Wurzburg, Heidelberg, or Frankfurt after leaving Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Forgot to mention that we'll have a car!

Will you have stopped in Munich before that? Maybe see more of the south of Bavaria before heading north? Of the three, Heidelberg is nice, but honestly I might head to Mainz before seeing another medieval town.

Yes, we'll have already spent several days in Munich. I hadn't thought of Mainz. Thanks for the suggestion!

Heidelburg is very touristy. We heard more English spoken there than anywhere else in Bavaria. However, I'd rather stop there than Wurzburg or Frankfurt. And I'd rather stop in Wurzburg than Frankfurt.

Thanks for this thread and the suggestion of mainz! We too will be coming from Rothenburg with a day to spare, likely heading to Frankfurt for return flight. Mainz looks cute! Kim

Patricia,
My husband and I were in Rothenburg last June and loved it! We did travel to Fussen and Neuschanwstein which was enjoyable but if knowing what we know now would probably skip it, but others probably love it. Wurzburg, however, was fabulous! make time to see the Residenz and take time to walk through the town, when we return to Germany next year we will revisit since we didn't make it to the castle that sits up on the hill, we were headed down to Rothenburg. We stayed at the Hotel Schoenleber that Rick recommended, make sure you get a room off the street- the garbage guys come very early! THe rooms were average, nice en suite bath, small lift, tight stairs but it came with breakfast-which if you have never been to Germany is not what we expected but learned to work with. Enjoy your time! I am sure wherever you stop you will find something interesting. As a side trip you may want to stop at Remagen which is just after the end of the Romantic road on the Koblenz end, eye opening museum there. Not a lot of time, a good leg stretch and a lot of finding out things they don't teach in our history classes.

If you are interested in German history at all, then a day visiting Frankfurt would also be recommended. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany as well as being a free Imperial city, site of the elections and coronations of the Holy Roman Emperors, one of the oldest and most famous markets, site of the 1st free German parliament, and during the middle ages, the center of Jewish culture. It may not have any castles, but there is a lot of interesting stuff to see here, including lots of museums of all varieties. The farmers markets are fun, and the Klein Markt Halle is a must. One of the most moving Holocaust Memorials is in Frankfurt and includes the names of Anne Frank, her sister Margot and their mother Edith, as they were from Frankfurt. The Judengasse Museum next to this memorial is one of my favorites.

Hi, After seeing Rothenburg, (good that you're cutting short your stay there), I would suggest arriving in Frankfurt a day or two prior to departure to see the city so as not merely returning to Frankfurt for flying out. I like Heidelberg too but save it and Würzburg for next time.

Patricia, I responded to your post on Fodor's with the following. Wurzburg is not my favorite town mostly because so much of it was destroyed during WW2 and has been rebuilt. It's not without it's merits, however. But, since you do have a car, my suggestion is to do something a little different visit a number of the lovely SMALL, less touristy towns between Rothenburg and Frankfurt, arriving in Frankfurt the night before your flight so you won't be stressed the day of your flight. There are some darling little towns that you could spend an hour or two walking through Miltenberg, Wertheim, Iphofen, Dettelbach just to name a few. We found these towns to be real gems and they are all in close proximity to the much larger Wurzburg but without all the American tourists. They are more "off the beaten path." Miltenberg: http://preview.tinyurl.com/ap5kugt Wertheim: http://preview.tinyurl.com/b3pce24 Iphofen: http://preview.tinyurl.com/am7qu62
Dettelbach: http://preview.tinyurl.com/aff7fw9

"There are some darling little towns that you could spend an hour or two walking through Miltenberg, Wertheim, Iphofen, Dettelbach just to name a few." Miltenberg's a gem. If you want to go really far off the typical tourist trails, buy a hiking map in town and head up into the hills to check out the many ruins of the Roman Limes.