54906MUN
Rothenburg walking tour with TM and visit of St Jakobskirche. (See ACIS TM notes.)
· You need cash for entrances to St Jakobskirche.
· If you need a rest stop between Munich and Rothenburg, Nördlingen is convenient. There are toilets at the coach park outside the walls (plus a handy new McDonald’s) and others in the Town Hall.
· There are several possible routes between Weimar and Rothenburg. The motorway via Würzburg, Bad Hersfeld, Erfurt is a good alternative itinerary. If you are tempted by small roads through the Thüringer Wald, you won’t make it to Rothenburg in time for lunch.
Rothenburg – walking tour and visit of St Jakobskirche
Rothenburg is completely closed to coaches, the only access allowed is for hotel transfers. Therefore your sightseeing is done on foot. The official coach park is outside the walls at the Hospital Bastion (Spitaltor) – follow signs to P1.
On arrival walk the group from the coach park (where there are pay WCs in a large new block) to the market square. You can start your tour and point out several places whilst walking (see walking tour notes). There are toilets behind the town hall. Allow group to use toilets while you get maps from tourist office on corner of square.
Make sure the group knows the meeting point (finding the coach themselves can be tricky, so the market square is probably the best place).
Sightseeing includes:
· The Marktplatz and the Glockenspiel
· St Jakob’s Church – inside visit, you pay
· 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
Currency exchange is no longer possible in Rothenburg. All banks, the tourist information centre and hotels have stopped doing it, so other arrangements will need to be made before arriving here.
See Information Index for opening times, phone numbers etc.
NB
· You can do your sightseeing either before or after lunch (Depending on time, opening hours of St. Jakobs).
· 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).
· Either meet group in town centre and walk them back or clearly point out route – side streets all look the same.
· If walking the walls, they won’t usually have time to do the whole town!