Romantic Road day trips: four coaches, three of them leaving somewhere else
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is ninety minutes from Würzburg and it is the reason most of these listings exist. Four of the twelve tours on this site are day trips down the Romantic Road or into Rothenburg itself, and only one of the four starts here. The other three start in Frankfurt, in Munich, and in Rothenburg after dark. Which one you want depends less on the itinerary than on where you will be standing that morning.
The one that leaves from Würzburg
Seven and a half hours, departing the main station from long-distance bus platform 12, with a guide working in German and English. It is the shortest of the three coach days because it starts closest, and it is the only one that gives you the evening back in this city. Its own inclusion list is unusually specific, and so is its exclusion list.
What the listing includes
- The coach and a German- and English-speaking guide
- “Weikersheim Castle (entrance and special tour in the Knights Hall and Baroque Garden)”
- The drive down the Romantic Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber
What it says it does not include
- “Entry ticket to attractions in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Würzburg”
- Anything at the Residenz — the palace ticket is bought from the state, at the desk or online
Read the second column again, because it is the clearest sentence in the whole catalogue on this point: entry tickets to attractions in Würzburg are excluded, in the operator’s own words. That covers the staterooms. If you want the palace as well as the road, do the palace on a different half-day and buy the ticket at the desk, where it costs about ten euros and comes with a guided tour already. What the ticket includes.
Eighteen reviews, one of them with anything written in it, and this is that one, verbatim:
“Экскурсия была замечательной. Гид был потрясающим. Рассказывала все на двух языках немецком и английском. Мы узнали много интересной информации. Гид была очень доброжелательна и внимательна ко всем. Получили массу удовольствия. Это экскурсия на которую хочется поехать еще раз” — Kristel, Estonia, on Romantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour from Würzburg. The guide worked in both German and English, which is what the listing promises, and she would go again.
From Frankfurt, with fifteen minutes at the palace
Ten and a half hours out of Frankfurt, with the same coach, guide and Weikersheim Castle entrance and tour. What makes it the second-best listing here for a reader of this site is the stop on the way back: it calls at the Residence for about fifteen minutes. That is the forecourt, the south front and a photograph. It is not a visit, and it is not entry, and if the staterooms are the point of your trip this is not the day that delivers them.
It has 145 reviews behind it, and it is the only listing of the twelve that stops at the Residence without going in. One of those reviews, from a traveller who came for Rothenburg, is about the fifteen minutes:
“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。” — a GetYourGuide traveller from Japan, on Frankfurt: Romantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour. They came for Rothenburg, liked Würzburg’s church and gardens more than they expected, and left thinking the time here was too short to count as a visit.
“What a fantastic tour! Every stop along the Romantic Road was beautiful and full of charm. A huge thank you to Jürgen, our tour guide. He was incredibly friendly, attentive, and always looking after everyone in the group. He made sure we were comfortable, answered every question with enthusiasm, and shared fascinating history and local stories that made each stop even more enjoyable. The tour was very well organized, the villages were stunning, and we had the perfect amount of time to explore without feeling rushed. We had an absolute blast, learned so much, and created wonderful memories along the way. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the area. It was easily one of the highlights of my trip!” — ibrahim, United Arab Emirates, on the same tour.
From Munich, and nowhere near Würzburg
This is the listing this page exists to warn you about, and it is a good tour. It runs Munich, Harburg, Rothenburg and back, ten and a half hours, with 2,440 reviews behind it — forty-eight per cent of every rating this site lists. It does not stop in Würzburg. Not for fifteen minutes, not for a photograph, not at all. Harburg Castle entry is not included in the price either.
It surfaces first for almost any Romantic Road search because of that review count, and the Romantic Road genuinely does run through Würzburg, which is how the confusion starts. If you are reading this in Würzburg, the coach from the main station is the day you want. If you are reading it in Munich, this one is fine and Würzburg is a separate trip. Getting here if you decide to make it one.
“Lo que más me gustó fue la visita a rothenburg, la cual extenderia al menos una hora más o también prescindiria de la visita al castillo de harburg para dedicar todo el tiempo a la ciudad de rothenburg y poder visitarla sin prisa y con más tiempo.” — Guadalupe Molina, Spain, four stars, on From Munich: Rothenburg and Romantic Road Day Trip by Bus. She would drop Harburg Castle and spend the whole day in Rothenburg instead.
The three coaches side by side
All three are priced per person, and the unit is in the table anyway, because the fourth day trip on this page is not. Figures move; the widgets and this table are the only places on the site that carry them.
