Romantic Road Tour. Start right at Frankfurt Int. Airport and begin your Self-drive tour by taking the Autobahn to Wurzburg, gateway to the Romantic Road. Visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle!
City silhouette of Rothenburg ob der Tauber ©RTS
Visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Wurzburg, Nuremberg, Augsburg Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle and many more medieval villages and small historic towns located at the Romantic Road along this beautiful Self-drive tour. The tour includes admission to many of the sights along your way: to Johannisburg Palace & Gardens in Aschaffenburg, to the Residence and to Marienberg Fortress in Wurzburg, to the Christmas Museum in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, to the Imperial Castle and the Castle Garden in Nuremberg, to Neuschwanstein Castle in Hohenschwangau, to Linderhof Palace and Park in Ettal/Garmisch-Partenkirchen as well as to various sights in Munich: the Residence Museum and the Treasury, to the Cuvilliés-Theatre, to the Hall of Fame and the Statue of Bavaria, to Nymphenburg Palace and Park, to the Marstallmuseum and to the Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain. It also includes a ticket for the famous English-speaking tour with the Night-Watchman in Rothenburg ob der Tauber – a definite “must do”! (see the tableau this is already included in the price of your tour). Here you also find everything else that is included: rental car, tours and admissions.
Price per Person
| two sharing a double room | one in a single room | three sharing a triple room |
| US $ 1,549 | US $ 2,799 | US $ 1,339* |
*includes an upgrade from an executive to a luxury size car..
Would you like to submit your personal information so we can check availability for your specific travel dates for this beautiful tour? On our BOOKING INQUIRY page, you find a form which you may use to forward your personal information:
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DAY 1 Aschaffenburg & Wurzburg
Frankfurt International Airport is your gateway to central Europe and a great place to start your Romantic Road Self-drive tour. After you picked up your rental car (GPS included) you will be traveling on the Autobahn to nearby Aschaffenburg for a visit of Johannisburg Palace and Gardens (30 minutes, 47 kilometers – 30 miles – admission included).The important Renaissance Palace was built 1605-1614.
Wurzburg Residence ©Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR
From Aschaffenburg follow the Autobahn right into Wurzburg, the hometown of the German basketball player Dirk Nowitzki, your first stop at the Romantic Road (55 minutes, 80 kilometers – 50 miles). Your hotel is located in the Old Town. The city is idyllically located in the midst of vineyards, with the medieval Fortress Marienberg towering above. Wurzburg is an old bishop’s seat and a lively town, proudly presenting monuments of different eras. Culture, art, history, and hospitality are ever-present in this remarkable city! Fortress Marienberg (admission included), Wurzburg´s landmark, has of course changed its appearance a great deal since it was first mentioned, today the oldest part of the fortress is the “Rundkirche” (round church) which was built in the year one thousand. The Cathedral, the Marienkapelle, the “Alte Mainbrucke” (old bridge across the river Main ), the Juliusspital and the “Kappele” are musts, but make sure that you do not miss out on the “Furstbischofliche Residenz“, Prince Bishops Residence (admission included). This “Palace above all Palaces” is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy this beautiful town which offers not only cultural but also culinary highlights such as the hearty cuisine and, of course, the world-famous Frankenwein (Franconia wine!).
