Bamberg or Rothenburg ob der Tauber for spending more time

Definately Bamberg because it is larger and less touristy.

My favorite in Bamberg is Brauerei Fässle. No Rauchbier there though. About a 20–30 minute drive towards Scheßlitz is Giechburg. Nice views on a good weather day. You'll be there at the beginning of Karpfenzeit (fish) then too. Not like American Carp and when you can get a fillet, I think it tastes similar to catfish. Allways a piece of pork shoulder Schäufele. Depending on how far you want to drive, you can head towards Ebermannstadt or Forchheim and into the Fränkische Schweiz area.
https://en.bamberg.info/?setLanguage=en
https://www.fraenkische-schweiz.com/?langswitch=1#googtrans(de|en)
http://www.giechburg-gaststaette.de/

I haven't been to Bamberg, but I've been to Rothenburg three times, so that says it all. I love the town, and hope to return again. Not sure what you mean by more time, but I stay at least. two nights there each visit. Safe travels!

I may take a medieval arrow in the back for this, but I've been to Rothenburg a couple of times, and the vibe for me was hokey and inauthentic on both occasions, the Nightwatchman tour included. Not that he's not entertaining... he is. But it was hardly the earthshaking experience that might explain the tourist hordes that populate R'burg every day. Medieval torture instruments don't qualify as all that interesting either, IMO. Aside from the outstanding buildings there, which really are captivating, nothing moved me much. The place is just filled with tourists, many of them from my homeland, and the merchants/innkeepers that serve them.

Bamberg OTOH is a living, breathing city historic city where normal German people live, work, and study, not a Disney-village with trinkets that exist only for tourists. Use the Bamberg site in one of the previous posts and you'll find much to see and do. I'm wondering how you chose Bamberg, actually - was it only the Rauchbier? It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site for many reasons.

I'd spend a few hours in Rothenburg. A couple of days in Bamberg might be possible if the stuff there interests you.

The riverfront neighbor-towns of Ochsenfurt, Marktbreit, and Sommerhausen are very worth a stop and not far from Rothenburg. I'm amazed more people don't mention going to these towns. Maybe you'd have time to give them a look in between your other destinations. This rail map shows their relative location to Rothenburg and Würzburg.

Both are great places to visit, but hard to compare. You can see Rothenburg in one full day. Bamburg needs more.

Rothenburg is special because it is a virtually intact medieval town complete with walls. Bamburg has its own history.
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/germany/articles/the-top-10-things-to-see-and-do-in-bamberg-germany/

If you elected to do The Romantic Road, that includes Rothenburg, I might recommend that, especially if you have a car.
The road goes through several medieval walled towns or small cities that are great, as well as a couple of medium sized cities like Wurzburg and Augsburg.
https://www.romanticroadgermany.com
The first visitors were friends and families of the American soldiers stationed in the large bases in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg but the idea of the trail from Würzburg to Füssen soon became wildly popular.

It's not too hard to see the reason for the popularity - despite the modern roots of the idea, the tour combines the historic cities of Würzburg and Augsburg with the three medieval walled towns of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen, and then finishes off with the tourist highlights of Neuschwanstein Castle and the Alps.

With five days you are going to be doing day trips to surrounding areas. I stayed 5 days in a small town - Lichtenfels - north of Bamberg and it was a good center for day trips by train. With a car there are lots of places near Rothenburg that are easy by car. I’d make a list of places you might want to visit from each and decide from that. As far as a place to stay, Rothenburg is my choice. Another 4 nights upcoming thete this fall.

The Rauchbier at Brauerei Spezial is my absolute favorite beer on the planet!

If you are really into beer, you would need several days to sample all the breweries in Bamberg. And you could take a guided hiking tour of the ones outside of town - do a search for "Beerwanderers".

I've been to Rothenburg odT three times too, so I obviously like it. But as a place to spend a lot of time in? No. It is a small town that you can walk all the way around in less than 30 minutes. Shops and shops, but not much for "things to do". Well worth a day and an overnight, but not more.

And always worth checking to see if there are any festivals going on when choosing locations.

I haven't been to Bamberg, but we just spent two nights in Rothenburg odt. Contrary to what Russ said, it was not crowded at all. Really. We loved it, but I do understand that some don't like the fairytale feel of it. We love fairytales and it felt like we were in one.

Never been to Bamberg so can't comment on that one. We did a day trip to Rothenburg last year, liked it a lot, the city walls, buildings and scenery was lovely. But as others have said, the city seems to exists for tourists only and has a Disney-like feel. I don't think there's much to do after one day. If you've got multiple days you could base yourself in Bamberg (there seem to be a lot of positive comments) and do a day trip to Rothenburg though.

