I was so wrong about Germany.
Boring, predictable, staid, was the impression that I had of it in my youth. When I first started traveling the world, it didn’t even make the Top 10 list of the places that I wanted to visit.
A short trip to Bavaria changed my mind faster than you could say “Weißwurst“.
It’s now one of my favorite places in the world. Every single town and city that I’ve been to in Germany, I’ve ended up loving.
And Rothenburg ob der Tauber is right up there with them.
With its quaint cobblestone streets and colorful rows of medieval houses, Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of only four towns in Germany that still have their city walls intact.
The main strip is touristy, sure. But once you step into the many side streets away from the main drag, the crowds dissipate and you feel like you’ve just been transported into a Brothers Grimm fairytale.
Here’s my guide on how to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and things to see and do while you’re there.
Getting to Rothenburg ob der Tauber
The closest city is Nuremberg, followed by Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Munich.
- Nuremberg: 1h 10m by car, 1h 45m by public transport.
- Stuttgart: 1h 50m by car, 3h by public transport.
- Frankfurt: 2h by car, 3h by public transport.
- Munich: 2h 30m by car, 3h 40m by public transport.
Day trip vs staying the night
Most visitors take a day trip, as there isn’t much affordable accommodation available in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
If you plan to stay the night, be aware that all of the public transport options involve multiple train or bus exchanges, and some of them have tight timings. The smaller stations don’t always have lifts, either – or at least none that I could see during the 3 minutes that I had to get from one platform to the next!
So, if you’re bringing your luggage with you and taking public transport, ask yourself if you’re going to be okay schlepping your luggage up and down multiple flights of stairs very quickly. There were a couple of people on my train doing this, and they looked rather uncomfortable.
Tour, public transport, or car rental?
Public transport
- Cheapest option
- Least convenient
- Moderately flexible itinerary (compared to taking a tour)
Public transport is, naturally, the cheapest way to get from any city to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
However, it’s also the most time-consuming, as the town isn’t on any of the direct ICE (high speed train) routes. You will usually need to change trains a couple of times, and the last leg of the journey is via slow regional train or bus.
German trains typically depart on the dot – the train starts moving once the second hand on the clock hits 12! Also, most of the regional trains in the area only run once an hour, so if you miss your next train, you’ll have to wait a whole hour.
And if your train encounters delays along the way, you’ll have even less time to get to the next one. We were initially supposed to have 6 minutes for one of our transfers, but it eventually became 3 minutes.
So, yeah, just in case you can’t tell – I found the whole process a bit stressful! You need to know exactly which platform your next train is departing from, and you also need to find your way to that platform, possibly within a few minutes.
I was traveling from Nuremberg, so I only had to change trains twice each way; if you were going from Munich, you would need to change three times each way.
From the Rothenburg ob der Tauber train station, a short 1km walk takes you to the center of the old town.
If you are taking public transport, you should download the DB navigator app on your phone. You can buy and display your tickets on it, and it also shows you the updated schedule and departure platforms, as those can change at the last minute.
Tour operator
- Most convenient
- But also the most expensive
- Completely inflexible itinerary
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a popular spot for tour groups – there is a plethora of tour operators in the nearby cities offering day tours.
Personally, I don’t usually take tours in countries like Germany where personal safety isn’t an issue. It restricts your flexibility – your itinerary for the day is completely fixed. It’s also a lot more expensive than going there independently.
However, it can be a good option if you want to see all of the spots that the tour is stopping at, and you don’t have a rental car. Many of the tours feature additional stops on the Romantic Road nearby, such as Harburg and Dinkelsbühl.
Just don’t do the tours that take you to multiple faraway places in the same day, like Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Neuschwanstein Castle. You’ll be spending most of your day on the road and you won’t have enough time to do either of those places justice.
Car rental
- Convenient, but you need to be a confident driver
- Moderately expensive
- Most flexible itinerary
If you want to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the shortest possible time and to have complete control over your itinerary, you might want to consider renting a car. It’s easy to do that in most German cities, and they don’t even require an IDP if your license is in English.
