse 10—steps from the Schweinemarkt, where Romantic Road buses stop once a day in each direction; tel. 09851/555-6417, www.dinkelsbuehl.jugendherberge.de).
Though less cute than Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen is a real workaday town that also has one of the best city walls in Germany, not to mention a surprising geological history. For centuries, Nördlingen’s residents puzzled over the local terrain, a flattish plain called the Ries, which rises to a low circular ridge that surrounds the town in the distance. In the 1960s, geologists figured out that Nördlingen lies in the middle of an impact crater blasted out 15 million years ago by a meteor, which hit earth with the force of 250,000 Hiroshima bombs.
Park in one of the big, free lots at the Delninger Tor and the Baldinger Tor, or in the free parking garage at the Berger Tor (parking inside the old town is time-limited).
After parking, head through one of the gates in the wall and into the center of town by zeroing in on the tower of St. Georg’s Church. The inside is stripped-down austere—a far cry from the frilly Wieskirche two hours to the south. It’s clear that Nördlingen and Wies straddle the Protestant-Catholic boundary.
Climb Nördlingen’s church tower (which locals call “the Daniel”) for sweeping views over the almost perfectly circular old town. The rickety 350-step climb up the tower rewards you with the very best view of the city walls and crater. You’ll twist up a tight stone staircase, then tackle several flights of wooden ones—passing a giant wheel once used to winch materials up into the tower. Higher up is a modern winch used today. From the top, take a slow 360-degree spin; it’s easy to visualize how the trees on the horizon sit on the rim of the meteorite crater.
The small square next to the church’s main entrance is called Marktplatz, and just behind the step-gabled Rathaus (Town Hall) is the TI (tel. 09081/84116, www.noerdlingen.de).
Now walk out the bottom of Marktplatz and down Baldinger Strasse (past the Rathaus). At the traffic light, turn right and then left, past the skippable Stadtmuseum (town history, obscure local artists, and very little English), to the Ries Crater Museum (Rieskrater-Museum). Ask them to play the two 10-minute English films, which explain meteors. The exhibits are well presented but only described in German (tel. 09081/84710, www.noerdlingen.de).
With more time, walk all the way around on the top of the town wall, which is even better preserved than Rothenburg’s or Dinkelsbühl’s. Circle back to Baldinger Strasse and continue to the Baldinger Tor tower. This is one of five towers where you can climb the stairs to the walkway along the wall. From here, stroll atop the wall back to the lot where your car is parked. The city started building the wall in 1327 and financed it with a tax on wine and beer; it’s more than a mile and a half long, has 16 towers and five gates, and offers great views of backyards and garden furniture. You could continue farther along the wall to the City Wall Museum, with a 108-step climb to the top—but the view from the church is better.
Sleeping in Nördlingen: Several small hotels surrounding St. Georg’s Church offer mediocre but reasonably priced rooms. Try $$ Hotel Altreuter (over an inviting bakery/café at Marktplatz 11, tel. 09081/4319, www.hotel-altreuter.de).
Along the Romantic Road and throughout Bavaria, you’ll see colorfully ornamented maypoles (Maibaum) decorating town squares. Many are painted in Bavaria’s colors, white and blue. The decorations that line each side of the pole symbolize the craftspeople and businesses of that community (similar to the chamber of commerce billboards that greet visitors to small American towns today). Originally these allowed passing traders to quickly determine whether their services were needed in that town. The decorations are festively replaced each May Day (May 1). Traditionally, rival communities try to steal each other’s maypole. Locals guard their new pole night and day as May Day approaches. Stolen poles are ransomed only with lots of beer for the clever thieves.
You can’t miss this town, thanks to the impressively intact, 900-year-old castle that looms high on a bluff over the river. Unusually well preserved from the Middle Ages (not a Romantic Age rebuild), it’s still owned by the noble Wallerstein family. Locals enjoy repeating the story of how, years ago, Michael Jackson tried to buy this place—which he termed “the castle of my dreams.”
Founded more than 2,000 years ago by Emperor Augustus, Augsburg enjoyed its heyday in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today, it’s Bavaria’s third-largest city (population 278,000). It lacks must-see sights, but the old town is pleasant, especially the small streets below the main square, where streams diverted from the River Lech run alongside pedestrians (www.augsburg.de).
From Augsburg, you can either continue south to Füssen on two-lane B-17, or you can hop on A-8, which brings you quickly into Munich (in about an hour).
Like many towns in this area, Landsberg (on the River Lech) has its roots in the salt trade. Every four years, the town hosts the Ruethenfest pageant, which brings Landsberg’s medieval history to life. The town was shaped by the architect Dominikus Zimmerman (of Wieskirche fame). Adolf Hitler wrote Mein Kampf while serving his prison sentence here after the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 (when Hitler and his followers unsuccessfully attempted to take over the government of Bavaria).
