What to do in Bad Mergentheim in Germany – Romantic Road

Edson Amorina Jr

2 years ago

What to do in Bad Mergentheim in Germany – Romantic Road

A travel itinerary to Bad Mergentheim can be part of the plan to get to know the whole Germany’s Romantic Route, the best-known tourist route in the country, or even a weekend or holiday round-trip.

In this guide we include tips on what to do, accommodation, tourist attractions, restaurants and other information for your best visit to Bad Mergentheim.

We write about 8 of the best attractions on the Romantic Road in Germany with up-to-date tips, be sure to check it out.

Where is the city of Bad Mergentheim in Germany

Bad Mergentheim is a city in Germany, in the district of Main-Tauber, in the administrative region of Stuttgart, state of Baden-Württemberg.

Bad Mergentheim is 141 Km from Frankfurt (approx. 1h45min) or from train (2h30min). Taking the capital of the country as a reference, it is 540 km from Berlin and even though it is far away, it is possible to go by car (approx. 5h15min), in relation to other cities, it is 115 km from Stuttgart and 289 km from Munich.

How to go to Bad Mergentheim in Germany

The best way to travel in Germany is very much up to you. We alternated a lot between using the country’s excellent railway network and also taking advantage of the no less excellent German roads and highways (who has never heard of the Autobahns with no speed limit, right?).

If you are in Bad Mergentheim it is also possible to book a tour to Munich: Best travel tips for Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

Germany Romantic Route

The German Romantic Road is the name given to a travel itinerary in southern Germany that crosses the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It passes through 460 kilometers and 29 cities, starting in Würzburg to Füssen (where is the famous Neuschwanstein Castle) linking various historical attractions and picturesque castles.

Bad Mergentheim is part of the suggested itinerary and we have a complete and well-detailed travel guide with tips on how to get to know Germany’s Romantic Road, be sure to check it out.

Suggestions for activities and tours on the German Romantic Road:

Where to stay in Bad Mergentheim in Germany – Hotel, hostel and Bed & Breakfast deals

Although it is not very common to choose the city of Bad Mergentheim as a base to visit the Romantic Road (it is much more common, for example, to stay in Frankfurt and take a boat trip to e-round), there are some good accommodation options.

The best rated Bad Mergentheim hotels that you can review to choose where to stay are:

Edelfinger Hof
- 8.4 – Very good out of 509 ratings
Apart-hotel Hotel Deutschmeister
- 8.1 – Very good out of 611 ratings
Savoy Hotel Bad Mergentheim
- 7.0 – Good out of 256 ratings
Ringhotel Bundschu (Accommodation participating in the Sustainable Travel program)
- 8.2 – Very good out of 187 ratings
DasSchaffers – MeinWohlfühlhotel (Accommodation participating in the Sustainable Travel program)
- 9.2 – Fantastic out of 414 ratings
Hotel Central
- 7.9 – Good out of 687 ratings
Hotel-Gästehaus Alte Münze
- 8,4 – Muito bom em 563 avaliações

Check the Bad Mergentheim city page on Booking.com for other options.

Things to do in Bad Mergentheim in Germany

In 1826, a shepherd named Franz Gehring discovered rich mineral springs in the area surrounding the town of Bad Mergentheim during the time when spas were expanding rapidly in Germany. The water turned out to be the strongest sodium sulfate water in Europe, supposedly effective for treating digestive disorders. Thus, the city ended up gaining a very important tourist importance in the country.

In addition, the list of cultural monuments in Bad Mergentheim includes immovable architectural and artistic monuments from all parts of the city.

Deutschordensschloss – Castle of the Knights of the Teutonic Order

Bad Mergentheim’s best-known attraction is the Deutschordensschloss, the castle where the Teutonic Knights once had their base. It is a complex of buildings built over a period of eight hundred years. The first castle buildings were probably erected as early as the 12th century. The castle was expanded at the end of the 16th century under the command of Grand Master Walther von Cronberg. Over time, a representative Renaissance complex was built connecting the individual buildings in the palace’s inner courtyard to an enclosed ring of buildings. Today the castle houses the Deutschordensmuseum (museum of the Teutonic Order).

