Dinkelsbühl, about 45 km south of Rothenburg on the Romantic Road, is what Rothenburg might feel like with a fraction of the visitors. Like Rothenburg it was a Free Imperial City, and like Rothenburg it survived the Thirty Years’ War and the Second World War with its walls, towers and half-timbered streets remarkably intact.
The old town is a compact oval of pastel-coloured gabled houses around the soaring hall church of St. George’s Minster, and its main street, the Weinmarkt, is one of the most beautiful in Bavaria. In July the town hosts the Kinderzeche, a historical children’s festival commemorating the town’s surrender in the Thirty Years’ War.
Top things to do: Dinkelsbühl
Walk the Weinmarkt and Segringer Straße
The richly decorated Deutsches Haus, the stepped gables of the Schranne and the colourful houses of the Segringer Straße are best seen early or late in the day.
Circle the walls
The ring of walls with its four gates — including the onion-domed Segringer Gate — can be walked around in about an hour along the moat gardens.
Join the night watchman
Dinkelsbühl has its own night watchman tradition, with evening tours from the Minster in season — smaller and more intimate than Rothenburg’s.
How to get there
- By car: around 40–45 minutes from Rothenburg via the B25 or the Romantic Road.
- By public transport: Dinkelsbühl has no passenger railway; buses connect it with Ansbach, Crailsheim and Nördlingen, and the seasonal Romantic Road coach stops here.
- By tour: many Romantic Road day trips from Munich stop in Dinkelsbühl on the way to Rothenburg.
Insider tips
- If you have a car, Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen make an excellent half-day loop from Rothenburg.
- Parking is outside the walls; the old town is small enough to walk everywhere.
- Staying overnight here is a good alternative when Rothenburg’s hotels are full.
- The Kinderzeche festival in July brings crowds — and a great spectacle.
Best tours & tickets: Dinkelsbühl
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Dinkelsbühl and the rest of Rothenburg:
Private day trip from €351 Private Day Trip Munich to Harburg, Dinkelsbühl & Rothenburg
The Romantic Road’s three great medieval stops — the clifftop Harburg Castle, the unspoilt town of Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg itself — with a private driver and no fixed schedule. Excellent value when split between four or more people.
- Door-to-door pickup in Munich
- Harburg Castle, Dinkelsbühl and Rothenburg in one route
- Your own driver and your own pace
Guided walk Dinkelsbühl: Private Guided Walking Tour
Dinkelsbühl is Rothenburg’s quieter twin, 45 minutes to the south. A private guide shows you its intact walls, gates and the hall church of St. George — ideal if you are driving the Romantic Road yourself.
- The Free Imperial City history of Dinkelsbühl
- St. George’s Minster and the Weinmarkt
- Meets at the Old Town Hall
Day trip from €81 From Munich: Rothenburg and Romantic Road Day Trip by Bus
The best-selling way to see Rothenburg without a car. A coach takes you up the Romantic Road from Munich with stops at Harburg Castle, the meteorite crater of the Nördlinger Ries and Dinkelsbühl, then gives you the afternoon inside Rothenburg’s walls before driving back in the evening.
- Harburg Castle and the Nördlinger Ries crater on the way
- A stop in the walled town of Dinkelsbühl
- Free time to explore Rothenburg on your own
