# Rothenburg ob der Tauber A Franconian town with a city wall and a centre of half-timbered houses, one of the main stops on the Romantic Road between Würzburg and Füssen. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/germany/bavaria/rothenburg-ob-der-tauber · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## Getting there from Spain Fly to Nuremberg, Frankfurt or Munich. By train you arrive on a regional service from Steinach, on the Würzburg to Ansbach line; by car, Rothenburg is next to the A7 motorway and you park outside the wall. It is a stop on the Romantic Road, so it fits into a road trip between Würzburg and Füssen. ## Getting around inside the wall On foot. The old town is small: from the Marktplatz to the Plönlein is five minutes and you can walk the wall in a morning. The car parks are outside the gates. ## Crowds and what to see at night During the day many coach tours arrive; as evening falls they leave and the town changes. That is why it is worth sleeping inside. The famous night watchman's tour, the Nachtwächter, used to leave from the Marktplatz every night, but its star, Hans Georg Baumgartner, is retiring and his last round is announced for 14 November 2026: ask at the tourist office whether there is a successor. ## Where to sleep and eat To sleep inside the wall, the Burg-Hotel, fifteen rooms on the wall next to the Burggarten, with breakfast looking over the valley; or the youth hostel, in an old mill in the Hospital quarter, with rooms of three to six beds. With a motorhome or tent, the Camping Tauberromantik, down in Detwang, about 20 minutes' walk from the old town. To eat, the Glocke, a wine tavern with Franconian cooking at the Plönlein, also open on Sunday at midday; for dinner with Franconian wine, Zur Höll, in what is regarded as the oldest house in the town, Monday to Saturday evenings; and for the typical sweet, the Schneeballen at Diller. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Romantic Road, Christmas markets of Europe ## Qué hacer - **Walk along the Town Wall and the Tower Trail** (2 h 30 · 4 km · All ages; not suitable for pushchairs on the wall walk · Independent · free): What it is Rothenburg's town wall surrounds the old town for about 4 km, with six main gates, several small gates for pedestrians and more than forty towers. It grew in stages: the first enclosure measured about 1,400 m; with the extension of 1204 it reached about 2,400 m, and with the inclusion of the Hospital quarter, at the beginning of the fourteenth century, about 3,360 m. The last work, the Spitaltor bastion, was finished in 1537. For much of it you walk along the top, on the covered wall walk, between timber beams, with the red roofs on one side and the countryside on the other. You can walk it at any time and it is free. Along the way you will see stones with names and cities engraved: they are the donors who helped to rebuild the wall after the bombing of 31 March 1945, many of them American. The town still accepts donations with an engraved stone. The tower trail The Rothenburger Turmweg is the signposted route that follows the wall. It has panels at each tower and gate, and where the wall walk is interrupted, it continues along the street. The town estimates about 2 hours 30 minutes for the full route. The Turmweg leaflet, in German and English, is available from the tourist office at Marktplatz 2. The towers you can climb Röderturm: 103 steps to the tower room, with an exhibition on the intermediate floors. Open from 11:00 to 14:00 at weekends and public holidays in April, May, September and October, and daily from June to August; in winter, depending on the weather (call ahead on +49 9861 9760636). When it is open, flags hang from the window. It costs €3 and €1.50 up to age 18, cash only. Town Hall tower: 220 steps above the Marktplatz, the highest view of the old town. How to get there and park By car, leave the car in the large car parks outside the wall (P1 to P5), signposted; in the core of the old town you cannot drive from 19:00 to 6:00, though you can reach hotels and businesses by car at any time. From any car park you enter through one of the gates, and from there climb to the wall walk. When to go All year. Early in the morning and in the late afternoon there are fewer people and the light comes in between the beams. In December, with the Reiterlesmarkt, the centre fills up: the wall walk is a good way to see it from above. In rain the covered wall walk protects you; in ice, be careful on the stairs up. With children and pushchairs Children like it a lot: they go along the top, peeping through the arrow slits. Keep an eye on small ones at the gaps. You cannot take a pushchair