44901SOU
Excursion
Rothenburg walking tour with Tour Manager, visit of St Jakobskirche
see ACIS TM notes.
· You need cash for entrances to St Jakobskirche. Check the entry times carefully for closures over lunch out of peak season
· You are not permitted to guide inside the St Jakobskirche, so provide explanations of the Holy Blood Altar outside and direct the group to its direction (at the west end of the church, up the stairs, NOT the main altar in the east)
· Discuss the day beforehand with the teachers. You can offer to spend more time in Rothenburg, which they will certainly enjoy.
· You may have an early dinner booked in Rothenburg, in
which case you will have a free afternoon in the town.
Heidelberg – Rothenburg
(on the Burgenstrasse) 186 km 3 hrs
Rothenburg – Heidelberg
(on Motorway) 185 km 2 hrs 30 mins
Munich – Rothenburg
(Romantic Road) 190 km 3 hrs
08.00 Departure from Heidelberg. Take the B37 along the Neckar
towards Neckargemund. Continue, following signs to Eberbach,
Mosbach and Bad Wimpfen and join the Motorway just before
Heilbronn. This road is called the Burgenstrasse. You will pass
some impressive castles and ruins – have some general
commentary ready. From Heilbronn take the Motorway A6
towards Nürnberg, then the A7 towards Würzburg and
Rothenburg.
08.00 Departure from Munich, take the A8 to Augsburg-West, then
follow the B2 towards Donauwörth, by-pass the town and you
will be on the B25 (Romantische Strasse) which will take you via
Nördlingen and Dinkelsbühl to Rothenburg. If your group needs
a stop then there are toilets at the bus parking in Nördlingen and at the convenient McDonald’s close by
11.00 Arrival in Rothenburg.
Rothenburg – walking tour and visit of St Jakobskirche
Rothenburg is completely closed to tour buses, the only access allowed is for hotel transfers. Therefore your sightseeing is done on foot. The most convenient official bus park is at Parking P1 outside the walls at the Hospital Bastion (Spitaltor) and has an excellent new (paying) toilet block. There are also toilets later behind the town hall.
On arrival walk the group from the bus park to the market square. You can start your tour and point out several places whilst walking (see walking tour notes).
Make sure the group knows the meeting point (it’s recommended to meet them on the market square and walk them back to the bus, as the turning for the bus park is very easy for them to miss as all the side streets look very similar).
Sightseeing includes:
· The Marktplatz and the Glockenspiel
· St Jakob’s Church (Inside visit)
· Herrengasse and the Castle garden
· Schmiedgasse at least as far as the Plönlein (for photos).
THINGS TO DO
– Walk around the city walls. (Carefully, if in the evening!)
– Climb the town hall tower.
– Visit the Criminal Museum.
– Visit St Wolfgang’s fortified church.
– Shop at Käthe Wolfahrt’s Christkindlmarkt for Christmas ornaments and
a full range of German souvenirs, on Herrengasse.
Tourist Information – On Marktplatz
Currency Exchange
There are no longer ANY currency exchange possibilities in Rothenburg – all banks, the post office and hotels have ceased to offer this. Prewarn the group if this is likely to be an issue!
14.50 Meet the group on the market square and walk
them back to the bus.
15.00 Departure from Rothenburg. Take the Motorway A7 towards
Nürnberg and Ulm and then the A6 towards Heilbronn and
Mannheim. Then the A5 towards Frankfurt and Heidelberg.
17.30 Arrival in Heidelberg.
15.00 Departure from Rothenburg, retrace route along B25, B2 and
A8 to Munich.
18.00 Arrival in Munich
NB
· You can do your sightseeing either before or after lunch (Depending on time, opening hours of St. Jakobskirche).
· Time permitting try to pick up free maps for group from Tourist Office in central market square. (Or give out later as keepsakes).
· When walking from Spitaltor you can start the tour, Plönlein, etc as you are walking that way. (Explain it saves time later).
· If walking the walls, they won’t have time to do the whole town!