Things to do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Best time to visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber

• a note or something on   ✦ an occasion worth the trip

• April to June

  Pleasant walking weather, fewer crowds.

• July and August

  Busiest; crowded midday, workable.

• September and October

  Autumn colour, thinner crowds.

• November and December

  Reiterlesmarkt Christmas market; peak prices.

• January to March

  Quiet; some restaurants close; lovely in snow.

What's on

• Reiterlesmarkt late November to 23 December

  The Christmas market; book hotels far ahead.

• Meistertrunk festival May/June

  The historic wager reenacted.

• Imperial City Festival September

  Medieval festival weekend.

Best things to do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

• Night Watchman's Tour

  $

  The 8 pm lantern-lit walk; the best single hour in town.

• Rothenburg Town Walls

  Free

  4 km covered wall walk; do it at dawn before the buses.

• Plönlein

  Free

  The crooked yellow house; the town's most photographed corner.

• Medieval Crime Museum

  $

  600 years of legal history; the town's best museum.

• St. James's Church

  $

  Town church with Riemenschneider's Holy Blood altar.

• German Christmas Museum

  $

  History of Christmas decorations and folk art.

• Town Hall tower

  $

  The town hall tower climb; the best rooftop view.

• The Meistertrunk clock

  Free

  Mechanical figures reenact the wager that saved the town.

Where to stay in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

• Inside the walls, Marktplatz area

• Burggarten quarter (west)

• Near Rödertor (east)

• Outside the walls

Think twice about

• Outside the walls if you can afford inside
• Right on the Marktplatz in December
• The Rödertor side at midday

Best restaurants in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

• Zur Höll

  $$

  Medieval wine tavern; book ahead, order the Schäufele.

• Baumeisterhaus

  $$

  Historic rooms; Franconian potato soup and game dishes.

• Altfränkische Weinstube

  $$

  Traditional food in a 700-year-old wine cellar.

• Alter Keller

  $$

  Old-cellar restaurant; chestnut soup and hearty mains.

• Glocke

  $$

  Cosy Franconian cooking with its own house wine.

• Herrnschlösschen

  $$$

  Creative seasonal menu under 1526 wooden beams.

• Klosterstüble

  $$

  Reliable central Franconian inn cooking.

• Zur Silbernen Kanne

  $$

  The Schweinshaxe specialist; crispy and enormous.

Outdoor things to do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

• Toppler Theatre

  $

  Summer open-air theatre in the valley below town.

• Burggarten

  Free

  Castle garden with the great viewpoint over the Tauber valley.

• Detwang and the Tauber valley walk

  Free

  Valley village with its own Riemenschneider altar; the valley walk.

Best hotels in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

• Hotel Eisenhut

  $$$

  The grand old hotel on Herrngasse.

• Hotel Reichsküchenmeister

  $$$

  Historic house on the church square, renovated.

• Burghotel

  $$$

  Quiet hotel by the walls with valley views.

• Historik Hotel Gotisches Haus

  $$

  Traditional decor and good value near Rödertor.

• Mittermeier Hotel & Restaurant

  $$

  Boutique hotel just outside the walls.

Is Rothenburg ob der Tauber expensive? What a day costs

A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room

What to book ahead

• Zur Höll: a few days ahead
• Baumeisterhaus: a few days ahead
• Altfränkische Weinstube: a few days ahead
• Alter Keller: a few days ahead
• Herrnschlösschen: a few days ahead
• Hotel Eisenhut: weeks ahead
• Hotel Reichsküchenmeister: weeks ahead
• Burghotel: weeks ahead

• Christmas market period: book hotels 6 to 8 months ahead.
• Zur Höll, Alter Keller, Baumeisterhaus: book dinner ahead, especially weekends.
• Night Watchman tour: just show up, arrive early in summer.

Is Rothenburg ob der Tauber safe?

• Very safe; essentially no crime against visitors. Watch uneven cobbles and tower stairs. Emergency number: 112.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber travel tips: tourist traps to skip

• Midday in July and August is overwhelmed; do the walls at dawn.
• Schneeballen is a dry biscuit ball; buy one, dunk it, move on.
• Coach-group medieval banquets are worse and pricier than the taverns.

Getting around Rothenburg ob der Tauber: public transport and more

• Everything inside the walls is walkable; no car needed in the old town.
• Park in the lots outside the gates; the old town is largely pedestrian.
• Train via Steinach from Würzburg or Nuremberg.

Who Rothenburg ob der Tauber suits

More in Germany

Every Germany guide