The Frankfurt coach: thirteen written reviews in four languages, and a stop at the palace
The only written account of the Würzburg stop
One of the thirteen is from a traveller from Japan who came for Rothenburg and had barely noted Würzburg on the itinerary. It is the review on this site that treats this city as the surprise of the day, and the one that turned a short stop into a reason to return.
“ガイドのけいこさん、運転手のユゴーさんのおかげで快適なロマンチック街道を巡る旅でした！けいこさんはバスの中でその街の歴史や背景を解説してくれて、移動中も飽きることがありませんでした。 ローテンブルクを目的で参加したのですが、ほぼノーマークだったヴェルツブルクの教会と庭園が個人的にとても気に入りました！ヴェルツブルクは滞在時間が少なかったですが、また来る目的になったと思います。”
“Guide was fantastic! Hats off to her work and keeping everyone engaged. Very informative. If the weather is good then it’s really enjoyable. Comfortable bus.”
“τα μέρη που επισκεφτηκαμε ηταν πανέμορφα. Η ξεναγός μας ηταν φοβερή, μας έδωσε πάρα πολλές πληροφορίες για τη χώρα, τις παραδόσεις και τη σημερινή κουλτούρα των κατοίκων. Ίσως μισή με μία ωρα παραπάνω στο Rothenburg θα ηταν το ιδανικό.”
“El tour de lo mejor, la guía súper experimentada conocía todo nos cuidaba siempre buscando que nadie se quedara atrás. Todo el tiempo estuvo atenta y cada destino mejor que el anterior. La recomendación para ir a comer delicioso y sobre todo el tiempo optimizado al máximo. Volvería a tomar un tour en la Ruta romántica de nuevo.”
“Excellent guide and trip planned. She was nice and offered few sweets to all members”
“Fantastic! Lots of good information, very comfortable ride!”
What thirteen reviews in four languages tell you
That the guiding is the product. Most of the thirteen are about a specific person, and two of them name the same guide, Jürgen. Two more name Carola and Keiko. On a day this long, ten and a half hours with most of the distance covered sitting down, the person holding the microphone is the difference between a coach ride and a day out, and the reviews say so from India, Greece, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States alike.
The complaint, where there is one, is time. The Greek review asks for another half hour to an hour in Rothenburg. Nobody asks for longer in Würzburg except the Japanese reviewer, who frames it as a reason to come back rather than as a fault of the day.
What fifteen minutes at the Residence gives you
The stop is at the forecourt. In fifteen minutes you can stand in the Residenzplatz, take in the whole south front and walk a little way into the Court Garden, which is free and open daily until dusk. The staircase and the ceiling above it are inside the ticketed building and take a morning of their own, which is why the coach treats the palace as a preview rather than a visit.
If the Tiepolo is the reason you are reading this, plan it the other way round: come to Würzburg for a morning, buy the palace ticket at the door, join the guided tour that comes with it, and give the afternoon to the old town with a guide. What that ticket covers is on tickets and what they include, the ceiling itself is on Tiepolo’s staircase ceiling, and the church and garden are on what’s free to see.
What works
- 145 ratings and thirteen written reviews in four languages
- Guides named in most of them, two reviewers naming the same one
- Weikersheim Castle entrance and tour are included
- The one Romantic Road day that stops at the Residence
Worth knowing
- The palace stop is about fifteen minutes at the forecourt; the staterooms need the palace ticket
- Ten and a half hours, most of the distance covered sitting down
- One reviewer wants more time in Rothenburg, another more in Würzburg
- It starts in Frankfurt; if you are already in Würzburg, the local coach below leaves from the main station
If you are already in Würzburg
Leaves from hereRomantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour from Würzburg
Rothenburg from MunichFrom Munich: Rothenburg and Romantic Road Day Trip by Bus
Private, per groupRothenburg: Private Night Watchman Tour
Then the shorter coach from Würzburg main station is the one to look at — seven and a half hours instead of ten and a half, and no need to get to Frankfurt first. It is reviewed here. All four Romantic Road days are set side by side on Romantic Road day trips.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Frankfurt Romantic Road tour stop at the Würzburg Residence?
Yes, for about fifteen minutes on the way back, at the forecourt. It is a photo stop rather than a tour of the staterooms, so the palace ticket is not included. The one reviewer who mentions Würzburg calls the stay short and says it became a reason to return.
Is fifteen minutes enough to see the Residence?
It is enough for the Residenzplatz, the south front and a look into the Court Garden, which is free. The staircase and the ceiling above it are inside the ticketed building and deserve a morning of their own; how long the inside takes is on how long you need.
What do reviewers complain about on this tour?
Time, mostly. One asks for another half hour to an hour in Rothenburg; another would have liked longer in Würzburg. It is a ten-and-a-half-hour day out of Frankfurt and the distances are what they are.