The tour company did a poor job with managing this tour. There were not enough people signed up for this tour so it was not cost effective for the company. However, there were many people who signed up for the tour that just went to Rothenburg. The tour company decided to put us all on one shuttle bus and not tell the passengers of this problem prior to boarding. As a result the day was spent mostly in Rothenburg. Upon inquiring with the tour guide as to what time we would be getting to Heidelberg he said he would stop on the way back to Frankfurt. When we got to Heidelberg it was a surprise to the other passengers that the tour was stopping and they would not be back at the scheduled time which was a problem for some of the passengers. The tour guide responded that they should not schedule tours with a tight time schedule and they were getting second location for free. He walked us around the center of the town for maybe 20 minutes and since we insisted he drove us to the Heidelberg Castle grounds since by that time the castle had closed. We were there for maybe another 20 minutes before heading back to Frankfurt. We were not refunded any money despite our disappointment. Heidelberg seemed like a great place to spend time on a visit. Rothenberg was a neat town to visit because of its architecture and if you are a shopper you will not be disappointed. Overall the tour was simply not what was described and certainly the tour company should have told us prior to boarding that they did not have enough people register for this tour and lay out our options so we could make the decision on how to spend the day.

Driver drove way too fast on the freeway. Left us at the city, did not guide a guided tour. No map of the city was provided.

We booked this tour for 8 people, and were driven in a minivan that seated all 8 of us. The driver, George, was very knowledgeable and happy to share his knowledge. Heidelberg and Rothenburg were both great towns to visit and explore. My reasons for only giving this tour 3 stars: one day is not nearly enough time to see and enjoy both towns, although we had no idea how much time would actually be spent in the car when we booked this tour. We would have preferred to have more time in one town. We were literally hustled through Rothenburg on a quick walking tour, given 20 minutes of free time, hustled back to the van and handed a home-made sandwich of 1 slice of cheese, mayo and a pickle slice, and driven off to Heidelberg where we had slightly more time to wander than we did in Rothenburg. Again, too much distance to cover to really enjoy either town, and driving on the autobahn at speeds of up to 105 mph! I understand speeding is expected and excessive in Germany, however, that did not help to calm my fears from the back seat of a minivan! Would have much preferred to spend the day in Rothenburg, dwell on the sights, have a nice lunch and do some shopping. If you don't mind the hurried pace and only want to get a quick introduction to both towns, spending most of the day in the car on the highway, then this tour would be good for you. Otherwise, I would highly recommend choosing one town to visit per day.

Used ETS tours between 14 and 16 May 2017 Rothenburg and Hiedelberg trip driven by Peter. He was kind gentle and impressed with his knowledge of history and lots of trivia about Germany. They provide sandwiches and water enroute. Since we went on a Sunday, we escaped the heavy traffic of trucks. Rothenburg was beautiful during late spring. It was drizzling in Hiedelberg and it was wonderful. The next trip on 16 to Baden Baden, Black Forest and Strasbourg by the duo of Michael and another (not getting their names after a month) we're the impressive Germans who made us laugh with the dry sense of humor and wit. They threw lots of nice facts about German industries, culture, history and made the tour lively.Office opposite Savoy hotel is not impressive but the coach drivers and guides are very hospitable and warm.

I loved the whole day trip from start to finish, beautiful sightseeing and the driver was a very nice person

Our guide was excellent and the old city tours were great.

Great tour! Rothenburg is something out of a fairy story!

Out tour guide was very nice and knowledgeable, and the tour hit a lot of good sights in the area. I very much enjoyed walking the castles grounds as well as walking in town. It's a good length just to get a taste of the town, but it can be a little fast paced for some.

I have done multiple Viator tours in multiple different countries. In general I feel like the sights are always worth it, though the variables in logistics control what makes the trip enjoyable: transport method, guide, timing, lunch, fellow tour attendees etc. The more transparent the company is about these changeable elements, the better the trip.
They did change the itinerary on us as other reviewers have said we went to Rothenburg first. Also, Rothenburg is way better than Heidelberg, as others have said. Rothenburg is a cute town with lots to explore, and Heidelberg you take a quick 20 minute tour of the castle and then walk around a much busier town with mostly just shopping. So the itinerary switch did make sense but I could imagine many people wanting to know in advance that you spend waaaay more time in one place and actually switch the order of arrival. This trip was also in a literal 7 seat minivan, which worked out okay since I got the front seat, but I would have been pretty upset to pay all this money and get stuck in a small middle seat for hours and hours of driving. Small group meant you get to know each other better. Our guide was nice, but on the quieter side. Also, the provided lunch is a homemade cheese and pickle sandwich, so expect to buy something while you're out guide gave me a great recommendation in Rothenburg. These are small notes that influence the experience but in the end Rothenburg was so cool, it was totally worth it.

Heidelberg isn't recommended. Rothenburg is highly recommended!!!!