Rothenburg ob der Tauber, yay or nay?

I love Rothenburg, but must confess I haven't been to the other German towns you mentioned. I first visited on a mother-daughter trip, so it was special, and I always get that warm feeling when I return.
I do enjoy the town walls walk, going up the rickety steps to the tower in City Hall, and the Night Watchman's Tour. Did you miss a peaceful early morning or evening stroll in the Castle Gardens? And how fortunate you saw the nesting storks. I enjoy interacting with the shop keepers, many of which have been in their stores for years.
Having said that, the Xmas market is very small, so perhaps not worth a visit.
Mrs Jo, I want to thank you for all your helpful advice over the years. You are the Forum's Xmas market expert, hands down. I look forward to your continuing insights and advice!

I have not been to Rothenburg and welcome your impressions. I am interested in churches on a Camino route. Is there a particular website I could visit to get a map or overview of the various routes? If so, thanks for sharing.

We have been to Rothenburg a few times, a couple times to see it and the rest because it was convenient to our itinerary. I have a couple of thoughts on your post.

1. Why in heavens name did you choose such a bad time for heat and overcrowding?

2. Too bad you missed the wall, it is and interesting walk with some great views of the town and the surroundings. There are also many interesting memorial and commemorative plaques.

3. You did not take the Night Watchman's Tour. At night the tons of day-trippers are gone and the town sort of settles down and goes back in time. The actual tour is a fantastic one-hour history lesson that is unforgettable for both its content and the charm of its delivery. When we took it he did not sell the tickets until the end of the tour because he always finished up with more people than he started with.

I was in Rothenberg obT for two nights in late November. We were there for the opening of the Christmas market, which was fun. I loved the town. It is so pretty and it was fun walking the walls. The Christmas market added to the festive feeling, as did the light snowfall we had one morning. The Night Watchman’s Tour was both fun and interesting. We didn’t go inside much, but just enjoyed walking around the town and to a nearby village. Our B&B was charming. I was very happy with our visit.

The only negative I can think of is that it’s a bit of a pain to get to by train.

I have been to maybe 5 or 6 other small towns in Germany (none of the ones that you mention, Jo), and it compared favorably to them. However, I wouldn’t tell anyone to make it a priority when visiting Germany, especially if they are traveling by train and have limited time. But I wouldn’t discourage them either. I loved it, but I can well believe there are many others just as good or better.

Ms. Jo, I always appreciate your perspective as someone who lives in Germany and has had the time to get to know your area well. So I'm not surprised that you have found small medieval towns that you prefer over Rothenberg. Perhaps the heat, time of year, and the briefness of your stay may have colored your view somewhat. We visited with our daughter and SIL in October, so crowds and heat weren't a factor. We stayed overnight in a centuries old hotel which only added to the experience. And yes, walking the walls was a highlight, only surpassed by our enjoyment of the Night Watchman tour. We visited a couple of other small towns which were older, and less touristy, but I can't say we enjoyed them any more than Rothenberg. As with most things, YMMV

We went in September 2017 and loved it. We spent 3 nights there. We walked the walls, climbed the steps to city hall (I think that is what it was), visited the gardens, dud the Night Watchman tour, visited the criminal museum and best of all found a print shop. The shop was special to me as my grandparents visited around 1970 and bought a print that I inherited. From that, it made me want to go. So me of our days there we stumbled upon a print store and I found some that were similar. Long story short this lady got all of remaining prints from that artist when they psssed. She closed up shop and told us to come back in an hour. She went and got all the prints from that artist and we found a perfect compliment to the one I had. My daughter and I also found a wonderful clothing store and they kept giving us champagne lol. We had an excellent meal at Zur Holl that I would go back for just for that. For us, we thoroughly loved the town and the people we interacted with were so nice.

Just some info. I did not pick this date or time to go. This was an arranged trip by the non-profit where I volunteer.
The town was not anything close to being full with tourists. In fact I was a little amazed at how few they were as this is what I was expecting.

Yes, the town is pretty, but just for me, it didn't tick all the boxes for being special or more unique than other towns. When I read on the forums sometimes about the struggles of people trying to fit a visit here into their schedule, yet, won't take a direct train to a near-by town from Frankfurt or Munich, etc. that offers the same or perhaps a better experience, I guess I don't understand.

Thanks for your perspective.

We spent a night in Rothenburg many years ago. We enjoyed walking the walls and the Night Watchman tour was fun with all his interesting stories.

Like so many places that are overrun with data trippers, Rothenburg is best experienced overnight with a late afternoon arrival as the crowds are leaving and a late morning departure as the next crowds descend.

