Train or Car to Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Heidelberg and Rothenburg are not far apart but the train connections are not good -> 3.5 to 4 hours. By car it is less than 2 hours. I much prefer trains and would probably still prefer them, but it is a tough call.

The time consuming thing is traveling to Rothenburg. It's always that way with Rothenburg. It's out of the way at the end of a trunk railway.

The Castle Road driving route and the train tracks take roughly the same path through the attractive, castle-studded Neckar River valley when you leave Heidelberg. By train you can sightsee out the window the whole time; by car you can stop here and there but you mostly have to focus on the driving task. What you might do is see the Heidelberg - Bad Wimpfen segment by train on a day outing while you're in Heidelberg. That would involve around 2 hours round trip and a good segment of the Castle Road, and you could stop for an hour or longer in this or that town on the way since your bags are back in Heidelberg at your hotel.

Bad Wimpfen:
https://www.orte-bw.de/grafik/uploads/1842_2010_1040.JPG
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Bad_wimpfen_blauer_turm.jpg

(Would you say Bad Wimpfen has a look similar to Rothenburg's? I would too.)

If you were to catch a train to Bad Wimpfen as outlined above and continue south to Besigheim (about 1.5 hours from Heidelberg,) you'd be in for another delightful old-world treat; both Bad Wimpfen and Besigheim are possible as a day trip from Heidelberg:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Besigheim-altstadt.jpg
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g2135764-Activities-Besigheim_Baden_Wurttemberg.html

Another outing only about 15 minutes from Heidelberg is Ladenburg, a town that many tourists never get to see (perhaps because they're in a rush to reach Rothenburg.)
Ladenburg:
http://www.turnfest.de/portal/uploads/pics/i_ladenburg_marktplatz_mit_neunhellerhaus.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Ladenburg_Strassenbild_1.jpg/800px-Ladenburg_Strassenbild_1.jpg

Just north of Ladenburg and 22 minutes from Heidelberg is the wine town of Heppenheim:
http://www.diebergstrasse.de/index.php?id=2&L=2

All of the above towns are easy to reach by train.

I guess what I'm saying is that in Heidelberg you are surrounded by interesting old world towns and a healthy part of the Castle Road. It would be quite easy to turn Heidelberg into a travel base for day trips if you extend your time there. I like Rothenburg, but the the international tourist contingent overwhelms the town to the point that it's barely a German town anymore and more like an amusement park.

You can calculate the Heidelberg - Rothenburg - Munich travel time by train, but I'm pretty sure it's upwards of 7-8 hours. If you instead stay longer in Heidelberg and then travel directly to Munich, it's more like 3.0 hours.

Thank you for your suggestions! I am looking into the towns you recommended that are closer to Heidelberg, and may scratch Rothenburg all together. Appreciate the help!

I want to be able to experience the beauty of this famous road.

You're kidding, aren't you?

I didn't find anything beautiful about the romantic road. It's not the road, which is just an ordinary two lane country road, choked in the tourist season with cars, tour buses, lorries, and farm equipment. It towns along the road are interesting, but I wouldn't call them beautiful.

The best town, IMO, is Nördlingen, with it's abundant "Fachwerk" building and an almost intact wall with a Wehrgang you can walk on. It's basically Rothenburg's little sister. Nördlingen is also just 15 minutes away from Harburg castle, which is worth a visit.

Are you sure you want to drive? I've been visiting Germany, primarily Bavaria, for almost twenty years, and I have never used a car. One of the fun things about Germany, which we cannot experience in our own country, is using the unparalleled transportation system.

I had considered removing Rothenburg ob der Tauber from my itinerary because I feared it would be too touristy, but I'm glad I visited - it was really lovely, one of the highlights of my trip, and in April it wasn't very touristy anyway. However I wouldn't have needed two nights there. The downside - without a car, I took the train and would again, even with the crazy connections - is that it's not a good base for day trips to other places.

If you do visit Rothenburg with a car then spend in the night in Castle Colmberg which is about 15 minutes drive from Rothenburg. It's a real medieval castle with rooms to let. They've got a nice restaurant there, too.

I've visited Rothenburg by train and by car. If I were traveling solo there is no question I would do it by train. I'm sort of with Lee on this one. Even though train may take a little longer you have include time taken to pick and drop off car which can be substantial.

Thanks for all your comments/suggestions - I’m going to take the train!

I'm not sure when the trip is or if it will be affected by the engineering work now on the train line.

Also I see you referring to the Castle road rather than the Romantic Road, correct?

Yes sorry I meant the Castle Road, and my trip is in one week.

Like another poster, we had been warned about how touristy/crowded/etc Rothenburg would be. We were there in early September and it was not crowded at all! I wondered where everyone was, lol. They did all show up for the Night Watchman Tour though;) During the rest of our time there (3 nights) we never came across crowds or anything like that. We were very happy we went and fell in love with the town.

To me, driving is the way to go. While Rothenburg can get busy during the day, especially during the main tourist season, it’s a delight in the evening after all the tour busses have left. Parking inside the wall is at a premium, but there a few free places if you get lucky.