driving north from munich toward rothenburg ob de tauber- what to see?

Dinkelsbuhl is a beautiful town about 80-85% of the way there.

If you want to do something different, I would recommend visiting Dachau which is not that far north of Munich. Visiting a former concentration camp is a deeply moving and sobering experience that will remain with you for life.

And nice to see another Australian on here Glenn!

Two of my favourite towns between Munich and Rothenburg are Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl. Both have their medieval walls intact and you can walk completely around Nördlingen's. I'm not sure if Dinkelsbühl is actually smaller but it certainly feels smaller. It would be my choice if you are only have time to see one of them.

Have done that drive and MPH and Chris are spot on about Dachau, D'bule and N'lingen. TC

Two other options if you took a different route would be Regensburg and Landshut. Both are stunning and Landshut boasts a pretty cool, intact castle overlooking the city. If you take the more westerly route, I definately second Dinkelsbühl. Rothenburg isn't as unique as the tourist literature claims (other than all the trinket shops and tour buses), but I've seen few towns in Germany quite like Dinkelsbühl.

I second Nördlingen. I spent about 18 hours there on a overnight stay on my 2007 "public transportation" tour of the Romantic Road and hated to leave, then went to Dinkelsbühl. I had scheduled by stay in Dinkelsbühl for four hours, but was so bored I caught an earlier bus after 3 hours. Maybe if I hadn't compared it to Nördlingen, which I saw first and enjoyed so much, I would have liked it better.

Just before you get to Nördlingen, stop at Harburg to see the intact castle there.

Glenlorrainer,
You'll be close to Bamberg (a World Heritage site http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/624); the Altstadt is breathtaking, built right on the river. I never could quite figure out why RS and his guide books/tours passed over Bamberg. And, did I mention breweries? No to be missed.
Ciao.

Unfortunately, Bamberg is considerably north of Rothenburg, an hour 40 minutes by the Michelin recommended, quickest route (150 km). I'm not saying don't stop there, but it would be a better stop on you way from rather than to Rothenburg.

thanks everyone for your responses, great suggestions to look up, the itinerary is coming along.
glenn

Not sure when you're traveling but if the weather cooperates, Bad Windsheim "Freiland Museum" is worth a look. The museum is an open air museum depicting German construction techniques along with ways of life long ago... You can tailor your stay to fit your allotted time.

fun fact about Nordlingen- it is the city seen from above at the end of the 1st Willy Wonka movie.

Stop in Ingolstadt and tour the Audi factory. Stroll through the Altstadt and see the German Museum of Medical History, formerly the Old Anatomy Building of the University of Ingolstadt. That building was the setting for Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein.