Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the most compelling stop on Bavaria’s Romantic Road, and it’s an easy one to reach by rail. I visited as a day trip from Nuremberg and saw everything I wanted in four hours.
It’s Germany’s best-preserved medieval town: wonky half-timbered houses, cobbled streets, an intact town wall with stone towers, and a shop where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. In one day you can walk the walls, eat the local pastry and cover the whole old town on foot. There’s a case for staying overnight too, once the tour buses have left, but a single day here works well if your schedule doesn’t stretch further.
INSIDER TIP: If you want to shop, avoid Sunday. Like the rest of Germany, many shops close.
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My Rothenburg Self-Guided Walking Tour (+ Map)
For step-by-step directions on your phone, click the map link below.
1. Rothenburg Market Square (Marktplatz)
Marktplatz has been Rothenburg’s heart since the town’s heyday around 1300 AD, when its position on the route from Würzburg to the Alps (today’s Romantic Road) made it Germany’s second-biggest city.
The 13th-century Old Town Hall dominates the square: part Gothic, part Renaissance, it was rebuilt after a fire in 1501. Climb its 220 narrow steps and you get a bird’s-eye view of the town from the viewing platform. Check seasonal opening hours before you go.
The clock on the neighbouring Councillor’s Tavern puts on a show every hour between 10am and 10pm, when wooden figures re-enact the Meistertrunk (“Master Draught”) legend. It’s a big tourist draw, though I found it underwhelming.
The Renaissance New Town Hall runs along one whole side of the square. The town’s wealthiest citizens once lived here and on the neighbouring streets, which is why some of Rothenburg’s finest houses are still standing nearby. St George’s Fountain, dating from the early 1600s, was once the townsfolk’s water source, and two typical half-timbered buildings tower above it.
2. St. James’s Church: a drop of Christ’s blood
For centuries, pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago rested here on their way to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela, and Rothenburg earned its place on the route thanks to a drop of Christ’s blood.
That relic is held in a rock-crystal capsule at the centre of a carved wooden altarpiece. Würzburg-born Tilman Riemenschneider carved it between 1499 and 1504, at roughly the same time Michelangelo was carving David from a block of Carrara marble. Riemenschneider is often called the Michelangelo of German woodcarvers, and it’s easy to see why once you’re standing in front of the work.
St James’s High Altar has painted panels by Friedrich Herlin alongside carved wooden statues, and beside it the stone Tabernacle of the Holy Eucharist shows Jesus standing on a skull, a depiction of him overcoming death. As you leave, look at the paintings on the back of the altarpiece, especially the face of Christ on the veil of Veronica.
INSIDER TIP: Visit in the morning, when sunlight through the east choir windows floods the church with colour.
3. Convent Garden
This former Dominican monastery garden is an oasis of tranquillity in Rothenburg.
Back in the day, nuns and monks cultivated this medicinal herb garden to concoct cures and disguise the rancid taste of rotting food. Today’s herb garden is flourishing and its plants are carefully labelled, the number of crosses on the sign indicating the herb’s toxicity.
4. Castle Garden
The castle that gave this spot its name was destroyed in 1356. All that’s left is the small Blasius Chapel, in front of which is a memorial to local Jews killed in 1298.
From here, there are wonderful views of Rothenburg’s medieval skyline and across the Tauber Valley.
5. Rothenburg’s Medieval Crime Museum
This is the most unlikely tourist attraction in town, but weirdly it works.
Europe’s largest museum on legal history is stuffed with instruments of punishment: shame masks, racks, thumbscrews, all of it. Don’t miss the baker’s cage by the museum gateway, once used to publicly shame (and dunk in icy water) bakers caught cheating on ingredients..
At the museum’s entrance, you’ll see the creepy Child Catcher Carriage from the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was filmed in Rothenburg.
6. Snack on a Schneeball
Don’t leave town without trying one. Schneeball (“snowball”) is shortcrust pastry in sweet layers, dusted with sugar, and sold in bakeries and cafes across town. They keep for around eight weeks, so they double as decent presents for people back home.
7. Plönlein: one of Germany’s most photographed streets
Plölein is Rothenburg’s most famous landmark. Featuring a small fountain in front of a timber-framed house, and flanked by the two towers of the old city wall, it is perfectly picturesque.