onto the wall walk, which has stairs and uneven ground; the Turmweg can also be followed outside, at street level. - **Reiterlesmarkt, Rothenburg's Christmas Market** (2 h 30 · All ages · Free entry): Rothenburg is one of the German towns that best fits Christmas. During the market the Town Hall tower is also open daily, so you can see it from above. What it is and what you see The Reiterlesmarkt is Rothenburg's Christmas market and spreads through the heart of the old town: the Marktplatz, the Grüner Markt, the Kirchplatz and the inner courtyard of the Town Hall. The craft and food stalls surround the Town Hall, with the half-timbered facades and the square's Christmas tree lit up. Its name comes from the Reiterle, the rider of a legend from Franconian folklore. At first he was imagined as a mysterious messenger from another world who travelled through the air in the dark time of the year; today he is the market's friendly ambassador, and the opening with the Reiterle is one of the market's events. Each year a market mug is sold with a new design: the 2026 one is by the artist Alfons Berse and shows the illuminated Marktplatz. When In 2026 it opens from Friday 20 November to Wednesday 23 December. The hours are from 11:00 to 19:00 from Sunday to Thursday and from 11:00 to 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sunday 22 November, Totensonntag, the market closes. The official opening is on 20 November at 17:00, and the Reiterle's arrival is on Friday 27 November at 17:00. The calendar on the tourism website already announces the 2027 edition from 19 November to 23 December; confirm the hours closer to the date. In the same weeks there are other events: on 27 November, a guided Christmas walk about the Reiterle; on 11 December, Winterglühen in the Burggarten, and every day at 18:00 a tour of medieval crimes and ghosts leaves from the Marktplatz. How to get there and where to park Rothenburg is next to the A7 motorway, at the Rothenburg ob der Tauber exit, and has a train every hour, changing at Steinach. Leave the car outside the wall, in one of the five large car parks: P1 on Friedrich-Hörner-Weg, P2 on Nördlinger Straße, P3 on Schweinsdorfer Straße, P4 next to the Galgentor and P5 on Bezoldweg, the latter with electric chargers. P1, P2 and P3 take coaches, and P2 and P3, motorhomes. Inside the old town there are spaces for visitors with a ticket, but the old core is closed to traffic from 19:00 to 6:00 and on festival days there may be more restrictions. The rates are on the municipal website. Entry and tips Entry is free. During the market, the tourist office on the Marktplatz is open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00 and at weekends and public holidays from 10:00 to 17:00. Go with children in the afternoon, when the lights come on, and leave the evening for strolling; with a pushchair, the cobbled streets and the weekend crowds make it difficult. - **Town Hall Tower, 220 Steps above the Marktplatz** (30 min · Anyone who can climb stairs; not for those with vertigo · Adult €4; under-14s, €2; family, €10; cash only): What it is Rothenburg's Town Hall tower is the highest viewpoint in the old town. You climb 220 steps from the Marktplatz to the platform at the top, and from there you see the whole town: the red roofs, the wall, the towers and, further off, the Tauber valley and the hills of the Frankenhöhe. The Town Hall has two parts. The rear one, Gothic, is the original and survived the fire of 1501, which destroyed the eastern part; the facade onto the square was rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the sixteenth century, and the baroque portico was added in 1681. What you see from the top To the west: Herrngasse, which runs down towards the Burgtor and the Tauber valley. To the east: the Marktplatz, at your feet. To the north: St James's Church, the Jakobskirche. To the south: the Hospital quarter and the crime museum. Opening times January to March and November: Saturdays and Sundays, from 12:00 to 15:00. April to October: every day, from 9:30 to 12:30 and from 13:00 to 17:00. During the Reiterlesmarkt, the Christmas market: every day, from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 14:30 to 18:00; from Friday to Sunday, until 19:00. In 2026 the market runs from 20 November to 23 December; before the 20th, in November, it is only open at weekends from 12:00 to 15:00. Prices Price Adult€4 Under 14€2 Family (two adults and two or more children)€10 Group of 10 or more, per person€3 Person with a severe disability€2 You pay at the top, in the tower, and in cash only: bring coins. How to climb You enter through the main portal of the Town Hall, on the Marktplatz. On