Last Updated: May 2026
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the most remarkably preserved medieval towns in the world — a place where the Middle Ages didn’t merely leave traces but essentially survived intact, with a nearly complete circuit of fortified walls, half-timbered houses crowding cobblestone lanes, and a market square that looks much as it did five centuries ago. From Würzburg, the route took us from wine country toward beer country — a transition from Franconia’s vineyard-covered slopes toward Bavaria. Rothenburg is an inland town rather than a river stop, so we arrived by excursion bus, and Sandy and I spent the day completely absorbed in its fairy-tale atmosphere. Very few places in the world deliver on their reputation as completely as Rothenburg does.
