Facts
Name of the city: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Location: Bavaria, South of Germany
Population: 10,930
Next international Airport: Nürnberg Airport (NUE)
Next Airport flying to Asia: Munich Airport (MUC), Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a fairytale town with many postcard-worthy views. The town is rich in picturesque buildings, Christmas shopping and medieval history. It is located in Middle Franconia. In the past Rothenburg ob der Tauber was an Imperial Free City and one of the ten largest cities in the Empire. You can feel it when you are standing in front of the beautiful Renaissance Town Hall on the market square.
Rothenburg accommodations
Even though you can reach Rothenburg ob der Tauber as a day trip from Frankfurt, Munich and Nürnberg an overnight stay allows you more time in the fairytale town. You can experience the town without day trip crowds. You can freely choose the hotel as you walk across the town in under 30 minutes.
Hotel Herrnschloesschen | 9.5 | €€€
Burghotel | 9.3 | €€
Hotel Reichs-Küchenmeistern | 8.7 | €€
Klosterstüble | 8.7 | €€
Hotel Rappen Rothenburg ob der Tauber | 8.2 | €€
Pension „das Lädle“ | 8.6 | €
Hotel Rothenburger Hof | 7.2 | €
Rothenburg Tour Summary
Tour tip: At the beginning of your day in Rothenburg, climb up the Town Hall Tower. I loved the views, and you see all the sights from the birds-eye view already. It allows you a good overview of the town directly from the beginning
Romantic tour: Feel like in a fairytale while visiting the old town
Food option: Enjoy the original Snowball with powdered sugar
Day trip: The town Rothenburg can be easily reached from Frankfurt, Munich or Nürnberg as a day trip
Attractions in Rothenburg
Town Hall – enjoy the Renaissance façade
The Town Hall dominates the market square. The part that faces Herrngasse is the oldest part and was constructed in the 13th century. The building is split into two parts. The main Renaissance building fronts the market square.
The Baroque arcade is seen at its base including the Town Hall Tower. You can climb about 220 steps to reach the top of the Town Hall Tower (52 meters high)
Opening hours City Hall Tower:
| January to March / November: | April to October: | During Christmas Market: |
| Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm | daily, 9:30 am – 12:30pm and 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm | daily, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm (Fr./Sa./Sun. until 7pm) |
Admission:
The admission for the ticket is EUR 2.50 (reduced admission costs EUR 1.00) (as of August 2022). The tickets need to be paid in cash only and the cashier is located at the top of the tower.
Town Wall – walk along gatehouses and towers
Rothenburg had to defence the Imperial Free City. For this reason, the Town Wall was built. Today, the town kept 46 defensive towers and four kilometers Town Wall.
Take half hour of your day and stroll around the Old Town Walls. I recommend starting at the Spitaltor, a gatehouse built in the 1500s. Stop by the Klingentor and St. Wolfgang Church, which was built in 15th century. During your walk you can enjoy incredible views.
aioutravel tip:
Do you have more time to spend in the town? Explore the city wall on Rothenburg’s Tower Trail. It leads you for four kilometers around the old quarter. See more information about the Trail including videos on this page.
Marktplatz (market square)
Many epoch-making events happened on this square. Just to name a few: In 1474, the area of Holstein was granted to King Christian of Denmark. In 1632, the commander Gustavus Adolphus passed through Rothenburg with his army and stayed in the Town Hall. Today, the annual Christmas Market takes place at the square. You can find handcrafted souvenirs and gifts, mulled wine as well as many Christmas treats at planet of stalls.
St. James Church
Close to the Town Hall the St. James Church is located. In German the Church is named St. Jakob, therefore you may read the Church’ name as St. Jacobs sometimes. It was completed in 1485. At the Altar you can see a wood carving dating 1505 that shows the Last Supper. I enjoyed the 700 year old stained glass in the East Choir a lot.
Plönlein – fairytale intersection
In my opinion this place is a postcard-worthy photo spot. It remembers me of fairytales I have read.
The left street heads up to Siebers Tower, the right street goes to Kobolzeller Tower. The towers date back to early 13th century. In the center you can see a half-timbered house with a little fountain in the front.
aioutravel tip:
Visit the square in the morning or early evening to avoid the crowds.
The Castle Gardens (Burggarten) – lovely park
In the past an earthquake destroyed the Rothenburg castle. Now the Castle Garden sits on the site. The park offers spectacular views to the Old Town and to the Tauber Valley. The German postal service dedicated a double stamp to this view. The stamp is part of the series of 2019 “Germany’s most beautiful panoramas”.
Enjoy the geometric flower beds coupled with eight sandstone sculptures, which are representing the four seasons and four elements.
Gerlachschmiede
Passing by the Rödertor you will see the old house with a cute triangular gable. In the past horseshoes were built here. Have a look to the street sign, you will see the hammer and tongs.
German Christmas Museum
The tradition of the Christmas Markets can be traced back to medieval times. You can experience the traditions and season colors during the whole year at the Museum. Enjoy the tree ornaments, old figurines and nativity scenes.
Schmiedgasse and Master Builder’s House
The Schmiedgasse can be translated into “forge lane” and runs down the gentle hill from the market square. Enjoy strolling around and stopping by in restaurants, cafes and little shops.
One famous buildings in the little street is the Master Builder House (Baumeisterhaus) at no. 3. The house is considered as one of the finest Renaissance houses in Bavaria. Enjoy the spectacular façade. The statues are showing seven cardinal virtues and seven deadly sins.
Night Watchman’s Tour
Are you staying in Rothenburg ob der Tauber overnight? You are fortunate as you can join the Night Watchman’s tour. The Nightwatchman is dressed in a black cape and carrying a lantern, while leading the tourists around the town. He is explaining the places of Rothenburg’s history. Check out this page for detailed information about admission and meeting time.
Medieval Crime Museum
In the medieval crime museum, you experience the darkest chapters of European history. It is very interesting to see more than 1,000 years of European and German history. After visiting the museum, I am happy that I was born in modern times. Learn more about the museum, to see the actual opening hours and admissions.
aioutravel tip:
With the years, Rothenburg had agreed to their own measurements, which were valid until 1811. For example, one ell was 0.59 meters long. See in front of the Medieval Crime Museum the historical measurements. No admission is needed to see the measures.
Eat & Drink
Food specialities
Schneeball
The signature pastry of Rothenburg is the Schneeball (snowball). It is made out of strips of dough, that are formed into a ball and deep-fried. The traditional snowball is dusted with sugar. However, today you can find different flavours such as dipped in chocolate, nougat, strawberry or cinnamon sugar.
Asian Food
In Rothenbug good Asian Food is difficult to find. The next delicious Asian restaurants are in Nürnberg. As you are usually staying maximum two days in Rothenburg, I suggest to enjoying Asian Food in another city.
Have you been to Rothenburg ob der Tauber before?
Which places did you enjoy the most? Do you have any insider tips or maybe a question about the journey or the accommodations? Just leave a comment. I am looking forward to it.
If you decided to stay at one of the places described, I would love to hear your feedback after your stay.