Grayline Day Tours: Romantic Road: Rothenburg and Harburg
Grayline Day Tours: Romantic Road: Rothenburg and Harburg
Grayline Day Tours: Romantic Road: Rothenburg and Harburg
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Grayline Day Tours: Romantic Road: Rothenburg and Harburg
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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Hummingbird
Washington DC, DC197 contributions
Aug 2022 • Solo
Had a fantastic time on this tour today, led by Hanae (sp?) and driven by Igor. I did not have any issues finding the meeting spot like some other reviewers. I mapped out my route ahead of time, left myself plenty of time, and found a line of tour buses on the street right outside Klatzplatz Metro station (using the “G” exit as instructed). The buses were clearly labeled with their final destinations. I boarded the bus just before 8 am for the 8:30 am tour and already there were people seated in the first 3-4 rows. Luckily, the bus was not full and we had plenty of space. The stop to Hapsburg was worthwhile and the guide there was clearly passionate about telling you the story of this medieval castle. FYI the 9€ entrance fee is not included in the ticket and they will collect this fee en route…card only (no cash). Rothenburg was like a fairy tale…touristy (but guess what…you’re a tourist!) but dreamy at the same
time. I went on a Sunday and despite this, some shops were open and it was still plenty busy. Hanae was just lovely. She spoke English well and gave interesting tidbits on German history and culture throughout the long drive which I appreciated. She had a very soothing voice and gave just the right amount of information at just the right time.
Get to the bus early to get the best seat. At the very least, get there on time. The Germans are very punctual. An 8:30 am start does not mean you show up at 8:30 am to get checked in and get settled, use the bathroom, maybe get a cuppa, etc. It means at precisely 8:30 am, the bus will pull out of the parking lot with or without you. It is a long drive but Rothenburg is far away. No, you will not have enough time there, but this is not what this trip is about. It’s about getting an introduction to the town as hassle-free as possible and getting back to Munich within the time specified. You will be In Rothenburg for only about 3 hours and I could’ve easily spent 3 days there. If you want more time, you should get there independently and spend the night. Expect a long but worthwhile day. I highly recommend the lunch arranged by the tour company…you will experience Bavarian food and they will get you in and out of there as quickly as possible as they know you are on a time crunch. I was a solo traveler and joined others from the same tour at lunch. We had a lively discussion then went on our separate ways an hour later to explore the town on our own.
I plan to return to Rothenburg someday and will comb every single alley. Until then, this tour gave me a nice introduction and I can recommend it for this purpose.
time. I went on a Sunday and despite this, some shops were open and it was still plenty busy. Hanae was just lovely. She spoke English well and gave interesting tidbits on German history and culture throughout the long drive which I appreciated. She had a very soothing voice and gave just the right amount of information at just the right time.
Get to the bus early to get the best seat. At the very least, get there on time. The Germans are very punctual. An 8:30 am start does not mean you show up at 8:30 am to get checked in and get settled, use the bathroom, maybe get a cuppa, etc. It means at precisely 8:30 am, the bus will pull out of the parking lot with or without you. It is a long drive but Rothenburg is far away. No, you will not have enough time there, but this is not what this trip is about. It’s about getting an introduction to the town as hassle-free as possible and getting back to Munich within the time specified. You will be In Rothenburg for only about 3 hours and I could’ve easily spent 3 days there. If you want more time, you should get there independently and spend the night. Expect a long but worthwhile day. I highly recommend the lunch arranged by the tour company…you will experience Bavarian food and they will get you in and out of there as quickly as possible as they know you are on a time crunch. I was a solo traveler and joined others from the same tour at lunch. We had a lively discussion then went on our separate ways an hour later to explore the town on our own.
I plan to return to Rothenburg someday and will comb every single alley. Until then, this tour gave me a nice introduction and I can recommend it for this purpose.
Written August 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RichardOldfield
Radcliffe on Trent, UK2,614 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Punctual start to the day at 8:30am.
No credit card machine on board the bus for the payment for Harburg Castle... had to pay cash!! Also, not worth paying €10 each for the tour. What a money spinner for the castle for 30-45 minutes for 70+ guests!
Then a long drive on the Romantic Road … not sure what is romantic about it… seemed quite urban in places and scenery not especially scenic!
