In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
Around 400 kilometres from the Franconian wine country on the Main through the Tauber valley, past the rim of the Ries crater and along the Lech to the foot of the Allgäu Alps: a route of short stages where the best hours are spent on foot on town walls.
The spirit of the route
The Romantic Road is neither a mountain pass nor a coastal route – its appeal lies in its rhythm. In the morning the camper rolls through vineyards and orchards in the Tauber valley, at midday it stands outside a town wall, and the rest of the day belongs to wall walks, church naves and Riemenschneider altars. From the sliding door in the evening you see the towers of Rothenburg above the valley, in Nördlingen the Daniel tower over the flat floor of the Ries crater, and later the limestone walls of the Tegelberg behind the Forggensee. The landscape changes almost imperceptibly: from Franconian shell limestone across the Wörnitz meadows and the Lechfeld up into the Alpine foothills, where moors, hummocky meadows and onion-domed towers line the road. There are plenty of motorhome parking areas along the way, many of them right outside the gates of the old towns. If you drive slowly, take in the markets and reach the sights early, before the coaches, you will find a route full of quiet corners.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Würzburg to Bad Mergentheim (approx. 55 km)
- The drive
- From Würzburg on the B27 south-west over the Fränkische Platte to Tauberbischofsheim, then along the valley road through the Tauber valley via Lauda-Königshofen to Bad Mergentheim. Wide, well-built federal and regional roads without narrow points; 30 km/h and speed cameras in the villages. A good hour of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Würzburg Residence (UNESCO World Heritage Site) with Balthasar Neumann's staircase and Tiepolo's ceiling fresco, plus the Court Garden and Court Church – plan it in before you leave.
- The Old Main Bridge with a view of Marienberg Fortress and the vineyards along the Main, in the evening with a glass of Silvaner (a Schoppen) at the bridge parapet.
- Tauberbischofsheim: the Electoral Mainz Castle with its Türmersturm at the edge of the small old town; in Bad Mergentheim the Teutonic Order Castle and, in the district of Stuppach, Matthias Grünewald's "Stuppach Madonna".
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Bad Mergentheim the motorhome parking area at the Solymar Therme lies at the edge of the spa district, with electricity, service station and a short way to the old town. There is more room at the Naturcampingplatz Bad Mergentheim (SilvagoCamp) at the forest edge in the Tauber valley, about 3 km from the old town and open all year. If you start in Würzburg, you park at the motorhome area at the Friedensbrücke on the bank of the Main (around 20 places, electricity, service point, fee; most recently about 15–17 euros a night) or at Campingplatz Kalte Quelle in the Heidingsfeld district on the Main, open all year.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Germany, staying a single night to "restore fitness to drive" is tolerated in public car parks where parking is allowed and not restricted by a sign – camping with chairs, awning or levelling supports is not. In Würzburg and Bad Mergentheim this is hardly necessary given the inexpensive parking areas; in Tauberbischofsheim there are a few free spaces at the municipal outdoor pool (Vitryallee), but without electricity or service point – more for short stops.
- Insider tip for campers
- Würzburg's old town is tight and the multi-storey car parks have height limits: leave the camper at the Friedensbrücke and walk over the Old Main Bridge to the Residence (around 20 minutes). The Residence is open daily (April to October 9 am–6 pm, otherwise 10 am–4.30 pm; last admission roughly three quarters of an hour before closing). Check on the palace administration's website beforehand whether you can see the rooms on your own or only on a guided tour.
2Stage 2: Bad Mergentheim to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- Through the upper Tauber valley via Weikersheim, Röttingen and Creglingen to Rothenburg. From Weikersheim the valley road becomes narrower and more winding, the villages have tight passages; oncoming tractors and cyclists from the Tauber valley cycle path. About 1.5 hours without stops – plan a whole day.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Weikersheim Castle with its Baroque garden, Knights' Hall and orangery – the garden is among the best-known Baroque gardens in Franconia.
- The Herrgottskirche near Creglingen with the Marian altar by Tilman Riemenschneider, away from the main road in the Herrgottstal.
- Detwang below Rothenburg: a small Romanesque church with another Riemenschneider altar, and the starting point for the footpath up to the town wall.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Rothenburg has two large motorhome areas outside the town wall: P2 on Nördlinger Straße (electricity, service point) and P3 on Schweinsdorfer Straße (service point, no electricity), each only up to 7.5 t, chargeable (most recently 2.50 euros an hour, maximum 20 euros per 24 hours) and filled early in high season. For quieter nights, try the campsites Tauberromantik or Tauber-Idyll in the Tauber valley near Detwang, both small, with sanitary facilities and electricity, more likely to be seasonal – check opening times beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Tauber valley many car parks forbid overnight stays by sign, and field and forest tracks are closed to motor vehicles (Baden-Württemberg forest act, Bavarian forest act). Small municipal motorhome areas – for example in Röttingen (festival ground by the Tauber, most recently April to October) or at the Taubertor in Creglingen (most recently free) – are the legal alternative; check facilities and fees in parking-area apps.