Ms.Jo - First, let me add my voice to the choir here thanking you for all your contributions and help over the years.

As to Rothenburg, it has been some years since I visited, but for me, and I suspect for many here, one of the highlights was the Night Watchman's Tour. Not so much for the extra dose of history it provided, but more for the experience, we thought the guy was humorous, witty, charming and his performance definitely made me smile and added an extra delight to what was already a cute-enough town.

I first visited Rothenburg ob Der Tauber decades ago - before there was Rick Steves.

We had a great time, used the town as a base for further exploration. I can still visualize the clock tower chiming. Rothenburg was a popular stop back then, but lacking the must-be-included-on-a-Germany-itinerary reputation.

Would I go back now? No. I have done more traveling and seen many more towns and cities that I find just as interesting or more so. Hopefully, RS will not discover them.

Mikliz97, we bought two prints from the owner of that shop. It was his last year before retirement, and he was going to donate the copper plates to a museum when he closed. The next time I returned he had passed. I have them in a place of honor in my home. What great memories we share!

I definitely did not feel that way.

I love Rothenburg o.d.T, and think the town is very charming but it's not just a pretty face. As you know, it has some beautiful works of art there; most especially the Holy Blood wooden altarpiece in Sankt Jakobs Kirche, which was created by Tilman Riemenschneider and is breathtaking. And that alone is worth a trip to the lovely town of Rothenburg. But I enjoyed my visit there a lot. The restaurants were good, the buildings were extremely picturesque, and if you spend the night after the tourists leave, it gets much better.

I guess it's not for everyone but a lot of people love it. I don't know that I would suggest to anyone that they go too far out of their way to get there, but if they're in the neighborhood, so to speak, it is worth a visit.

I still need to get to nearby Würzburg to see more Riemenschneider's sculptures (and where he was buried), but that will have to wait for another trip (and when I go, I will certainly revisit Rothenburg).

Pat—Wow what a coincidence! I am still in awe of how we were treated. The shop owner truly understood where I was coming from.

I first visited Rothenburg ob Der Tauber decades ago - before there was Rick Steves.

I went to Rothenburg several times during the mid 1960s when there were almost no tourist. Went back again several years ago and, while the number of tourist was greater, staying there for several days made all the difference in the world. During the early mornings and evenings it was almost like the 60s.

There are, however, many small towns that, in my opinion, are just as quaint. Miltenberg is just one that comes to mind.

I’ve been to Rothenburg 5 times over the years, staying from 2 to 5 nights at a time, in a youth hostel, hotel, apartment, and b & b , in June, July, September and October. I have never felt it overcrowded and if I would have wanted to get away from people, that is easy to do. One Oct. 3 ( holiday ), I was at the Burggarten where there was only 1 other person; walking the town wall there are only a few others; getting out of town and walking along the Tauber, I was alone.

First of all, I would like to say how helpful your advice has been for our trips, and we have also watched your YouTube videos for Christmas markets.

We love Rothenburg! It is our favorite fairytale village in Germany. Although there are many other really cute villages we really like, there is just something so magical about Rothenburg. We have visited in the spring, the fall, and for their Christmas markets. I will say we have attended many Christmas markets, but the one in Rothenburg was the only one that was kind of a disappointment. It was so small, and didn’t offer much selection from vendors. But it was still fun to be in Rothenburg at Christmas time.

We have always driven, so getting there hasn’t been an issue, but for someone going there by train, I wouldn’t recommend going for the Christmas markets.

It is a must each time for us to walk the walls, and take in the Night Watchman’s tour. Hans Georg Baumgartner led that tour 21 years ago on our first visit, and the last time we were in Rothenburg 2 years ago, we were happy to see him still giving the tour.

Yep, we love it . Been there 6 times or so, for a few nights each time. Agree with everyone here, it's best in October, and in the morning and evenings, after the busses leave. Will take the Watchman tour each time, still a very enjoyable tour. And walking around the wall... And the Criminal History museum. And Kathe Wolfahrts Christmas Museum, and the churches, and .... And the manditory photo at Plonlein. Next time we will be sure to have a meal at Zur Holle. Last time, we walked by and they were not open yet.

I would love to see those other medieval towns you mentioned Jo. However, I have only been to Rothenburg, we spent 2 nights. Loved it!
The Nightwatchman’s tour, the Crime & Punishments museum, walking the walls, the alter piece (worth going there just for this), the Castle gardens, and even escaping the walls to visit the Topple house ( the mayor of Rothenburgs house, you can see from the gardens). I felt like I was in a fairytale.