the third floor, next to the winch, there is a sign with the day's information. From there everything is on foot: it is not accessible by wheelchair or pushchair, and it is not a good idea if you suffer from vertigo. How long Half an hour for the climb, the views and the descent. With children Older children enjoy the climb and counting the steps. With small children, think twice: you have to hold their hand on the stairs and on the platform. Under-14s pay €2. How to get there The tower is on the Marktplatz itself, the centre of the old town. If you arrive by car, park in the car parks outside the wall (P1 to P5) and walk in: from any gate you reach the square in a few minutes. The tourist office is on the same square, at Marktplatz 2. Before or after From the top you can clearly understand the layout of the town wall: climb the tower first and walk the wall walk afterwards. If you want another view, the Röderturm, on the east of the wall, has 103 steps and opens in season. - **Medieval Crime and Justice Museum** (1 h 30 · Teenagers and adults · Adult €10.50; schoolchildren from age 6, €6; family, €26.50): What it is The Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum, the medieval crime and justice museum, tells how people were judged and punished in Europe from the Middle Ages. It is on Burggasse, in the former complex of the Order of St John (the Johanniter), with its granary, a courtyard, a tower of the town wall and stone vaults. The town counts it among its ten main visits, and the museum has already passed a hundred years. It is not a house of horrors: it is a museum of legal history. But what people remember most are the punishment pieces. What you will see The exhibition is divided into sections: The law of the past: laws, courts and what a trial was like. A question of honour: shame masks and other public punishments. Trial and torture: the instruments of interrogation and their legal use. Sentence and punishment: how penalties were carried out and the executioner's tools. Witches, executioners and rogues, and a section on animals in the history of law. Myth or truth?: what has been invented afterwards about medieval justice. Among the best-known pieces is the "iron maiden". There is also a temporary exhibition, "Luther and the Witches", on belief in witchcraft and the trials, with more than a hundred pieces, and a copy of the imperial regalia. Opening times Right now, in November 2026, the museum's website says it is open every day from 11:00 to 16:00, with last entry at 15:15. In high season the hours are longer: check the museum's website before you go if you are travelling in spring or summer. Tickets Price Adult€10.50 Senior€9.50 Student€7.50 Schoolchild from age 6€6 Family (two adults and their children aged 6 to 17)€26.50 Group of 20 or more, per person€9.50 Children under 6 do not pay. Dogs may enter free, on a lead. How to get there The museum is at Burggasse 3-5, a few minutes' walk from the Marktplatz, beside the path that goes down to the Plönlein and the Burggarten. If you come by car, park in the large car parks outside the wall (P1 to P5) and walk in. How long Allow an hour and a half to see it at leisure; if you like to read everything, more, because the exhibition is large and spread over several buildings. The texts of the virtual visit are in German and English. With children It works very well for teenagers: the shame masks and the witch stories raise questions. With small children, think first: there are instruments of torture and scenes of punishment explained frankly. The museum charges from age 6 and has a family ticket. To round off the visit Combine it with a walk along the town wall, which passes very close, and with the climb up the Town Hall tower, from which you can see the museum to the south. If it rains, it is one of the indoor plans in the old town. - **Plönlein and Burggarten** (1 h · All ages · Independent · free): What it is The Plönlein is the image of Rothenburg: a small sloping square, with a fountain and a crooked yellow half-timbered house, where the street splits in two beneath two towers of the town wall. On the left, the Siebersturm, which leads into the Hospital quarter; on the right, the tower of the Kobolzeller Tor, from 1360, which drops down to the Tauber valley. The name means "little square by the fountain". The town calls it Rothenburg's most photographed corner, and it even appears in Disney's Pinocchio, from 1940. Nearby is the Burggarten, the castle garden, on the spur where the Staufer fortress stood. Together they make an hour's walk, free and open at any time. How to get there From the Marktplatz, go south down Schmiedgasse: in a few minutes you reach