Rothenburg Germany

Day 63 Monday 6 July 2026

Today we visited 3 lovely towns in Germany Bad Wimpfen, Feuchtwangen and Rothenburg (also previously visited 2018,2022). The last 2 are towns that are part of the Romantic Road. Founded in 1950, the  460km between Würzburg and Füssen  has become one of the most popular scenic routes in Germany thanks to its "quintessential" scenery and culture. Throughout our years of travel we have visited various towns along the route.

It took us about an hour to get to Bad Wimpfen this morning. The old town with its imperial palace, towers high above the Neckar. 

We parked Bluey in P3 just on the outskirts and after some breakfast went to explore.

We popped into St Dominic’s church.

We then strolled along the old cobblestone streets throughout the historic town center, which exudes medieval charm with its well-preserved and lovingly restored half-timbered houses. 

We find the towers and the remains of the palace built in 1175 which was the main and the biggest of the Holy Roman Empire. 

This one is the tallest

Cigarette vending machines are still popular in Germany 

We then drove another 1hour or so along the german autobahn to our next destination, Feuchtwangen. It has historical and regional importance due to its origins that can be traced back to a Benedictine monastery mentioned in the 8th century as being “quite prosperous”. And it was in 1241 that it became a free imperial city. Around 1400’s, the wall with its 14 towers and 3 gates was built, but many of its parts were demolished. The city has seen conflicts such as the German Peasants’ War, the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War and both World Wars, but much of its buildings remain.

In the center of the square is the Röhrenbrunnen, a “tubular iron fountain” from 1727.

Notice the storks nest.. there are 4 of them 

We see the 2 churches standing side by side. The former collegiate church, with Romanesque remains and later expansions, stands on the site of the former church of the Benedictine monastery.

The 16th century carved choir stalls were interesting.

Next to it is the Church of Saint John built around the 12th century with a Baroque altar and a late Gothic tabernacle.

We decided that we couldn’t come to this area without going to Rothenburg for a 3rd time… although it was only a quick 2 hour (€5 parking fee) visit making us just see the highlights. 

The old historic centre has a remarkable wealth of historical sights, museums, churches, abbeys, monuments, gatehouses, surrounded by a walkable wall and of course it has the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village… no wonder its so popular with the tourists.

We enter via the Spital Bastion.

We take the obligatory photo of the iconic Plonlein, the landmark of the town of the fountains in front of the half-timbered yellow house and the two towers of the old city wall.

The market square with its gigantic town hall expresses the former civic pride of the Rothenburg population.

We spent a bit of time in our favourite Christmas shops. Sooo much stuff.

Then headed back to Bluey along the upper wall walkway.

We went in search of a quiet spot in the countryside about 7km away just out of Bettwar, heading towards tomorrow’s destination. 

200km