Travel Diary: Romantic Road, Germany
Today I’m sharing a *few* (more like 25!) photos from my recent trip throughout Germany! A few weeks ago, my mom and her best friend visited and we went on a road trip down the Romantic Road in Germany. “What is the Romantic Road,” you ask? (I had the same question) It really isn’t a real road at all, but more of a route that you can drive that takes you…
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Today I’m sharing a *few* (more like 25!) photos from my recent trip throughout Germany! A few weeks ago, my mom and her best friend visited and we went on a road trip down the Romantic Road in Germany. “What is the Romantic Road,” you ask? (I had the same question) It really isn’t a real road at all, but more of a route that you can drive that takes you through some of the most picturesque landscapes, towns, and castles in Germany. My mom, the travel-researcher-scheduler-extraodinaire, heard about how amazing this road trip was and knew we had to do it!
We started out by training from Prague to Regensburg and renting a car there. After spending the morning in Regensburg, we then drove (stick shift, I might add, which my mom hasn’t driven in a VERY long time ehm…) from Regensburg to Nuremberg, where we got out and walked around, and then to Rothenburg where we stayed the night. The next day we explored Rothenburg and then drove down the “Romantic Road” throughout a few more adorable towns, like Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl, and Harburg, and ended up in our final destination which is the town at the bottom of the “Romantic Road,” Füssen, where the phenomenal Neuschwanstein Castle is located. We spent the night in Füssen and then were first in line to tour the Neuschwanstein Castle the next morning. We then tried to catch a train from Regensburg back to Prague but missed it (ha), and ended up just driving back to Prague. It was a crazy, fun, unbelievable adventure that I would recommend to anyone who loves fairytale storybook towns:)
I’ve been dying to share the highlights of the trip and walk you through each of the towns, which include some of the prettiest sights I’ve ever seen…
REGENSBURG
We started out in Regensburg, which we found to be a small, very clean, and upscale town with amazing boutique shopping! I recently posted about the travel outfit that I wore on this day, and more photos of Regensburg, which you can see here!
Our train ride left from Prague around 5:30 in the morning, so a stop for coffee and donuts was very necessary.
Here are my mom and Cindy, my most favorite travel companions. These ladies know how to plan and execute a trip, let me tell you.
I didn’t take many photos in Nuremberg because we were there very briefly, but I am currently in a course called “Comprehending the Holocaust,” so it was fascinating to see where the Nuremberg Trials occurred.
ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
Hands down our favorite spot on the map. When you picture a quaint little German town on top of a cliff overlooking the countryside, this. is. it.
Notice: the window boxes, the colorfully painted buildings, the lattice architecture, the big shutters, and the cutest front doors EVER.
And did I mention that it’s Christmas all year round here? Their Christmas boutiques were unbelievable.
These are the Schneeball pastries, which are snowball shaped cookies that date back 300 years, particularly in Rothenburg. It is basically made of pieces of dough, made into a ball, deep fried, and then covered in fun toppings like powdered sugar and vanilla frosting! No lie, I ate these in the backseat of the car for the entire road trip.
So darling..
We went on a night tour of the town with the Night Watchman! It was the perfect way to get an overview of the town and the history behind it. It was founded as a town in 1170 and survived both the Thirty Year’s War and World War II. They used to lock up the walls to the town at night and have the villagers come through the “manhole” trap doors!
ALONG THE ROAD
After Rothenburg, we stopped at a few other towns along the road like like Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl, and Harburg, where we walked the grounds of the Harburg Castle, which is a true medieval castle that has remained beautifully intact. Fun fact: Michael Jackson tried to buy it! haha
Definitely worth the stop along the Romantic Road!
I am in love with this little doorway, it’s my height! 🙂
FÜSSEN
We made it to our final destination along the end of the Romantic Road, Füssen, which is located close to Austria, and I thought it definitely had a more mountain town feel. Located about 10 minutes outside of Füssen is the Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the finale of the road trip. And you guys, it was stunning.
The castle is located at the top of a mountain overlooking a gorgeous lake and valley, and mid-way through our walk to the castle we decided to hop into a horse and buggy and arrive in style, ha!
It was built by Kind Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century. One of my favorite fun facts about this masterpiece? The architecture inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle.
One of the largest and most ominous structures I’ve ever seen! It was truly mythical.
Right across the valley from Neuschwanstein is Hohenschwangau Castle, which was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II. We didn’t go inside this one, but it was magnificent to see from the outside. I could be fine with either, thank you. #AllIWantForChristmasIsACastle
I’d highly recommend taking a road trip along this path as well!! My mom used this Fodor’s travel guide to plan it out and it only takes a few hours to drive the whole length of the “road” (it’s the stopping and touring around that takes up the time!).
Let me know if you’ve ever been to any of these dreamy Germany towns, or are planning to go in the future! Definitely a trip for the bucket list.