Town Hall of Rotheburg ob der Tauber ©Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR, Sebaldus Church and Imperial Castle in Nuremberg ©Thomas H. Giesick
DAY 2 Rothenburg ob der Tauber
In the morning follow the Romantic Road via Bad Mergentheim (you might want to visit the marketplace), Weikersheim (you may want to visit the Renaissance Palace and Garden) and Creglingen (Riemenschneider Altar in the Church of the Lord) to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, one of Germany’s most beautiful medieval cities. Your hotel is located in the historic Old Town, within the Old City Walls which are surrounding the complete town center. Taking a walk thru this charming little town is truly a journey back in time. Rothenburg ob der Tauber was once a powerful free imperial town and its monuments, landmarks and buildings still bear witness to these days. Marvel at the half-timbered buildings and at town walls which are withstanding time since hundreds of years, protecting the city since the Middle Ages. Visit the town’s most famous spot, the Ploenlein square, probably the most photographed place in Rothenburg. The Gothic St.James Church is the town’s most prominent church, here you can take a minute and relax in quietness while you enjoy the beauty of the famous Altar of the Holy Blood and the Twelve Apostles Altar. Rothenburg also offers museums which are cultural highlights, such as the Christmas Museum with an exhibition showing Christmas tradition in Germany, the Doll and Toy Museum where the history of playthings is shown, as well as the Crime Museum, where the visitor gets an insight into the law and especially its execution during the last 700 years. At night you enjoy a highlight of this tour: the English-speaking tour with the Night Watchman (ticket already included).
DAY 3 Day trip to Nuremberg
Today you will make a day trip from Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Nuremberg. The city’s history reaches back to the year 1050, its name “nourenberc” translating into “rocky hill”. Nuremberg has Nuremberg’s famous landmark, the Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle, admission included), towers above the Old town, which is protected by the 5 kilometers long city wall with its many towers. The historic flair of Nuremberg with the Old Town surrounded by historic City Walls and the impressive Imperial Castle (which has never been conquered) let Adolf Hitler during the Third Reich choose Nuremberg as the location for their Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Within the monumental Congress Hall, a museum and documentation center opened in 2001. Its permanent exhibition “Faszination und Gewalt” (Fascination and Terror) is concerned with the causes, connections, and consequences of the Nazi movement in Germany. If you are interested to visit the Rally Grounds you may also take a look at our blog “Documentation Center Nazi Rally Grounds”.
When exploring the beauty of Nuremberg’s medieval Old Town one can start at the Koenigstor (“Kingsgate”), from where the timber-framed buildings, the Gothic Church of St.Lawrence and the Church of St.Sebaldus can be easily reached by foot. Right next to the Koenigstor there is the Handwerkerhof (craft center), here you will feel like you are back in the medieval times, there are craft workshops like they used to have a long time ago as well as a gingerbread bakery. Make sure to enjoy a Nuremberg Bratwurst along with a beer or a glass of Frankenwein. In the evening drive back to your hotel in medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
DAY 4 Dinkelsbuhl & Nordlingen
Continue your Self-drive tour through Bavaria and follow the Romantic Road towards Nordlingen. Driving time to Nordlingen is just about 1.5 hours (80 kilometers, 50 miles) and you will have plenty of time to visit some of the small towns along your way. On this part of the Romantic Road, you find Schillingsfurst (you may want to visit the baroque Castle), Feuchtwangen as well as the former Free Imperial Town of Dinkelsbuhl with its charming Old Town. The historical old town with 16 towers, fortifications and magnificent patrician buildings is under a preservation order. The most important sights include the Minster of St. Georg, one of Germany´s most beautiful late Gothic hall churches, the ‘Weinmarkt‘ (wine market), the ‘Deutsches Haus’, the old hospital, the town mill and the picturesque ‘Rothenburger’ pond alongside the town wall. From Dinkelsbuhl follow the Romantic Road via Wallerstein to Nordlingen. Your hotel is located in the Old Town. The former Free Imperial Town of Nordlingen still has an almost complete medieval townscape. It is the only town in Germany with walls and battlements that can be walked all the way around. The historical old town is dominated by its landmark, the late Gothic hall Church of St. George, with its 90 m high bell tower ‘Daniel‘, which can be climbed 365 days a year.
Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen, Augsburg ©Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR
DAY 5 Augsburg
Continue your Romantic Road Self-drive tour by heading south towards the charming city of Augsburg and visit Donauworth along the way. Your hotel is located in Augsburg City Centre.Augsburg, founded in the year 15 B.C. by the Roman Emperor Augustus, became a “medieval metropolis” due to its ideal location at the crossing of the most important continental merchandise routes. The families of the “Fugger” and the “Welser” elevated Augsburg to one of Europe’s most important commercial towns. Augsburg’s Town Hall is the most important Renaissance structure north of the Alps, together with the Perlach Tower it is the town’s landmark. Visit the “Fuggerei“, also known as “The Town within a Town”, founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger, it was the first settlement for hardworking but impoverished Catholic citizens. Augsburg Cathedral has records reaching back to the year 823 AD, the oldest section probably being the crypt beneath the west choir. Here one can marvel at Romanesque and Gothic frescoes and four-panel paintings by Holbein the Elder. There are only very few German cities which combine bygone prosperity and contemporary life the way Augsburg does.
Neuschwanstein Castle Oberammergau ©Romantische Strasse Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gbr, Linderhof Palace Ettal ©Softeis via Wikimedia Commons; Munich New Town Hall ©Thomas H. Giesick
DAY 6 Neuschwanstein Castle
Follow the Romantic Road via Landsberg am Lech to visit the Marketplace and on to Steingaden to visit the world famous Pilgrimage Church of ‘Flagellated Saviour in the Meadow’, a late work of the brothers Dominikus and Johann Baptist Zimmermann. Drive on to Hohenschwangau where Neuschwanstein Castle is located. Your hotel is located either right in the center of this small town or in Fussen, which is just 2 miles from the Castle. The picture of Neuschwanstein is probably present in everybody’s mind but certainly for those traveling along the Romantic Road. Be prepared that reality will surpass all pictures and imaginations: Neuschwanstein seems to be taken out of a fairytale! Seeing the castle from the outside is unforgettable, a tour of the insight, which was originally built for the one famous inhabitant Ludwig II (admission included), will make the picture perfect! Make sure to take some time to explore the castle grounds and the amazing view of Neuschwanstein from the bridge!
DAY 7 Linderhof Palace/ Munich
The last day of your Romantic Road Self-drive tour will take you to Munich, Capital of Bavaria. On your way to Munich, you will be driving from Hohenschwangau/Fussen through Austria towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen, for a visit of nearby Linderhof Palace and Park (admission included), the “Royal Villa” of Ludwig II, located in Ettal. You may also stop in Oberammergau (site of the passion play) before you drive on to Munich.
The price of your tour already includes admission to many sights in Munich (Munich Residence and Residence Museum, Treasury, Cuvilliés-Theatre, Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Marstallmuseum, Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain) and with your tour package you will also receive walking suggestions for a self-guided walking tour through Munich City Center. Along this walking tour you will visit the Marienplatz with the New Town Hall (with the “Glockenspiel”), the Konigsplatz (King´s Square), cultural center in the 19th century and later, during the “Third Reich”, site of Nazi Party mass rallies and location of the Nazi Party headquarters in Germany, the English Garden as well as the the State Opera House. You will be able to visit famous churches like Munich Frauenkirche, “Dom zu Unserer Lieben Frau (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady), with a height of 325 ft. a Munich landmark, St. Peters Church, built in the 14th century and the Asam Church, which was built as a private chapel and integrated into an apartment building. The tour will pass by the most famous Munich shopping streets (Kaufinger street and Neuhauser street) as well as by the “Viktualienmarkt”, a traditional farmers market (open every day except on Sundays). The tour will take you to the famous “Alois Dallmayr” luxury delicatessen and coffee store as well as to the Hofbrauhaus of course, probably the world’s most popular beer hall. This may be a great place to enjoy a hearty dinner and a fresh Mass of beer (one mug holds 33.8 US fl oz)!
Your tour ends in Munich/Munich Int. Airport. Please let us know if you would like to extend your stay in Munich by adding a night or two – we will be happy to arrange this for you. Please also contact us in case you would like to extend your car rental and/or if you would like to return the car at a different location within Germany. Munich is a great city which definitely deserves an extra day’s visit!
