First post! We live in Germany so this was a impromptu day trip for our family to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (Rodt). We have 3 kids, ages 11, 12 and 14 plus we took along the family dog. We didn't get into town until about 5pm and we had really no idea what we were doing other than we had a copy of RS Germany 2015 and had done a little reading on the 2 hour drive from our home.
I'll get the cons out of the way first:
We have learned our lesson about arriving late into town on any travel day. All the museums closed at 6pm that day (Medieval Crime Museum, Christmas Museum) plus it was German Unity Day so some businesses were closing extra early. I feel bad saying this one but traveling with a pet completely changes what you can do when you travel (next time we'll leave the dog with friends before a big travel day). Once we got there we thought "Let's stay the night!" Finding a hotel room last minute for a family of five is next to impossible. Add the dog into the equation and it is literally impossible. Oh well, next time! The cons are not really cons, just our lack of planning but that was somewhat to be expected for a last minute trip.
General Tips
Parking
As we pulled into town the parking situation was exactly as described in RS book. We followed the signs to P-4 which is located directly next to the Galgentor Gate on the northeast corner of city walls. There was plenty of parking, especially considering it was a Saturday and a German national holiday (Oct 2). Parking was €5 for the entire day.
City Wall / Fortifications
This really is a great part of the Rodt experience. Our kids really loved climbing the steep, slippery stone stairs and exploring the city walls which seem to run on forever. This was really highlighted later that night when we returned to our car by walking the city walls again but this time in the dark. The kids loved the slightly scarier experience that time and I'd recommend a flashlight—or at least the one on your mobile phone.
Info Center / ATM (geldautomat)
The info center is in the town square, just look for the white building in Market Square and it's around to the right. Look for the sign with the 'i' symbol. There's a helpful map of hotels, hostels and pensions in town that show a red/green mark for whether or not they have occupancy. Helpful if you don't have a hotel room yet! The ATM is located right next door and I'd recommend having cash on you at all times (general tip for Europe as a whole).
Dinner at Hotel & Gasthof Sonne
We only had about 40minutes for dinner since we wanted to make the Night Watchman Tour so we ordered quickly. The had a decent kids menu (even though our kids are slightly older). Excellent food and great service. Dinner came in at about €50 (food and drinks). Even better, the waiter heard we wanted to go on the Night Watchman Tour so he asked the chef to hurry and get our food out quickly. Much appreciated!
Rothenburg Night Watchman Tour
This was by far the highlight of the day. Incredibly entertaining, fun and held everyone's attention for the entire hour. Our kids were literally hanging on his every word. Do not miss this tour if you're in Rodt. Tour began at 8pm sharp after the bells chimed and there were probably 150 people that night. Tour is in English. €7/adult, €4/students, kids 12 and under are free.
We're already planning our trip back and honestly, sort of glad we didn't stay that night because it gave us an opportunity to scout the town out a bit and see where we'd like to stay. Between now and then, we pour into RS book and make a long list of things to do over a full weekend.
