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A 10-day self-drive through Bavaria's most charming medieval towns, from the baroque palace city of Würzburg south to the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein.
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Published 23 Jun 2026
The Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse) is Germany's most-travelled scenic highway and one of Europe's great driving routes. Created in 1950 to link a chain of Bavarian and Swabian towns that time had largely passed by, the 460 km road runs from the wine-country city of Würzburg south to the Alpine town of Füssen, ending within sight of Neuschwanstein Castle. This 10-day itinerary picks the standout stops: the UNESCO-listed Würzburg Residence, the perfectly preserved walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the quieter but equally beautiful Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen, the Roman-founded city of Augsburg and its extraordinary Fuggerei, the riverside charm of Landsberg am Lech, and the dramatic Alpine finale at Füssen. Driving legs are short throughout, rarely more than 90 minutes between stops, so the pace is relaxed and there is always time to pull over for a church, a castle ruin or a vineyard view.
Best time: May to October; spring and early autumn are quietest
Bavaria's baroque gateway and the start of the Romantic Road. The UNESCO-listed Würzburg Residence is the centrepiece: its grand staircase holds Tiepolo's ceiling fresco, among the world's largest. Above the city, medieval Marienberg Fortress overlooks the Main river and the surrounding Franconian wine country.
Bavaria's baroque gateway and the start of the Romantic Road. The UNESCO-listed Würzburg Residence is the centrepiece: its grand staircase holds Tiepolo's ceiling fresco, among the world's largest. Above the city, medieval Marienberg Fortress overlooks the Main river and the surrounding Franconian wine country.
Buy a Franconian wine pass at the tourist office for tasting at several local producers. The Würzburg Residence gets busy by mid-morning; arrive when it opens to see the Tiepolo fresco at its best.
Germany's best-preserved walled medieval city and the route's centrepiece. The Plönlein, a cobbled lane splitting at a double-gated tower, is Germany's most-photographed street scene. Walk the full town wall circuit, explore the Medieval Crime Museum, and try a Schneeball, the local snowball-shaped pastry.
Germany's best-preserved walled medieval city and the route's centrepiece. The Plönlein, a cobbled lane splitting at a double-gated tower, is Germany's most-photographed street scene. Walk the full town wall circuit, explore the Medieval Crime Museum, and try a Schneeball, the local snowball-shaped pastry.
Arrive in the late afternoon for golden-hour light on the Plönlein. The town walls take about two hours to walk; overnight guests get the old town to themselves early morning.
Often passed over in favour of Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl is equally well-preserved but far quieter. The 15th-century Minster of St George dominates a market square unchanged for five centuries, and all 18 towers of the town walls still stand. A gentle evening wander rewards the short detour.
Often passed over in favour of Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl is equally well-preserved but far quieter. The 15th-century Minster of St George dominates a market square unchanged for five centuries, and all 18 towers of the town walls still stand. A gentle evening wander rewards the short detour.
Walk the moat path around the outside of the town walls after dinner for an uncrowded view of the towers that most visitors miss entirely.
Built inside a 15-million-year-old meteor crater, Nördlingen is the only German town where visitors can walk the complete circuit of the old walls. Climb the 89-metre Daniel tower of St George's Church for a bird's-eye view of the circular street layout that reveals the crater's influence on the medieval town plan.
Built inside a 15-million-year-old meteor crater, Nördlingen is the only German town where visitors can walk the complete circuit of the old walls. Climb the 89-metre Daniel tower of St George's Church for a bird's-eye view of the circular street layout that reveals the crater's influence on the medieval town plan.
Climb the Daniel tower early in the morning for uncrowded views and the best light across the circular rooftops below.
One of Germany's oldest cities, founded by the Romans in 15 BC. The Fuggerei, built in 1521 by the Fugger dynasty and still occupied today at its original symbolic rent, is the world's oldest social housing estate. The Renaissance Town Hall and its opulent Golden Hall stand a short walk away.
One of Germany's oldest cities, founded by the Romans in 15 BC. The Fuggerei, built in 1521 by the Fugger dynasty and still occupied today at its original symbolic rent, is the world's oldest social housing estate. The Renaissance Town Hall and its opulent Golden Hall stand a short walk away.
Visit the Fuggerei in the morning when the courtyard lanes are quieter. The small on-site museum explains the remarkable Fugger banking empire and the estate's 500-year unbroken history.
A graceful river town that most itineraries skip. Pastel-painted facades line the cobbled Hauptplatz above the Lech river, and the 15th-century Bayertor gateway guards the old bridge. The Alps appear on the southern horizon for the first time, and the town moves at a calmer pace than the stops to the north.
A graceful river town that most itineraries skip. Pastel-painted facades line the cobbled Hauptplatz above the Lech river, and the 15th-century Bayertor gateway guards the old bridge. The Alps appear on the southern horizon for the first time, and the town moves at a calmer pace than the stops to the north.
Walk the river bank path below the old town walls for an uncrowded view of the Bayertor from the water's edge.
The dramatic finale. Neuschwanstein Castle perches on a forested clifftop above Füssen, its towers rising against Alpine peaks: the direct inspiration for Disney's Cinderella Castle, built by King Ludwig II in the 1860s. Hohenschwangau Castle, Ludwig's childhood home, sits directly opposite above the Alpsee lake.
The dramatic finale. Neuschwanstein Castle perches on a forested clifftop above Füssen, its towers rising against Alpine peaks: the direct inspiration for Disney's Cinderella Castle, built by King Ludwig II in the 1860s. Hohenschwangau Castle, Ludwig's childhood home, sits directly opposite above the Alpsee lake.
Book Neuschwanstein tickets online well in advance as they sell out weeks ahead in summer. Walk up to the Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) above the castle before 9am for the classic view without crowds.
Culture
Würzburg Residence: Tiepolo's Grand Staircase Fresco
The UNESCO-listed Würzburg Residence houses what art historians consider among the world's largest ceiling frescos, painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo above the palace's grand staircase.
Activity
Walk Rothenburg's Full Town Wall Circuit
A covered two-kilometre circuit of Rothenburg's intact medieval walls, passing over gatehouses and towers with views across the old town's rooftops.
Viewpoint
Nördlingen from the Daniel Tower
Climb 350 steps inside St George's Church tower for a bird's-eye view of the circular medieval street plan, shaped by the ancient meteor crater beneath the town.
Culture
The Fuggerei: World's Oldest Social Housing
Built in 1521 and still inhabited today at a symbolic rent of roughly one euro per year, the Fuggerei in Augsburg is a remarkable piece of living social history spanning five centuries.
Viewpoint
Neuschwanstein Castle from the Marienbrücke
The most famous view in Bavaria: the fairytale castle framed by forest and Alpine peaks, seen from the iron footbridge above the Pöllat gorge.
Scenic Drive
The Romantic Road through the Bavarian Countryside
The stretch between Rothenburg and Augsburg winds through rolling farmland, hop fields and small market towns at a pace that rewards unhurried driving and spontaneous stops.
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