If it looks familiar, this may be because you recognise it from the 1940 Disney animation Pinocchio, which was inspired by Rothenburg.
8. The shop where it is Christmas year-round
Käthe Wohlfahrt, founded in 1964, is the largest and best-known seller of traditional German Christmas decorations, and it’s a festive wonderland complete with animations, Christmas music and a huge range of toys and decorations. If you love all things Christmas, the German Christmas Museum is next door, and Rothenburg also has one of Germany’s most popular Christmas markets.
That’s the end of the walking tour, but if you’ve still got time and energy, here are two more things worth doing.
9. Walk Rothenburg’s city wall
The full loop is just over a mile and a half and takes under an hour. You can join or leave at most of the towers; I walked a short stretch from Siebertstor.
10. The Night Watchman’s tour
Finally, to bring the ramparts to life, join the cheesy Night Watchman’s Tour. Described as a “Medieval John Cleese,” the Night Watchman makes his rounds of Rothenburg as he dishes out entertaining nuggets about the town’s history.
How to Do a Rothenburg Day Trip by Train
Rothenburg has excellent rail connections, and it’s an easy day trip from Nuremberg, Munich, Frankfurt or Stuttgart. Germany has more than one town called Rothenburg, so when booking, make sure you select “Rothenburg ob der Tauber.” Check train times on the Deutsche Bahn website.
The railway station is a 10-minute walk from Marktplatz. Turn left out of the station and follow the green-and-white signs for Altstadt, which lead to Röder Gate at the entrance to the old town.
INSIDER TIP: Before buying a point-to-point ticket, check whether a Regional Day Ticket for Bavaria works out cheaper.
Nuremberg to Rothenburg by train
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of several excellent day trips from Nuremberg, itself a great base in Upper Bavaria with restored medieval buildings, a river crossed by historic bridges, good museums and arguably Germany’s tastiest sausages.
There’s no direct train, so you’ll change at Ansbach and again at Steinach. It sounds fiddlier than it is, and the whole journey takes just over an hour.
From Munich, Frankfurt and Stuttgart
Munich to Rothenburg
- Fastest journey time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Change trains at Nuremberg, Ansbach and Steinach
Frankfurt to Rothenburg
- Fastest journey time: 3 hours
- Change trains at Würzburg and Steinach
Stuttgart to Rothenburg
- Fastest journey time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Change trains at Nuremberg, Ansbach and Steinach
Day Tours to Rothenburg
It is easy to visit Rothenburg on a day trip by train. But if you want to see the bits of the Romantic Road that are not reachable by rail or want someone else to take care of the arrangements, an organised day tour is worth considering.
You will also benefit from the knowledge of a guide, and if you are a solo traveller in Germany, a day tour can also be an excellent way to meet other travellers.
Here are a few options that other travellers like:
Rothenburg and Romantic Road day trip from Frankfurt – This guided tour along the includes a photo stop at the Würzburg Residenz, one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe.
Rothenburg and Romantic Road day trip from Munich – Highlights of this guided tour include Harburg and the scenery of the Nördlinger Ries, the giant depression left by an ancient meteor in the Swabian landscape.
FAQs
Is Rothenburg ob der Tauber worth visiting?
Yes. It’s one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval towns, and it works well as a day trip or an overnight stop on the Romantic Road.
How many days do you need in Rothenburg?
One full day covers the old town comfortably. I did it in four hours on a day trip from Nuremberg, though staying overnight lets you see the town once the tour buses have gone.
How do you get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber?
By train, changing at Ansbach and Steinach from Nuremberg, or via Würzburg or Nuremberg from Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart. There’s also a seasonal Romantic Road bus.
Enjoy your day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
I hope my guide helps you have the best time there. If you are looking for other beautiful Bavarian towns to visit, take a look at some of my other articles:
- One Day in Nuremberg Old Town, Germany: Itinerary & Self-Guided Walking Tour
- Why You Should Visit Bamberg: A Bavarian Beauty
- 6 Magical Day Trips from Nuremberg by Train
- One Day in Würzburg: Exploring the Heart of Franconia
- Top 10 Things to Do in Passau: Bavaria’s Venice
Happy travels!
About Bridget
Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.