My husband was in the USAF and we were stationed in Germany in the early 80s. We camped at Rothenberg several times with early grade school kids and it was a favorite place for us. Now almost 50 years later we are going back in October of 2026, I’m sort of worried how our impressions will seem this time around. I still remember being awed by the Tillman Riemenschneider carvings. And our kids loved the sneeballs, I wonder if they still make those?

yes, they do still have Schneeballs. I had one last year.

Yes, there were a couple of places selling Schneeballs. Personally, they are one of my least favorite pastries in Germany and you won't find Germans eating them. They are strictly a tourist attraction. Really dry and tasteless. You can also get them in Heidelberg.

Completely agree with Ms. Jo about Schneeballs. My wife and I can't abide them. Far too dry, hard, messy and tasteless.

We got one - just one - about 15 years ago and didn't finish more than half between us. Have never had another. Never will.

Oh, by the way, we don't like them.

I'll make it unanimous. We didn't like the schneeballs either, for the reasons mentioned.

Totally agree about “far too dry, hard, tasteless.” My family is from Germany so I grew up eating them and love the taste and flakiness, but the one we tried in Rothenburg was awful. My husband and I shared one, and the first time in my life, I threw away a pastry! We have been back to Rothenburg several times since and walk past those displays of schneeballen, and laugh about all the people waiting in line to get one. Definitely not us ever again.

Someday, I would like to go to some of the other alternate towns that you mentioned, Ms. Jo. My experience in Rothenburg ob de Tauber was very enjoyable when I visited for two nights in Sept. 2019. Walking along the walls and going on the Night Watchman tour were highlights. I don't know that I would necessarily make the effort to return but I am so glad that I got to visit.

I was so surprised to read that you had never seen Rothenburg, Jo. Your broad experience with similar towns prior to R'burg provides a unique perspective that should be heard clearly by those planning a trip.

The folks at RS Europe and others who decade after decade keep touting Rothenburg as THE single must-see old-world town in Germany have created some genuine hysteria around this place. The first-time visitor to Europe eagerly latches on to Guru-Rick's planning guidelines - you have 5 days in Germany? Then after Munich and the Alps, you really must include this one tiny town of Rothenburg, he advises - so R'burg is placed on their travel schedule, no matter how long the drive or the train ride, and for most it's the only such town they get to see. So I'm sure they are dubious about your suggestion that Rothenburg actually has strong competitors - which it surely does. But that's because their choice of travel guru minimizes or ignores places like those you mention and others like...

Hannoversch Münden
Regensburg
Bernkastel
Monschau
Iphofen
Schiltach
Noerdlingen

Rothenburg does have a very complete tourist infrastructure for its size, an asset for first-timers, perhaps. Tourism is the only significant industry there, and that industry employs most all the locals, so English is spoken aroud town nearly as much as German. So while many other towns have Nightwatchman tours, which have been mentioned a lot here, R'burg's is one of the few that is routinely available in English. I think most visitors to Europe experience a fair amount of social isolation during their visits, so casual, entertaining interaction with actual Germans like Hans Georg can be fulfilling for some. OTOH it can be fulfilling to visit the lesser-known towns/villages and to see not only tourists on the streets but Germans who are going about their normal workaday lives - and not just catering to the daily tourist influx.

Riemenschneider's works, also mentioned a lot, are not unique to Rothenburg. Fans can find his works in Würzburg, Vollkach, Creglingen, Iphofen, Kleinschwarzenlohe and other places around southern Germany.

The MAK (new name now, I think) Applied Arts Museum in Cologne has some Riemenschneiders, but I admit that a full church installation is something special. On a cruise, I was surprised to meet a young German couple, both Lufthansa employees, who had never heard of Monschau.

Ms. Jo, I thank you for your report, since I have also not been to Rothenburg, despite a few months total in Germany. Because I go to the theater a lot, I wonder if the Night Watchman's Tour is really a theater event, rather than a "tourist tour"? Because I liked Idstein, I wonder whether Rothenburg ODT has larger areas of purely historic buildings. Many nice-looking German towns are a little like the clever series of photos by the Bechers that show a real Fachwerke house, but one, single window or one door happens to have been replaced with a "Home Depot" vinyl window or something.

Although Gross Umstadt-Alte Stadt, for example, is more continuous old buildings, it's less picturesque and much smaller than Idstein. G.U. also has the advantage of a adjacent nice (modernized) cemetery to visit on foot.

A couple years ago we did Würzburg, Marktbreit, Ochsenfurt, Sommerhausen, Rothenburg, Hoheschwangau, Füssen, and I still think that Rothenburg ob der Tauber was the best one.