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Romantic Route– Munich to Frankfurt

Personally Yours®

ROMANTIC ROUTE– MUNICH TO FRANKFURT

©MICHELIN from Map No. 984 Germany. Permission No. 02-US-002

WERTHEIM

TAUBERBISCHOFSHEIM

HEIDELBERG

ROTHENBURG-OB-DER-TAUBER

BADMERGENTHEIM

FRANKFURT-AM-MAIN

BADEN-BADEN

WÜRZBURG

CREGLINGENWEIKERSHEIM

THIS IS A CLASSIC GERMAN ROAD TRIP filled with churches, castles and half-timbered houses, a drive that takes youthrough mountains, pristine farmland and bustling cities. The itinerary begins in Munich and continues to one of thefinest of Mad King Ludwig II’s castles. From there, it’s on to the “Romantische Strasse,” or “Romantic Road.” LinkingFüssen in the Allgaü Alps with the Baroque splendors ofWürzburg in the wine country of Franconia, this was a route favored by Romans, crusaders and pilgrims.

The 350-mile-long Romantic Road passes throughsome of the most important historic towns in Germany, such asDinkelsbühl, Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber and Nördlingen, townsthat evoke a true medieval ambiance, or “Gemütlichkeit.”

These are towns where a centuries-old Rathaus, or townhall, is but one of many preserved buildings. Then it’s

on to Baden-Baden, Germany’s most sophisticated and historic spa town. From there, head to the

well-preserved university town of Heidelbergbefore ending in Frankfurt, the financial

crossroads of Germany. DINKELSBÜHL

NÖRDLINGEN

AUGSBURG

LANDSBERG

NEUSCHWANSTEIN

FÜSSEN

MUNICH

AVIS PERSONALLY YOURS®

Personally Yours introduces a collection offree, unique pre-printed itineraries createdfor popular driving tours in Europe. Eachitinerary covers a region by featuring its distinctive historic, cultural and scenic high-lights and is based on recent drives usingup-to-date information. Every EuropeanPersonally Yours will also have the routetraced on a large-scale Michelin map forgeographical guidance. Avis suggests rentersbuy Michelin maps before departure.Personally Yours ItinerariesBRITAIN Bath & the Cotswolds

The Scottish Highlands Great Gothic Cathedrals

& Southern CoastFRANCE Côte d’ Azur

Normandy & BrittanyRhône-Alpes RegionLoire Valley Châteaux

& BurgundyGERMANY Munich, Prague and Berlin

Romantic Route–Munichto Frankfurt

ITALY TuscanyMEXICO Yucatán PeninsulaSPAIN Madrid to Barcelona

Madrid South to Andalucía

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FEUCHTWANGEN

crossroads of Germany.

WERTHEIM

TAUBERBISCHOFSHEIM

HEIDELBERG

BADMERGENTHEIM

FRANKFURT-AM-MAIN

BADEN-BADEN

WÜRZBURG

FUCHTWANGEN

DINKELSBÜHL

NÖRDLINGEN

AUGSBURG

LANDSBERG

NEUSCHWANSTEIN

FÜSSEN

MUNICH

the aid of a stage designer. It is architecturalmadness, a mish-mash of Byzantine,Romanesque and Gothic styles. Ludwig,who was later certified insane, died beforethe castle was finished. But the completedrooms are marvels of craftsmanship anddetail, decorated with references to Wagner’soperas. The best viewing spot of the castle’sexterior is from the nearby Marienbrücke, orMary’s Bridge, which spans a gorge.

2 milesFÜSSEN– Sitting high above the Lech River, Füssen is a health resort and the first stop on the Romantic Road. Walkdown the town’s cobbled main street, theReichenstrasse. Pause at the Benedictineabbey of St. Mang, whose Baroque roomsnow serve as a museum. Or attend a showat the König-Ludwig-Musical-Festspielhaus,which hosts year-round performances of amusical based upon the life of the mad king.

