I am not sure where along the line we got the idea that we wanted to drive the “Romantic Road” in Germany, but we finally got the chance to make it happen.
Many people travel the Romantic Road by starting in Frankfurt and working their way down to Munich, which would be a great route. We did it in reverse because I wanted to end our trip in Paris.
Finishing out a European vacation in Paris for someone living on the East Coast of the US is perfect. It gets us home quickly and with a direct flight (click here to read more about this beneficial strategy). It also doesn’t hurt that we also get to see our absolute favorite city in the world. And what better way to end a romantic road trip than Paris!
This post will be a brief overview of the route we took while driving the Romantic Road in Germany. It includes how much time we spent in each place, and a few other details. That said, there will be many posts to come about what to do at each stop and what we loved about each place! Links will be added as posts are updated.
If you’re interested in another awesome Germany road trip, check out this post by my friend Caity —-> The German Fairytale Route
Day 1: Arrive in Munich & Drive to Fussen (2 hours driving time)
Linderhof Palace
We flew into Munich and picked up our rental car right from the airport and headed out for our first stop on the Romantic Road. We hopped in the car to head to Fussen and on the way stopped at our first spot, “Linderhof Palace”. This was just over an hour away from Munich. To be honest, this was the stop I had researched the least and knew the least about.
We pulled up into the middle of seemingly nowhere in the mountains of Bavaria. We paid a gate attendant, and parked easily on the palace grounds. We were able to easily book tickets upon arrival. However, I should note that we visited very early in the tourist season and it was a very quiet time of year. It was also very cold on the day that we visited. If you are traveling during peak season, I would recommend booking in advance.
We walked up to the Palace and apart from the vast expanse of the property, were a little underwhelmed. We realized later, after seeing postcards and photographs, that this was because the grounds were basically still closed for the winter. Because it was not yet Spring, the plants weren’t in bloom and all the fountains and water features were boarded up. The Palace itself is kind of unassuming from the outside.
However, we were absolutely STUNNED when we walked inside. This was one of the most beautiful interiors of any palace, temple, church, or castle we’ve seen all over the world. We were so disappointed that you are not allowed to take photos inside the palace as we loved every little detail. The stories you will hear about King Ludwig II, if you do travel throughout Bavaria, are fascinating and this palace personifies his reputation. It was dripping with wealth and the details was absolutely captivating. We were impressed and enthralled by every single room, and I think I would even venture to say that I would return to see this again someday.
Definitely DO NOT SKIP this on your tour of Bavaria, or if you’re driving the romantic road. The indoor tour only takes about 30 minutes and runs very regularly throughout the day.
Fussen
After our Palace visit, it was onward to Fussen. This was about an hour drive through some really beautiful landscapes and past an incredibly gorgeous lake. We arrived in Fussen and checked into our amazing hotel, “Hotel Sonne”, which was one of the best hotels we’ve stayed at in a long time! The breakfast was incredible, there were literally endless choices for things you could eat and drink. We wished we’d stayed another night just for that!
The town of Fussen is small and adorable and exactly what we were hoping for when setting out on the romantic road. The town is full of colorful buildings, has a castle on a hill, cute cafes, wine bars, and shops to pop in and out of. Surrounding the town is also a beautiful river and rolling hills, and a very short drive away…the castles we came to see. I think many people who don’t drive the romantic road miss Fussen because they come see the castles from Munich. Don’t be those people! It’s worth checking out!
If you’re interested in viewing and booking our hotel, you can check it out here. This was one of our favorite hotels on the Romantic Road —-> Hotel Sonne Fussen
Day 2: Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles (10 mins driving time)
We didn’t have to drive far on day 2. The Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau castles are about a 6-7 minute drive from Fussen. As you ride up the street you can see them up on the hills and it is really a mind blowing sight! We scheduled times to see each castle in advance, which makes it really easy to pick up your tickets and arrange your day to make sure you don’t miss anything. This is the only day of your romantic road itinerary that you have to really plan your timing for.
We scheduled Hohenschwangau at 10:00 AM and Neuschwanstein at 1:30 PM. This gives you MORE than enough time to see both of the castles and all of the surrounding grounds. We even had time to squeeze in a quick glass of wine in between. Each castle tour is about 30-35 minutes and is guided with an audio guide, available in different languages. We really enjoyed seeing everything in this area and had so much fun imagining what it would have been like long ago when these castles were built and enjoyed. Although, the more you learn about King Ludwig II, the more you learn they weren’t really enjoyed much at all!
Das Rubezahl Spa Hotel
After seeing the castles, we headed to our accommodation for the night. “Hotel Das Rubezahl” is a wellness hotel located right in the valley below the castles where you have an incredible view of each of them! We really enjoyed trying out the different saunas and swimming in the indoor/outdoor pool with a view of the castles.
The setting was incredible and after a very busy first 2 days in Germany, this was a great place to relax, have dinner, and get settled for the rest of our trip ahead.
It was also a Sunday when we visited and Sundays in German towns can be VERY slow. We knew we’d likely have to eat at our hotel for dinner and spend a lot of time there so this worked out well. If you’re not traveling on Sunday or don’t want to pay for this full experience another night at Hotel Sonne would be a dream!
