Impressionen vom 2. Chortreffen am 4. Juli in Feuchtwangen

Coaches were already playing a very special part in the founding year of Germany's oldest tourist route: the Romantic Road Tourist Association was formed on 10 January 1950 in the Hotel Augusta in Augsburg and, on 19 June of the same year, the longest long-distance bus route in Southern Germany became operational. With it came the realisation of a long-cherished wish of both leisure and business travellers to be able to get quickly and comfortably from the valley of the Main to the Alps and back. In the absence of a railway line, the founding fathers were also keen to be able to offer international visitors some form of public transport, since tourist facilities at that time did not include rental cars.

During this bus tour which operates under the aegis of the Augsburg Railway Authority, passengers will be able to experience all the charm of travelling along the Romantic Road in the 1950s. The tour will run from 12 to 15 May 2011. The Neoplan Bus, NH 6/7, which left the Auwärter works in 1958, is well known because of its appearance in the German TV series "Strasse der Lieder" ("Road of Songs"). It will travel a route rich in experiences from Würzburg to Füssen, and give the tour members a nostalgic taste of the earliest, still tentative days of long-distance coach travel. Members of the tour will discover old favourites and new surprises, culinary specialities and world-famous sights such as the Prince Bishops' Residence in Würzburg, Weikersheim Castle, the Herrgottskirche (Church of our Lord) in Creglingen, the medieval towns of Rothenburg and Dinkelsbühl, the oldest social housing complex in the world in Augsburg, the Wieskirche (Church in the Wies) and the two royal palaces of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.

Today's cost of EUR 529.00 per person (based on two people sharing a double room) contrasts with an original adult fare of 6 pfennigs per kilometre, but now includes all additional costs for a rich and varied sightseeing programme including all admission fees, an expert tour guide, accommodation in selected hotels in Rothenburg, Augsburg and Füssen, and three evening meals with many regional specialities. The coach, which is powered by a 132 BHP motor, has 30 seats, so that only early applicants can be sure of a ticket "to the good old days".

Tour starts in Würzburg; tour members arrive at their own convenience.

1st Day: Thursday, 12 May 2011: Würzburg – Rothenburg

Morning: a guided tour of Würzburg with visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Prince Bishops' Residence. Then, an opportunity for lunch and/or some free time. The journey continues down the Tauber Valley to Weikersheim. A tour of the magnificent Renaissance castle with its wonderful ornamental garden will be followed by a visit to the fascinating thimble museum which will prove of particular interest to female participants. Later in the afternoon you will reach today's destination, the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Check in at a hotel in the centre of the old town, followed by an evening meal with Franconian specialities and a stroll around town with Rothenburg's Nightwatchman.

2nd Day: Friday, 13 May 2011: Rothenburg – Augsburg

After breakfast, a trip through the Frankenhöhe nature park to Feuchtwangen. Visit the Romanesque cloisters and the Craftsmen's Rooms. The tour continues down the valley of the Wörnitz to Dinkelsbühl, where there will be a change of transport; discover the secrets of this medieval jewel by covered wagon. There will then be some free time, and an opportunity to enjoy some lunch before journeying on to the former Free Imperial Town of Nördlingen. You can decide whether to climb up the "Daniel", the Church Tower of the St. Georgskirche, or go for a walk round the old town wall. On the way to Augsburg, there will be stops for photographs in Harburg, Donauwörth and Rain. And you can then wind down the day in the centre of this town, which is more that 2000 years old, as you sample some typical Swabian delicacies.

3rd Day: Saturday, 14 May 2011: Augsburg – Füssen/Schwangau

Morning: a tour of the town with a visit to the "Fuggerei", the first ever social housing complex in the world. Travelling via Friedberg you will go on to Landsberg am Lech with its pretty little old town centre, which you will be able to explore individually. In the early afternoon, the group will travel on to the area known as the Pfaffenwinkel, with a visit to the world-famous Wieskirche (Church in the Wies), which is also one of UNESCO's world heritage sites. From there, the tour continues to the foothills of the Buchenberg, the gateway to the Ammergebirge nature reserve. Today's destination is Bavaria's highest-lying town, Füssen, and neighbouring Schwangau, for the evening meal and an overnight stay. We shall end the day with convivial celebrations in honour of the anniversary, today, of the birth of King Ludwig II.

