The Romantic Road
- This text is an excerpt from the original edition of Europe Through the Back Door, published in 1980.
It would be a shame to travel from Munich to Frankfurt, or vice versa, by any route other than the unforgettable Romantische Strasse. If you have a car, follow this route. If not, take advantage of the convenient Europabus tour that runs daily through the heart of medieval Germany. The journey takes about eleven hours, seven of which are a guided bus tour, and the remaining four hours are yours to wander around the fairy tale towns of Dinkelsbuhl and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
In 1979, the daily schedule (March 24 – November 11) was: Wiesbaden (7:00 AM) – Frankfurt (8:15) – Rothenburg (11:35-13:45) – Dinkelsbuhl (14:40-15:30) – Munich (18:55); and, in the other direction: Munich (9:00 AM) – Dinkelsbuhl (12:290-14:15) – Rothenburg (15:15-17:00) – Frankfurt (19:55) – Wiesbaden (20:45). There is also a daily Fussen-Augsburg-Dinkelsbuhl-Rothenburg-Wurzburg tour. The tour is free with a Eurailpass. Any train ticket that will take you from Frankfurt to Munich is also good on this bus. Otherwise the tour from Munich to Frankfurt costs $27 (the same as a second-class train ticket). You can break your journey anywhere along the road, and the bus company can even arrange hotel accommodations for you. Ticket reservations are free and a very good idea, in peak season. Write to: Deutsche Touring GmbH, 6 Frankfurt (main) 90, am Romerhof 17; or telephone 7-90-31 three days before the journey, indicating the date, journey and number of seats required. Without a reservation, show up early, and you'll have a good chance to getting on. Outside of peak season, the bus is half empty.
While the bus passes through many adorable little towns and gives you a good, if speedy, look at these, the two-hour breaks in Dinkelsbuhl and Rothenburg are the highlights of the day.
Dinkelsbuhl, the second-best preserved medieval town in the area, is surrounded by old walls, towers and gateways. The peaceful green waters of the moat protect the many medieval jewels of architecture that lie within. You will have plenty of time for lunch at a typical restaurant (serving Frankonian specialties and Dinkelsbuhl beer), and for exploring, camera in hand, the old cobbled streets.
Back on the bus, you may have crazy Charlie Brown for a driver. I've had him for two Romantic Road tours and his act gets better and better. Wearing a black top hat and blowing his whistle, he seems to know everyone he passes on the road. He waves and happily greets people all day long. At one point, his faithful canine friend Snoopy hops on the bus for a short ride. At Donauworth, as the bus crosses the Danube, Charlie slips in his cassette of "The Blue Danube Waltz." The group on board loosens up, and you have time to talk to and enjoy the other travelers and build some friendships. This isn't just any bus ride.
Rothenburg on the Tauber River is the other long stop. This is probably the most touristy town in Germany and for good reason. I have yet to find a better-preserved medieval town. Rothenburg is a joy even on the most crowded day. You can walk completely around the city wall, get lost among timeless, half-wooden gables and hear the sounds of the Thirty Years War still echoing through the fountains and clock towers. Rothenburg has a youth hostel, plenty of private "zimmers" and, of course, ample hotels, restaurants and shops to accommodate the flood of visitors that invade each summer. Also enjoyable are several museums, a great puppet theater and any number of pleasant walks through the peaceful countryside. You may very well decide that the two-hour bus stop isn't nearly enough and break your journey here for a day or so. (There's an excellent old hostel.)
The Romantic Road is a quick, comfortable, inexpensive and easy way to see two of Germany's most beautiful towns and one very romantic region. It is also a very enjoyable way to get from point A to point B.