Page updated: 22/8/23
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is probably the most popular stop on the whole of the Romantic Road.
Just like a Greek island, the heart of the medieval walled town is crowded with trippers and groups during the daytime. And it's wandering around the town at night (whether with one of the local storytelling guides or alone) that the atmosphere really comes alive.
Of course, a lot of people have the same idea as you and it's advisable to book a hotel well in advance in high season.
The hotels chosen are mainly from the four-star and three-star categories and some of them have online booking facilities through our travel fulfilment partner Booking.com. You can check availability at those particular hotels by clicking on the button under the hotel.
Otherwise you can look at a range of all types of accommodation for the dates you prefer by using the search box below:
Choose your own standard of hotel or guesthouse: 4 star | 3 star | 2 star
Or alternatively take a look at some of the top-rated accommodation of all types in Rothenburg:
Click the '+' sign to zoom in and see more accommodation on the map. Hover over a price to see information about the accommodation and click on the listing to access more detailed descriptions and booking options.
The closest airport to Rothenburg ob der Tauber - by quite a long way - is Nuremberg. Stuttgart, Memmingen and Frankfurt are all within a fair distance.
Distance to Nuremberg Airport: 86km
Distance to Stuttgart Airport: 166km
Distance to Memmingen
Airport: 180km
Distance to Frankfurt
Airport: 186km
Nuremberg is a relatively small airport with plenty of connections within Germany and a good charter programme. Both Stuttgart and Frankfurt are international hubs for major airlines (Frankfurt with a much greater choice). The other airports have varying degrees of options with internal flights or low-cost carriers.
Rothenburg's railway station is located to the east of the town outside the historic centre. Rothenburg is at the end of a spur line which connects through Steinach to the larger cities.
Visitors with their own transport can either use the A6 and A9 motorways via Nuremberg or the A8 and A7 via Augsburg for the 250 kilometre journey. There is also the option of turning onto the Romantic Road at Augsburg and using the B2 and B25 to Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl.
Visitors using other forms of transport will find it a bit more tricky to get from Munich to Rothenburg.
Train services are going to take between two and a half and three and a half hours and at least two changes. Probably the easiest rail route is up through Nuremberg to Würzburg and then changing to regional connections south to Rothenburg, although there is a quicker and more expensive service using the Intercity trains for sections of it.
Private bus travel is not any more convenient, with operators such as Flixbus only offering services to Würzburg at journey times that compare poorly with the rail option.
Car drivers will find that travelling via the A3 and A7 is usually the quickest option to cover the 180 kilometre journey.
Rail services run frequently between Frankfurt and Würzburg with a change onto the regional service down to Rothenburg making a total journey time of between two and a half and three hours.
There are regular private bus services between Frankfurt and Würzburg but a change onto the train is needed for transport onwards to Rothenburg.
