Rothenburg ob der Tauber
49°23′ N 10°11′ ETownPop. 11,331Franconia
Rothenburg ob der Tauber suits travellers who want a walled medieval town with a small Christmas market, the Reiterlesmarkt, open from 20 November to 23 December 2026 except Totensonntag. The trade-off is the journey on a regional line via Steinach, and stalls that close by 20:00.
Photo Rosty · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay a night in Rothenburg if you want the old town after the day visitors leave and the Reiterlesmarkt in the morning before they come back. The market runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026, longer than most in Franconia.
Take the train from Rothenburg ob der Tauber
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Nuremberg · timetable
The Reiterlesmarkt fills the squares between the Rathaus and St. Jakob, and in 2025 it held 61 stalls. Its 2026 run opens on 20 November, with the market's legendary horseman, the Reiterle, expected to ride in on the Friday before Advent. Look for weißer Glühwein, a mulled white wine, and the town's Schneeballen pastries.
Inside St. Jakob, Tilman Riemenschneider's Holy Blood altar dates from around 1500. In December the church opens from 10:00 to 17:00, which leaves you the morning at the market and the afternoon in the church. The town's German Christmas Museum, the Deutsches Weihnachtsmuseum, opened late for the long museum night on the market's first evening in 2025.
The tourism service tells rail travellers to ride to Würzburg or Ansbach and take a regional train via Steinach from there. The station is a walk from the old town. Drivers park outside the old town, and its core is closed to cars from 19:00 to 06:00.
Worth knowing
- Spend a night so you can walk the squares before the market opens at 11:00.
- Stay off Sunday 22 November 2026 for market visits; the stalls are closed for Totensonntag.
Quick answers about Rothenburg ob der Tauber
How do you get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber by train?
Take a train to Würzburg or Ansbach and change to the regional train via Steinach to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, as the town's tourism service advises. The old town is within walking distance of the station.
When is the Rothenburg Christmas market in 2026?
The Rothenburg Reiterlesmarkt runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026, closed on Totensonntag, 22 November.
Is Rothenburg ob der Tauber a good place to stay?
Stay a night in Rothenburg if you want the old town after the day visitors leave and the Reiterlesmarkt in the morning before they come back. The market runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026, longer than most in Franconia.
Within 12 km
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