38 milesLANDSBERG-AM-LECH– Landsbergbecame a regional center in the middle agesand was an important trading town. Be sureand walk the Stradtrundgang, a signpostedcircular town walk, which takes in the bestcrooked alleys and the town ramparts. You’llget a bird’s-eye view of a veritable sea of red roofs alongside the River Lech. It was inLandsberg that Adolf Hitler was imprisonedfollowing his unsuccessful beer hall “putsch”of 1923. While incarcerated there, he wroteMein Kampf.

23 milesAUGSBURG– While Augsburg’s

medieval appearance has been care-fully restored, it’s not museum-quiet.

The cobbled Ludwigsplatz is alively gathering place in this

university town, and it’s trans-formed into an open-air café

during the summer and aChristmas market in

December. Borderingit is a Renaissance

Rathaus from 1620,which is arguably

Germany’s finest secu-lar Renaissance building.

Inside, the Goldener Saal, which

boasts gold-leaf pillars and a marble floor,is a reminder of when the Fugger bankingdynasty made Augsburg one of the finan-cial centers of Europe. By all means climbup the Perlachturm, a tower that rewardsyou with fine views from the top.

44 milesNÖRDLINGEN– Nördlingen prosperedbetween the 14th and 16th centuries,when it held a Whitsun Fair. The goodtimes disappeared, but you can thank that turn of events for preserving thetown’s medieval heart. Consequently,Nördlingen is one of the most popularstops along the Romantic Road. Youcan walk the entire circuit of the townwalls, passing its towers and gates.The Marktplatz has a Rathaus thatdates from Nördlingen’s heyday. If you’re feeling fit, climb thestairs of the Daniel Tower of theSt. Georgskirche, the town’s late-Gothic church. If you’re spend-ing the night, throw open yourhotel window around ten soyou can hear the town criershout “So g’sell” or “All’s well.”

21 milesDINKELSBÜHL– Less touristedthan its neighbors, Dinkelsbühl isanother well-preserved medieval town onthe Romantic Road, with a fine city walland 17 watch towers. The most dramaticapproach to the town, located on the RiverWörnitz, is via the causeway known as theRothenburger Tor. Follow the MartinLuther Strasse to the central market square,the Weinmarkt, lined with early Renaissancetown houses. The most spectacular of all isthe 16th-century Deutsches Haus, a gem ofhalf-timbered architecture. Pause at theSchranne, a 17th-century granary that’s nowthe venue for festivals like the Kinderzeche.This is the town’s most important celebra-tion, held the third week of July. It marksan episode from 1632 when invadingSwedish troops spared the town. Take timeto wander into the Münster St. Georgchurch, with its spectacular vaulted ceiling.Then plan to walk the romantic ramparts ofDinkelsbühl at night, preferably in thecompany of the town’s night watchman.

7 milesFEUCHTWANGEN– This town hasRomanesque cloisters that become an open-airtheater in summer. In December, it has one of Bavaria’s most colorful Christmas markets,known as a Weihnachtsmarkt.

19 milesROTHENBURG-OB-DER-TAUBER–Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber may well beGermany’s best-preserved medieval town, aplace of turreted fortifications, 24 towersand winding cobblestone streets. Tour thecity’s 14th-century ramparts to get a real

sense of the town, and its half-timberedbuildings with gabled roofs, turrets andspires. Visit the Puppen & SpielzeugMuseum, which boasts the largestdoll and toy collection in Germany.The St. Jakobskirche is the town’ssplendid Gothic church. Inside you cansee the “Heiligblut” or Holy Blood

altar, carved by sculptorTilman Riemenschneider tohold what was alleged to bedrops of Christ’s blood. Not sur-prisingly, it attracted legions ofmedieval pilgrims. The slopingMarktplatz is dominated bythe arcaded front of the

Renaissance Rathaus, which isone of Germany’s great Renaissance

buildings. Don’t miss the town’s oddestattraction, the Mittelalteriches Kriminal-museum, a medieval crime museum. Hereare thousands of macabre devices includingmasks of shame, which are bizarre indeed.

