Just booked for a few days here, looks pretty interesting & have checked out some reviews as well.

Has anyone been here & if so, what were your favourite things to do & see?

Do you know how far it is from Munich, & if there is a train that goes there?

Thanks everyone!

We took a day trip there from Nuremberg and really enjoyed it. The Altstadt (old town) is relatively compact and easy to explore. We walked along a cat walk on the old city wall, wandered around the town, checked out shops, had ice cream in the town square, and visited the Criminal and Law Enforcement museum, which was really neat. Since you are staying overnight, you can take the nightwatchman's tour, which I have heard is great.

The train does indeed go there - it is on a spur line (as opposed to a hub or along a route travelled by lots of trains). We took the train from Munich to Nuremberg (2-3 hours), which was our base for visiting that area. From Nuremberg, the ride to Rothenberg was about an hour and a half, if memory serves. We had to change trains twice, but that was really easy. Once at the train station, we walked to the Altstadt, which took about 5-10 minutes, not far.

Out of curiosity, I checked the train schedules to see what the routing from Munich is like - if going through Nuremberg is the best option, and so forth. It looks like you are looking at about 2.5-3.5 hours for the trip.

http://www.bahn.de/p/view/internatio...l_guests.shtml

I was there a couple of years ago and loved it. Spent two nights. The nightwatchman's tour was indeed fun and informational. Walked around the walls. Went to the crime museum. St. Jacob's church is lovely and has a woodcarving by a famous German whose name escapes me at the moment.

Skip the schneeballs which are a local "pastry" specialty. A few people love them, but most range from indifference to disgust. I fall in the indifferent range. To me it was a tasteless piece. I took one bite and threw the rest in the trash (which is very unusual for me who grew up with the "clean your plate" ethic).

I enjoyed walking the little side streets and just looking. It was a pleasant relax and time on my own after being with a big group for a family (nephew's) wedding in Germany.

We loved Rothenburg . We stayed in a place recommended by Rick Steves .
Two highlights were the Night Watchman's Tour and there was also a festival going on at the time and everyone including children in the town were dressed in medieval clothing.They held a reinactment of an old time trial , traditional meals were served etc. IT was generally just wonderful to walk around if nothing else. We hated to leave.
We travelled by train from Munich, I remember changing trains once ,forget how long it took however I remember the last leg of the trip was long(slow train),however all worth it .
IT was truly a step back into medieval times.
HOpe this gives you a little more info ?

Great info from all of you, thank you so much for sharing!

The more info we have, the happier we'll be & the less stressful our trip...

It is a quaint, charming town. Unless you've been to Germany many times, it may not warrant more than two days though. It can be seen in a short period of time. Even a day trip would be good.

I enjoyed Rothenburg the first couple of times I visited, especially before 9:00 and after 5:00, when the day trippers are gone. During high season, though, it is jammed with tourists during the day. Last time I visited there, I was with my sister, who was very put off by the crowds and the touristy atmosphere.

I agree that the nightwatchman's tour is fun, and I enjoyed walking both on the wall and outside the wall.

The carving in St. Jacob's church is by Tilman Riemenschneider. Really marvelous.

I was only there once and only for one day, but overall, I preferred Freiburg. Had far fewer tour groups...Rothenburg reminded of Bruges at high season in terms of tourist influx But if you're staying overnight, I suspect it will much more pleasant as many of the visitors are daytrippers (like I was).

If you have time, one quiet, but pretty Bavarian town to visit is Burghausen. Has the longest castle in Europe. Seems to be off the tourist radar for the most part.

imcanadian,

One of our regulars (well two if you count Bavariaben) are currently in Germany. Stay tuned for their trip reports when they get back, and &quot;top&quot; this post for them to read. They'll offer pretty good advice too. Look for <i>dkubiak</i> in a few days and get their take on things. The Kubiaks lived over there for a few years and make frequent returns, I've found their advice to be most helpful.

MvK

Hi im,

You might find the Rothenburg part of my trip report helpful:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35014078

(well two if you count Bavariaben)

I sincerely hope I am counted Mark. I'd like to think I've been a long time faithful Fodorite (IMHO). No Rothenburg time for me this year (had planned two weeks in the Schwarzwald) however I did make it to Bavaria and the Oktoberfest earlier this week. I have nothing but good things to say about Rothenburg o.d.T. imcanadian - you might also find some tips for that area by skimming the Rothenburg portion of this trip report. For me - R.o.d.T never gets old... Ben

http://www.bensbauernhof.com/bb2004t...sinheaven.html

Agree with everyone else that it's very cute and quaint- but worth a day trip or an overnight. It's very small and there are so many other things to see/do in Germany I wouldn't spend more than that.

Munich, Berlin etc are worth 3 or 4 days - but not Rothenburg - unless you rent a car and do day trips.