We will be visiting Bamberg on our trip (we leave in 8 days - not that I am counting lol) So I can give a better opinion when I get back. I do like the fairy tale feel of things - looking forward to seeing the Opera House and Eremitage in neighboring Bayreuth as well as the Rose Garden in Bamberg.

I will just say I will take the arrow in the back like Russ when I say we hated R od T. We could not get out of there fast enough. We had just spent some time in Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen and were enchanted by those two towns, and had high hopes for R od T. It was a culture shock as we had not been around a lot of tourist leading up to our visit to R od T. So the loud voices (a woman screaming on her cell phone "I am in Rotten-berg"), crush of people, an look at me attitude was very jarring. We ate lunch next to a gentleman from Florida whose "I"s were super close together (after 30 mins of him yammering on to the poor waiter, I felt like I knew his life story), and they made their poor daughter stand up in the restaurant and sing Stille Nacht. The one saving grace for the town was being able to walk the walls to escape the crowd. We also liked the Double Bridge. That was a bit out of the town. Oh and also if you think the lot is free parking b/c it looks like an American parking lot - its not free. Look for the little kiosk and get your parking slip so you don't get a ticket like we did. My one regret was not getting a Schneeball to snack on. Maybe being there in the Fall and not during Christmas time you will have a better experience than we did.

Susan, so clarifying, your only visit to Rothenburg was during the xmas markets?

Here’s another vote for Bamberg over Rothenburg. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed Rothenburg, especially the Tilman Reimenschneider wooden sculptures in St. Jacob’s church. Those are worth making a trip to Rothenberg for. But I absolutely loved Bamberg. It had so much atmosphere, and it felt like a livable city. I could have walked hours around there, and still found plenty to do. There are some wonderful restaurants as well. The entire town has been named a UNESCO world heritage site. I would definitely stay there.

Yes, Pat that is correct, we were there the beginning of December. But it was during the week and not on a weekend when we knew it was going to be nuts.

I would say Bamberg, with "walking around" visits to Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen. Regarding Rauchbier...I wanted to try it, but couldn't get a seat at Fässla, so I went to Brauerei Spezial. The beer was definitely smoky! Not my favorite, but glad I tried it! And now I find out Fässla doesn't even have it! So I was lucky to be sent across the street! 🙂

Schlenkerla is the most famous Rauchbierbrauerei in Bamberg. The malt is smoked over Buchenholz (Beech). It's in the middle of the Altstadt. Many tourists find their way here. I like it and can even get some locally. They say you need to drink three of them to really start appreciating the taste! I like to eat a Bamberger Zwiebel when there. Won't find that in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

If it were me, I would choose Bamberg. I have the best memory of a walking (thank goodness) brewery tour my husband and I put together on our own of 8! breweries. Famous, in part, because of its breweries, Bamberg was a fun challenge my husband was determined to conquer. I had to stop imbibing after brewery #4, but my husband soldiered on. We had a blast. In the midst of it, I remember great architecture and fun people to talk with at the various breweries.

I like Bamberg but I think Rothenburg is a fabulous place. I've visited four times, always between mid September to the beginning of October, the last time in 2017. Never overly crowded. We all have our likes and dislikes, and there's no guarantee of enjoying even the most popular of destinations.

As Susan mentions, you may hear a loud American voice or two but that can happen anywhere: you are more likely to be bothered by loud American or English accents as you understand the language. An overbearing Floridian forcing his daughter to sing a song in a restaurant can't be attributed to Rothenburg's perceived lack of charm.

Mchpp, I've tried a few rauchbiers, including the one at Schlenkerla (an atmospheric old place). I prefer a more subtle flavour. Some of them are overdone and have a heavy medicinal quality. The tastiest smoked beer I've tried was on Vancouver Island at Spinnakers pub, which also happened to brew the best of draught IPAs.

I have been to both. First Rothenburg. 10 yrs later Bamberg. Only day trips from river cruises. So no help with overnight or longer stays. Rothenburg was enchanting to me. And yes that means more tourists. Bamburg is lovely! I did feel more the local vibe there with less tourists. I loved both and would enjoy seeing the evening and morning come to life. Tough choice for me.

Thank you, everybody, for your input. Russ, one of the reasons Bamberg was chosen was indeed for the Rauchbier. I have been to Bamberg before and loved it. I have not been to RodT. I am putting together a trip for 5 people and trying to divvy up time for a great experience for all.

Even staying in Bamberg, consider a day trip to Wurzburg. It's not that far (only 60 or so miles) and the Prince Bishop's Residenze is not to be missed since you will be that close. Google it for information and see what you think about it.