11 milesCREGLINGEN– Legend has it that in1384, a peasant plowing a field here found a Host, the consecrated bread of theEucharist. That led the townspeople tobuild a church on the spot that’s called theHerrgottkirche. At the end of the 15th cen-tury, Tilman Riemenschneider, arguably thegreatest sculptor of the late Gothic period,was commissioned to carve a new altar forthe church. The result was the Altar of theVirgin Mary, which historians consider tobe his masterpiece. It depicts the life of theVirgin in a series of reliefs, with the mainpanel depicting Mary’s ascent to heaven.

7 milesWEIKERSHEIM– In this town you’ll find Schloss Weikersheim or WeikersheimCastle, a Renaissance castle with suggestivestatues of dwarfs and nymphs cavorting in the garden. The star attraction is the“Rittersaal,” or Knights Hall, with a ceilingadorned with hunting scenes. In the summer-time, the Jeunesses Musicalesbrings an international festival for youngmusicians to Weikersheim.

7 milesBAD MERGENTHEIM– In the mid-16thcentury, this town became the headquar-ters of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, a religious and military society. These knightsconstructed a Baroque castle, known as theDeutschordensschloss, an edifice of gables,turrets and towers. One of its most interest-ing features is the Berwart-Treppe, a vertigo-inducing spiral staircase. The town, whichhas a wonderful old town square and Rathaus,also has three mineral springs that werediscovered by a shepherd in 1826. Thatled to Bad Mergentheim’s emergence as ahealth resort. Its waters are allegedly goodfor digestive complaints.

11 milesTAUBERBISCHOFSHEIM–Surrounded by rolling hills, forests andvineyards, Tauberbischofsheim is aremarkably well-kept medieval town oftimber-framed buildings. The old palacehas a fine local history museum.

21 milesWÜRZBURG– Wine made this citythe terminus of the Romantic Road.The wine produced around Würzburgwas consumed by German emperors andthe rulers of Nürnberg and Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. Nowadays the wine is stilldelectable, and you can sample itthroughout the city. Würzburg is alsohome of the Residenz of the Prince-Bishops, a palace that was intended toshow that the Würzburg bishops couldhold their own among such greatEuropean courts as Versailles. They didrather well, and the 18th-century splen-dor reaches its peak in the enormous ceil-ing fresco by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.

Afterwards, move on to the Marktplatz. It’s little surprise that in this gastronomiccenter, there’s a lively daily food market.

27 milesWERTHEIM– Located at the meetingpoint of the Main and Tauber Rivers,Wertheim is a stage set of half-timberedhouses and narrow streets surrounded byforested hills. The Altes Schloss, a 12th-century structure erected by the counts ofWertheim, towers over the town. Visit theglass museum on Mühlenstrasse as well asthe museum housed in the 15th-centuryKilianskapelle, or St. Kilian’s Chapel.

114 milesBADEN-BADEN– One of Germany’s moststylish resorts, Baden-Baden draws visitorsto its world-famous spa and casino. Set inthe green valley of the Oos River, at thenorthern edge of the Black Forest, Baden-Baden is a town of 19th-century hotels,palatial villas, tree-lined avenues and well-groomed visitors. Queen Victoria, Bismarckand Brahms are among the distinguishedvisitors who came for the waters. The townstill exudes a rare pre-war grandeur. A greatexample of “Jugendstijl,” or Art Nouveau,architecture is the Trinkhalle, or “drink hall,”where you can sample the decidedly saltylocal waters. The neoclassical Kurhaus isthe town’s cultural center. Inside is the lav-ish casino, which inspired Dostoevski towrite The Gambler. Take the waters yourselfat the splendid 19th-centuryFriedrichsbad, a riotof ornamentation,or at the newerCaracalla-Therme, wherepools, whirl-pools, grottos and saunas await.

56 milesHEIDELBERG–Heidelberg, with itsancient towers,bridges and sand-stone castle, may wellbe the most romanticcity in Germany.Situated alongside theRiver Neckar, it’s still a

lively university town, whose flairimmortalized in Sigmund Romberg’soperetta, “The Student Prince.” Walkacross the Alte Brücke, or Old Bridge,which spans the Neckar. And then tourthe Schloss, the castle that housed theprinces of Pfalz for more than 500 years.

