Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The best-preserved walled medieval town on the Romantic Road, with the Plönlein corner, half-timbered houses and a Christmas market straight out of a fairy tale.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber lies in Franconia, in northwestern Bavaria, Germany, perched on a plateau above the Tauber Valley, and is the most famous stop on the Romantic Road. Once a Free Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire, it declined after the Thirty Years' War – which, ironically, left its medieval walls, towers, half-timbered houses and cobbled streets almost untouched. Often called Germany's most beautiful medieval town, it has inspired many animated films and fairy-tale illustrations.

The main sights are all within the walls and easily covered on foot: the Market Square and Town Hall tower, the Meistertrunk clock on the Councillors' Tavern, Riemenschneider's Altar of the Holy Blood in St. Jakob's Church, the Plönlein corner, the Medieval Crime Museum, the German Christmas Museum, and the wall walk that circles most of the town. Outside the walls, the Tauber Valley with its double bridge and the Toppler Castle is great for walking. Don't miss the local Schneeballen pastries and Franconian wine.

Getting there: take the train from Würzburg or Nuremberg and change at Steinach for the branch line to Rothenburg (about 15 minutes); the whole trip takes about 1–1.5 hours, and the old town is a 10-minute walk from the station. By car, take the A7 motorway. It's a year-round destination: May–Oct is ideal for strolling the walls and the valley, the Reiterlesmarkt Christmas market from late November to 23 December is the liveliest time, and the Meistertrunk historical play is staged at Pentecost. Tour groups crowd the town by day, so stay overnight, join the 8 pm Night Watchman tour, and photograph the empty lanes early the next morning. Most visitors stay 1–2 days.

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