3 days 2 nights on the Romantic Road

Hi Ruth, you didn't say what time of the year you will be there. Fussen is a leisurely day trip fom Munich. We saw both castles and walked around Fussen. For another view of the Nueschwanstein, keep on the path past Marienbrucke. There is a sign that says to Tegelbahn. It winds back and forth up a hillside. If you get off the trail as it comes back to the valley, you will see Neuschwanstin. When in Rothenburg, we have stayed at Hotel Reichskuechenmeister (twice). It is 1 block from the main square and inside the wall. Some have said that they thought the Romantic road is boring, I have enjoyed it every time we go. We have done it both South to North and vice versa. The last time we did it from some point south of Munich towards Garmisch. I have stopped at the Church in Weis everytime.It is of the Rocco style and I find it very impressive. I'm sorry I don't have a suggested itinerary, we just drive and go where we feel like going and stop when we see something that is interesting to us.

Ruth, the easiest way to see the Romantic Road in that amount of time is to stay in Rothenburg. Do day 1 (on your way to Rothenburg) south of Rothenburg from Nordlingen to Dinkelsbuhl. Night 1, day 2 and night 2 in Rothenburg. Then do day three going north from Rothenburg through Creglingen on the Weikersheim. Then continue to Autobahn 81 and on to Stuttgart.

Given the time contraints you have, I would recommend you go directly to Rothenburg and spend the two nights there. It doesn't matter whether you are coming from Munich or Füssen. One night is not enough; Rothenburg is definitely worth a complete day. My wife and I spent an entire morning just walking the wall, including going up to the museum in the Galgentor.

I spent two weeks last October traveling around Bavaria, including five days on the Romantic Road. I'm not too proud to admit I could have used my time better elsewhere. The road itself is a winding rural road, filled with bus, truck and farm traffic. Michelin rates just 19 of its 275 km as scenic. Under the best conditions, just the drive will take three hours, and that doesn't include stops. The towns along the way are interesting, but so are a lot of towns in Bavaria. There's nothing you have to see. Of the stops I like Nördlingen the best, but it is much like Rothenburg.

BTW, I spent about an hour at Wieskirche. After 5 minutes to see the church, I retired to the nearby restaurant where I spent the rest of the time having an early lunch. The lunch was good.

John, Jarrod, Lee, Thank you for your replies. We will be there mid June. As we will be travelling by Europbus from Munich I think we will go to Rothenburg and spend the 2 nights there.Is bus the best mode of public transport for this area, what about trains?

Hi Ruth,
Spending 2 nights in Rothenburg is a good idea. Be sure to walk the wall in the morning or evening. Also, St. Jacobs church has a gorgeous alter done by Tilmann Riemanscneider which is about 500 years old. It's actually in the back of the church up the stairs. Have a great visit! Oh, the Nightwatchmans tour is fantastic fun!

www.nightwatchman.de

Paul

I don't know the route of the bus and the cost, but I would be inclined to take the train. The fastest train connection is 2-1/2 hours by ICE via Nürnberg, but the least expensive fare (advance purchase required) is €29 per person. It takes one hour longer if you go entirely by regional train, but you can use a Bayern-Ticket which costs €27 total for 2 to 5 people. As I recall, the regional route includes a scenic stretch along the Altmühl river.

There are local buses that run from Nördlingen to Rothenburg via Dinkelsbühl, Feuchtwangen, and Dombühl. Takes a little over 2 hrs and the cost is around €10 pP. However, these buses do not follow the actual Romantic Road straight between the main towns. They turn off the Road to go to every little town in between. So, you could go from Munich to Nördlingen by train and then on to Rothenburg by bus.

Ruth, the bus in this area is really only good for one thing: getting from point A to point B. Rick has mentioned that the bus has gone downhill quite a bit over the last 20 years. But it's the only thing that will travel exactly along the route you want to go. So as long as you can time your stops properly, it's a decent way to go. I've never taken that bus myself, but it can be done.

Thank you all for your suggestions, I think I'll go with the train. It appears that on the train you have about 3 changes of trains. The train station in Rothenberg - is it far from the main square?

The walk from the Rothenburg station into town takes about 10-15 minutes. As you exit the station through the front doors, turn left, go to the first traffic light, cross the street to your right and straight ahead. I believe there are brown signs that say either Altstadt or Stadtmitte.

I second the recommendation to take the Nightwatchman tour. George is a hoot!

Ruth, as you leave the train station you can follow Banhofstrasse to the left and go about a block to get to Ansbacher Strasse. Then turn right and one of the main gates to the city wall is about 5 blocks ahead of you.

One helpful hint, as you leave the train station, if you cross Banhofstrasse on to the street in front of you (Ludwig-Richter-Weg) there is a huge shopping mall/multiplex on your right. I've never been in there, but it might be the kind of place to find some shopping mall type things. I know it seems odd to recommend a shopping mall in Rothenburg, but you might find it useful.

Here's a link to a map of the area. The train station is on the right at the intersection of Banhofstrasse and Ludwig-Richter-Weg. Switch to the Satellite view to see it in detail.

Jarrod, thanks for the tip on the mall, we will be on the road travelling for 14 weeks so by the time we get to Rothenberg we might need to top up on toothpaste, shampoo etc Little tips like that are a great help. Cheers Ruth