Travel By Train to Medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber

German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) trains provide reliable, cheap train transportation to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany’s top romantic, wall-encircled medieval town in Bavaria.

Roof-Covered Sentry Walk in Rothenburg ob der Tauber a town easily reached by German Railways trains from anywhere in Germany.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a small wall-enclosed medieval town in northern Bavaria, is arguably Germany’s most romantic town. It is a top sightseeing destination and a very popular stop on the Romantic Road (Romantische Straße) holiday route. Although off the mainline, German Railways (Deutsche Bahn) trains have hourly rail services to Rothenburg. Travelers using only regional trains in Bavaria can reach Rothenburg ob der Tauber very cheaply on the Bayern-Ticket. Day-trip bus tours are often available from Frankfurt or Munich.

The Deutsche Bahn / German Railways website (in English) is excellent for planning any form of public transportation in Germany (and most of Europe).

Travel by Train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

It is easier to explain the train route to Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the reverse order:

Regional railways map for traveling by train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany.

→ From Rothenburg ob der Tauber, take the hourly regional train RB82 to Steinach (bei Rothenburg ob der Tauber). All railway passengers must use this train (15 minutes) — avoid bus alternatives.

→ From Steinach (bei Rothenburg ob der Tauber), take the hourly regional express train RE80:

North to Würzburg (45 minutes) and transfer to intercity or regional trains to other parts of Germany, including Frankfurt am Main and Frankfurt Airport.
South to Ansbach (20 minutes and transfer to trains for Nuremberg) or Treuchtlingen (65 minutes, change here for Munich). It is worth selecting the trains that continue without change to Donauwörth, Augsburg, and München.

Use the German Railways website to plan journeys — also search for regional train options. These are often hardly slower than intercity trains and may be cheaper. Similarly, staying on a single regional train is more comfortable than adding a further connection just to save a few minutes. Use bus options, especially from Ansbach and Domsbühl, only as a last resort when no trains are available.

By Train from Steinach to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

All rail passengers to Rothenburg ob der Tauber have to transfer at Steinach, as Rothenburg is the final stop on the small railway line that connects these two towns. This journey takes only 15 minutes but as the RB82 train runs only hourly, all connections from other cities are available once per hour as well.

Most railway passengers to Steinach are heading for the more famous romantic town down the railway line. As a result, the town is often Steinach (bei Rothenburg) in railway timetables.

Fortunately, train departures and arrivals are well coordinated. Steinach is a one-horse town — pick up supplies elsewhere.

Long-Distance Train Travel to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Passengers on long-distance trains such as the Inter-City (IC) and Inter-City-Express (ICE) trains usually have to change to regional trains in Würzburg when arriving from the north or Ansbach when arriving from the south. From these towns, frequent regional trains (RE80) are available to Steinach.

Train passengers from Frankfurt am Main Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) and Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) usually transfer at Würzburg Hauptbahnhof for Steinach. Traveling times to Rothenburg from Frankfurt are 2h30 to three hours. Journeys to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) take 15 minutes longer and usually do not require further transfers in Frankfurt itself. (Using a regional train from Frankfurt to Würzburg adds around half an hour to the travel time, but the Deutschland Ticket and other regional trains savings deals may be applied.)

Passengers from Berlin or Hamburg can reach Rothenburg ob der Tauber in just over five hours while trains from Cologne (Köln) take four hours. In all cases, transfer at both Würzburg and Steinach.

Train travel between Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Heidelberg – arguably the two most popular romantic towns with foreign visitors in Germany – is frustratingly slow and complicated. Multiple transfers are required with the most logical option often to travel via Frankfurt am Main as described above. Other options are available but often more complicated with fewer alternatives when connections are missed. The total traveling time is around four hours – by car the journey takes only 90 minutes.

Using Regional Trains from Bavarian Towns to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

It is often possible to travel to Rothenburg ob der Tauber using regional trains only. Passengers who travel only in Bavaria may then use the cheap Bayern-Ticket.

Currently, the Bayern-Ticket for individuals is around two-thirds the price of a standard one-way fare between Munich and Rothenburg. The group ticket, valid for up to five passengers traveling together, offers an even bigger saving.

The Deutschland Ticket is, of course, also valid and even from destinations outside Bavaria worth considering. Using the regional train from Frankfurt to Würzburg generally adds only half an hour to the overall travel time.

Trains from Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Traveling from München Hauptbahnhof to Rothenburg can be as fast as 2h30 but around 3h30 is more normal. Many options are available, but note that as soon as an ICE or IC train is used, the total fare can easily double, even if the overall traveling time is hardly shorter. Special deals are often available on long-distance trains but require that the specific train be used.

The usual recommendation is ICE train from Munich to Nürnberg, then IC or RE to Ansbach, then RE80 to Steinach, and finally RB82 to Rothenburg.

Personally, I use only the following option when traveling from Munich to Rothenburg:

→ A few times per day, the RE80 train goes directly from Munich to Steinach (and on to Würzburg). Buy a picnic at München Hauptbahnhof and get comfortable. The total journey time is 3h15 — only a few minutes longer than journeys requiring cumbersome transfers (that may be missed).

Trains from Würzburg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rail passengers from Würzburg, the starting point of the Romantic Road (Romantische Straße), only need to transfer at Steinach. Only regional trains are available on this route. Total traveling time to Rothenburg is 1h10.

Trains from Nürnberg to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rail passengers from Nuremberg (Nürnberg) usually have to transfer in both Steinach and Ansbach. The total traveling time can be just less than 1h10 but more commonly 1h20 to 1h50. Inter-city trains can be used on the Nürnberg to Ansbach journey, but regional trains are just as fast and much cheaper.

Driving to Rothenburg is generally the easiest way to reach Germany’s most romantic town. However, from mid-April to mid-October an attractive public transportation option in addition to the railways is the Romantic Road Coach. The Romantic Road Bus (previously Europa Bus line EB190), operated by Deutsche Touring, changes its schedule annually and currently only provides an infrequent bus service from Frankfurt to Rothenburg. Day-trip bus tours to Rothenburg from Frankfurt and Munich are easier to book.