4th Day: Sunday, 15 May 2011: Füssen/Schwangau – Nördlingen

After an extensive breakfast buffet, the tour will take in the two royal palaces. Hohenschwangau, family home of King Ludwig II, and Neuschwanstein, the first building project of the so-called "Fairytale King", who laid the foundation stone in 1869. At midday, the group will leave Hohenschwangau and begin the homeward journey along the Romantic Road to Nördlingen.

Our travel services included:

• Nostalgic tour in an historic old coach, probably the Neoplan NH 6/7, famous for its appearance in the TV series "Straße der Lieder"
• Tour guide
• 3 nights' accommodation in the *** and **** hotels in Rothenburg, Augsburg and Füssen 
• 3 x evening meals with regional specialities
• Walk around the town in Würzburg with visit to the Prince Bishops' Residence
• Admission to the Thimble Museum in Creglingen
• Admission and guided tour of Weikersheim Castle
• Walk around the town with the Nightwatchman in Rothenburg
• Trip through Dinkelsbühl in a covered wagon
• Town tour in Augsburg
• Visit to the Wieskirche
• Mountain and valley trip in the foothills of the Buchenberg
• Admission to the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau palaces
• Travel brochures

Our tour price: EUR 529.00 per person (based on two people sharing)

Single room supplement: EUR 69.00

Additional night in Würzburg and Füssen on request.

Anniversary celebrations and nostalgic offerings over the Road's 400 km from May to October.

60 years young and loved the world over: the Romantic Road, the oldest holiday route in Germany, will be celebrating its anniversary in 2010. Its precursor, the "German number one travel route" had linked the river Main with the Bavarian Alps as long ago as the beginning of the 19th century. And just five years before the Second World War, that travel route was reborn – before the start of mass tourism – as the "Romantic Road". It should actually have been called the "Romantic Road for Couples in Love", but the founding fathers thought this too long a title. Barely 400 kilometres long, the road between Würzburg in Franconia and Füssen in the Allgäu long since established itself as emblematic of Germany as a holiday destination, and the idea has been taken up all over the world: there has been a Romantic Road in Japan since 1982 and in Brazil since 1998. This year, South Korea has also opened a route with a similar name inspired by the German original. 2010 will now see anniversary celebrations from spring through to autumn, with a whole series of events, nostalgic products and activities, anniversary menus, and souvenir certificates for visitors.

Trips along the Romantic Road in this nostalgic bus will be on offer at the beginning of the season in June and again at the end in October. This will give those taking part an exceptional experience of the individual towns and villages along the route.

There will be plenty for lovers of historic trains to enjoy from as early as the end of March: on every 4th Sunday in the month until the end of October, steam locomotives and historic trains will run along the "Romantic Rails" between Nördlingen and Feuchtwangen. 

The Grand Finale of the anniversary year will be staged on 10 October 2010 in Bad Mergentheim. In the famous spa on Germany's best-known and best-loved themed route, the region's fine wines will be the centre of focus. Visitors will thus be able to wind down the 2010 season as they enjoy regional specialities - the Romantic Road is, after all, Germany's number one gastro-trail leading from the wines of Franconia to the beers of Bavaria.

Germany's best known and most popular tourist route is now available in practical pocket-book format, which enables visitors to explore the 350 kilometres of the Romantic Road as a whole or in stages. All member towns from Würzburg to Füssen are described in detail in word and pictures and mention is also made of numerous places and sights on both sides of the route as potential additions to the obligatory programme. After all, the Romantic Road is an integral part of the tours of Germany or Europe made by numerous international guests. Hence, the handy travel guide is available in eight languages: German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian and Chinese. Practical: all events of interest to visitors are described and emphasised so each visitor can put together his or her own individual tour programme. The highlights of the various towns are explicitly marked as tips so that readers in a hurry can also obtain a quick overview of the 28 stages along the Romantic Road even after only a cursory glance through the book. Anyone wanting to plan their trip from the River Main to the Alps in detail can order the Picture Guide to the Romantic Road together with an information package here.

The perfect aid for planning your individual trip along the Romantic Road!

We will be pleased to send you our comprehensive package of information, which includes a cycle-tour guide, an illustrated guide and / or an art and culture guide to the Romantic Road plus topical, as well as useful information and details for putting together your personal visit to the romantic Main-Alps region. Order the information package of your choice from our internet shop. Please have your credit card number ready and note that the package price includes packaging but not postage. We will send the article(s) required by (air) mail immediately on receipt of your order.