Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a key site along the Romantic Road in Germany. In an area that is home to medieval towns giving off fairytale vibes, Rothenburg stands out. The town’s fully intact medieval walls makes it unique, and provides a view from above, as visitors can walk the perimeter and see the town. The town is a year-round destination, charming tourists in winter with its famous Christmas market.
First impressions
As I was planning our trip along the Romantic Road, I realized I didn’t have time to include every town along the way. So I had to do some research and decide where we would stop. Every source indicated that Rothenburg was not to be missed! This means we arrived in Rothenburg from Wurzburg with very high expectations for what we would see. And I can report the town was very charming and lived up to its hype. However, it was very crowded when we were there to the point that it hinged on its charm, if that makes sense. And yes, I realize my family contributed to this. But we were fighting herds of tour groups to view many of the buildings. It also felt a smidgen “disneyland” to me, which some people might not mind. Despite my personal feelings about this, I still recommend a day visit or more for anyone visiting the area as the town is beautiful, has major medieval vibes, and we enjoyed walking the walls.
Quest for Schneeballen
We arrived in Rothenburg in the morning, and were able to park are big van (by German standards) in a nearby parking lot that offered large vehicle parking. The first thing we had on our agenda was to try some Schneeballen (snowballs) with coffee at a local bakery. So we made our way to the center as quick as we could, which wasn’t all that quick. The medieval lanes surrounding the center oozed with charm and we spent time photographing every other house and often posing for photos in the adorable doorways.
The schneeballen were very sweet. Almost like a sugary cereal ball, held together with more sugar. They did come in two sizes. Larger and smaller. We got a bag of the smaller ones (you can see the size in the photo), and selected a bag with mixed flavors so we could sample them. I thought they were nice to try for something different, but they weren’t really my favorite. I was thankful we got the smaller ones.
Where to get schneeballen
When in Rothenburg, you definitely will need to give these snowballs a try for yourself! You can find them in the bakeries. We bought ours in the center. If you want to search for a specific bakery, we got ours at the Zuckerbakerei which was recommended to me in the research I had done when planning this trip.
You can always try them before your trip using a recipe from website My German Recipes.
You Look'n Good Today
We had some fun exploring the center and side streets, going in and out of shops for our girls.
We even found some unexpected photo ops!
The Teddy Bear Store
Our youngest who doesn’t discriminate in the stuffy department fell in love with all the bears at Teddy’s Rothenburg. Be warned if you have kids in tow. You’ll likely end up buying a souvenir here.
Knight's Armor
Our son, on the other hand, really enjoyed Die Waffenkammer Rothenburg. He usually hates getting dragged through store after store, but even he had to agree this was one really cool store. I recommend at least a walk through. Rothenburg is the perfect medieval setting to shop for armor, swords, knives, medieval clothing, or whatever cool find catches your eye.
See the famous sites
After some free time exploring the shops, we switched back into full-on tourist mode, and searched out the sites on our list (everything is pretty close together). We visited St. Jacob’s Church (St. Jakob Kirche). Then we gawked at the impressive town hall and market square. Visitors can go up the tower of the town hall for rooftop views for 2,50 EUR. And we wandered to Plonlein, for the most famous backdrop of half-timbered houses associated with Rothenburg (and a key selfie spot).
Lunch at Goldenes Lamm
We took a break for lunch at the Goldenes Lamm. It had a great view of the Town Hall (we sat outside) and we were well positioned to run over and watch Mayor Nutsch come out of the Ratstrinkstube clocktower on the hour, and drink his wine. This was a great way to make the most of our time, while waiting for this hallmark event.
Walk the medieval city walls
After our late lunch, we were recharged and ready to walk the city walls.
Climb White Tower
Some of our kids climbed up the White Tower, in part for the experience of the climb, but also for the view.
Explore some more
We were staying the night in Harburg, which we knew as a village with a castle. We hoped to see Nordlingen on the way, but it turned out I had planned too much (yeah, I was a little too optimistic here). So we explored a bit more in the village, and then headed back to our rental van for some more Romantic Road driving.
Originally, we had planned to stay in Rothenburg one night and see the Hans Georg Baumgartner, The Rothenburg Night Watchman (1 hour tour available April through December for 4,50 to 9 EUR and kids under 12 FREE). We enjoyed a similar night watchman in Turckheim, France, a few years ago. Rothenburg is a great place to stay the night and spend another day before heading south down the Romantic Road as we were. Next time I would spend the day and night in Rothenburg, leaving late morning or around lunch the next day, to spend the afternoon in Nordlingen, before arriving in Harburg for the night.