The olde worlde town of Rothenburg is excellent but be prepared for there being lots of tourists. But the town is incredible. Then it’s a long way back to Munich (no stop).
Guide was personable and although I got the impression he was a bit of a character, I quite liked him (he was knowledgeable but not overly so)
No credit card machine on board the bus for the payment for Harburg Castle... had to pay cash!! Also, not worth paying €10 each for the tour. What a money spinner for the castle for 30-45 minutes for 70+ guests!
Then a long drive on the Romantic Road … not sure what is romantic about it… seemed quite urban in places and scenery not especially scenic!
The olde worlde town of Rothenburg is excellent but be prepared for there being lots of tourists. But the town is incredible. Then it’s a long way back to Munich (no stop).
Guide was personable and although I got the impression he was a bit of a character, I quite liked him (he was knowledgeable but not overly so)
Written May 11, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scottfD9402KH
Orlando10 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
We were a little confused at the start getting the correct bus as there were 3 large charters waiting and guests loading. Once we were on board the ride to our destination was fine. A little warmer with 68 degrees outside and another 5 to 10 warmer inside as the AC wasn’t running. Aside from that our tour guide Elisabeth was terrific! Gave us great information on Munich, Bavaria and Germany as a whole. As we got to Salzburg she gave us so much information and suggestions it was perfect. We did think the time we had in Salzburg was shorter than it should be. It was 2.5 hours on our own. Not enough time to get a good taste of the area. Our guide Elisabeth gave us very good options. Good your to take for sure.
Written October 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Soxy1
Perth, Australia4 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
After waiting 7mths since booking tour, my partner and I were so excited by today. Our documents plus confirming tour told us to be there 15 mins prior departure. We were, but unfortunately nearly everyone else weren't. We left 30 minutes late.
Before arriving at Linderhof we were told by Lisa the tour guide, not to buy souvenirs here as we be stopping at a village to purchase things that we were told by Lisa which will be cheaper. This stop was not listed on our itinerary. We thought the souvenirs were not cheaper and the stop was 30 mins plus the time driving there was probably 50 mins wasted time. We booked to see Neuschwanstein. We finally arrived 1pm. Then told to stay on bus til we were handed tickets. We finally got off at 1.20pm. Our tour time was 3pm. Tour guide Lisa said the walk up the very steep hill will only take no more than 40 mins so plenty time to eat. What she failed to say that no one shop took card, so we wasted value time getting cash, threw our rush hot dog down as we had no time to eat leisurely. As we are older and can not run up a steep hill we got the transport one way up the hill, another additional expensive. Quick snap before our tour. No time after the tour to look at gift shop, we bolted down the hill, just to get there in time for 4.30 departure.
We ended up leaving at 5pm, as I'm assumed two other people struggled with the time frame, and we left behind.
I definitely recommend you to think hard about signing up for the tour. This tour take a lot of physical exertion. The hill very steep, not a 40 min walk more like an hour and that's walking swiftly. Plus there's a huge amount of stairs within the castle....
The tour guide Lisa, does not explain anything once we were at the neuschwanstein stop. They then had the nerve to ask for tips at the end of the tour.
I booked through flight centre, Perth WA. I will be informing them of this disappointing and badly run tour.
Before arriving at Linderhof we were told by Lisa the tour guide, not to buy souvenirs here as we be stopping at a village to purchase things that we were told by Lisa which will be cheaper. This stop was not listed on our itinerary. We thought the souvenirs were not cheaper and the stop was 30 mins plus the time driving there was probably 50 mins wasted time. We booked to see Neuschwanstein. We finally arrived 1pm. Then told to stay on bus til we were handed tickets. We finally got off at 1.20pm. Our tour time was 3pm. Tour guide Lisa said the walk up the very steep hill will only take no more than 40 mins so plenty time to eat. What she failed to say that no one shop took card, so we wasted value time getting cash, threw our rush hot dog down as we had no time to eat leisurely. As we are older and can not run up a steep hill we got the transport one way up the hill, another additional expensive. Quick snap before our tour. No time after the tour to look at gift shop, we bolted down the hill, just to get there in time for 4.30 departure.
We ended up leaving at 5pm, as I'm assumed two other people struggled with the time frame, and we left behind.
