From Rothenburg to Austria on the Romantic Road

Leaving the fairytale town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we drove south down the romantic road to the Neuschwanstein Castle. This route was created in the 1950s as a “theme route” by travel agents and winds through the German countryside through Bavaria.

We tried to follow the road just using street signs. It didn’t go well. We missed a lot of signs and had to turn around often. I recommend adding a little extra time to get lost or find places to explore a bit longer. The full route is 220 miles (354 kilometers). It starts in Wurzburg, but we didn’t jump on the road until Rothenburg ob der Tauber, about an hour to the south.

Prepare yourself for a lot of farmland and flowers. The road trip was different than we imagined.

Neuschwanstein Castle

This castle is a showstopper along the Romantic Road. It’s the castle that Walt Disney used to model Cinderella’s castle. Take a tour and learn more about the non-fairy tale past of the castle. We were unable to do that after getting lost a few times along the route, so we stuck to the trail that just circles the gorgeous building. Imagine building something like that for just one person. It’s pretty mind-blowing.

Hohenschwangau Castle

The smaller Hohenschwangau Castle ended up being our favorite. It’s right next door and looks up at the towering masterpiece above. The bright yellow color with the lakes and mountains in the background made it really stand out. We enjoyed some lunch at a brewery under the castle and just stared at it for a while.

Zugspitze – The Top of Germany

We left that area and headed south towards the Austrian border. It was our first moments really in the Alps, and we were in love. We pulled over as often as possible to enjoy the beautiful scenery near the viewpoint of Zugspitze. Beautiful turquoise lakes and giant mountains surrounded us. Even though we were already three days into the trip and were still missing luggage, we were just getting to the good stuff.