19 Fun Things to Do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Discover cool attractions, top sights, hidden gems, and fun things to do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany.
Rothenburg's unique blend of medieval architecture, captivating history, and beautiful setting offers things to do for every traveler.
This picturesque town in the heart of the Franconia region was easily one of the highlights of our Bavaria itinerary. It's like a postcard!
We were glad that we decided to spend a night there. This decision gave us more time to see what Rothenburg ob der Tauber has to offer.
So, if you're wondering what is there to do in Rothenburg, you've come to the right place. Let's dive into it!
Wander the Old Town
The former imperial city overlooking the romantic Tauber Valley is often considered one of the most beautiful towns in Germany.
The historic part is filled with squares, churches, museums, restaurants, and cute buildings.
You can easily lose yourself in the maze of cobblestone streets, picturesque squares, and narrow alleys.
We spent a few hours admiring the medieval architecture, discovering hidden corners, and taking photos of all that beauty around us.
Then we watched the sunset from the medieval walls (it was not that spectacular as there were clouds) and afterward explored the town even more after dark.
In the morning, Rothenburg was very quiet, and we could have some of its most beautiful places for ourselves.
All this and much more offers Rothenburg's Old Town. The best part is that the Old Town is extremely pedestrian-friendly, which is always a huge upside when exploring new destinations.
Walk the City Walls
Rothenburg ob der Tauber has beautiful, mostly intact city walls, which you can easily explore on foot.
The city walls are about four kilometers long and stretch around the entire Old Town.
The best part is that the ramparts are walkable, easy to navigate, and free to enter.
We spent about three hours just walking around the town, though admittedly, we took many detours and explored many hidden corners along the way.
The reward was the countless views of the Tauber Valley and Rothenburg's Old Town, while the walk itself was pretty fun, too.
It's easily one of the best free things to do in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Soak in the Views of Tauber Valley
Rothenburg sits atop a hill and offers stunning views of the Tauber Valley that surrounds it. The best views are from the walls on the western side of the town.
The entire valley opens up here, and you can enjoy some amazing views if the weather cooperates.
Our favorite part was that you could also include the town with the walls, towers, and sea of red roofs into the frame to make an even more stunning photo.
By the way, if you have extra time and wine is your favorite drink, you can explore the Tauber Valley Wine Route, which stretches for about 200 kilometers between Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Wertheim am Main.
Visit the St. Jakobskirche
St. Jakobskirche is a Lutheran church situated in the heart of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and one of the most impressive historical landmarks you can see there.
It was built between 1311 and 1484 and contains the 15th-century High Altar with 12 apostles, stained glass windows, or the Great Organ (this one is modern, though).
The most interesting thing you can see inside is the famous 16th-century Holy Blood altarpiece by Tilman Riemenschneider (wood carver from Wurzburg).
This beautiful wooden carving is quite unique and worth seeing on its own.
It's also one of the churches on the renowned pilgrimage route, Santiago de Compostela.
Just be prepared that St. Jakobskirche has a small fee to enter (just a few euros), and we're not convinced it's worth it.
We visited tons of churches in Germany for free, including the Church of Wies, so we just admired it from the outside.
You can explore a few more churches in Rothenburg: St. Wolfgang's Church, St. Johannis, or Franziskanerkirche.
Taubertal Festival
Summer is the most popular time to visit Rothenburg for several reasons.
You can expect great weather, plenty of daylight, and many cultural events, with the Taubertal Festival probably being the most famous one.
This medium-sized pop and rock festival is annually held in August in the valley below the Old Town, giving it a unique feel.
The combination of rock music, bands like Iggy Pop, The Hive, Limp Bizkit, and one gorgeous medieval town sounds special but also brings some inconvenience to regular tourists who just come to see the historic town.
So, our only advice is that unless you plan on attending the Taubertal Festival, we would advise you to stay away as Rothenburg gets really busy.
Sample the Schneeball
One of the coolest things we learned about Rothenburg was that it has its own signature pastry.
