Don’t miss the perfectly preserved medieval ramparts of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, its narrow winding cobbled streets lined with picturesque houses and its charming squares. Take in the views across the town and out to the countryside from the 60 m tower of the town hall (Rathaus).

Rothenburg’s Christmas Market – the Weihnacht-Reiterlesmarkt – is the most romantic in Germany.

The squeamish should avoid the Medieval Museum of Crime (Mittelalterliches Kriminalmuseum) in Rothenburg, with its displays of medieval implements of punishment and torture.