- Insider tip for campers
- Rothenburg's old town is off limits to motorhomes: there is a general parking ban for motorhomes in the old town, plus a height restriction of 2.85 m. From the P2 area it is a good ten minutes on foot to the Spitaltor. Walk the wall walk of the town wall early in the morning or after 6 pm, when the day visitors have gone, and join the night watchman's tour in the evening. During festivals (Meistertrunk at Whitsun, Reichsstadt-Festtage in September, Christmas market) the parking areas fill up quickly.
3Stage 3: Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Dinkelsbühl (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- Over the Frankenhöhe to Schillingsfürst, then via Feuchtwangen to Dinkelsbühl. Gentle hills, forests and ponds, well-built regional roads; only the approach to Schillingsfürst Castle is steep. A good hour's driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Schillingsfürst Castle on the edge of the Frankenhöhe with flying displays by the Bavarian Falconry (Bayerischer Jagdfalkenhof) and a wide view to the west.
- Feuchtwangen: the Romanesque cloister of the collegiate church, in summer the stage of the Kreuzgangspiele, and the Franconian Museum.
- Dinkelsbühl: a fully preserved ring of walls with towers and gates, the late Gothic Minster of St George and the half-timbered façades on Segringer Straße.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Dinkelsbühl has several municipal motorhome areas around the old town, among them P5 on Larrieder Straße (about 35 places, most recently 6 euros a night, electricity and water extra) and P2a on Mönchsrother Straße, with service point and electricity, chargeable. For full service and a bathing lake: Seecamping Dinkelsbühl directly outside the gates of the old town, open all year.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The town steers motorhomes consistently to the designated areas; overnight stays are not intended on the other car parks around the wall. Some hiking car parks on the Frankenhöhe are quiet but partly lie within the nature park – there only parking applies, no camping; heed the signs.
- Insider tip for campers
- During the Kinderzeche in July Dinkelsbühl is in a state of emergency – check the dates and secure a place in good time or go elsewhere. The evening night watchman's tour starts at the Minster of St George (at 9 pm, free of charge, only on certain dates – check the town's calendar). Take care of water and cassette at the parking area before you set off towards the Ries: the next reliable station is in Nördlingen.
4Stage 4: Dinkelsbühl to Donauwörth (approx. 65 km)
- The drive
- On the B25 through the Wörnitz valley via Wallerstein into the basin of the Nördlinger Ries, to Nördlingen and on via Harburg, where the road takes the Wörnitz breakthrough valley through the crater rim, to Donauwörth. Flat and quick, only a few bends near Harburg. Just under 1.5 hours' driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Nördlingen: the tower "Daniel" of St George's Church with a panorama over the roughly 25 km wide crater floor of the Ries, plus the fully walkable, roofed wall walk of the town wall.
- RiesKraterMuseum in the centre of Nördlingen: the impact almost 15 million years ago, suevite rock, from which the church and wall are built – Apollo astronauts also trained here in 1970.
- Harburg Castle high above the Wörnitz, one of the oldest and best-preserved castle complexes in southern Germany, with guided tours.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Donauwörth the municipal motorhome area lies on the Festplatz on Neue Obermayerstraße on the Danube, about 600 m from the centre, with service point and electricity (about 20 places, maximum 5 days, open all year). If you want to stay in the Ries: the Kaiserwiese area at the Nördlingen town wall offers about 30 places with service point and electricity (most recently about 8 euros a night) and lies only a few steps from the gates.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Ries is intensively farmed, and field tracks are closed to traffic. On the viewpoints on the crater rim (for example Marienhöhe or the Ofnet caves) park by day only. Staying overnight to restore fitness to drive on public car parks remains possible where there are no prohibition signs – but given the density of parking areas, it is the poorer choice.
- Insider tip for campers
- Nördlingen: weekly market on the Marktplatz on Wednesdays and Saturdays (Saturdays until 2 pm). Climb the Daniel (350 steps) early, then go through the Baldinger Tor onto the wall path. The B25 between Nördlingen and Donauwörth is heavy with lorries – drive outside commuter hours. In Donauwörth walk the Reichsstraße rather than driving it with the camper: parking in the old town is scarce.
5Stage 5: Donauwörth to Augsburg (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- On the B2 southwards through the Lech valley via Meitingen and Gersthofen to Augsburg. Four lanes, quick and not very scenic – which leaves time for the city. About 45 minutes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- The Fuggerei, the oldest existing social housing complex in the world (founded 1521), with a museum flat and a bunker museum.
- The town hall with the Golden Hall and, beside it, the Perlach Tower, from which you can see over the roofs as far as the Alps.