The English landscaped garden between the palace and the spa building is mainly due to Archduke Maximilian Franz. In 1797 he built a “mosque” to commemorate the Turkish threat of the past, and in 1802 the Schellenhäusle, a late Chinoiserie. The obelisk was built under Duke Paul von Württemberg, a memorial to a dog that saved his life on one of his expeditions.

The castle complex is dominated by the Schlosskirche (palace church), begun in 1730 under Franz Ludwig Herzog von Pfalz-Neuburg in Baroque style. It was completed in 1735 under Clemens August von Wittelsbach. The architects who worked on the site were Joseph Roth and Friedrich Kirchenmayer. Its rococo interior features elaborate ceiling frescoes by court painter Nikolaus Gottfried Stuber, depicting The Defense of the Faith, the Glorification of the Cross in Heaven and Earth, and the Vision of the Cross of Emperor Constantine. The main altar painting is Die Salbung Jesu durch Maria in Bethanien by local painter Matthäus Zehender. The side altar paintings were by Giambattista Pittoni (Kreuzaufnahme, Armenspeisung durch die heilige Elisabeth). The crypt below the church is the burial place of the order’s grand masters.

For about 200 years, the Schlosskirche has been a Protestant church.

The sacristy of the Marienkirche (completed 1388) features frescoes made in 1300-10 by the monk Rudolfus. This was formerly the church of a Dominican monastery. The cloister has a fresco from 1486 showing a Visitation depicting an embryo inside Mary’s body. The church also contains the epitaph of Walther von Cronberg, the first Grand Master of Mergentheim.

Main tourist attractions

In addition to the Castle of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, which is its main attraction and I have already described a lot about above, the other sights to visit in Bad Mergentheim are in the historic city (Altstadt) in particular:

Altes Rathaus is the former town hall and is located on Marktplatz, the main square of Bad Mergentheim, a small town in Germany. It’s a typical building. In fact, some of the buildings surrounding the square are traditional. Handsome, average.
Still in the old center it is possible to visit Stadtpfarrkirche Sankt Johannes, Marienkirche, fountains and squares.

Kurpark, the thermal park runs near the Tauber river and covers an area of about 170,000 m². Discover all the beauty of nature in integrated themed gardens and is accessible through an extensive network of paths. About 2,200 trees, almost 1,000,000 spring flowers, more than 25,000 plants in summer and autumn make the thermal park a flowery oasis.
The Stuppach Madonna is a 1514-1519 painting of the Madonna and Child by the German Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald. It is located today in the Parish Church of the Coronation of the Virgin (Pfarrkirche Mariä Krönung) in Stuppach (Bad Mergentheim) . Along with the Isenheim Altarpiece, it is considered one of the main works of Grünewald.
Deutschordensmuseum, the Museum of the Teutonic Order is located in the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Bad Mergentheim in Baden-Württemberg. Features the history of the Teutonic Order, the history of the town of Mergentheim, the Mörike cabinet, the Neolithic section in Taubertal, a collection of dollhouses and the Adelsheim collection of antiquities.

1-day itinerary tip in Bad Mergentheim in Germany

Our script suggestion in Bad Mergentheim is to divide your script into two parts:

Walk around Altstadt, getting to know its sights and admiring all the beauty of the historic city center

Take a break for lunch

Go to the Castle of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, taking the opportunity to visit the castle, the garden and also its museum.

And after that you continue to the next town on the German Romantic Road.

Where to eat in Bad Mergentheim in Germany – Best bars and restaurants

If you’re traveling in Germany, I believe you should look for restaurants specializing in the country’s traditional cuisine or even a Biergarten for a German beer. In Bad Mergentheim, we suggest some like: