Romantic-Road-Germany
The triad of nature, culture and hospitality has been the trade mark of the Romantic Road for over 50 years. Running from the River Main to the Alps, it is Germany’s best known and most popular tourist route. The name Romantic Road expresses what many guests from home and abroad feel on seeing medieval towns or the fairy-tale castle at Neuschwanstein: fascination and the sense of being transported back in time. From Würzburg to Füssen, the Romantic Road opens up a wealth of European history, art and culture to travellers.
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On the way from north to south, the landscape changes from river valleys, fertile agricultural land, forests and meadows to dramatic mountain scenery: from Würzburg and wine, the Tauber Valley and Rothenburg, via the Ries, Lechfeld and Pfaffenwinkel districts to the castles of King Ludwig. However, a journey along the Romantic Road offers much more than beautiful countryside and culinary delights. The Romantic Road thrives on the harmony of culture and hospitality, on the unending series of new vistas in polymorphic landscapes, on towns with impressive buildings that have preserved their original appearance over the centuries. Balthasar Neumann designed the Residence in Würzburg. Tilman Riemenschneider is present throughout the Tauber Valley. Carl Spitzweg was fascinated by Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl. In the Ries district, you can see the history of the earth for yourself. Augsburg bears witness to the Romans and, with the ’Fuggerei‘, is distinguished by the first social housing, which dates back to the 16th century. The ’Wieskirche‘, one of the most famous Rococo works of art, is to be found in the Pfaffenwinkel district. Hohenschwangau and, above all, Neuschwanstein, the world-famous castle of Bavarian King Ludwig II, are dreams in stone of bygone times and mark the end of the Romantic Road at the foot of the Bavarian Alps.
If you are travelling by car, mobile home or motorcycle, simply follow the brown signs that link the individual towns along the Romantic Road. Cyclists can follow the green signs of the Romantic Road Long Distance Cycle Route over the 440 km from Würzburg to Füssen. Under the number D9, this route is also part of the German Bicycle Club (ADFC) network of cycle routes. The blue signs mark the long-distance hiking route, a genuine pleasure route of almost 500 kilometres that passes through beautiful countryside and romantic towns and villages. Take time to explore the landscape, art and culinary delights that await you along the Romantic Road. On the way from the River Main to the Alps, you can be sure of discovering a host of extraordinary, inspiring and amazing sights
well off the beaten path of mass tourism.
