Taking the train in September. Is there any good places to stop for a 1/2 day and night on the train route from Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Stuttgart? Looking for any villages along the way worth stopping at.
After somet time in Stuttgart heading to Esslingen. Incase anyone would mention that. Looking more for something between Rothenburg.
The town of Tübingen came to mind. It's right after Stuggart though. You might like it. It is quite lovely.
The town of Ludwigsburg is between Rothenburg ob der Tauber & Stuttgart
How close to being on a straight line between Rothenburg and Stuttgart do you want. The first place that comes to my mind is Schwäbish Hall. I've never been there myself, but I know it's a popular tourist spot. Closer to Rothenburg, there are a number of other towns on the Romantic Road - Bad Mergentheim (home of the castle of the Teutonic Order of Knights), Weikersheim (with it's palace and gardens), and the walled towns of Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen - the last two maybe too much like Rothenburg. A little more out of the straight line is Würzburg, with it's Residenz and Marienberg Fortress.
As mentioned above, Tübingen is a pretty University town, but hardly between Rothenburg and Stuttgart. Near Stuttgart, Hechingen is home to the Burg Hohenzollern, an impressive "castle", although built in the mid 19th century, about the same time as Neuschwanstein.
Most places mentioned are worth a visit but some are out of the way or involve travel beyond Stuttgart. Ludwigsburg is too big for half a day for me. I may be in the minority but I did not find Dinkelsbuhl or Nordlingen to be like Rothenburg. I liked both, particularly Dinkelsbuhl - not many shops, nice buildings, a pleasant walk in and around town, pretty in the evening.
Schwabish Hall is an attractive town with timbered buildings, bigger than Dinkelsbuhl. I'd go for one of those two if I had to choose but I'm not familiar with train schedules, or how easy either place is time/connection wise. Check them out on the Bahn website.
Yes, Schwaebisch Hall is close to a direct line. You could buy a Sparpreis Ticket and specify a 20 hour stopover there. Leave Rothenburg at 9:06 and be in Schwaebisch Hall by 11:05. Next morning, take the 7:47 train to Scwaebisch Hall-Hessental and change to a train to Stuttgart, arriving 9:04. Total cost is 19.90 EUR.
