Date of Travel: August 2019
The Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse) is a motor homers dream, a travellers dream and anyone in between. Not only that, with the addition of easy access to night stopovers, well signposted routes and good roads, even the most novice of motorhome drivers can enjoy all it has to offer with the minimal of stress.
Haven’t got a motor home??
Don’t panic you can hire one or take a car, as there are plenty of hotels at every stop.
This epic road trip will whisk you through 14 romantic towns and lush green rolling hills. You will be taken from the historic, bold and energetic city of Würzburg, at its northern point and will leave you enchanted at its final destination of Füssen. In between, there are many stunning fairytale medieval towns. Each stop has its own unique backdrop to a mystical world that can be quant or bold but always enchanting.
If like us, you love old towns and that unique feeling that only they can offer. Crossing the drawbridge and entering a forgone time, life was very hard but much more simple. The ambience of this time with its flickering candles, wooden fires and cobbled stones is intoxicating. Compact all that atmosphere inside the towering walls and your unique medieval setting is complete.
We have created a guide, which not only gives you the 14 stops, but the distances between them and some unique free night stops. Some of these stops are off the beaten track, but we think they will be another highlight to this already great trip.
We completed the drive in 5 days, but easily could have spent twice this.
There are well sign posted motor home car parks outside most of the town walls. Here you can empty your toilet, fill up with drinking water and some even have electric hookups for a very small fee. You can also stay overnight at some of them.
So lets begin!!!…
1st Town – Würzburg
A large, young and energetic city full of history, bars and restaurants. Be sure to have a glass of wine on Old Main Bridge.
Visit the magnificent Marienberg Fortress perched high up on the hill surrounded by vineyards.
(This is free of charge and dogs are allowed in).
On the other side of the river, visit the impressive Würzburg Residenz. The gardens alone were spectacular, beautifully decorated with every colour flower you can imagine.
37km to:
2nd Town – Tauberbischofsheim
A beautiful charming picturesque town.
35km to overnight stop
Or
34km to Weikersheim
1st Overnight Stop:
We stayed at a beautiful spot for motorhomes along the river in Tauberrettersheim. (There are no amenities, but there is a pub that offers food along the river).
Address:
St2269
97285 Tauberrettersheim
Germany
6.1km to:
3rd Town – Weikersheim
A quant town with a picturesque square. On the edge of the square is a beautiful palace with spectacular gardens.
Palace entrance €6.50.
28km to:
4th Town – Rothenburg Ob Dee Tauber
A medieval jewel on the romantic road, it truly is unbelievable!!
Make sure you walk around the city walls, where archers once would have stood.
The wall walk is surprisingly free of charge. There is one tower that you can climb for €2, this is well worth it as the view is spectacular!!
We spent a day here but easily could spend a few, as we think it compares with Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kotor in Montenegro or Monemvasia in Greece for walled cities.
2nd Overnight Stay:
We stayed in a motor home carpark just outside the old city walls. Here you could fill up with drinking water and empty your toilet.
50km to:
5th Town – Dinkelsbuhl
The small walled town with its many towers, which rise from its stone wall every few hundred meters gives a great backdrop to a vibrant town.
A day can easily be spend marveling at the quirky building’s and getting lost in its old cobbled streets.
(Motorhome parking with amenities).
32km to:
6th Town – Nördlingen
Another impressive medieval walled old town. Built inside a meteorite crater (although you wouldn’t know it).
The grand cathedral is the center piece of the town.
15km to overnight spot
Or
19km to Harburg
3rd Overnight Stay:
We stayed in a beautiful spot surrounded by fields, onlooking the Harburg Castle. There are no amenities.
Address:
DON37
86655 Harburg (Schwaben)
Germany
(Google Maps gets a little confused, please see map from park4night)
You do have to go up a concrete track, follow track around and then 1st left, down the hill up the hill and park on the right where there is some gravel. It really is worth it and not too far).
6.3km to:
7th Town – Harburg
A picturesque fairytale castle sits atop a hill overlooking the quaint town.
Castle entrance €3
Guided tour €4
Be sure to take a photo from the stream below.
12km to:
(Unfortunately despite it being August, the weather took a turn for the worst and we had torrential rain for the rest of our trip. We had a quick look around the next few stops but didn’t spend much time there).
8th Town – Donauwörth
A much more modern town compared to the previous stops. Surrounded by the Danube and Wörnitz rivers.
47km to:
9th Town – Augsburg
A very large city. We decided not to stop as it was not easy to find parking and it was absolutely pouring down.
41km to:
10th Town – Landsberg am Lech
A charming town, surrounded by the River Lech, that gives a natural defence to the old town.
28km to:
11th Town – Schongau
The city walls are still largely intact, it has a modern feel.
21km to:
12th Stop – Wieskirche
It was still absolutely pouring, so I just run to get a photo of the huge church.
9km to:
4th Overnight Stay:
We stayed in another beautiful spot surrounded by fields in the outdoor swimming pool carpark.
Address:
20 Badweg
87642 Halblech
Germany
15km to:
13th Town – Neuschwansteim & Hohenschwangau Castles
The beautiful Neuschwansteim Castle is very impressive and absolutely stunning!!
It was used for the model for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and it’s easy to see why.
Hohenschwangau Castle opposite, is bolder and less attractive but no means unimpressive.
Motor home parking €9.50
Car parking €7
Or, if you are lucky, you can get a free spot at the side of the road.
Entrance €12 each castle or €23 for both.
Make sure you get there very early as we got there at 10am and the next available tour wasn’t until 3pm and the queue was at least an hour long.
4km to:
14th Town – Füssen
Plenty of cobble streets to wander to your hearts content, surrounded by the stunning alps.
Most people use this as a hub to see the castles as it’s so close. There are hotels, bars and restaurants galore and some campsites for motor homes.
So you have now just completed the Romantic Road!!
Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!!..
