July 5
Our current guests have all of the time they want to explore medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. We’re spending three nights here in a lovely old inn, right in the center of the town within just a few minutes of everything. We had a snack at a bakery today, and we witnessed a huge herd of bus tourists plodding into town, nametags and all, headphones and receivers strung around their necks, guide leading the way. They will have an hour and a half, tops, to ‘see’ Germany’s best-preserved medieval town before they get back on the bus and leave, probably hitting two more places before they settle in for the night. Our tours are the antidote to the ‘If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium’ type of rush-rush-rush endured by hundreds of thousands of bus tourists each year. Since we serve only about 50 clients in a season, our guests are truly special, and every day is a vacation.
Strolling along the path which leads from the old castle district to the southern side of the town
We take the back roads as a rule, and the expressway only when there is no other option. This way, our guests see the real country, and not just the service plazas. Big bus companies have a schedule to keep! Our schedule is much more flexible. With a private tour, all of that time spent wasted waiting for 40 other passengers to use the toilet can be used for sightseeing.
Those trapped on bus tours can only dream of a vista over the Rhein like this – reachable only by a hidden, single-track road