Burg-Hotel Rothenburg
Why we like it: Small hotel of 15 rooms and suites on the wall, next to the Burggarten, with breakfast overlooking the Tauber valley and a private sauna.
From €155
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Duration2 nights
From FrankfurtAbout 2 h by car or 2 h 30 by train
Getting aroundOn foot inside and around the wall
Best timeApril – October; Advent for the market
BringComfortable shoes for cobbles and slopes
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to arrive in Rothenburg on a Friday at midday from Frankfurt, by car or train, and return on Sunday after lunch. From April to October the Town Hall tower is open daily; from November to March, only at weekends from 12:00 to 15:00, and from 20 November to 23 December the town also has the Reiterlesmarkt.
Friday
- 113:00Arrival and rampart walk
Leave your suitcase at the Burg-Hotel and climb onto the wall: from the Röderturm northwards along the covered walkway, free and at any hour.
- 217:00Burggarten at sunset
The viewpoints over the Tauber valley, two minutes from the hotel.
- 318:30Dinner at Zur Höll
A wine tavern on Burggasse, said to be the oldest house in the town. Book ahead.
Saturday
- 109:30Breakfast on the wall
If the weather is good, the hotel serves it outside, above the valley.
- 211:00Crime Museum
On Burggasse. €10.50 for adults; an hour and a quarter.
- 312:30Town Hall tower
220 steps; €4, in cash.
- 413:15Lunch at the Glocke
Franconian cooking and its own wine at the Plönlein.
- 515:00Tauber valley
Leave by the Kobolzeller Tor and follow the W3 loop, 4.1 km: double bridge, mills, the Topplerschlösschen and the climb to the Burggarten. If you have time to spare, walk over to the church at Detwang.
Sunday
- 110:00Plönlein and Schneeballen
The little square first thing, before the groups, and a Schneeball at Diller's café.
- 212:00Last lunch and journey home
The Glocke serves food on Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00. Zur Höll is closed on Sunday.
You can see Rothenburg in a day; in two nights you live it as it is. At midday the town is full of coach trips, but in the evening it empties and the cobbled streets, towers and half-timbered houses are left to those who sleep inside. This getaway puts you up in the Burg-Hotel, on the wall beside the Burggarten, and does everything on foot: the rampart walk and the Town Hall tower, the Crime Museum, the Plönlein, the Tauber valley as far as Detwang and two meals of Franconian cooking with regional wine.
How do you get there from Spain?
Frankfurt has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From there it is about two hours by car, 177 km on the A3 to Würzburg and the A7 to the Rothenburg exit; the hotel has a garage. By train, about two and a half hours with changes at Würzburg and Steinach, and from Rothenburg station you cross the old town on foot to the hotel.
Where to sleep?
| Accommodation | Area | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Burg-Hotel | On the wall, beside the Burggarten | Both nights, with a view of the valley |
| Youth hostel | Hospital quarter, inside the wall | On a small budget or with family |
| Camping Tauberromantik | Detwang, in the valley | With a motorhome or tent |
What if I have an extra day?
Follow the Romantic Road: north, Würzburg and its Residence; south, towards Dinkelsbühl and, much further on, Füssen. If you go at Advent, devote a whole afternoon to the Reiterlesmarkt.
With children
The wall, the tower, the valley and the Schneeballen work at any age. The Crime Museum has harsh exhibits for little ones: swap it for more time in the valley. At the Burg-Hotel there is a three-bedroom suite; the youth hostel has triple rooms with a bathroom.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Where to stay
Where to stay in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Jugendherberge Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Why we like it: DJH youth hostel inside the wall, in an old mill and a half-timbered house in the Hospital quarter, with 178 beds and organic breakfast.
Camping Tauberromantik
Why we like it: Campsite of about 90 pitches in Detwang, in the Tauber valley, 1.5 km from the wall, with electricity, showers renovated in 2021 and the cycle path at the door.
From €17
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Where to eat
Where to eat in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Glocke Weingut und Hotel
What to order: the Schäufele, roast pork shoulder with Klöße and sauerkraut, or the Sauerbraten with Lebkuchen sauce, with a Franconian house wine.
Kitchen Monday to Saturday from 11:00 to 21:00 and Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00
Zur Höll
What to order: a quarter-litre of dry Franconian Silvaner with the Fränkische Brotzeit or, if you are hungry, the Teufelsspieß.
Open Monday to Saturday from 17:00 to 23:00; closed on Sunday
Takeaway and markets
Diller Schneeballenträume, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
Check the day of the week: Zur Höll only opens in the evening and is closed on Sunday; the Glocke, on Sunday, serves only at midday.
We'd skip it
If you can only go on a single day from January to March, go on a weekday: the Town Hall tower is closed and the town is very quiet.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a car?
No. You get there by train and everything is done on foot.
Where do I park?
The Burg-Hotel has a garage at €15 a day; otherwise, in the car parks outside the wall.
How much does it cost to stay at the Burg-Hotel?
A double costs between €155 and €215 a night according to its website.
How long does it take from Frankfurt?
About two hours by car or two and a half hours by train.