Frankfurt Airport to Nuremberg and Rothenburg: Day trip

It's worth visiting Nuremberg just to see the Schöner Brunnen, or "Beautiful Fountain". Situated in the main market square next to the town hall, it rises 19 metres from its octagonal basin, a progressively narrowing, gilded Gothic spire ringed at its base with forty painted allegorical stone figures. It's a good idea to ascend higher than 19 metres by visiting Nuremberg Castle, former home of the Imperial regalia and popular pit-stop for Imperial rulers. The observation platform atop its Sinwell Tower offers panoramic views of the city, while its Deep Well in the outer wall has spectacular views down to its rock-hewn roots 47 meters below. The house of Nuremberg's most famous artistic son, Albrecht Dűrer, provides insights into his life and art, while the Germanische Nationalmuseum has some of his most important works. The Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady, is another major draw with its Männleinlaufen, a sculptural mechanical clock and glockenspiel.

Seeing Rothenburg ob der Tauber's forty-two gates and towers etched against the unspoiled countryside from a distance, you'd swear you were looking at the Fifteenth Century through field glasses. Inside, the town's almost completely intact walls and carefully-preserved half-timbered houses truly do bring visitors back in time. But the past isn't all pretty buildings. Stop by the Medieval Crime Museum to see the horrific reality of medieval correctional methods lovingly detailed in the vaults. A whole department is dedicated to witchcraft and witch-hunting in Bavaria. Back in the light of day, the Town Hall Tower beckons with its fine views of the town and the idyllic surrounding countryside. A walk around those intact town walls is also a temptation to fully surrender to.