Top Things to do in Rothenburg
Top Restaurants in Rothenburg
Top 10 Things to do Good for a Rainy Day in Rothenburg, Bavaria
Walk atop Rothenburg’s city walls or climb to the top of the town hall for great views. The Night Watchman tour is an unforgettable way to learn the city’s history. And our travelers also recommend the Medieval Crime Museum (Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum)—it’s gruesome but fascinating.
Restaurants in Rothenburg
1. RothenburgMuseum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 150 reviews
This museum explores the long history of the city, with a strong focus on the Thirty Years War.
Reviewed By GG8990 - Odenton, United States
Nice collection of weapons, including a set of Marie Antionette’s hunting gear. In an old nunnery, & a couple of rooms from that time (dating back to the 1200s) have been preserved. You can actually walk into the old kitchen. While we were there, several docents had cut up bread & had herbs on the cutting boards, so that it smelled like food being prepared. In all, well worth the 5 or 6 euro fee.
2. Kathe Wohlfahrt's Christmas Shop
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 984 reviews
This famous shop brings all the glitz and glamour of the Christmas holidays year round.
Reviewed By zimmys57 - Delavan, United States
On our one day visit we decided to take a look inside the place...... and let me say we were blown away. The year round store is utterly amazing as the shear size and vast variety of Cristmas decor is beyond description. Therefore, if visting Rothenburg take the time to see what I am describing and you will see what I mean.
3. St. Jacob's Church (St. Jakobskirche)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 754 reviews
Reviewed By 604karenm - Louisiana, United States
St. Jacob's is on the pilgrimage route to St. James's grave in Spain, and should be visited for its beautiful wood carvings and stone sculptures. A peaceful stop in a very touristy destination.
4. Town Walls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,380 reviews
Reviewed By janrA2759SE
These old city walls are amazing. You can walk around on top of a good portion of them. The view is great and it is a pleasant walk. They're covered so it's a nice walk even in the rain. You do need to be careful because it can be uneven in spots and the stairs are steep.
5. Kathe Wohlfahrt
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 111 reviews
Reviewed By 687camid - Ridgecrest, United States
This store (all of them actually) was everything I could ever dream it was going to be. They had so many Christmas ornaments that I actually got overwhelmed and started to panic. Lol! The main shop where the Christmas Museum is, is actually a bit much but I still loved ALL of it. I love all things Christmas and it was tough to choose which things to bring home. Luckily they have the best service at these stores (Käthe Wohlfahrt should be proud of her employees) who helped us and were very patient while we wandered around aimlessly like idiots for a bit. We bought a gorgeous cuckoo clock, a Christmas pyramid and a Nightwatchman Nutcracker, plus a few beautiful steins and they are all being sent home to the USA. We could finish out our vacation in Germany without having to worry about how we’d get everything home safely. You also save on the tax if you send everything home. It will probably become a tradition for us to buy something online now from this store every Christmas. We are hooked! Thank you!
6. Alt-Rothenburger Handwerkerhaus
7. Anneliese Friese
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 84 reviews
Reviewed By germanknight - Belvidere, United States
I cannot tell you how impressed I was with Anneliese Friese when I met her in 2015! She told me of riding a motorcycle down I90 to Bloomington....I was blown away as here in Germany, my ancestral home....I meet someone who knew my city in the US! Amazing store and her son was great...very knowledgeable and we spent quite a bit in the store and I treasure the memories every time I look at the items! I definitely recommend this store!
8. Teddyland
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 46 reviews
Dear Teddybear Friends, Teddyland is German´s largest Teddybearshop with a great variety of items. Cuddly Teddybears in plush and mohair can be found here. Our range also includes Teddybear items made of wood, ceramics, porcelain, as well as books, bags, and a lot more.