It's known as Schneeball (Schneeballe or Schneeballen in the plural) and translates as a snowball in English.
This must-try dessert, which comes with different fillings and flavors, is technically a deep-fried pastry made from shortcrust, and you can try it, for example, in one of the cafes and shops along the Obere Schmiedgasse.
It looked great on paper and later on the shelf, but we must admit that the Schneeball we tried was dry and crumbly, so we were glad we grabbed a cup of coffee with it.
Our biggest gripe with this pastry was that it was difficult to eat, especially on the street, so we do recommend eating it inside one of the cafes to have a more enjoyable experience than we had.
Rothenburg Museum
Officially spelled Rothenburg Museum, this is one of the best places to visit if you're interested in the history of European weapons, Rothenburg's Jewish culture, or paintings by German artists.
The museum that offers a mix of everything is housed in the former Dominican convent, which managed the monastery between the 13th and 16th centuries.
Apart from touring the museum, you can also relax in the adjacent monastery garden.
Another cool thing to see there is the 13th-century monastery kitchen, which you can also see while there.
Rothenburg Museum is not a must-do, but the cloister itself is quite interesting, as are some of the exhibits. And if you happen to visit Rothenburg on a rainy day, you can easily spend a few hours here.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
Discover the Towers
Rothenburg is known for its imposing fortifications, so it's not surprising that you will also find a bunch of well-preserved towers. In fact, it's sometimes nicknamed the Franconian Jerusalem.
The best way to see them all is by walking the Rothenburger Turmweg, a lovely path that follows the city ramparts for about four kilometers (which we already discussed above).
The official brochure says there are 46 historical towers, and we have to take their word for it, as there was no way we could count them all.
Our tip is to get an English version of the Turmweg brochure at the local information center. The main five gates are Rödertor, Klingentor, Galgentor, Kobolzeller Tor, and Burgtor.
Our favorite one was Spitaltor in the south, greeting visitors with a Latin inscription 'Pax intrantibus, salus exeuntibus' - meaning 'peace to those who enter, good health to those who depart.'
Explore the Spital Bastion
Spital Tower is part of a more extensive complex known as Spital Bastion. Quite honestly, it's one of the most impressive fortifications we found in Rothenburg.
And it quickly became one of our favorite sites in the town. It's basically a small fortress within the town walls that you can explore to some extent.
Apart from the watch tower and a trio of gates, we also discovered a cute wooden bridge, a moat, cannons, cramped spaces, heavy doors, courtyards, and wooden stairs while wandering through this structure.
We absolutely loved that there were no signs, no tourists, only the labyrinth of impressive architecture and medieval atmosphere pouring from every stone.
The only downside is that Spital Street runs through is used by cars, but that's just nitpicking. All things considered, Spital Bastion is one of Rothenburg's hidden gems.
Take a Photo of Plonlein
Plonlein is a tiny square only a short walk from the Marktplatz and one of the main attractions in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
This lovely spot combines everything essential Rothenburg offers: a fork of two cobblestone streets, a half-timbered house in the middle, a cute Siebers Tower in the background, and small fountains in the front.
It's the most photographed and visited place in Rothenburg, and while it's technically just a quick stop, it's definitely worth seeing.
It's often quite busy, and you might need to wait a bit if you want to take the picture without others in the frame.
The area was pretty quiet in April, which was another benefit of visiting Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the off-season.
Visit the Medieval Crime Museum
If you like museums, medieval times, and crimes, you'll love the Medieval Crime Museum.
The museum, housed in a beautiful building, allows you to explore the medieval world of crime, torture, justice, punishment, witch hunts, and legal history.
It's called Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum in German and contains many interesting displays of documents, books, and torture devices like shame masks, an Iron Maiden, or execution swords.
The museum is open all year round but has seasonal opening times, and it was closed by the time we got there (though that was more of our mistake as we simply arrived there too late).
Explore the Marktplatz
Marktplatz is the most picturesque square in Rothenburg's Old Town and a place that most tourists visit more than once during their trip.
