I saw a post a bit back giving a recommendation for an alternate walled city to visit besides Rothenburg. I don't remember what it was but several people said to go. My husband and I have been to Rothenburg (and liked it) but this time we will have our kids and wouldn't mind a different place to explore. We will have a car and be based out of Stuttgart. We like to drive all over when we're in Germany so distance (within 2 hours) is fine.
Thank you!
Can be Dinkelsbühl or Nördlingen, both south of Rothenburg.
We visited Nordlingen by car from Stuttgart with our German hosts. They preferred it to Rothenburg because it is less touristy and more authentic (in their opinion).
In other parts of Germany, there's Büdingen north of Frankfurt, Ladenburg, Dilsberg and Michelstadt near Heidelberg, Fritzlar in the north of Hessen, Arhweiler near Koblenz, Amberg to the east of Nürnberg, Jülich near Aachen and probably plenty of others I don't know about.
Thank you! I'll definitely look into them. Tom - I know you reply a lot on the boards, which one would you recommend the most. Michelstadt looked pretty cool from what I saw so far.
I visited Nördlingen in 2007. I spent almost 24 hours there and really loved it. Then I went to Dinkelsbühl. I don't want to bad mouth Dinkelsbühl, but after Nördlingen, it just seemed to lack something. It might have been the lack of a Wehrgang on the wall, or that it wasn't Nördlingen. I had 4 hours scheduled at Dinkelsbühl, left after three.
Nördlingen is similar to Rothenburg, but far less touristy. There is no Christmas shop or Crime and Punishment museum, but you can climb the interior of the church tower for a magnificent view.
"", which one would you recommend the most.'"
That would depend on the rest of your trip. I think Fritzlar is the most attractive, but it's location is pretty far off the the usual tourist routes. Of those I listed, Ahrweiler is probably the easiest for most tourists from North America because it's very close to Koblenz and the Mittelrhein.
Michelstadt doesn't require much time to explore, but it sits deep within the beautiful Odenwald region, and there's lots of other interesting stuff in the immediate vicinity.
If you end up in Rothenburg there is a very nice castle hotel located about 10 minutes drive. If you've ever wanted to stay in a Castle Hotel then this is a very nice option: http://www.burg-colmberg.de
We have been to Koblenz and it was nice. Honestly, we aren't really into a lot of touristy things when we're in Europe. We usually drive with a semi-destination and just meander along the way. We've always found the most memorable places by just seeing what we might stumble upon. We're in Stuttgart for 5 nights and then 5 nights in Munich so when we are in Stuttgart, we're looking to head North or West (we were based out of Heidelberg last time we were over there). We'll be visiting family in the Calw area one of our days this time. We'll also spend a day or 2 with family in Stuttgart so we have 2 free days to explore. We really did like Rothenberg but the "touristy" factor is why I'm looking to see where else we might be able to see similar sights but not be as touristy this time. Thanks!
Look into Schwäbisch Hall, which isn't too far from Stuttgart. No wall, but just as beautiful as Rothenburg, and nary a trinket shop or tour bus to be seen.
Will add to the list. Thanks!
Not far from Stuttgart is Bad Wimpfen. It is a smaller version of Rothenburg but not touristy at all. We totally enjoyed our time there a few years ago. We used it as a base to make day trips to Dinkelsbuehl and Schwaebisch Hall.
You can see some photos here: http://www.google.com/search?q=bad+wimpfen&nord=1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=CqE4U4vkKuH4yAHZ_YDQDw&ved=0CDIQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=675
And read about it here: http://en.badwimpfen.de/
Bad Wimpfen is a quite a scenic town. And it's the eastern gateway to the gorgeous Neckar River Valley, where you will find the completely walled castle town of Dilsberg (mentioned above). The aforementioned Ladenburg and Michelstadt are also in the general area.