Would you like to download an overview of the 7 Day Romantic Road Self-Drive Tour (7S02) as a pdf to print it out or to forward it to a friend? Please download it right here:This is already included in the price of your tour
| Day 1 - Frankfurt Int. Airport/Frankfurt to Wurzburg/ Wurzburg | Wurzburger Hof (or similar if not available) | Executive size class Rental car with automatic transmission and GPS for the duration of your tour Admission to Johannisburg Palace & Gardens in Aschaffenburg, Admission to Wurzburg Residence, Marienberg Fortress (open March 16th to October, closed on Mondays) in Wurzburg |
| Day 2 - Wurzburg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber/ Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Hotel Spitzweg (or similar if not available), located within located within the Old Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Wurzburg, English speaking walking tour with the Night-Watchman |
| Day 3 - Day Trip to Nuremberg | Hotel Spitzweg (or similar if not available), located within located within the Old Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Admission to the Imperial Castle, the Deep Well and to the Sinwell Tower in Nuremberg, |
| Day 4 - Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Nordlingen/ Nordlingen | Kaiserhof Hotel Sonne (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Rothenburg ob der Tauber |
| Day 5 - Nordlingen to Augsburg/ Augsburg | Hotel Ost am Kö (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Nordlingen |
| Day 6 - Augsburg to Hohenschwangau/ Hohenschwangau | Hotel Muller (or similar if not available) | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Augsburg, Admission to Neuschwanstein Castle (Hohenschwangau) |
| Day 7 - Hohenschwangau to Munich/ Munich/ Munich Int. Airport | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Hohenschwangau, Admission to Linderhof Palace & Park (Ettal), Admission to Residence Museum & Treasury, Cuvilliés-Theatre, Hall of Fame and Statue of Bavaria, Nymphenburg Palace and Park, Marstallmuseum and Museum of Nymphenburg Porcelain (all Munich) |
Your tour package includes all tickets, vouchers and information necessary to enjoy a great independent tour. The tour package also contains tour information sheets (20-35 pages) with general information about the tour and a day by day itinerary which you can download from our website once your booking is confirmed.
This is not included in the price of your tour
- Airfare from/to your origin to/from Germany
- all meals other than breakfast (which is included)
- gratuities (tips)
- parking fees
You have booked the tour already and would like to download the to-europe tour information package for this tour now? Please download them right here:
5-Days Romantic Road Self-Drive Tour Just to say we thoroughly enjoyed our trip, the weather was lovely and the towns and villages very pretty and interesting. We especially liked the Hotel Spitzweg and the charming owner. The car was great, and the SAT NAV fantastic! Have not used one before but just great to whizz into a town and be taken to the door. All in all, a great trip and thank you again for organising everything for us.– Anne H.
We are fortunate to have travelers from all over the world on our pre-packaged tours and we would love to have your feedback! If you have been traveling along this tour with us please leave us a review below – we greatly appreciate your time! (your Email address will not be displayed)
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First, and most important, the To-Europe people have put together a tour that has first-rate hotels in areas near and in the major towns to be visited. They have also provided all the right materials-- downloadable vouchers, maps, walking tours, etc.-- for navigating the trip. They have also provided a pass that allows one to visit government castles and the like without charge, and the two prepaid tours-- The Night Watchmen's and the Christmas Museum in Rothenburg-- are very enjoyable and informative.
Finally, Thomas and his team are totally responsive and professional, fielding every question /or request promptly and courteously. For example, when I emailed Thomas that we needed an automatic transmission, we had one, and at a price increase that was totally in line with that on the car rental company's website. For all of these reasons, I must give To-Europe the five stars it deserves.
