Rothenburg, Germany

There is a cab stop at the station. I saw a pickup when I was there; perhaps they placed a call.

It took us 10 to 15 minutes walk to our hotel location at the square. The roads are not in a simple grid pattern; perhaps you took a more roundabout way.

Regards, Gary

I agree with Gary. You must have taken the long way around. According to the Bahn website the direct route is 1km. The Bahn says it will take 12 minutes and they are usually conservative in their time estimates.

However, you make a good arguement (cobblestone streets) against rolling bags and not packing heavy. Ten minutes is about how long it took us to get to Raidel (and we were jetlagged), but we had one 17# ETBD convertible bag each, on our backs - much easier.

There are also some buses from the Bahnhof to Kirchplatz, which is next to the Marktplatz. It takes 5 minutes. In the morning (just before 9, 10, & 11 AM), they are timed to leave the bahnhof bus stop 8 min after the train from Steinach arrives.

It only takes 10 minutes. Did you stop often? The walk is pretty straightforward and not at all strenuous. Cobblestones abound in Europe; for that and many, many other reasons, pack lighter to regain your mobility.

LOL...We really did try to pack light..We only took the clothes suggested...We are over here for a month...It's all the other stuff we needed to take...Cobblestones and wheeled luggage don't mix...

LOL. We did the same thing on our arrival Lauren. Upon our departure my daughter insisted we walk back to train station. Felt like a mile to me.

We just did the same thing and it took us at least 20 minutes or more. The problem for us was probably that we were going by Rick's map of the town and his maps are notoriously lousy and inaccurate but it was all we had, so we probably did not go the most direct way possible. We enjoyed the walk though, even with our rolling RS suitcases which we love.

I find that it helps to use Google Earth ( or insert your favorite Microsoft counter balancing satellite mapping program here...) in advance to scope out the walk from one place to another. It can be a bit difficult to spot the train station in some of the towns or whatever it is that you are looking for if its small, but it really supplements the book maps and other directions you get in a unique way. You can measure distances and see other details that don't jump out at you from the tourist lit.

Lauren,

I decided to take a Taxi when I arrived in Rothenburg, as I was a bit tired and didn't feel like walking to the Hotel with a heavy Backpack (at that point, I wasn't even sure which direction the Hotel was?). There seemed to be several Taxis at the station when the train arrived, so I had no difficulty finding one. I just approached the driver and asked.

Even though it might only be a short walk, I decided to take a Taxi back to the station on my departure a few days later. I asked the clerk at the Hotel to call one for me, and it was at the door in about five minutes. No problem at all!

Cheers!

Regarding maps for towns I have found a website that is useful:

http://www.stadtplan.net/index.asp?direct=index

It is not easy to use but it allows for a lot of manipulation. I am usually able to get the train station, my hotel and the TI on the same page at a useful scale. It is not available for all cities, let alone villages.

Once I arrive in the town, the TI often has a better map than any website that I have found.

Regards

I walk fast and I would say ten minutes is a little optimistic but doable if you are a fast walker and carrying only a small bag on your back (this is true of almost all of Rick's estimates). If you aren't a particularly fast walker and/or hauling luggage, it could easily take twice as long.

The walk from the station into the square in front of the Rathaus is a good example of how light packing pays dividends.

If you have kids in tow, doubling Rick's estimates for walking times may be a good idea.

I have spent alot of the last day looking at Rick's map of Rothenburg, and comparing it to other maps of Rothenburg, factoring in my considerable experience in this area, and I challenge anyone on this site to say where it is so "notoriously lousy and inaccurate". In fact, although I would not say this about every map of his, I would say, unequivocalably, that this map is is pretty accurate. And, in fact, I would say that his instructions, "Exit left from the train station and turn right on the first busy street (Ansbacher Strasse)" pretty much tells it all.

If it took Susan so long to get into Rothenburg, she either can't follow simple instructions, or maybe her rolling suitcases, which she "loves so much", impeded her.

We were recently in Rothenburg and stayed at the Hotel Cafe Uhl (which was terrific, by the way). On the train to Rothenburg, we met some lovely Rothenburg residents who offered to drive us to our hotel (6 people with luggage - they made two trips). How friendly is that :). When we were leaving Rothenburg, Robert suggested that we follow the wall which was paved with asphalt rather than cobblestones. It was a much easier walk and we were at the train station in 10-15 minutes. I don't recall much of Rothenburg being paved, however, so you might want to inquire at your hotel.

Well, depending on where you stay (I will be staying at Haus-Karin) the owners offer a pick-up and delivery service gratis.

Since this will be the first time taking a train in many years (and now in my late 50's with rheumatoid),I consider this an awesome deal and when you throw in the fact that Karin keeps her fridge full of beer, I'm gonna think I've died and gone to heaven! :)

Bill

Bill,

Karin is a very nice hostess. In addition to the Bier, she keeps a stock of bottle water, etc. Her breakfasts are good and I am sure that you know about the prices.

We walked to and from the station because we like the walk along the outside of the wall. She was disappointed that we did not accept her offer of a ride.

It makes for a very nice stop.

Regards, Gary