Augsburg to Rothenburg odT by train, Nov 28th AM

Steninach bei Rothenburg is the station where you must change to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, about 20 minutes away. A single train shuttles back and forth every hour between the 2, The quick change is pretty standard, as the train for Rothenburg will be waiting at Steinach, Generally, it will wait to make sure everybody makes the connection, as there is 10 minutes of "slack" in its schedule. If you are severely delayed, just wait until it returns an hour later.

4 minutes is the standard connection there. I wouldn't necessarily suggest zooming away from Augsburg that morning, however. You might be overlooking some very interesting, less-touristy places.

Augsburg, another Romantic Road town, is pretty interesting itself. And its Christmas market will already be underway when you arrive.

https://augsburgerchristkindlesmarkt.com/der-christkindlesmarkt/?lang=en

Noerdlingen, another RR town surrounded by an old town wall like Rothenburg's, opens its Christmas market on the 28th and can be visited easily on a day trip by train from Augsburg. Noerdlingen isn't just a tourist-town like Rothenburg; it's populated by locals who aren't just innkeepers and service personel - people from all walks of life live and work there, just one of the reasons I find it an interesting place.

https://www.noerdlingen.de/fileadmin/noerdlingen/prospekte/pdf/Ortsprospekt_Englisch-Franzoesisch_2019.pdf

https://www.noerdlingen.de/tourismus/veranstaltungen/weihnachtsmarkt/

Donauwoerth is another small RR town worth visiting, only about 25 train minutes from Augsburg.

https://www.deutsche-donau.com/data/thumbs/img/4987519_donauwoerth-titelbild-luftbild.jpg

So you might do well using Augsburg as a base town for a couple nights before moving on. The Hotel Ost am Kö was a good choice for my visit there last year.

Yup, 4 minute connections are common. The local German RS folks will tell you no big deal. I wont do one. Not worth the stress on a holiday.

I looked up the night train Budapest to Augsburg and what I found is straignt thru. But MAV doesnt show the train, OBB and DB wouldnt show me a price or offer a ticket on any date. I guess I was doing something wrong.

But I am no expert on such things. I am following this so I learn a bit more.

I would suggest just skip Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Instead, I'd also recommend spending more time in Augsburg. I'm also in favor of checking out Nördlingen and Donauwörth. And Dinkelsbühl should definitely be on your list as well, even if there's a bus instead of a train.

https://www.romantischestrasse.de/en/dinkelsbuehl/

Hi, Diana
If you are in Augsburg during its Christmas market, you won’t be disappointed. My wife and I spent two weeks in Bayern last Christmas, and we visited the markets in Regensburg, Nürnberg, almost all the markets in München, and Augsburg. The market on Augsburg‘s Rathausplatz was huge. It was one of our favorites of the trip. The backdrop of the Rathaus (one of Germany‘s finest) is awesome. Even though the Rathaus was closed for renovations, children dressed as angels still appeared in the Rathaus windows in early evening, accompanied by trumpets and other music. During our time at the Augsburg market, we never heard a word of English spoken. Very fun!