the Plönlein. To get to the Burggarten, go back towards Herrngasse, which leaves the Marktplatz to the west, and follow it to the Burgtor. If you arrive by car, park outside the wall, in car parks P1 to P5, and walk in. The Burggarten Of the castle only one building remains, the chapel of St Blaise, now a memorial, on the left as you enter. In front, a panel explains what the fortress was like; next to it, a copy of the stone commemorating the Jews of Rothenburg murdered in the pogrom of 1298, whose original is in the RothenburgMuseum. It is said that an earthquake brought the castle down, but the town regards that rather as a legend: the likeliest explanation is that the townspeople carried off the stone. The garden is an English-style park, with old trees, lawns and a small figure garden with allegories of the four seasons and a fountain. By the Burgtor, on both sides, there are viewpoints over the valley: To the north: the village of Detwang, with an altarpiece by Tilman Riemenschneider in its church, and the Topplerschlösschen, Mayor Toppler's summer house, from 1388. To the south: the church of Kobolzell, the double bridge over the Tauber and the Hospital quarter. It is open at any time, except on Saturday night during the Reichsstadt-Festtage festival. When to go For the Plönlein, early in the morning or in the afternoon light, when there are fewer people for the photo. In spring and summer storks nest on the Markusturm, near the Marktplatz. In the Burggarten, sunset over the valley is the calmest moment, and in summer the shade of the trees is welcome at midday. How long Half an hour for the Plönlein and its surroundings, another half for the Burggarten. If you want to go down to the river, the path to Detwang leaves from the garden: about 20 minutes, passing the open-air beer garden Unter den Linden, beside the Tauber. With children and pushchairs The streets slope, but the walk is short. In the Burggarten there is room to run on the lawns. Keep an eye on small ones at the viewpoints. Continue the walk From the Plönlein, the Kobolzeller Tor goes down to the valley: it is the start of the Tauber valley route, which returns through the Burggarten. The crime museum is on Burggasse, on the way between the two, and the walk along the town wall passes both places. - **Down into the Tauber Valley and the Double Bridge** (1 h 30 · 4.1 km · Families who walk · Independent · free): What it is Rothenburg stands on a spur, and at its foot the River Tauber runs through a green valley of mills, orchards and meadows. Going down into the valley is the way to see the town from outside, with the whole wall on the hillside. The signposted W3 route, "Little Tauber Valley Excursion", is one of the 13 circuits that the town maintains: 4.1 km, an hour and a half, 155 m of ascent and easy difficulty. It leaves the Marktplatz, goes down through the Kobolzeller Tor, passes under the double bridge, follows the river to the Topplerschlösschen and returns via the Burggarten. The route, step by step Marktplatz. Leave the St George fountain (Herterichsbrunnen) towards the east along Hafengasse, and before the Markusturm turn through the lanes of the old town to the Faulturm, a former prison tower. Outside the wall. A small door takes you out to the moat, with the fire pond. You follow the wall to the Siebersturm and go down steps above the Kobolzeller Tor, with the first view of the valley. To the river. By the hillside path and then the W7 trail you go down to the church of Kobolzell, from 1472, and pass under the double bridge, from about 1330. The trade route from Augsburg to Würzburg crossed it; blown up in the Second World War, it was rebuilt as it was. Along the Taubertalweg. You cross the Tauber on the road bridge, with a view of the town, and continue downstream along the Taubertalweg. It is a road with some traffic: keep to the edge and take care. You pass the old rock cellars, where ice from the river was stored to cool beer, and several mills with information panels. The Topplerschlösschen. The tower house of 1388 built for Mayor Heinrich Toppler, on its narrow base. It can be visited; ask for opening times at the tourist office. The climb. Past the Fuchsmühle mill (342 m, the lowest point), you cross the river by the Wackelbrücke and climb the steep Eselssteige, up the south face of the old castle, to the Burggarten. From the Burgtor, Herrngasse takes you back to the Marktplatz. Outside the old town, the route is signposted with the W3 sign. On the town's website you have the PDF leaflet and the track for your phone. When to go It is a route for all year, but it looks best from spring to autumn, with the valley green. In winter, the