Anyone wanting to design their own tour with individual stages, without having to drive themselves, can choose to use the Romantic Road bus which runs along the holiday route every day from April to October between two of Germany's major gateways, Frankfurt and Munich. There is no more comfortable and convenient way to enjoy the cultural wonders, art events, culinary delights and the beauty of nature.

All along Germany's best known and most popular holiday route, which runs for over 450 kilometres from the Prince Bishops' Residence in Würzburg on the River Main to the Royal Castles near to Füssen in the foothills of the Alps, seven distinctly different regions fascinate visitors with the constant kaleidoscope of sites of world culture on the one hand and little-known gems on the other. There are many ways in which visitors can see and enjoy both the very well-known and the almost unknown: on the long-distance hiking trail, on the cycle route or by car or bike on the Romantic Road itself.

The spa in Bad Mergentheim adds a fifth dimension to this harmony. This famous spa in the Tauber Valley presents itself as a modern 'health resort' and, with its Gothic buildings and churches, is one of the architectural gems of the Romantic Road. Bad Mergentheim, with its castle, was for just under 300 years the seat of the German Teutonic Order; an area of 3,000 m² in the museum is devoted to documenting its history. Matthias Grünewald's Madonna, in the Stuppach area of the town, is of world renown. Less well-known, on the other hand, is the fact that the Swabian poet, Eduard Mörike, spent seven years in the spa town up until 1851, a period which is remembered in the 'Mörikekabinett' gallery in the museum. And in the Hachtel district, there is a memorial to Ottmar Mergenthaler, a watchmaker whose invention of the 'linotype' machine in 1886 enabled the mass production of printed material. Visitors can experience nature 'in all its glory' in the animal park where there are 70 different species in a 35-hectare outdoor enclosure. 

The middle ages and 1,000 years of history remain alive in the former Free Imperial City of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. With its unique silhouette, its fortifications that people can walk along, its enclosed townscape and historic festivals, it is one of the most visited places in Germany and the very epitome of the Romantic. Not to be missed are the Tilman Riemenschneider altars in the parish church of St. Jakob and the treasures in the Imperial City Museum. The mediaeval crime museum is the only museum devoted to the law in Europe, and it is not only lawyers who will be fascinated by it. For that Christmas feeling 365 days of the year and not only during the 'Reiterles' Market in Advent, there is Käthe Wohlfahrt's famous Christmas store, which also houses the German Christmas Museum and its magnificent collection. The Christmas village, too, in the heart of the town has long been a favourite destination for tourists in Rothenburg.

The 2,632 metres of continuous town wall that people can still walk around, boasting mighty fortified towers and enclosing a wonderfully preserved mediaeval centre, make Nördlingen unique. That goes for the tower keeper too – one of only two remaining in Germany. Every half hour between 10 p.m. and midnight, he shouts out the traditional watchman's cry of "So, G'sell, so" from the top of the 90-metre 'Daniel', the bell-tower of the late Gothic hall church of St. Georg. This former Imperial City in Bavarian Swabia is the heart of the geologically unique 'Donau Ries'. The crater, with a 22-km diameter, was formed millions of years ago when a meteorite hit the earth. The 'Ries' Crater Museum, located in a mediaeval barn, illustrates this phenomenon of nature in detail. And in the Bavarian railway museum, housed in a locomotive depot, the child inside all of us comes out: small wonder, when there are over 100 original trains including 25 steam locomotives. Talking of children: the highlight of the 'Stabenfest' in May is a procession with some 2,000 children out to the Kaiserwiese. Incidentally, this is also where the 'Scharlachrennen' horse trials take place. First mentioned in 1438, they are one of the oldest equestrian events in Europe.

A fabulous setting awaits at the end of the Romantic Road in the Königswinkel with Fairy-tale King Ludwig II's castles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. The glittering finale is Füssen, characterised by picturesque alleyways, churches and houses from Gothic to Rococo, the 'High Castle' with its collection of medicinal plants and herb garden from mediaeval times, as well as the former Benedictine Monastery of St. Mang. This houses the 'Kaisersaal', a venue for select concerts, the Füssen 'danse macabre' and the town's museum, where there is also recognition of its great tradition as a European centre for lute and violin making. A detour to the festival hall on the Forgensee Lake should not be missed, if only for a view of Neuschwanstein Castle.

And finally, a hearty "cheers" at Munich airport – the only airport in the world with its own brewery, incidentally. The 'Airbräu' is where it all happens - and good beer flows into glasses and tankards and down thirsty throats.

When planning your trip and while travelling, the best way to get information is via the new Romantic Road app from the German Tourist Board (Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus - DZT). The mobile guide can be used with both iPhones and smartphones.

Further information

Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR

Segringer Strasse 19, D-91550 Dinkelsbühl

+49 9851 551387

+49 9851 551388

info@romantischestrasse.de

www.romantischestrasse.de 

www.facebook.com/romantischestrasse 

Photo: Romantische Straße Touristik Arbeitsgemeinschaft GbR