9. Medieval Crime Museum (Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum)
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,350 reviews
The museum exhibits in 2 buildings and on 6 floors Germany`s most important collection of legal history. The highlight of this museum is its exploration into the unusual law enforcement techniques used by local rulers in medieval and early modern times, such as torture instruments, shame punishments or instruments to execute corporal punishments or death penalties. Numerous displays, original graphics by famous masters as Dürer, Grien and Rembrandt as well as original documents, seals and law books from the 13th - 19 th centuries show the development of law in past centuries. The homes and walls of Rothenburg show visitors the mileau of times gone by without telling much about the lawful circumstances of its residents. Arising questions? Answers can be found at the Medieval Crime Museum.
Reviewed By exploringwithjune - The Netherlands, null
We've all seen the dungeons in big cities, focused on gore, ghost stories and adrenaline rushes. While this too can be a fun activity, I was very happy to see that this museum was nothing like that! It is not just sensational stories but based on historical research and extremely informative. It is educational and not scary, although you'll ofcourse see some unpleasant sights in some of the sources. This is inevitable considering the topic. They didn't use life-like props or set ups though, therefore I feel like it is generally suitable for all ages. Ofcourse some kids will be able to handle it better than others. The variety of objects on display is unrivaled by the other museums with this theme, at least that I have seen. They range from torture devices/humiliation devices, to weapons, to decrees, to objects used on courts, to seals, to books. Basically everything that has to do with law enforcement. The amount of objects is mind blowing, but they're also well displayed and provided with informative signs. The signs are quite long, but well written in both German and English. I honestly wished I could read everything, but that would take me ages. So instead I bought the book in the giftshop. I hope this is similar in style and information. What also distinguishes this museum from others in the same field, is that it doesn't just focus on punishment, but also on the process of making laws and the societal impacts of them. It does really well with placing everything in a broader historical and cultural background. I also liked that, eventhough the main focus is on the middle ages, there is also room for information on other time periods and important lawsuits in various ages. In addition to that, it is not just centered around Germany. For example the section on revolutions compares different countries and explains how these revolutions influenced eachother. Also great fun: they bust some myths! I won't spoil anything, but they have some great revelations on the iron maiden and the executioners hood. Staff and service also exceded my expectations. The girl behind the ticket booth was very cheerful and kind. While walking around we were also asked to do a short survey about our experience in the museum. The man was kind, his explanation was clear and he really took his time to hear about our thoughts. He even was very willing to give us more information on any of the objects. After my enquiry, he explained a lot about the emperor's crown which is often (falsely) associated with Charlemagne. Very fascinating! Later we learned that the man, Dr. Markus Hirthe, is actually the owner/director of the museum. I loved that he is so involved with his museum and that he took the time to do these surveys eventhough he probably has a ton of other things to do. Lastly, everyone we encountered spoke English quite well, which, I found, is not always the case in Germany. There really are only two downsides to the museum. Firstly, there was a temporary exhibition on animals and law. Super nice theme and the set up looked great with various taxidermy animal. However unfortunately all of the signs were just in German, making it hard for me to really understand as I only know a bit of the language. The second downside is that it is so far from my home town in the Netherlands! I would love to go back and explore and learn more. I bet that each time you come back you'll notice something new in this museum. Some practical information to top this epos of a review off; tickets are 7 euros, there is a giftshop and a little cafe. Restrooms were clean and there is an elevator for those whose will have difficulty climbing the stairs.
10. St. Wolfgang's Church
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 66 reviews
Reviewed By royv647 - Traralgon, Australia
While out discovering the Old Town we came across the Klingon Tower one of many on the old city wall . Beside it and joined to the fortifications is the St.Wolfgang Church, this Church was built in the 15 century on the spot where many years before the shepherds used to come to pray to St. Wolfgang for protection from wild wolves. The Church has three lovely alters and a very old stone church feel about it . It was built as part of the security of the city and contains places where soldiers could protect the city against attack . To the left of the alter you can enter a door way and go down many steps into tunnels and rooms way below the church that was a prison, very eerie down there, these rooms /tunnels go the full length of the church and come up behind the pews at the other end. This Church is also known as the Shepherds Church and up in the tower is a Shepherds Museum and the history of the Shepherds Dance which is performed at different events to this day. Very interesting pictures and displays there . A very unique place with a unusual history well worth the visit.