I definitely recommend you to think hard about signing up for the tour. This tour take a lot of physical exertion. The hill very steep, not a 40 min walk more like an hour and that's walking swiftly. Plus there's a huge amount of stairs within the castle....
The tour guide Lisa, does not explain anything once we were at the neuschwanstein stop. They then had the nerve to ask for tips at the end of the tour.
I booked through flight centre, Perth WA. I will be informing them of this disappointing and badly run tour.
Written January 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Road00260607074
Rutland, VT3 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Day trip to Grand Canyon stared off on the wrong foot. This day trip originally started out from Las Vegas and was to board a bus from The Mirage which we were told to be at pick up spot at 6:00 a.m. when arrived there was ten other people waiting for the same tour. this group of people as well as myself and husband waited for an hour and fifteen minutes before the bus came to the hotel we were staying at. When we called the Grayline bus company they had suggested we walk to another pick up spot. When we told the Gryline Bus company we were not doing that and that bus should come to the scheduled pick spot and when The driver came she gave us an excuse she could not get into the hotel pick up area. Other buses were able to get through when we boarding the bus another tour bus came through. I really did not like that drivers attitude towards her screw up. and that set a wrong precedent for the rest of the day. Although the view of the Grand Canyon was beautiful My suggestion on this screw up would be to make sure the drivers have directions to get into there pick up tops an alter route for getting into their pick up spots.
Written April 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arnold A
6 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Monika knocked it put of the park today! This was my second daytrip with her as the tour guide. We went to neuschwanstein castle. Monika was pleasant and fun to be around. She’s an awesome person and should be recognized for her professionalism. Thank you Daytrip!
Written October 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lou m
4 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
We just returned from our German trip and must commend our tour guide Jacqueline. She took us from Munich on a day trip 2Harburg and Rothenburg. She was a delight...so knowledgeable about the history of the area. She made everything so interesting. She is an excellent guide and a credit 2 her profession.
Written December 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
twovagabonds
Paso Robles, California244 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
When we booked this tour online, it was presented under the banner of "Local Munich Tours". Only upon checkout did I learn that it was a Grayline Tour. Rightly or wrongly, my image of Grayline is of an old and tired company, so I was a little apprehensive about this tour. When we arrived at the meeting point (about 20 minutes early), there were at least six big, beautiful, new buses all destined for a different tour. None of the buses had any indication that they were a Grayline bus. We boarded our bus, going upstairs, and were surprised to see the upper deck was almost completely full. In our past experience with tours, arriving 20 minutes early would pretty much give you your choice of seats. We left promptly at our appointed time and the bus was completely full. Our guide was Ana and she began a monologue about Munich's history past and present. Her commentary was well delivered and we found it very interesting. This continued most of the way to our first stop, Harburg Castle. We were at Harburg for about and hour and then on to the main attraction of the day, Rothenburg. After leaving Harburg, Ana distributed a map and information about Rothenburg and added her own remarks which again were quite interesting. We had four hours on our own to explore Rothenburg, preceded by Ana leading us to the main square and pointing out the town's main features. Rothenburg is a very charming town which we enjoyed exploring and the four hours flew by. Once we were back on the bus for the 3 hour return trip, Ana wisely was quiet while most people took a two hour nap. The last hour of the ride Ana again provided insightful commentary. This trip certainly exceeded our expectations. We would say this is not your father's Grayline (at least in Munich) and Ana and the charming city of Rothenburg made this tour a wonderful day.
Written November 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MapleGrove4
122 contributions
May 2015 • Friends
I'm not kidding. We were stranded in Frankfurt with no hotel rooms as the local tour company "Touring Tours & Travel" did not pay for our pre-booked rooms. And there wasn't a hotel to be found in Frankfurt that evening. The main tour company "Viator" contracts out with local tour operators. So much for Viator.com's 24-7 customer service for help when you were in the middle of a trip. It took them 5 days to even respond to our email and then said our refund request would have to be handled by staff in Australia.
We are still waiting.
But let me talk about the 4-day Romantic Road trip anyway. We left Munich as part of a day trip with Grey Line tours. The coach was nice and the castles in southern Bavaria were fun to see. We had a 40 minute stop in Oberammergau which was nothing more than a tourist trap with a pre-arranged - and deliberate - drop-off right at the doorstep of a souvenir shop.
