My sister-in-law is a frequent visitor to Germany and had a lot of advice for where to go and what to see. One of the gems she shared was this well-preserved old medieval town, Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We drove from a stop in Nuremberg (just over an hour away) in our rental car, but if you don’t have your own personal transportation, there are a few other ways to get to Rothenburg (see Getting to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (tripsavvy.com)).
There are several options for lodging to choose from (see 13 Best Hotels in Rothenburg ob der Tauber) but after research into which caught our attention the most, I chose the Goldener Hirsch Hotel.
Goldener Hirsch Hotel
A father and son checked us in using the old-fashioned paper method and issued us a real key — something that you just don’t see that often! The son guided my husband down the road to the parking area. Performing a 10-point turn uphill in a manual rental, he wedged himself in to a “spot” after losing a few hairs. We did not move that car for a few days!
Our room overlooked the beautiful valley. The lobby was a popular gathering area in the evenings. Breakfast is served in the hotel’s own restaurant every morning.
The hotel has 30 rooms, all individually decorated with unique features and offer single or double beds. We originally booked a suite with balcony that overlooked the valley but it was accidentally given to another family. They made up for it with a larger room and an equally gorgeous view, with a sitting area and a cozy dinette nook. It was rainy and misty the entire visit so we would not have been able to use the balcony anyway.
Strolling through the streets is truly a treat. Best known for their Christmas Village, there’s a store devoted entirely to the holiday. Kathe Wohlfahrt contains over 12,000 items including several elaborately decorated Christmas trees. Many shops offer unique wares from household trinkets to medieval weaponry and Old World souvenirs. We love people watching and stopped to have a stein and enjoy the weather when the clouds cleared.
