Cycling the lower Romantic Road

Day 1, Sunday: Transfer to Dinkelsbühl

If arriving in Frankfurt, we will pick you up for a transfer to Würzburg. The city is famous for its Residence, former seat of the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg and a World Heritage Site today. At 5 pm, a bus will take you and the other cyclists to our hotel in Dinkelsbühl. A group dinner concludes the day.
If you like to spend additional time in Würzburg, we recommend arriving a day earlier. Calculate one hour for a tour of the Residence and additional time to discover the partly Baroque- partly English-style Court Gardens. Alternatively, enjoy the view over the city and the surrounding vineyards from Marienberg Fortress or from Käppele pilgrimage church, both situated across the Main river. And if you aren’t into walking today, relax down by the river and sip a glass of wine from the area.

Day 2, Monday: Discovering beautiful Dinkelsbühl

Say ‘Hello’ to your bicycle in the morning and stroll the chocolate-box old town of Dinkelsbühl. We recommend having a look inside the late-gothic minster, known for being the most beautiful hall church in Southern Germany. Walk along the town wall or watch the world go by outside one of the cafés and bakeries. Either way, we start cycling before mid-day. It is about 46 km on quiet country roads and an abandoned railway line to Rothenburg today.
The morning sees us cycling the Wörnitz river gently upstream, through open countryside with hillsides to the left and right. The route leads along numerous ponds. Growing fish has a long tradition here. Around mid-day, a picnic will be prepared for us. We will reach Rothenburg in the late afternoon - enough time to digest today’s impressions and getting ready for dinner.
(29 miles/46 km, mostly uphill but very leisurely)

Day 3, Tuesday: Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Pearl of the Romantic Road

This day starts with a guided walk around Rothenburg. We will get introduced to its 900 years of history – from the foundation of Rothenburg Castle to a period of prosperity when it was an Imperial City, from being defeated in the 30 years’ war to becoming the present, most charming mediaeval city in Germany.
At the end of the tour you will enjoy some spare time, possibly getting yourself some lunch and most certainly having a closer look at some of the attraction that we passed by on our walk: The city wall that you are able to walk on almost all around the city, providing stunning views across the valley, St. James’ Church and its hand-carved altars from around 1500, the instruments of torture at the Criminal Museum, or (if that is rather your thing) the Christmas Museum, exhibiting decoration and gifts from 200 years.
A voluntary ride will be offered in the afternoon. Follow your guide on cycle paths and quiet back roads into the countryside and be back for dinner.
(lunch on your own today, cycling voluntary)

Day 4, Wednesday: Gentle ride down the Tauber Valley

We start this day cycling down into the valley and follow the meandering Tauber River downstream. The predominantly descending route makes cycling again easy and pleasant. A picnic will be prepared for us around mid-day. The table will be laid with all sorts of local produce, from German bread to cold cuts and cheese, fruits of the season, vegetables and sweets.
In the early afternoon we arrive at Weikersheim Palace where we enjoy a look inside. We will meet the dwarfs. They live in the baroque garden for about 300 years now. You will be asked not to feed them, please!
From here it is only 15 km to Bad Mergentheim where we end the cycling today. With four mineral springs the city is famous as a spa town. Hence the ‘Bad’ in its name. More obvious however is the city’s mighty castle, home to the Teutonic Order since 1190, and again an overwhelming late-mediaeval-baroque architecture in the centre.
(33 miles/53 km, mostly downhill)

Day 5, Thursday: The confluence of Tauber and Main

Vineyards in the hillsides around us seam today’s cycle path again. You might have enjoyed some of the wine over dinner in the last days. It’s hard to say ‘No’ as it goes well with the local, Franconian cuisine.
On our way, partly between patches of sunflowers and fields of maize, partly on quiet cycle paths and a former railway line along the valley, we pass again quaint villages and previous water mills. It’s a very peaceful countryside again.
We will arrive in Wertheim in the afternoon. The castle ruin above the town invites us to be discovered in the remaining afternoon. Get there by foot or by taking a Tchou Tchou train. If you prefer staying in the old town, you will find yourself taking again thousands of pictures as Wertheim is a mediaeval piece of art in itself.
(32 miles/51 km, mostly downhill)

Day 6, Friday: Along the Main River to Miltenberg and by train to Aschaffenburg

It is a rather short ride along the Main River to Miltenberg. The route down the Main is a very flat affair. Hence we will arrive shortly after mid-day.
This leaves us enough time to discover Miltenberg. And there is a lot to see: A picturesque old town, Germany’s oldest inn, a castle above the town and an active brewery in town. By the way: If you think you saw this place before, you are reminded to the movie “The Spessart Inn”. Some scenes were taken here in 1958.
We will stay overnight in Aschaffenburg. Aschaffenburg is the next big city downstream. It is a 45 minutes journey through the countryside on a regional train. Arrival in Aschaffenburg: approx. 5:30 pm.
(24 miles/38 km, flat course along the Main River)

Day 7, Saturday: Shuttle service to Frankfurt

It’s already the end of the tour. And it’s just amazing looking back to cycling and exploring this very special part of Germany over the last days.
From here it is about 30 to 50 minutes to Frankfurt Airport. Alternatively, there are numerous places of interest in the larger area that are available by train.