Eselssteige is not salted: in ice, climb by another path or do the circuit in reverse with great care. Difficulty, children and dogs It is easy, but with two things to bear in mind: the final climb is short and very steep, and one stretch is along a road. With children who can walk it is a good hour-and-a-half walk; with a pushchair, the Eselssteige and the steps of the Kobolzeller Tor make it very difficult. Dogs can go; keep yours on a lead on the road stretch. Water, food and alternatives Carry water. If you want to stop, from the Burggarten a path of about 20 minutes leads to Detwang, with the open-air beer garden Unter den Linden beside the Tauber and the village church, with an altarpiece by Tilman Riemenschneider. It is route W1, Detwanger Weg: 3.5 km and an hour and a half from the Marktplatz. For something longer, the W2 follows the Tauber mills for 11.1 km. Combine the walk with the Plönlein, which you pass at the start, and with the town wall. ## Dónde comer - **Glocke Weingut und Hotel** (Restaurant, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, €€). Qué pedir: the Schäufele, roast pork shoulder with Klöße and sauerkraut, or the Sauerbraten with Lebkuchen sauce, with a Franconian house wine. - **Zur Höll** (Restaurant, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, €€). Qué pedir: a quarter-litre of dry Franconian Silvaner with the Fränkische Brotzeit or, if you are hungry, the Teufelsspieß. - **Diller Schneeballenträume** (Bakery, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, €). Qué pedir: an original Schneeball with icing sugar and, if you want to try another, one filled with nougat or with pistachio and marzipan. ## As a family: A Fairy-Tale Town You Can Cover on Foot Rothenburg works with children of any age: short distances, a wall to walk along and towers to climb. ### What works best The wall walk along the town wall, free The Town Hall tower, with a €10 family ticket The Reiterlesmarkt in December ### Where to sleep Hotels and guesthouses inside the wall Apartments outside the gates, with parking ### Where to eat Schneeballen from the pastry shops in the centre A picnic in the Burggarten ### Keep in mind The wall walk has stairs: no pushchairs At the tower you pay only in cash ### Qué hacer as a family - Walk along the Town Wall and the Tower Trail - Reiterlesmarkt, Rothenburg's Christmas Market - Town Hall Tower, 220 Steps above the Marktplatz - Plönlein and Burggarten - Down into the Tauber Valley and the Double Bridge ## With young children: Towers, Walls and Christmas Lights With small children, Rothenburg is a stage set: the wall, the Plönlein and, in winter, the Christmas market. ### What works best A stretch of the wall walk, with the battlements at their height The Burggarten and the Plönlein The Reiterlesmarkt and the arrival of the Reiterle ### Where to sleep Inside the wall, to walk back ### Where to eat Pastry shops in the centre A picnic in the Burggarten ### Keep in mind On the wall walk, watch them at the gaps in the battlements Going down into the Tauber valley means a climb afterwards ### Qué hacer with young children - Walk along the Town Wall and the Tower Trail - Reiterlesmarkt, Rothenburg's Christmas Market - Plönlein and Burggarten ## With teenagers: Torture, Towers and the Real Middle Ages Teenagers get hooked on the darkest side: the Crime Museum, the towers and a town that looks like a medieval video game. ### What works best The Medieval Crime and Justice Museum The 220 steps of the Town Hall tower The whole wall with the Turmweg leaflet ### Where to sleep Inside the wall ### Where to eat Schneeballen and Franconian food ### Keep in mind The night watchman's tour loses its guide in November 2026 Schoolchildren from age 6 pay €6 at the Crime Museum ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Walk along the Town Wall and the Tower Trail - Town Hall Tower, 220 Steps above the Marktplatz - Medieval Crime and Justice Museum ## Consejos ### Sleep inside the wall That way you see the town early and at night, without the coach tours. ### Climb the Town Hall tower 220 steps and €4, cash only. ### Ask for the Turmweg leaflet At the tourist office on the Marktplatz, also in English. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How much time do you need? A full day with one night. With two, you can go down into the Tauber valley without hurrying. ### Can you walk the wall for free? Yes, the wall walk is free to enter. ### Does the night watchman's tour still run? Its longtime guide retires in November 2026. Check at the tourist office whether there are new tours. ### When is the Christmas market? The 2026 Reiterlesmarkt runs from 20 November to 23 December.