- Maximilianstraße with the Schaezlerpalais and the Basilica of St Ulrich and Afra; in the evening the Augsburger Puppenkiste (puppet theatre) in the Heilig-Geist-Spital.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Campingplatz Bella Augusta on Mühlhauser Straße in Augsburg-Ost, by a bathing lake and by the motorway (traffic noise possible): open all year, electricity and sanitary facilities, about 6 km to the city centre, connected by public transport – check the connection beforehand. The motorhome area on the Wertach (Bürgermeister-Ackermann-Straße, about 25 places, a good 500 m from the main station) is closer to the centre; check its position relative to the low-emission zone, and the fees, beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Augsburg is a big city: on streets and car parks parking applies, not camping, and the city has a low-emission zone (Umweltzone). Motorhomes soon cause annoyance in residential areas, and checks are frequent. Plan on a motorhome area or campsite from the start.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Augsburg low-emission zone still exists (green sticker compulsory; as of May 2026 not abolished according to the city); without a sticker a fine is possible, including for foreign vehicles. Check on the city's zone map whether Bella Augusta and the area on the Wertach lie inside it; from Bella Augusta you can reach the city by public transport. Order the sticker before the journey from the TÜV, a vehicle registration office or online from official testing organisations, not from third-party sellers who charge a surcharge.
6Stage 6: Augsburg to Schongau (approx. 75 km)
- The drive
- On the B17 across the Lechfeld to Landsberg am Lech, then via Hohenfurch to Schongau. Partly motorway-like as far as Landsberg, then a regional road through moraine hills with the first view of the Alps. About 1.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Landsberg: the Lech weir below the old town, the main square with the Schmalzturm and the town hall façade by Dominikus Zimmermann, plus the Bayertor and the Mutterturm.
- Hoher Peißenberg east of Schongau (just under 1,000 m): pilgrimage church, the oldest mountain weather station in the world and an Alpine panorama from the Karwendel to the Zugspitze – a short detour.
- Schongau: a walkable section of the town wall with wall walk and the Ballenhaus on the Marienplatz.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Schongau the municipal motorhome area lies on Lechuferstraße with service point and electricity (most recently 8 euros per 24 hours); it is open seasonally, in 2026 until 4 November, and closed in winter. In Landsberg the Waitzinger Wiese motorhome area on the Lech (a few minutes to the old town) and the Campingplatz Landsberg am Lech on the Pössinger Au are good alternatives for an additional night.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Lech valley has riverside woods and nature reserves (for example at the Lech barrages); overnight stays there are taboo, and access tracks are often closed. Car parks at the Lech reservoirs sometimes carry overnight bans. A single overnight stay on public car parks without a ban is possible, camping is not.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Landsberg the old town at the main square is narrow and steep, and multi-storey car parks have height limits – walk from the Waitzinger Wiese over the Lechsteg. On the Lechfeld there are large discount-store and DIY-store car parks for shopping without a height limit; Bavarian DIY stores and filling stations exchange grey 11 kg gas cylinders.
7Stage 7: Schongau to Füssen über Wieskirche und Schwangau (approx. 55 km)
- The drive
- Via Peiting and Rottenbuch into the Pfaffenwinkel, near Wildsteig onto the narrow access road to the Wies, then via Steingaden, Trauchgau and Schwangau to Füssen. Alpine-foothill roads with crests and bends; the minor road to the Wies is narrow but easily driven by motorhomes and coaches. Around 1.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- The Wieskirche (UNESCO World Heritage Site): the principal Rococo work of Dominikus and Johann Baptist Zimmermann, standing alone in a meadow in front of the Ammergau Alps – best before 10 am.
- The Welfenmünster in Steingaden and the collegiate church at Rottenbuch, two more churches of the Pfaffenwinkel directly on the route.
- Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, since 2025 UNESCO World Heritage together with the other castles of Ludwig II; also the Marienbrücke over the Pöllat gorge and the Lechfall in Füssen.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping Brunnen on the Forggensee in Schwangau is closest to the castles: electricity, service point, good sanitary facilities, a lakeside with a view of Neuschwanstein, heavily booked in season. In Füssen there are three motorhome areas on the edge of town (Füssen Mobil, Wohnmobilpark Füssen, Camper's Stop), open all year, with electricity and service point, each about 2 km from the centre (most recently about 16–17 euros a night). More campsites are on the Hopfensee and the Bannwaldsee.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Around the royal castles overnight stays on the car parks in Hohenschwangau are not permitted, nor on the shores of the Forggensee and Bannwaldsee outside the sites; the Ammergau mountains and the moors at the Bannwaldsee are protected areas. At the Wieskirche car park, park by day only and heed the signs.