About 30 miles south of Landsberg, the nondescript village of Rottenbuch, near the Wieskirche, has an impressive church in a lovely setting.
Germany’s most glorious Baroque-Rococo church is beautifully restored and set in a sweet meadow. Romantic Road buses stop here for about 15-20 minutes—but depending on the day, the church may not be open during your visit; if not, you’ll have to settle for an exterior-only photo op.
From mid-April to mid-October, the Deutsche Touring company runs daily tour buses that roughly follow the Romantic Road. It’s worthwhile mostly if you have no car but want to catch a fleeting glimpse of the towns along the Romantic Road, or if you’re planning an overnight stay in a town that’s poorly served by train (such as Dinkelsbühl). The bus also offers the convenience of a direct connection between towns where you’d have to transfer if traveling by train, such as between Rothenburg and the cities of Munich and Frankfurt.
The Frankfurt-Rothenburg leg passes through the small towns in the Tauber River valley (Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim, and Creglingen) but only stops to pick up and drop off passengers. The Rothenburg-Munich leg includes short stops in both Dinkelsbühl and Augsburg—just enough for a glimpse of each. Between Munich and Füssen, the bus stops at the Wieskirche for just enough time to peek into the church. Be warned that in case of delays, these stops can be shortened.
Frankfurt to Rothenburg costs €45, Rothenburg to Munich is €43 (including train transfer), and from Augsburg to Füssen is €37 (each about the same as the train). The entire ride (Frankfurt to Füssen) costs €108. Students and seniors—without a rail pass—get a 10 percent discount. You can get a 20 percent discount if you have a German rail pass, Global Pass, or Select Pass (if Germany is one of your selected countries). You don’t have to activate the use of a travel day of a flexipass to get this discount; if bus drivers say it takes a travel day, set them straight.
The Romantic Road bus runs daily from mid-April to mid-October. Every day, one bus goes north to south (Frankfurt to Augsburg to Füssen), and another follows the reverse route south to north (Füssen to Munich to Frankfurt). You can begin or end your journey at any of these stops. The following times include only the main stops. The bus also stops elsewhere, including Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim, Creglingen, Nördlingen, Harburg, Wieskirche, and Hohenschwangau. On the northbound route, the bus stops at Munich’s central bus station (ZOB), not the train station. Check the full timetable at www.romantischestrasse.de (under “Romantic Road Coach”).
The buses are fitted with Wi-Fi, and the free Romantic Road app provides details about the towns and villages you’ll pass through. Free audioguides are available.
| Southbound | ||
| Depart Frankfurt (platform A1-A3) | 8:00 | |
| Arrive Würzburg (Residenz) | 9:40 | |
| Depart Würzburg (Residenz) | 10:10 | |
| Arrive Rothenburg (Schrannenplatz) | 12:20 | |
| Depart Rothenburg (Schrannenplatz) | 13:05 | |
| Arrive Dinkelsbühl | 14:20 | |
| Depart Dinkelsbühl | 14:50 | |
| Arrive Augsburg (Rathaus) | 17:10 | |
| Depart Augsburg (Rathaus) | 17:40 | |
| Arrive/Depart Augsburg (train station) | 17:50 | |
| To Munich, train transfer required: | ||
| Depart Augsburg | 17:50 | |
| Arrive Munich | 18:47 | |
| Arrive Wieskirche | 19:35 | |
| Depart Wieskirche | 19:50 | |
| Arrive Füssen | 20:30 | |
| Northbound | ||
| Depart Füssen | 8:00 | |
| Arrive/Depart Hohenschwangau (TI) | 8:05 | |
| Arrive/Depart Schwangau Town (TI) | 8:10 | |
| Arrive Wieskirche | 8:35 | |
| Depart Wieskirche | 8:55 | |
| Arrive/Depart Munich (central bus station) | 10:40 | |
| Arrive Dinkelsbühl | 14:35 | |
| Depart Dinkelsbühl | 15:05 | |
| Arrive Rothenburg (Schrannenplatz) | 16:05 | |
| Depart Rothenburg (Schrannenplatz) | 16:50 | |
| Arrive Würzburg (Residenz) | 18:35 | |
| Depart Würzburg (Residenz) | 18:50 | |
| Arrive Frankfurt | 20:30 | |
Bus reservations are almost never necessary—you can pay by cash or credit card on the bus. But reservations are free and easy to make, and without one you could lose your seat to someone who has one (general information at www.romantic-road.com; reserve online at www.touring-travel.eu; info tel. 09851/551-387). The main ticket office is in Frankfurt; there’s also a ticket office at the central bus station in Munich.
Bus stops are not well signed, but their location in each town is listed on the bus brochure and website. Look for a small Touring or Romantische Strasse sign.