A Night in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

On our way to Bavaria, my sister and I decided to stop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber for a night. During the height of European tourist season (June-August), there are a multitude of day-trippers making their way to Rothenburg. If you stay the night, however, you will have most of the town to yourself by early evening. In the summer the sun is up past 9:00PM every evening, so you are still able to tour the city and walk the city walls after all the tourists have cleared out for the day. 

From Kaiserslautern, we took the train to Rothenburg with stops in Frankfurt, Würzburg, and Steinach. With my Bahn50 card, the total was 35 Euros and took approximately 4 and a half hours to get there. If we had driven, it would have taken approximately 3 hours, but then we couldn't have hung out in the dining car and had a drink. We stayed in a guest house, just outside the city walls. It was a 3-minute walk to the entrance of the city, and we were only a 12-minute walk to the train station. This was the best of both worlds, because we were able to save a lot of money by staying just outside the city. 

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town along the famous Romantic Road, and is always at the top of any list of places to see in Germany. Rothenburg has an incredibly well-preserved Medieval old town. This is mainly because of poverty. In the 13th century, Rothenburg was one of the 20 largest cities in the Holy Roman Empire. After having a flourishing economy in the 12th and 13th century, Rothenburg was decimated due to the bubonic plague and the 30 Years' War.  After that, the city didn't have the funds to modernize, so that is why it has been so well-preserved. 







The baked delicacy of Rothenburg is the Schneeball. It is a ball of fried dough, which can be covered in powdered sugar or chocolate and nuts. Every bakery in Rothenburg sells these, and to be honest, they are not very good. I would skip the Schneeball if I was to visit again, and opt for gelato or one of the delicious cookies the area is famous for. 




Just down from the edge of the city walls, there are vineyards in the valley with running/walking paths
If you ever visit Rothenburg, it is a must to stay and go on Hans Georg Baumgartner's tour. He is the Night Watchman, and tells a tale of history and drama (with some comedy) while taking a round-circle tour of the city. The English tour is at 8:00pm, while the German tour begins at 9:30pm every night. You meet in the main square of the city and depart from there. A *tip* for those going during tourist season: Make a reservation at the bar called "Hell" before the tour. We raced over to the bar after our tour, and it was already filled with tourists. Trust me, after the tour, you will want to see the place that evokes the sentiment "Go to Hell."   


Our time in Rothenburg ob der Tauber was short and sweet, but we were able to see more of the city than the average day-tripper. The half-timbered houses are pristine, and the shopping incredible. It has become somewhat of a tourist mecca, with hoards of tourists debarking buses just out the main wall and flooding the square. We were surrounded by American tourists and college backpackers alike. When I take Mr. E, we will undoubtably be going out of the tourist season, so we can enjoy the charm of Rothenburg even more for ourselves. 


Location: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

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