We had a wonderful time on the tour, but it was also a learning experience in that the pace of it helped us to understand what sort of schedule would suit us better. One day per town was too little time to fully enjoy and explore each city on the tour. When we attempted to also stop at the suggested towns along the way, there was even less time left for the featured city. Fortunately, at one point, we met an Australian couple who were also traveling the Romantic Road. They gave a voice to what had been bothering us as we struggled to fulfill the pace of the tour. They were spending two nights in each town. It meant that they could leisurely tour the town the day they traveled to it (stopping along the way, when appropriate) and finish the tour the next day. A romantic dinner at a representative restaurant and a walk through the town afterwards when the evening lights presented another side of it were made more feasible, instead of just another obligatory part of the exhaustion. This was exactly the kind of itinerary that we thought would have suited us perfectly. We soon tested our thought by, instead of going for a day trip to Nurenburg, continuing our stay in Rothenburg. As a result, we enjoyed Rothenberg and took advantage of all that it had to offer in a way we wouldn't have otherwise
Each traveler must find the pace of travel that suits him/her best. For as interesting and enjoyable as this trip was, the pace of it did not suit us. The next time we would ask To-Europe to design an itinerary for us that would. Based on how they designed the standard tour, we're sure they would do just as well.
Absolutely loved this trip. The towns we visited were beautiful felt like I was back in mideaval times. Loved exploring them and your walking maps helped. The hotels were very nice too and we enjoyed having breakfast. We upgraded the car and that was a bit of an issue...we had to see someone at Avis to do this. We found Frankfurt airport confusing. The GPS was awesome...a must - took us right to our hotels. We took extra days and I'm glad we did. Extra two days in the Austrian Alps and visiting Germans second highest mountain is a must! We loved this trip and recommend it highly!
We were two couples from Oklahoma in our early 70s in mid-September. Very interesting and scenic trip. Most roads were through scenic back areas and off of busy autobahn. We knew no German so at times struggled with road signs and directions. Car had GPS but it was in German and we had no idea how to change it. Car was new VW sedan and quite roomy for 4 but was standard shift. I've driven standard shift all my life but driving a 6-speed stick shift than I'm not familiar with and trying to navigate and watch for traffic can be somewhat challenging. An automatic would have probably been easier to adapt to. Hotels were charming and located right in old historic center of town but had no a/c and it was still hot in September. One hotel had no elevator which is pretty much mandatory in our book for carrying suitcases to upper floors. All had super breakfasts. Having hotels noted on map of each town would have helped greatly since we were unable to input on GPS. Navigating all day to find noted sights and available parking spots was somewhat stressful and by end of afternoon we were ready to find hotel and relax so having easy to follow map of hotel would have really been appreciated. We ended up using mapquest on our phones in the morning when we had WiFi in the hotel and putting in the name of the next hotel. Then we snapped a photo of this map in our phone and could reference it and enlarge it while in car without using expensive data. A very enjoyable trip which we extended to Stuttgart to tour the Mercedes-Benz factory then over to the Black Forest with nights in Baden Baden and Bad Durkheim before returning to Frankfurt.
All aspects of this tour worked out great. Thomas was most helpful in modifying the 5 day Romantic Road tour to fit our schedule since we would be starting the auto tour at the end of our bike and barge. All of the rail, auto and hotel accommodations were great. The hotels were first class and within walking distance of the scenic old parts of towns. This is the way to travel Europe.. all of the hard part of setting up a trip like hotel reservations and car rental is done for you. Will definitely use them again.
We had a great trip; all aspects of the tour had been thought through for us so all we had to do was follow the clear instructions.
Email communications with the team were answered promptly, with professionalism and good humour – thanks Diana, Thomas and Michaela!
The hotels were well situated and, other than one disagreement with our satnav, easy to find.
The museum pass was fantastic and got us into a couple of places we hadn’t expected. The cashier at one location nodded approvingly when I produced it, saying “This is the best card.” We agreed!
We will certainly look at travelling with To-Europe again.
We are so glad to have found to-Europe! The self-drive tour along the Romantic Road that Thomas and his staff put together for us was a great way to introduce my husband and baby to Germany. It took us to both quaint towns and large cosmopolitan cities along a scenic route that avoided all of the traffic on the Autobahn. The recommended itinerary provided valued structure, but since we were on our own we had the flexibility to pick and choose what we wanted to do with an 18 month old on any given day. The fact that someone else did all of the hard work of booking the rental car and accommodations, planning the stops so we were never in the car too long, and finding the best deals made for a stress-free and enjoyable vacation from start to finish. There is no way we could have done this on our own for cheaper!
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