The market square is the beating heart of the walled city and a place where you find a starting point for your walking tour, sample the local cuisine, attend a concert, admire the architecture, or just have a coffee while watching life go by.
We especially enjoyed the little corner in the southwest of the market with all those cute half-timbered houses (Jagstheimerhaus housing Marien Apotheke), a beautiful water fountain, and the Renaissance-style Town Hall with the impressive tower.
Stay Overnight in The Old Town
We have to say it. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is wonderful after dark. It's one more reason to spend a night there.
Luckily, Rothenburg offers a great selection of hotels for all budgets.
We stayed in Hotel Eisenhut, located just a stone's throw from the Marktplatz, as it provided everything we needed at the time: affordable room, great location, and easy parking.
You can easily find other accommodations that will suit your preferences, but we do recommend a place with a central location.
It's really not that difficult to find one as most hotels are situated within the walled city. Here we picked the best hotels in Rothenburg.
Take the Night Watchman Tour
There is one more reason why we believe it's worth staying in Rothenburg after dark.
The Night Watchman Tour is one of the most unique ways to learn more about Rothenburg ob der Tauber and explore some of its medieval secrets.
This tour usually starts at Marktplatz after dark and takes about an hour or so.
It allows you to see Rothenburg in a different light and also explains who the night watchmen were and what their job was. It's a perfect way to end your sightseeing adventures for the day.
See the Christmas Market
If you visit Rothenburg during the winter, specifically in December, you'll get a chance to explore the local Christmas markets.
You can be sure there will be a crowd of admirers as Reiterlesmarkt is one of Germany's most picturesque advent markets, thanks to its beautiful surroundings.
We do have an ambivalent feeling about these events (even more about the Czech version - Prague Christmas Markets), but we have to admit the town is buzzing with life.
And that's really cool, at least if you're a tourist, not a local. By the way, there's also a German Christmas Museum in Rothenburg.
Mind you, Rothenburg is obviously not the only place to see them. Regensburg, Nuremberg, and tons of other German cities also host Christmas markets every year.
Hike to Double Bridge
One of our favorite places in Rothenburg was the historic Double Bridge (Doppelbrucke in German).
This adorable bridge, built during the 14th century, spans the Tauber Valley and connects the town with a nearby village of Leuzenbronn.
It's located outside the walled city, about a kilometer southwest of the Marktplatz, and while the trail is nice and well-maintained, be prepared for a steep incline, whether you walk down or climb back to the town.
The elevation gain (or loss) is about 100 meters, which makes it a pretty good exercise.
Castle Garden
Set on a rocky outcrop on the west side edge of the Old Town, the Castle Garden (Burggarten) is a perfect place to take a rest when walking the medieval walls.
It's more like a shaded park with large trees than proper gardens we saw at Bayreuth New Palace or Nymphenburg Palace.
Still, the garden was full of sculptures and offered amazing views of the Tauber Valley.
Everything was already pretty green in mid-April, giving the garden and surrounding valley that beautiful spring feel.
So, if there's a castle garden, there has to be a castle somewhere, right? Well, interestingly enough, there isn't one. At least not anymore.
The Rothenburg Castle (Stauferburg) was destroyed during the 14th century, though it's still unknown exactly why.
A legend says it was an earthquake, though it's more probable it was just a need for stone to expand the city.
Toppler Castle
If you have time, you can walk down from the Castle Garden back to the valley to see the unique Toppler Castle.
Topplerschlosschen is a tiny structure built in the 14th century by a mayor named Heinrich Toppler.
And when we say Toppler Castle is tiny, we really mean tiny.
It looks like a miniature house was built on top of a tower, and if you're lucky enough, you can go inside for a small fee.
The odd hours make it a bit difficult, though, as you never know if it's open or not. Obviously, you can admire it from the outside.
You can see it even from the town walls if you're not in the mood to hike back to the valley (like we weren't).
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