Since we were part of the 4-day experience, we stayed in Hohenschwangau at Hotel Mueller while everyone else took the bus back to Munich. Hotel Mueller was fabulous! We had dinner in their restaurant (food was ok - not fabulous) and enjoyed the view of Neuschwanstein. That was really great!
The hotel shuttled us to where we'd be picked up the next morning. We made one stop that morning at a beautiful church out in the middle of a field - no, I'm not kidding - but it was a magnificent church nonetheless. The driver gave us headsets so we could listen to classical music and hear little blips of information as we drove through tiny towns.
But then the bus went all the way back to Munich where we picked up people who wanted to go to Rothenburg. That was a wasted two hours in a bus back to Munich.
Rothenburg was the highlight of the trip. Our hotel was the Goldene Rose. Nice place but there was no lift so be ready to lug your suitcases perhaps up three flights of stairs. The resident dog was delightful!.
That evening we did the "Night Watchman Tour" which was fabulous. If you go to Rothenburg, then look this up. Great entertainment.
The next afternoon we caught the bus to Frankfurt. This time, the driver wanted us to pay $5 to use a headset. I thought the guy was kidding but it turned out he wasn't. But we were still on our tour. How odd, we thought.
Anyway, we arrived in Frankfurt after 9 p.m. at the train station. We walked with our luggage a couple of blocks to the pre-booked hotel - Hotel Minerva. Upon arriving, we were told that the local tour company "Touring Tours & Travel" hadn't paid for the rooms that had been reserved for us. The manager showed me the email string that he had sent the tour company that stated payment had to be received by April 30. Without payment, our rooms would no longer be held for us. No payment had been received.
So, imagine our surprise when, there we were in Frankfurt, after 9 p.m., with no place to stay. And not an available hotel room in all of Frankfurt.
We emailed Viator.com's 24-7 customer service group and, like I said, it took them 5 days to respond. And even then they offered no help.
I definitely do not recommend Viator or Touring Tours & Travel. If you want to go to the castles, take a regular day-long Grey Line tour. If you want to go to Rothenburg (which I HIGHLY recommend), rent a car or just take a regular bus.
But whatever you do, DO NOT patronize either Viator or Touring Tours & Travel. Customer service like this has no place in this traveler's repertoire.
We are still waiting.
But let me talk about the 4-day Romantic Road trip anyway. We left Munich as part of a day trip with Grey Line tours. The coach was nice and the castles in southern Bavaria were fun to see. We had a 40 minute stop in Oberammergau which was nothing more than a tourist trap with a pre-arranged - and deliberate - drop-off right at the doorstep of a souvenir shop.
Since we were part of the 4-day experience, we stayed in Hohenschwangau at Hotel Mueller while everyone else took the bus back to Munich. Hotel Mueller was fabulous! We had dinner in their restaurant (food was ok - not fabulous) and enjoyed the view of Neuschwanstein. That was really great!
The hotel shuttled us to where we'd be picked up the next morning. We made one stop that morning at a beautiful church out in the middle of a field - no, I'm not kidding - but it was a magnificent church nonetheless. The driver gave us headsets so we could listen to classical music and hear little blips of information as we drove through tiny towns.
But then the bus went all the way back to Munich where we picked up people who wanted to go to Rothenburg. That was a wasted two hours in a bus back to Munich.
Rothenburg was the highlight of the trip. Our hotel was the Goldene Rose. Nice place but there was no lift so be ready to lug your suitcases perhaps up three flights of stairs. The resident dog was delightful!.
That evening we did the "Night Watchman Tour" which was fabulous. If you go to Rothenburg, then look this up. Great entertainment.
The next afternoon we caught the bus to Frankfurt. This time, the driver wanted us to pay $5 to use a headset. I thought the guy was kidding but it turned out he wasn't. But we were still on our tour. How odd, we thought.
Anyway, we arrived in Frankfurt after 9 p.m. at the train station. We walked with our luggage a couple of blocks to the pre-booked hotel - Hotel Minerva. Upon arriving, we were told that the local tour company "Touring Tours & Travel" hadn't paid for the rooms that had been reserved for us. The manager showed me the email string that he had sent the tour company that stated payment had to be received by April 30. Without payment, our rooms would no longer be held for us. No payment had been received.
