Germany: A Day Trip To Rothenburg ob der Tauber – A Picture-Perfect Medieval Walled City

From our home base in Germany – just outside Hockenheim (near Heidelberg), the beautiful walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is about 1 hour 45 minutes East by car (2 hours from Frankfurt) … and well worth the trip. *Warning… TONS of pictures

It’s surprisingly easy to find plenty of parking around the outside of the walled city, close to entrances. We wouldn’t recommend even trying to drive inside the city. We parked here – and just walked through the gate located close by, and wandered about
{What3Words: ///allowing.eater.occupational ~ Google: 95HM+7W Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany}

Dating from the Middle Ages, Rothenburg may be small, but it has a wealth of historical sights, museums, churches and abbeys all within its walled city as well as 46 historical towers in and around the old town. Ambling through the Old Town there’s an abundance of secluded squares, Half-Timbered Houses and tucked-away corners with towers, fountains, gates and wine taverns around every turn.

As part of Germany’s Romantic Road that meanders throughout the south of the country, you get to see royal palaces, castles and beautiful countryside as well as cities like Rothenburg ob der Tauber – one of the oldest and most historic of the medieval towns along the Romantic Road. Thought to date from the 10th century with the construction of a castle in an easily-defensible position on a plateau overlooking the Tauber River – Rothenburg ob der Tauber means “Red fortress/fortress above the Tauber” in German.

(Click on pictures for larger versions)

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

Medieval Wall – The wall surrounding the city stretches for about 4 kms around with numerous gates and entrances. You can walk the entire wall – we never found a spot you could actually get up onto the wall – another reason to return! Next time we’ll make sure to seek that out first because the view from up there must be spectacular. We probably missed the entrances because we were so captivated by all the beautiful buildings in the city.

We went in September and it was relatively quiet – much quieter than we’d expected, and that’s why we travel off-season. With more than 2.5 million people visiting each year – only 500,000 book a hotel room. To avoid the hordes of day-trippers – especially in the summer months, we’d recommend spending a night and explore once they’ve all left – wish we’d done that to be honest.

(Click on pictures for larger versions)

Just off the Marktplaz is Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village – the largest Christmas shop in Europe and is open all-year round. {What3Words: ///zeroing.wobbles.large ~ Google: 95GH+P9 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany}

Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

Rathaus (Town Hall) – {What3Words: ///suckle.unplayable.cable ~ Google: 95GH+VJ Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany}

Rathaus (Town Hall), Rothenburg ob der Tauber, TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

Plönlein (“Little Square”) – Probably the most photographed location in Rothenburg. It’s instantly recognizable from any search of the internet as well as all the postcards in the souvenir shops.
{What3Words: ///chartered.freaky.beady ~ Google: 95FJ+Q2 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany}

Plönlein (“Little Square”) Rothenburg ob der Tauber, TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

Burg Gate and Garden – {What3Words: ///limping.memories.meatballs ~ Google: 95GF+GM Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany}

The Rothenburg Imperial Castle was located in what is today called the Castle Garden. An earthquake destroyed the castle in 1356 and the stones of the ruins were used to build the city walls.

Burg Gate and Garden Rothenburg ob der Tauber, TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

Rothenburg ob der Tauber was an absolute joy to visit and we would love to return and spend more time there – possibly even stay overnight – there’s plenty of hotels inside the wall. We saw a lot, but know we missed a lot more… It must look fantastic in the winter with snow on the ground!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany - TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

Tips & Facts Before Visiting…

There are several “Rothenburgs” in Germany. It’s very possible that people end up going there by mistake (we almost did when researching). Make sure you plan for Rothenburg ob der Tauber (on the Tauber River) – people really do sometimes drive or ride the train to other, non-descript Rothenburgs by accident!
Rothenburg is considered Germany’s best-preserved walled town
In the Middle Ages, Rothenburg was Germany’s second-largest city with a population of 6,000. Today, it’s population numbers 11,347 (2022-12-31)
The city wall surrounds the old town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber for about four kilometers. You can follow it via the Rothenburger Turmweg. This leads around the city and provides information on boards about the towers, their significance and their special features. Ask at the Tourist Information in the market square for the Turmweg brochure (available in English). The brochure describes the entire route and the sights on it in detail
It is part of the popular Romantic Road through southern Germany. Today it is one of only three towns in Germany that still have completely in-tact city walls – the other two being Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl, both also in Bavaria.
On May 15, 1274, King Rudolf of Habsburg confirmed Rothenburg’s imperial city privilege. So in 2024 it will be 750 years old and so, the city is celebrating the anniversary with special programs through the year

If You Go…
SatNav Directions: Schmidtsgäßchen 6, 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Exit A7 at 108 Rothenburg
{What3Words: ///errands.passport.overlook ~ Google: 95JM+7G Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany}

Rothenburg is located directly at the intersection of Castle Road and Romantic Road, it can be reached quickly and easily by train, bus, car or bike

Parking
Information and fees about parking in Rothenburg can be found at: www.parken-rothenburg.de

It’s surprisingly easy to find plenty of parking around the outside of the walled city, close to entrances. We wouldn’t recommend even trying to drive inside the city. We parked here – and just walked through the gate located close by.
{What3Words: ///allowing.eater.occupational ~ Google: 95HM+7W Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany}

Web Sites: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
https://www.rothenburg.de/en/
https://www.germany.travel/en/cities-culture/rothenburg.html

Traffic Restrictions
Companies and hotels can be reached at any time by car. In the core area of the old town there is a night driving ban from 19.00 – 06.00 (7 pm-6 am) to ensure peace and quiet during the night. Additional closing times apply to festivals and celebrations.

Other Things To Do…

If you’re feeling a little adventurous, take a walk into the Tauber Valley. A trail leads downhill from Rothenburg’s idyllic castle gardens to a cute, 600-year-old “castle-ette,” the summer home of the town’s mayor in the 15th century. While it’s called a castle, the floor plan is more like a four-story tree house
From the mayor’s getaway, the trail continues downstream along the Tauber River to the sleepy village of Detwang – it’s actually older than Rothenburg. To see more of the rural countryside, rent a bike for a half-day ride around the river valley.

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Iain & Gail started blogging in order to inspire and motivate people to travel the world from their perspective – specializing in having the most fun while using the least amount of money, travelling on the cheap without sacrificing comfort.

In the end, you will only regret the things you didn’t do