Leaves from hereRomantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour from Würzburg
Photo stop at the palaceFrankfurt: Romantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour
Never comes to WürzburgFrom Munich: Rothenburg and Romantic Road Day Trip by Bus
| Frankfurt: Romantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour | Leaves from hereRomantic Road & Rothenburg ob der Tauber Tour from Würzburg | From Munich: Rothenburg and Romantic Road Day Trip by Bus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €109 per person | €54 per person | €82 per person |
| Departs | Frankfurt | Würzburg main station, bus platform 12 | Munich |
| How long | 10.5 hours | 7.5 hours | 10.5 hours |
| The Residenz | Fifteen minutes outside, on the way back | Not on the itinerary | Never goes there |
| Weikersheim Castle | Entrance and tour included | Entrance and special tour included | Not listed |
| Harburg Castle | Not listed | Not listed | On the route, entry not included |
| Rating | 4.7 from 145 reviews | 4.8 from 18 reviews | 4.5 from 2,440 reviews |
| Best for | A day out of Frankfurt that passes this building | Anyone already in Würzburg | Anyone already in Munich |
| View → | Book this → | View → |
The hour after dark in Rothenburg
The fourth day trip is not a coach and does not leave from anywhere. It is one hour in Rothenburg with a costumed night watchman, private, with hotel pickup inside the walls, and it is priced for a group of up to twenty rather than per person. If you are two people that is an expensive hour; if you are a family or a group of friends who have stayed the night in Rothenburg, the arithmetic changes completely. It pairs with any of the three coaches only if you are sleeping there, since all three bring you home the same evening.
“We chose a private Night Watchman Tour because we had small children and knew that the public tour would be too late, and our 3 year old would be disruptive to a large group, yet I have wanted to see the tour for years. It was the best decision ever! He let my granddaughter blow his horn & hold the lantern. It was a very interesting tour & worth every Euro!” — J Carol, United States, on Rothenburg: Private Night Watchman Tour.
And the dissent, from the same listing, because a private group price is exactly the kind of thing people feel differently about afterwards: “Der Rundgang war gut gewählt, informativ war es auch, jedoch hatten wir für den Preis eine höhere Erwartung.” — a GetYourGuide traveller from Germany, four stars. The route was well chosen and informative, but they had expected more for the money.
If you are travelling as two, check the per-group listings against the shared ones before you fall in love with the idea. A private hour split two ways costs more per head than the same evening split ten ways, and the listing price does not change either way.
Can’t make these dates?
Browse more available Würzburg Residence tours and find one that fits your schedule — all with instant confirmation and free cancellation.
If the palace is what you came for
None of these four days puts you inside the Residenz, and the coach from Würzburg says so in its own exclusions. The staterooms are a separate ticket, about ten euros, bought at the desk on Residenzplatz or online, and it entitles you to join a guided tour at no extra cost. Give it a morning and take the road south in the afternoon, or the other way round. Tickets, opening hours, and every tour we list with what each one says about the palace.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Romantic Road day trip that leaves from Würzburg?
Yes, one. It departs the main station from long-distance bus platform 12, runs about seven and a half hours with a German- and English-speaking guide, and includes “Weikersheim Castle (entrance and special tour in the Knights Hall and Baroque Garden)” along with free time in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It has eighteen reviews, one of which has any written text. It is the shortest of the three coach days because it starts closest to Rothenburg.
Does the Romantic Road tour from Munich come to Würzburg?
No. It runs Munich, Harburg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber and returns to Munich, and Harburg Castle entry is not included. It carries more reviews than every other listing on this site combined, so it dominates search results for the Romantic Road even for people who are nowhere near Munich. If you are in Würzburg, take the coach from the main station instead.
Does any day trip include entry to the Würzburg Residence?
No. The Frankfurt coach calls at the Residence for about fifteen minutes on the way back, outside the building, for photographs. The Würzburg coach excludes “Entry ticket to attractions in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Würzburg” in its own words. The palace ticket is sold by the Bavarian Palace Administration for about ten euros and already entitles you to join a guided tour. Tickets and what they include.
How far is Rothenburg ob der Tauber from Würzburg?
About ninety minutes, which is why the coach that leaves from here runs three hours shorter than the ones from Frankfurt and Munich and still gives you the same afternoon in Rothenburg. It also means the night watchman’s hour after dark only works as an add-on if you are staying the night there, because all three coaches return the same evening.
Why is the night watchman tour so much more expensive?
It is not, once you divide it. That listing is priced for a private group of up to twenty rather than per person, so the figure you see is what the whole group pays. Two people pay the same as twenty. Three of the twelve listings on this site are priced that way, and they are flagged as such on every tour we list.