So, imagine our surprise when, there we were in Frankfurt, after 9 p.m., with no place to stay. And not an available hotel room in all of Frankfurt.
We emailed Viator.com's 24-7 customer service group and, like I said, it took them 5 days to respond. And even then they offered no help.
I definitely do not recommend Viator or Touring Tours & Travel. If you want to go to the castles, take a regular day-long Grey Line tour. If you want to go to Rothenburg (which I HIGHLY recommend), rent a car or just take a regular bus.
But whatever you do, DO NOT patronize either Viator or Touring Tours & Travel. Customer service like this has no place in this traveler's repertoire.
Written May 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hayleyjeanes
Dubai, United Arab Emirates8 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
We went on the tour to Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. When we got on the bus in Munich the "tour guide" began talking over the loudspeaker and didn't stop for basically the entire trip to Neuschwanstein. The volume was too loud and the guide's voice was grating, but the main issue was that she didn't really seem to have much knowledge about the history of the area and her English was not very good, considering it was an English tour. She spent most of the time pointing out things outside the window, such as trees, snow, farmhouses, etc. and even talked for a while about how German children were not in school at the moment because it was Christmas holidays. All of the information she gave was totally unnecessary, and she repeated the same things over and over again (sometimes 4-5 times).
After visiting Linderhof castle, we stopped in a small town called Oberammergau, which the website describes as a "charming village." In our opinion, it was a tourist trap full of tacky souvenir shops. There was not much to do in the town, and our guide had recommended a cafe that served "delicious Italian coffee," so we went to check it out. The coffee tasted like terrible gas station coffee and cost about 3 times as much as any of the cafes in Munich. Our guide was very clearly friends with the owner of the cafe and drummed up a lot of business for them. The entire stop on the tour was unnecessary and a waste of time and money.
I will say that once we actually got to Neuschwanstein, it was very convenient to be there with a tour group since we were able to skip the line to buy tickets, which was huge. The guide had also called ahead to a restaurant which had kept open a large number of tables for Grayline customers, if we needed a place to eat. This made it much easier to get lunch without having to fight the crowds.
Overall, we were disappointed with the tour. The castles were incredibly beautiful, but we wish we had gone with a different company. The tour was expensive (about 50 euros, not including entry to the castles which was another 22 on top of that), and we weren't sure exactly what our money paid for. I would pass on going on another Grayline tour in the future.
After visiting Linderhof castle, we stopped in a small town called Oberammergau, which the website describes as a "charming village." In our opinion, it was a tourist trap full of tacky souvenir shops. There was not much to do in the town, and our guide had recommended a cafe that served "delicious Italian coffee," so we went to check it out. The coffee tasted like terrible gas station coffee and cost about 3 times as much as any of the cafes in Munich. Our guide was very clearly friends with the owner of the cafe and drummed up a lot of business for them. The entire stop on the tour was unnecessary and a waste of time and money.
I will say that once we actually got to Neuschwanstein, it was very convenient to be there with a tour group since we were able to skip the line to buy tickets, which was huge. The guide had also called ahead to a restaurant which had kept open a large number of tables for Grayline customers, if we needed a place to eat. This made it much easier to get lunch without having to fight the crowds.
Overall, we were disappointed with the tour. The castles were incredibly beautiful, but we wish we had gone with a different company. The tour was expensive (about 50 euros, not including entry to the castles which was another 22 on top of that), and we weren't sure exactly what our money paid for. I would pass on going on another Grayline tour in the future.
Written January 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Llyanne
37 contributions
Hello, has anyone taken this tour on an Easter Sunday? We are visting on that day. I read some of the reviews that on Sundays most shops are closed. I was hoping that at least there will be, somehow, an easter event in the area that we could look forward to. Thank you.
Gautam672000
Pune, India3 contributions
Hi I wish to take the premium tour, I want to know if the guide will be explaining in English?
Thanks
Teresa M
1 contribution
I am interested in booking for two adults the romantic rd tour going to Rothenburg. We like to go October 7, 2016. The calendar only goes to the end of September. Is the available for October 7 2016? Please advise.
Balesh J
New Delhi, India320 contributions
Hi
I am interested in the Romantic road tour for 10 of June for two people.
Can you please let me know the price and which all places it will cover?
Thank you
lizajayne
Ohio1 contribution
Where do you meet the bus and what time does it start and end?