We ride a train from Switzerland to Heidelberg on a Sunday, then get a car that Monday. The plan was to drive to the Rhine and Mosel Valleys and stay for 3 days touring and exploring. Now one in our group wants to take the first day and spend over 5 hours in the car to go the opposite direction and visit Rothenburg. My question is- is it worth taking a full day out of our time to do that, or will we see similar medieval villages on the Rhine and mosel? I'm not really wanting to take a full day out of our short time there because I think we will visit similar places, but would love someone to comment who has seen both and can weigh in! Thanks!
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7162 posts
There are plenty of small villages along the rivers so I wouldn’t go out of the way to visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is worth visiting, but not at the expense of an entire day going in the opposite direction from where you want to end up.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4268 posts
Not really, especially if you aren’t staying overnight. We stayed 3 nights but we were in the area. Besides the altarpiece Rick writes about, and the interesting (not sensationalized) crime and punishment museum, the big draw is the Nightwatchman walking tour which only takes place in the evening.
I wouldn’t drive so far out of my way. And don’t forget, you have to drive back to get on your oringial route.
Posted by
Berlin
3008 posts
The answer to "worth it" will always be subjective.
To make a long story short: Show the group member a page like this and ask him/her if he/she still wants to go to Rothenburg because around 40% of buildings of this "medieval" village were destroyed or minimum heavily damaged by a US bomber attack and rebuilt after WW2 (source).
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8974 posts
No its not. While it's a pretty town, it's tiny and you can leisurely walk around the perimeter of the town in 30 minutes or less. Just not that much to do or see, beyond looking at the pretty shops.
I think Bacharach is a good substitute, if thats on your agenda.
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1528 posts
I am a big fan of Rothenburg. Still, I only visit it if it lies along a logical path to my next destination. There are so many great places to see in Germany that it is for me foolish to lose a bunch of time traveling just to see one. That is true in general. When I go to Rothenburg, it is part of a "Franken" visit : Würzburg, Bamberg, Nürnberg, etc. I love that area and the Rhein but it is not handy to combine them unless you have a lot of time.
Most of Germany has been ravaged by one war or another (not to mention Father Time) and had to be rebuilt. Not visiting rebuilt places would take Munich, Wurzburg, Nuremberg, Berlin, etc. off the travel map.
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3562 posts
Sorry, going to have to disagree with Stan. Loved Rothenburg odt. Lots to do besides shop! Besides the above mentioned things to do, we enjoyed walking the walls and then escaping the walls to explore the lovely surrounding countryside, including the unusual Topper house which you can see from the gardens where the castle once was. We stayed 2 nights and I would go back! See? These questions never really provide a definitive answer!😂
Posted by
Paradise
7072 posts
Are you planning to travel from Mürren to Heidelberg on Sunday, as your other post implies? It's a 6-hr train trip if your trains are on time. The "castle" there is a set of ruins - disappointing once you've seen Burg Eltz and Marksburg in the Mosel and Rhine Valleys. And you won't have much time left in your day to see anything in H'berg anyway if you're driving away on Monday morning.
Solution for your Rothenburg/Heidelberg issues: Travel instead to the Black Forest town of GENGENBACH on Sunday, which is a stone's throw from your train route to the Rhine/Mosel (just 7-8 minutes from Offenburg.) Gengenbach is a good overnight stop and a "little Rothenburg" in certain ways. See pictures below. Unlike Heidelberg, it's small and romantic and has some Michelin-guide-listed restaurants as well. From Gengenbach's train station, you can get around this town easily on foot:
https://www.orte-bw.de/grafik/uploads/10557_2010_1040.JPG
Mürren > Gengenbach takes less than 5 hours by train. On Monday you can pick up a car in Offenburg for your drive to the Rhine/Mosel, if you wish. See raill map below for Offenburg's location (about half way between the Swiss border and Heidelberg.)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Karte_Rheintalbahn.png
