Rothenburg's old town, the Tauber valley and Detwang from the station

The walk starts at the P+R car park by Rothenburg's railway station and goes through the Rödertor and along the old town's streets to the Marktplatz, then down the Herrngasse and out through the Burgtor into the Burggarten, where the Staufer castle stood until the 14th century. The steep Eselssteige drops to the Tauber, which the path crosses on the Wackelbrücke, to the Topplerschlösschen, the tower house of the mayor Heinrich Toppler, built in 1388. It then turns back and follows the Tauber downstream past the old mills to Detwang and its church of St Peter and Paul. The Lange Steige climbs back to the Klingentor, and the old town's lanes lead to the Rödertor and the station.

It is 6.5 km round with 98 m of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy. The town's own circular walks from the Marktplatz cover parts of the same ground in two shorter loops: W1, the Detwanger Weg, is 3.5 km with 112 m of ascent and W3, the Kleine Taubertalwanderung, is 4.1 km with 155 m. About 0.8 km of this walk is walked twice: the way between the station and the Rödertor, and short spurs to the Topplerschlösschen and to the church in Detwang.

The town's walk leaflet (1 August 2018) says the Eselssteige is steep and is not gritted in winter, and that in mid-August, during the Taubertal-Festival, the Wackelbrücke between the Fuchsmühle and the Eselssteige is closed. It also calls the Taubertalweg, the road along the valley floor, moderately busy and asks for care; a short stretch of this walk is on it.

The P+R car park by the station is mapped as not charged in OpenStreetMap. The station is next to it, and the town's own walks start from the Marktplatz about 0.9 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.