Romantic Road

A roughly 460 km German scenic route from Würzburg to Füssen, linking medieval towns such as Rothenburg and the fairytale castles of Neuschwanstein.

The Romantic Road is one of Germany's earliest and best-known theme driving routes. It was jointly launched by towns along the way in 1950. It runs about 460 km from Würzburg on the Main River in the north to Füssen at the foot of the Alps in the south, and is marked by brown 'Romantische Straße' signs. The northern section follows the Tauber Valley. After the Würzburg Residence, the route passes Tauberbischofsheim, Bad Mergentheim and Weikersheim, and reaches Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval town with its city walls intact. The middle section includes Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen, a town set in a meteorite crater, and Donauwörth, before arriving at Augsburg, a Renaissance commercial city. The southern section passes Landsberg and Schongau, then enters the Allgäu region and the Wieskirche. The route ends at Füssen, near Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castle. The road is mostly ordinary national and country roads with good surfaces and gentle gradients. A three-day self-drive is enough to cover it. If you want to spend a night in Rothenburg or Dinkelsbühl and visit the castles, allow five to six days. In summer there are also sightseeing coaches along the route, and many people cycle it in sections. Tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle must be booked online in advance. The old towns of Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl have traffic restrictions, so park in the car parks outside the city walls.

Romantic Road

Along the route