If this sounds like your vibe, be sure to book a room with a castle view, it was so dreamy! Definitely our most romantic stop on the Romantic Road —-> Hotel Das Rubezahl
For more details and best tips on how to explore the castle area, even if you don’t drive the Romantic Road check out my post here —-> Tips For Visiting Castles
Day 3: Landsberg Am Lech & Augsburg (driving time 3 hours)
Landsburg Am Lech
Well rested, we woke up the next day to head to Landsburg Am Lech. This was an excellent walled medieval town that was so colorful and quaint inside of the surrounding walls. We loved walking around and exploring the town both from the hill above and down by the river. We had an excellent authentic German lunch (schnitzel and mushroom soup) here in a small cafe on the water and it was a great stop for a few hours of exploring before heading on to Augsburg.
Augsburg
We arrived in Augsburg on a Monday and it was very quiet. We’re not sure if this is normal for this town at this time, or if we came at a weird time. We were able to walk around a lot, check out some interesting things like the Golden Room in the town hall, and ate at the Ratskeller which was an enjoyable, yet semi-touristy, experience. We stayed at the Dom Hotel which was a nice and easy family run hotel right on the edge of the action and an easy walk from everything we wanted to do and see.
Click here to check out and book the Dom Hotel, they also had parking which is important when you’re driving the Romantic Road ——> Dom Hotel Augsburg
Day 4: Nordlingen, Dinklesbuhl, & Rothenburg (2.5 hours driving)
Nordlingen
The next morning we drove about an hour to Nordlingen, another walled town that was actually built into a crater, so it is pretty perfectly circular. I have seen some drone shots that are pretty cool! It was a gorgeous town to walk around. You can walk around the whole town on the walls and get a really neat perspective.
There are houses built in front of, into, and around the walls of the town which is really neat to see. The streets are pristine and the houses and buildings beautiful colors. Most of the parking surrounding the town was 1.5 hour parking, and it worked perfectly for us as the town was small enough to get around in that time.
Dinklesbuhl
We continued on about another 35 minutes to the town of Dinklesbuhl. When we entered through the town wall we were SO impressed! Immediately upon walking down the main street into the town, the buildings were huge and impressive and so bright! I think this may have been the most charming of the towns along the Romantic Road. We popped in for lunch at the Meiser Altstadt Hotel and it was an incredible gem! My husband had German sausages and I had an delicious falafel and veggies. It was a perfect little stop during our journey through this small town. After lunch and another lap around, we were ready to get to Rothenburg Ob der Tauber.
Rothenburg (the gem of the Romantic Road)
Rothenburg is kind of like the mecca of the Romantic Road. It’s the place most people know about and are excited to visit. It made me feel like I was in Disney World Germany. It definitely felt very touristy, but was also so incredibly fun and so beautiful that it was very enjoyable.
We stayed in the COOLEST hotel ever right outside of the town walls. It was called “Wildbad Tagungsort” and it was fascinating. It is an old spa hotel from the 19th century and it feels like you’re staying in a castle or palace. The rooms are all so beautiful the views are absolutely stunning, we would love to come back someday just to spend a few more days here (I will include a lot more detail in a specific post about this place).
We had a great time wandering Rothenburg, shopping in the flea market in town, sipping drinks in the square, visiting the wine bar, and had an excellent dinner. We finished up our day with the Night Watchman tour, which happens every night at sunset and is quite entertaining (we highly recommend it).
If you’re interested in booking the hotel you can check it out here, I will officially say it was our favorite of the Romantic Road ——-> Hotel Wildbad Tagungsort
For a more detailed post about visiting Rothenburg check out my post —-> A Highlight of the Romantic Road
Day 5: Wurzburg (driving time about 1 hour)
The next morning, after a run around the walls of Rothenburg and its beautiful vineyards, it was onward to Wurzburg. We arrived and strolled right into the center of town, it was so lively! There were food trucks and market stalls set up and everyone was outside, it was beautiful!
We weren’t expecting the picturesque vineyard views surrounding the town for as far as the eye could see, it definitely added to the magical ambiance. We did a vineyard wine tasting tour with Dr. Markus Frankl where we got to walk around all of the vineyards and taste 3 different wines while learning about local wine history. He even let us keep the bottles!
The most fun part of Wurzburg, in my opinion, is hanging out on the Alte Mainbruke, or old bridge. There are a few establishments that sell drinks so you can just grab one and head out onto the bridge to sip and hang out with all of the other tourists and locals alike. It was such a fun experience to sip drinks during sunset on the bridge.
To finish the day up, we had an awesome dinner at Alte Mainmuhle, which was right on the bridge and had a great view of everything! It was fabulous! This concluded our journey on the Romantic Road (this time).
The next morning, we woke up early to get onto the road to Frankfurt to take the train to Paris! As always, I HIGHLY recommend going to Paris, what better way to end a Romantic Road trip.
For more details about the charming city of Wurzburg read here —> Wurzburg, Germany
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