Castles, old fortresses, old towns, villages stuck in the Middle Ages with half-timbered houses: this is what you will see when you drive along the Romantische Strasse, Germany's romantic road: one of the most beautiful roads in the world, which will take you to discover the essence of Bavaria.
The Romantic Road winds its way for more than 370 km between castles and medieval villages that seem to have come straight out of a Brothers Grimm tale. From the Bavarian Alps, near the town of Füssen, the route reaches the Main Valley near Würzburg.
Romantische Strasse, route and stages of the Romantic Road in Germany
Fussen
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Dinjelsbuhl
Weiskirche
Schongau
Nordlingen
Augsurg
Wurzbur
In this guide, we explain how to travel the Romanticshe Strasse, what the route is and what the stages of the route are with map and map.
Romantische Strasse: Route, Stages and Map of Germany's Romantic Road
Travelling the Romantische Strasse means taking a journey of discovery through Bavaria and its wonders: you will pass castles, nature parks, and walled villages. During the Middle Ages, the road connected the centre of Germany with the south of the country. During the 1950s it was rediscovered and travel agents had the idea of calling it the Romantic Road and promoting it as a tourist route for couples. Today, the Romantische strasse is a marked route that passes through some of the most beautiful places in Germany.
The road is open all year round and if you want to go hiking, there are numerous hiking trails available. The 370-kilometre-long Romantische Strasse can be travelled by car or by bicycle along the 460-kilometre-long cycle path. Here you can find all the information about the Romantic Road by bicycle. There is a bus that allows you to travel along the road, you can interrupt and resume your journey where and when you want.
Highlights include Würzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen, Donauwörth, Augsburg, Friedberg and Landsberg am Lech. The Tauber valley, the Nördlinger Ries, the Lech river and the pre-Alpine area between Landsberg am Lech and Füssen.
Itinerary and Stages
Fussen
Fussen is one of the most beautiful towns in Bavaria and is famous for being close to the wonderful Neuschwanstein Castle, but also for being the town of violins and violin makers par excellence.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg is the fairytale town par excellence, characterised by small houses with half-timbered roofs and cobbled streets. The fairytale atmosphere officially makes it one of the most beautiful towns in Germany, the setting for wonderful Christmas markets and films and fairytales, such as Beauty and the Beast.
Its medieval walls are entirely preserved and can be walked between watchtowers and walkways overlooking the Bavarian hills.
Dinjelsbuhl
Dinkelsbühl is a village with half-timbered houses where you can experience an atmosphere of times gone by. Here, too, the medieval walls are intact. There are also interesting museums (such as the museum of the third dimension) and tasty, quality gastronomy.
Weiskirche
Don't miss a visit to the famous pilgrimage church dating from 1738. The church was the site of a miracle, tears were found on the face of the wooden Christ housed in the church.
Schongau
Schongau is a small town where you can breathe in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. To the north-west you will find the old town, Altenstadt, an old settlement where you can still see the Romanesque church of St. Michael.
Nordlingen
In Nördlingen, too, you will find half-timbered houses and a medieval atmosphere, this time in the middle of a huge circular plain created in a distant past by a huge meteorite.
Augsurg
In addition to the medieval houses on the banks of the river Lech (the Fuggerei quarter), you can visit the Bertold Brecht house museum and the museum dedicated to Mozart and his brother Leopold, who was born here.
Wurzburg
Wurzburg is an Upper Bavarian city on the banks of the River Main in Franconia. The Residenz is the most important attraction, with the famous fresco by Tiepolo.
Map
You can find the map and GPS data here and the official website of the Romantic Road here.
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