58 milesFRANKFURT-AM-MAIN– The financialcapital of Germany, Frankfurt is the crossroads of Germany and, arguably, of Europe. Go to the Zellgalerie, wherethe rooftop observation deck will give you an overview of the city. Take time toexplore Römerberg, Frankfurt’s oldest cen-tral square, which is ringed with 14th- and15th-century buildings. Pop into Goethe’shouse, now a museum and library dedicated to Germany’s most beloved writer. Andenjoy an evening out in the city that someGerman wags have dubbed “Mainhattan.”

HOTELS

Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa. There arejust 100 antique-laden rooms at Brenner’s,fit for royalty and celebrities who come forrest, pampering and dining at the hotel’sPark-Restaurant. Schillerstrass 4-6, 76530Baden-Baden. Tel: 49 0 72 21 9000 Fax: 49 0 72 21 3 8772

Romantik Hotel Augsburger Hof.Located opposite the Mozart house, thishotel is located in a historic building, butthe rooms have been nicely updated.

Auf dem Kreuz 2, Augsburg. Tel: 49 0 821 34 30 50

Fax: 49 0 821 34 30 555

Villa Hammerschmiede. TheSchwalbe family runs this 30-room hotel located betweenHeidelberg and Baden-Baden.The decor runs to Italian ArtDeco style, there’s an extraor-dinary indoor swimming poolcarved out of the rock andyou can dine in the hotel’sEnglish winter garden.Hauptstrasse 162, Pfinztal-Söllingen. Tel: 49 0 7240 601 0 Fax: 49 0 7240 601 60

Romantik Hotel Markusturm. Since1264, this hotel has welcomed guests toRothenburg. The Berger family runs thisantique-filled hotel in the town center.Rödergasse 1, Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. Tel: 49 0 9861 94280 Fax: 49 0 9861 9428 113

Romantik Hotel Insel Mühle. Located inUntermenzing, on the western outskirts ofMunich, most rooms have a balcony withviews of the river or the garden. The hotelis known locally for its idyllic riverside beergarden. Von-Kahr-Strasse 87, Munich.Tel: 49 0 89 81010 Fax: 49 0 89 8120571

Hotel Hessischer Hof. Located in thecenter of Frankfurt, the hotel is appointedwith period furniture and antiques but hasbeen completely modernized. Friedrich-Ebert Anlage 40, Frankfurt-am-Main. Tel: 49 69 7540-0 Fax: 49 69 7540-2924

RESTAURANT

Gasthof “Zur Stadt Mainz.” This is aWürzburg classic in a setting festoonedwith antlers, grandfather clocks andfarmhouse furnishings. The typical menu includes game pancakes and oxtail ragout with red wine.Semmelstrasse 39, Würzburg. Tel: 49 0 931 53155 Fax: 49 0 931 58510

(Mileage is estimated from each precedingcity or site. Before you begin your trip,please note: For space reasons, we could not provide the most detailed map with this brochure. We recommend the use of Michelin Map #984 Germany in conjunction with this guide.) To orderMichelin maps, call 1-800-223-0987.

R O M A N T I C R O U T E – M U N I C H T O F R A N K F U RT

MUNICH– Begin by flying to Franz-JosefStrauss airport and then consider stayingin Munich for a few days. The city of BMWsand beer, Munich is a “millionendorf,” literallya village of a million or so people. You cansee masterpieces by Albrecht Dürer andLeonardo da Vinci at the Alte Pinakothek,check out the high-fashion emporiumsalong the Maximilian-strasse or stroll inthe English garden, Munich’s famous citypark. Even if you’re not here duringOktoberfest, there are beer gardenswhere lederhosen and feathered hats arestill worn, Bavarian-style brews reignsupreme and the weisswurst is tasty.

64 milesNEUSCHWANSTEIN– Born in Bavaria in 1845, King Ludwig II ascended to thethrone at age 18. With a grandiosityinspired by the excesses of the French KingLouis XIV, Ludwig II is best remembered for building three extravagant castles–Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee andNeuschwanstein–at enormous expense.Neuschwanstein is the most the-atrical of the three, and it’slittle surprise to dis-cover that it wascreatedwith