However, keep in mind that the majority of cars for rent in Germany have manual (stick shift) transmission! There are a few automatic transmission cars available for rent, but they are more expensive and they also might sell out.
When booking, make sure you double check what sort of transmission your car has, unless you are genuinely comfortable driving both automatic and manual.
Driving on the Autobahn is quite an experience, by the way. I visited Rothenburg solo so I didn’t drive, but when I visited Germany on a previous trip with my husband, we got on the Autobahn for the first time in our lives… And it. Was. WILD.
There’s no official speed limit, but there’s also a lot of slow trucks, and there were only two lanes on the stretch of highway that we drove on. So we had to choose between going 60 km/h behind a truck, or trying to overtake and hoping that nobody comes at us from behind at 140 km/h on the second lane!
If you’re from a country where you drive on the left like the UK and Australia, be aware that you will be driving on the opposite side of the road in Germany.
Things to do at Rothenburg ob der Tauber
All of the best things to do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber are completely free. Aside from the expense involved in getting there, you can enjoy the town without spending a single cent.
See the Plönlein
At the southern edge of the old town lies the Plönlein, a very popular attraction that is featured on most brochures of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
The half-timbered house, the fountain in front of it, and the tower in the backdrop – those are the things that come to mind for many people whenever this town is mentioned.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s very pretty. However, this area is also the most touristy part of Rothenburg, in my opinion. The cafes here are rather overpriced and crowded, it’s full of guided tour groups, and there are a lot of souvenir shops.
So, you should definitely visit this spot and take the famous photo.
But don’t spend your entire time here – Rothenburg has so much more to offer, and you’ve barely gotten started.
Wander the side streets
Meandering down the side streets of Rothenburg ob der Tauber was my favorite part of the day.
It’s an entirely different world once you leave the main attractions. It’s quiet, you mostly just see locals around, and the old houses are just as beautiful.
I particularly enjoyed walking down Wenggasse and its offshoots after entering the old town via Röderbastei.
But honestly, you can’t really go wrong. Once you’re in the old town, pick any street that looks good to you, and just… wander.
City walls and towers
The old town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is surrounded by 4 km of city walls, and you can walk a full circuit of the town’s perimeter on these walls!
Interspersed along the length of the wall are multiple towers and gates, as well as gardens and old structures. Apparently some of the towers can be climbed, but they seemed to be closed on the day that I arrived.
The circuit also takes you through the Castle Gate and Gardens, another popular attraction.
Parts of the wall near the Burgtor (Castle Gate) on the western side of the circuit offer magnificent views of the rest of the old town. You can see the half-timber buildings with their brown roofs sequestered behind their own section of the city walls.
If you want a map or a more in-depth look at the walls circuit and the attractions along it, you can pick up a Tower Trail brochure (also available in English) at the Tourist Information Center, which is situated in the market square.
Alternatively, you can request it from the Tourism Rothenburg website and they will post it to you for a small fee. To the best of my knowledge, you can’t get this particular brochure online.
Market square and town hall
The market square and town hall area is bustling with cafes doing brisk business and people dining outdoors in the sun. The cafes here are open well into the late afternoon – I had pastries and tea at 5pm!
Surprisingly, I found this spot a bit less touristy than the Plönlein area. The lack of souvenir shops certainly helps…
Several of the stores and grocers around the marketplace were closed because it was a Sunday. However, window shopping in Germany is always a treat, and Rothenburg is no exception.
You can enter the Town Hall (Rathaus) and climb the tower for panoramic views. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to do that.
Christmas markets
Rothenburg ob der Tauber hosts Christmas markets from 21 Nov to 23 Dec each year. I wasn’t there during the Christmas period, but the photos that I’ve seen look so pretty and quaint.
Additional tips
- Many of the shops and facilities in Rothenburg ob der Tauber are closed on Sundays, as is the case with most of Germany. You can still visit on Sunday if you want to, but you won’t be able to do much shopping, and there won’t be anything open in the regional train stations either. Restaurants are generally exempt from the requirements to close on Sunday, however, and many of them will be open.
- If you’re visiting via public transport, make sure to note what time the last train leaves. For people staying in Munich and Nuremberg, the last train departs at 8.05pm.