The Romantic Road in southern Germany receives 2 million visitors a year who travel through the 29 dream and fairytale towns and villages. Wurzburg, in the north of the Bavarian region, and Füssen, near the Austrian border, are the arrival and departure points of the 468 km route.
We wrote a post with a complete travel guide and general tips for visiting the Romantic Road for each of the 29 stops. Be sure to check it out.
In this text, we are going to list the 8 best attractions to visit and the main things to do in your travel itinerary.
For planning a trip to Germany, we have some publications that can help a lot:
- Complete travel guide to visit the Romantic Road in Germany
- The Best Christmas Markets in Germany
- The best region and the best hotel to stay in Cologne in Germany
- Best travel tips for Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany
The main and best tourist attractions on the Romantic Road in Germany
The Romantic Route brings together historic cities and natural beauties, castles, typical foods, wines and lots of beer.
Along your route, you will admire the most beautiful Marktplatz, the central squares of each city, churches with true works of art, medieval castles that have survived time and various wars and conflicts, forests, valleys, rivers and lakes with mountains and the bavarian alps on the horizon.
As it is difficult to choose just a few interesting points to include in our trip, we have listed those that we think are “must see” (use the tips sparingly and according to your length of stay in Germany).
Residence in Wurzburg
The Würzburg Residence (in German Würzburger Residenz) is a palace of rich baroque architecture that has 3 main attractions: its staircase, the chapel and the large hall of mirrors.
It is so beautiful that it has been nicknamed the “German Palace of Versailles”. The Residence was severely damaged during World War II, as was the city of Wurzburg itself, after which several restoration efforts were undertaken.
Once in Wurzburg, you can easily explore the Baroque and Rococo architecture of the old town, walk along the Alte Mainbrücke, which is the pedestrian bridge that offers great views of the river, the Marienberg Fortress and the city itself.
You will like these guided tours in Würzburg.
Fuggerei and Fuggerhäuser in Augsburg
Augsburg is one of the oldest and largest cities on the Romantic Road in Germany.
The Fuggerei is the oldest public housing complex in the world still in use, named after the Fugger family and founded in 1516 by Jakob Fugger the Younger (known as “Jakob Fugger the Rich”). Its creation served as a place where Augsburg’s needy citizens could be housed. By 1523, 52 houses had been built and in the following years the area expanded with several streets, small squares and a church.
The gates were locked at night, so the Fuggerei was, in its own right, very much like a small independent medieval town. The annual rent is symbolic – only €0.80, but tenants pay the extra expenses (water, energy, telephone etc). The site was bombed in World War II and rebuilt soon after. To this day, the family of the founders is in charge of the foundation that takes care of the complex.
And a very interesting visit, you pay a symbolic entrance. You can walk around the complex, visit the small church, the old bunker that protected the inhabitants in the 2nd World War, an apartment furnished today and another one as it was five hundred years ago.
In addition to the Fuggerei, be sure to stroll along Maximillianstrasse, visit Augsburg Cathedral, the town hall with its golden hall.
You will like these guided tours in Augsburg.
Historical walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg’s city walls and old town are a must-see when visiting the Romantic Road. It is the best preserved medieval city in Germany and possibly in all of Europe.
The city’s name refers to its medieval architecture (“rothenburg” would be something like “reddish castle”) and its main river, the Tauber, so its name in Portuguese is “reddish castle on the Tauber river”.
The city walls are made up of fortified towers that you can visit and walk along and have a view of the city center.
The fortified city surrounded by historic walls includes cobbled streets, medieval half-timbered houses and a sea of red roofs.
Oh! A curiosity, the city served as an inspiration for Walt Disney when he created the village of Geppetto in the drawing of Pinocchio.
You will like these guided tours in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Medieval town of Dinkelsbühl
Your next mandatory stop on the Romantic Road is the beautiful town of Dinkelsbuhl. Like Rothenburg, it has almost perfectly preserved medieval architecture, in particular its historic gates and watchtowers on the wall.
The walk through the old center is surrounded by churches, houses of medieval architecture and many alleys to get lost in. Look especially for Deutsches Haus, built in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, one of the most beautiful on the route.
Unlike other cities on the German Romantic Road, there is no central Marktplatz. The city’s commerce spread through streets, which were named Weinmarkt.
You will like these guided tours in Dinkelsbühl.
Wieskirche in Steingaden
The church of Wies or Wieskirche is a pilgrimage church located in Wies, in the municipality of Steingaden. Completed in 1754 on the basis of a pilgrimage, which had existed since 1739, because of a statue of the scourged Savior, which was made in 1730 by Father Magnus Straub and Brother Lukas Schweiger in the monastery of Steingaden in Upper Bavaria.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, mainly for its Bavarian Rococo architecture by the artist brothers Zimmermann.
Today it is the main attraction of the traveler who will visit the city of Steingaden and region. As it is close to Neuschwanstein Castle, it can also be included as a day trip stop.
You will like these guided tours in Wieskirche.
Schloss Neuschwanstein in Schwangau
Neuschwanstein Castle (German Schloss Neuschwanstein) is a German palace built in the second half of the 19th century, near the towns of Hohenschwangau and Füssen, in southwest Bavaria, close to the Austrian border.
The castle was built by Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century, inspired by the work of his friend and protege, the great composer Richard Wagner. The castle’s architecture has a fantastic style, which inspired the “Sleeping Beauty Castle”, symbol of Disney Studios. Although photography is not allowed inside, it is one of the most photographed buildings in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The name Neuschwanstein is a reference to the “Knight of the Swan”, Lohengrin, from the opera of the same name.
It is probably the most famous tourist spot on the Romantic Road and also the best-known castle in Germany.
You will like these guided tours to Neuschwanstein Castle on Germany’s Romantic Road.
Nordlingen Wall and Crater
Nördlingen’s main attraction, the wall built in 1327, is completely preserved, with its five towered gates, eleven additional towers and two ramparts, which were part of its defense system. It is an unmissable experience, being possible to walk along its entire length of 2.6 km.
The city gates are named after the places outside the city. The cities of Baldingen, Löpsingen, Deiningen and Reimlingen gave their names to four gates. Only the fifth, the Berger Tor, is not named after a place, but after a mountain, the Friedhofsberg.
Fun fact, Nördlingen is, along with Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the only two cities in Germany that still have a complete wall around the city.
The Ries Crater Museum offers a lot of interesting visual material about the geological development of the area and a simulation of the Ries impact around 15 million years ago, when the Nördlinger Ries was formed.
FUN FACT: In 1970, Apollo 14 astronauts trained in Ries, as the rocks in the Ries quarries resemble rocks on the lunar surface.
You will like these guided tours of Germany’s Romantic Road.
Mutterturm in Landsberg am Lech
The tower is located in a small park on the west bank of the River Lech. It was built by the painter, sculptor, musician, writer and pioneer of motor racing in Germany, Sir Hubert von Herkomer, in honor of his mother (hence the name: Mother’s Tower _ Mutterturm). Its architecture replicates the romanticism of a medieval castle.
It is commonly said that she served as the inspiration for the Rapunzel tale written by the Brothers Grimm. So much so that many call it the “Tower of Rapunzel”.
You will like these guided tours of Germany’s Romantic Road.
There are other tourist attractions that are worth knowing, be sure to read the complete guide and, depending on your travel time, improve your itinerary even more.
Suggestions for excursions and tours on the Romantic Road Germany
There are several options for tours and guided trips along the Romantic Route Germany, be sure to compare them and choose the best one:
Find the the best region and the best hotel to stay in Cologne in Germany.