Awesome things to add to your itinerary
There is never enough time to see it all, at least in our case. Fortunately, once we like a place we seem to find our way back again. The next time we find ourselves in Rothenburg, we will add these to our own itinerary:
Tower Trail
Rothenburg has been known for centuries for its many medieval towers. You can take Tower Trail to explore the city wall with its six gates, and 42 of the town’s towers! The 4 km trail takes approximately 2.5 hours to complete. However, the trail takes you by other key attractions like St. James’ Church, the Rothenburg Museum, the Medieval Crime Museum, the Castle Garden, and the Plonlein. So you can easily plan out your day following this trail. Be sure to check out the Rothenburg town wall videos to help plan your day. While you can see a lot from this trail, you will still want to check out the center of Old Town too.
Medieval Crime Museum
The Medieval Crime Museum promises visitors a look at medieval laws, legal proceedings, punishments, and superstitions. I added this to my list because, when was the last time you visited a medieval crime museum?! Watch this 3-minute video to help you decide. And if you are going to visit one, it seems fitting to do so in this medieval town. Others must agree as it has been operational for over 100 years! The museum is located at Burggasse 3-5, and opening hours depend on time of year. Tickets are 4,50 EUR for kids; 9,50 EUR for adults (students 6 EUR, and 22 EUR for a family rate). A one-hour guided tour can be arranged in advance and starts at 130 EUR for the group (plus admission fees). The museum cafeteria offers indoor/outdoor seating, refreshment, and “crime museum” snowballs.
Old Rothenburg Craftsmen House
Wonder what the homes in Rothenburg were really like in the middle ages? Well, head on over to the Old Craftsman’s House for a look. Built in 1270 and home to various artisans over the centuries, it was preserved by a hermit and is now available to the public. Entrance is 2 EUR and its located at Obere Schmiedgasse 3.
To really make the most of your visit, step back to the 1500’s and into an hour of Walburga’s life. Guided tours are available year-round to bring medieval Rothenburg to life.
Castle Garden
Where the Staufer Castle once stood is a serene garden oasis known as Castle Garden. This garden is a great place to get away from the bustle of the Old Town, while taking in panoramic views in all directions. Visitors are sure to find lots of photo ops here and don’t want to miss the figure bed behind the former gardener’s house. The garden, its statues, and the backdrop are so beautiful that this spot was recognized as the 2019 Deutsche Post’s “Germany’s Most Beautiful Panoramas.” I am so bummed I missed this on our last trip.
Rothenburg Museum
The Rothenburg Museum is located in an old convent in the Old Town. Visitors can learn about the history of the medieval convent while stepping back in time to visit the 13th century convent kitchen (sneak a peek here), see the Rothenburg Passion pictures from 1494 used to visually tell the story of Jesus Christ to laymen (sneak a peak here), see the Baumann weapon collection which spans time and includes pieces once owned by important people, and learn about medieval Jewish life in Rothenburg (the full list of exhibitions is here). The museum offers a family entrance fee for just 10 EUR; but that may not be the best deal for your group so check out the full price list. The museum’s hours vary by time of year. Be sure to download the museum app for the full experience.
Night Watchman Tour
You can join the Night Watchman Tour without any prearrangement; just show up at Market Square in front of the Rothenburg town hall at 8pm (English tour) or 9:30pm (German tour) with the fee to join (9 EUR adults, 4.50 EUR for students and older kids, FREE for kids under 12). Important: No tour is offered January through March! Read more about the history of the Night Watchman (who patrolled the walled city from 9pm until 3am until 1920) before you take the tour.
Der Meistertrunk (Museum of the history of Rothenburg during the 30 years’ war)
This is said to be a small but worthwhile museum, if you are interested in Rothenburg’s history or the 30 Years’ War. This museum provides visitors insight into what it was like, when Rothenburg was attacked and eventually surrendered in 1631, before eventually falling into slumber and thereby preserving the city so we can visit it today. The museum also has Rothenburg’s oldest prison which includes a torture room and three prison cells. Learn more here, which includes prices (only 8 EUR for a family of 4!) and opening hours.
And depending when we are there, we would be sooo excited to time our visit with one of these:
Pentecost/Whitsun Festival (May 17 – 20, 2024)
If you can time your visit to Rothenburg around this festival, you are in for a real treat! The medieval town comes alive to provide the community and visitors the true living history experience since 1881. Check out the program here.
Imperial City Festival (every first weekend in Sept; September 6-8, 2024)
Another festival you want to experience, if your travel lines up, is the Imperial City Festival. During this weekend, the town immerses visitors in medieval life in Rothenburg.
Reiterlesmarkt (Rothenburg Christmasmarket)
Between town hall and St. Jakob, visitors will experience one of the best Christmas markets in Germany! If you are here during the winter holiday, you probably already have this on your itinerary!
Whenever you are traveling, you might want to check the list of community events. You might just find a bonus attraction; or, understand why your hotel rates are so high that week!
What else should we see? Please share your suggestions in the comments!
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