The Romantic Road Coach (Europabus / Deutsche Touring / EurAide bus) connects Frankfurt and Rothenburg ob der Tauber along the Romantische Strasse on Sundays from May to September. In 2025, the bus only runs on Sundays and not to towns on the southern half of the Romantic Road, or to Munich.
The Romantic Road (Romantische Straße) was founded in 1950 as a tourism promotion project. This massively popular holiday route has since become a top destination for visitors to Germany. It is hugely popular with bus parties from all nations – notice the Japanese road signs. Although a car is the easiest and most convenient way to travel the full 350-km (220-mile) route, the Romantic Road can also be done on public transportation.
It is possible to tour the northern half of the route between Frankfurt and Rothenburg ob der Tauber (via Würzburg) on the Romantic Road Coach. Unfortunately, the bus no longer goes the full route or to Munich. Day trips to Rothenburg are often a better option for traveling from Frankfurt, Würzburg, and Munich.
In 2025, the Romantic Road Coach schedule is reduced to only Sundays from 4 May to 22 September 2025.
Romantic Road Coach Bus Schedule 2025
The Romantic Road Coach has been known by many names through the years including the Romantische Straße Bus, Europabus EB190, Deutsche Touring, and EurAide bus. The bus connects many stops on the Romantic Route but the exact route varies every few years. The departure / final destinations are usually Frankfurt am Main and Munich with good rail connections to Augsburg and Füssen at the southern end of the Romantic Route.
However, in 2025, the schedule and the coverage of the Romantic Road bus is limited to departures only on Sundays and only on the northern part of the Romantische Straße. In many cases, travelers will find it better to take regular day-trip excursions from Frankfurt or Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber or to reach towns using normal public transportation.
Timetable of the Romantic Road Coach in 2025
The timetable of the Romantic Road bus in 2025 is as follows:
In 2025, the Romantic Road Coach will run only on Sundays and only between Frankfurt and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
The bus departs from Frankfurt am Main station at 9:00 and stops en route at Würzburg, Weikersheim, and Röttingen to reach to Rothenburg ob der Tauber shortly before 13:00. It leaves Rothenburg around 16:00 to arrive back in Frankfurt at 19:30. Stops are also possible in either direction at Wertheim Village, Bad Mergentheim, Markelsheim, and Creglingen but these towns must be requested at least three days in advance.
The morning bus stops for half an hour for sightseeing in Weikersheim. The afternoon bus does a 15-minute stop at the Würzburg Residence.
As the bus stops only briefly in other towns, many travelers may find private day-trip options to Rothenburg from especially Frankfurt and Munich more useful. Such tours often add further sights, including the ever-popular Heidelberg, which is very romantic but not on the official holiday route.
The southern end of the Romantic Road was often ignored by the Romantic Road coach, which is unfortunate as many of the smaller stops here are difficult to reach on public transportation. In 2025, the bus will not operate on this section or to Munich at all.
Stops on the Romantic Route Bus in Germany in 2025
Stops on the Romantic Road Coach in 2025 are as follows:
Frankfurt am Main to Rothenburg or return:
- Frankfurt – Wertheim Village* – Würzburg station — Residenz (15 minutes stop northbound only) – Bad Mergentheim* – Markelsheim* – Weikersheim (30 min break southbound only) – Röttingen – Creglingen* – Rothenburg ob der Tauber (around three hours stop).
*These stops must be requested at least three days in advance.
The Romantic Road is mostly traveled for the romantic small towns and sights along the route. It therefore makes little sense to travel the whole route in one go by bus, as the natural scenery is not particularly spectacular.
Only a few short stops are done by Romantic Road Coach en route. To explore more sights, it is necessary to stay over in towns and take the bus the following day.
In such cases, it is worth exploring which Romantic Road towns can easily be reached by public transportation. This will allow visitors to visit a few sights per day and not get stuck in towns where no further transportation is available to the next town other than expensive taxis.
A further alternative is to take an organized day trip, e.g. from Frankfurt am Main or Munich (München) to Rothenburg ob der Tauber as the main destination but further stops en route are often included.
Tickets and Reservations for the Romantic Road Bus
Tickets may be bought online from the Romantische Straße tourist office — various deals and options are available. If departing from Frankfurt or Rothenburg reservations for the Romantic Road Coach are not compulsory but advisable, especially in the high season. From smaller towns, it is often necessary to request a stop 36 hours in advance.
Currently, bicycles are not allowed on the bus.
In 2025, the full route one-way fare is around €66 (Frankfurt to Rothenburg ob der Tauber) or €99 same-day-return. It is possible to book shorter distances, e.g. Röttingen to Rothenburg for around €12.
Children 4 to 12 pay half price while youths (13 to 18), students, and over 60s receive a 10% discount. Most rail passes give a 20% discount.
More on Rothenburg ob der Tauber
For more on the Rothenburg ob der Tauber and nearby sights on the Romantic Road:
- Top Sights on the Romantische Straße with Romantic Road Map
- Walk on the Ramparts and Sentry Walk on the Wall of Rothenburg
- Visit the St.-Jakobs-Kirche (St James Church) with the Tilman Riemenschneider Holy Blood Altar
- Visit the Medieval Crime Museum
- Visit the Wolfgang’s Church in the Klingenbastei
- See the Herrgottskirche with Tilman Riemenschneider Altar of the Virgin in nearby Creglingen
- Transportation to Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Driving or Take the Train
- Bus Day-Trip Tours are often available from Frankfurt or Munich.
- Hotel prices in Rothenburg are surprisingly reasonable, except over weekends.
- Save with the Bayern-Ticket on Train Transportation in Bavaria
- Get online quotations for taxis and airport shuttles from Frankfurt or Munich airports.
