Rothenburg ob der Tauber

The former Free Imperial City of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is the star attraction along Germany's Romantic Road. It's justifiably celebrated not only for its well-preserved medieval buildings and walls, but also for its unspoiled setting.

When you approach the city or stand atop its walls and gaze out over a countryside that's free of suburban sprawl, it's easy to imagine what Rothenburg must have looked like in the Middle Ages.

Skeptics might complain that Rothenburg feels like a theme park, but that says more about theme parks than it does about Rothenburg. This Franconian gem is the real deal: a working town of 12,000 people where heritage, historic preservation, and modern life have achieved a profitable equilibrium.

To be sure, Rothenburg can be crowded during high season, with some 2.5 million visitors packing its medieval streets and squares each year--including a million or so Japanese and Americans, who comprise Rothenburg's largest foreign contingents.

That's why it pays to spend at least one and preferably two or more nights in Rothenburg: You'll find the city less crowded--and more relaxing--when the daytrippers have left in their tour buses.

(If you're really looking for solitude, visit in January or February, when the only people in town are the locals and a handful of Goethe Institute language students.)