- Insider tip for campers
- Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau can be visited only on a guided tour at a fixed entry time slot. Reserve tickets online beforehand; at the Ticket Center in Hohenschwangau tickets are sold only for a visit on the same day, remaining quotas from 8 am, often sold out early in summer and school holidays. Allow time for the approach: the road to the castle is closed to private vehicles, so go uphill by bus, horse-drawn carriage or about 30–40 minutes on foot. Motorhomes may park in Hohenschwangau only on the chargeable car park P2 (most recently 16 euros for 6 hours, then 2 euros per hour, maximum 20 euros a day) – it is more relaxed to come by bike or bus from the motorhome area in Füssen or from Camping Brunnen. Check the current rules on tickets and parking beforehand.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- In Germany a motorhome on public roads and car parks counts as a parked vehicle if it is only standing to "restore fitness to drive" – in practice one night, without camping behaviour (no chairs, tables, awning, supports or wedges, no grey water on the ground). Anyone who stays several nights or sets up is camping – and outside campsites and motorhome areas that is not permitted.
- Signs reading "Übernachten verboten" (no overnight stays) or showing a crossed-out motorhome take precedence; car parks at lakes, castles and hiking trailheads in Bavaria and the Tauber valley are often signed this way. In forests, open countryside and nature reserves, driving and staying overnight with motor vehicles is forbidden; fines are set by the districts and municipalities.
- The municipalities along the Romantic Road offer a dense network of motorhome areas, often right outside the old town, with a machine for electricity, water and parking fee. Private alternatives are pitches at wine estates and farms in the Tauber valley.
- Useful tools: park4night, Campercontact and the printed German motorhome-area guides; user information on fees and facilities is often out of date – check on site.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Service stations are found at almost all municipal motorhome areas; many run on coins or card, some on tokens. Fresh water is usually sold in 100-litre portions for a fee.
- Drain grey water only at the station, and empty the chemical toilet only into the filling openings marked for it – not into drains or public toilets. Formaldehyde-based sanitary additives are unwelcome at many stations.
- Tap water in Germany is drinking water throughout; heed "Kein Trinkwasser" (not drinking water) signs at cemeteries and fountains.
- Gas: grey 11 kg and 5 kg exchange cylinders are available at many filling stations, DIY stores and campsites; refillable cylinders and gas tanks are filled at autogas (LPG) stations, which in Germany have ACME connections – bring a suitable adapter if you come from a country with a different system. Foreign exchange cylinders are not exchanged.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: motorhomes up to 3.5 t drive like cars – 50 km/h in built-up areas, 100 outside, no general limit on the motorway (recommended speed 130 km/h). Motorhomes over 3.5 t up to 7.5 t: 80 km/h outside built-up areas, 100 km/h on the motorway; over 7.5 t: 60 km/h outside built-up areas, 80 km/h on the motorway. Vehicles towing a caravan: 80 km/h, and 100 km/h on the motorway only with a 100 km/h approval.
- Environmental sticker: in designated low-emission zones – on this route, as things stand, in Augsburg – all motor vehicles need the green sticker, foreign ones too. Before the trip, check with the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) whether individual cities abolish or change zones.
- Tolls: there is no vignette for cars and motorhomes. The lorry toll applies to goods vehicles over 3.5 t; according to the operator Toll Collect, motorhomes are generally not liable to toll. For very heavy vehicles over 7.5 t, especially with a lorry registration, clarify the classification before the trip.
- The Sunday and public-holiday driving ban and the holiday-travel ban on July and August Saturdays apply to lorries over 7.5 t; motorhomes registered as motorhomes are generally not affected, those with a lorry registration are – check the vehicle registration document.
- Winter tyres apply situationally: in black ice, snow, slush or frost, tyres with the Alpine symbol (mountain pictogram with snowflake) are compulsory; M+S alone is no longer enough. In the Allgäu snow can already lie in October.
- Rear carriers: a warning plate as in Italy or Spain is not required, but the number plate and rear lights must remain visible (otherwise a light bar with number plate). Alcohol: 0.5 per mille, 0.0 for novice drivers and under-21s. Mobile phone at the wheel only hands-free – fine and a point in Flensburg.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Green environmental sticker for Augsburg, ordered before the trip and fixed to the windscreen.
- A supply of euro coins: many machines for electricity, water and parking fee in the Tauber valley and Franconia do not take cards.
- A long mains cable (at least 25 m) with CEE plug and an adapter to Schuko – the pillars at the parking areas are often far apart.
- A folding bike or e-bike: the Tauber valley cycle path, the Lech cycle path and the paths around the Forggensee link parking areas with old towns and castles without a search for a space.
- Printed or offline-saved ticket confirmations for Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau with the entry time – the mobile network in Hohenschwangau is overloaded at peak times.
- Comfortable non-slip shoes for cobblestones, wall walks and the 350 steps up the Nördlinger Daniel.
As of 2026-09. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
