Donauwörth stands where the Wörnitz flows into the Danube, a meeting of waters that made the town important for trade and crossings since the Middle Ages. Its main street, the Reichsstraße, is lined with colourful gabled houses, churches and the old town hall, and it was once part of an important trade route between Nuremberg and Augsburg. Today it is a stop on the Romantic Road, the tourist route that runs from Würzburg to Füssen.
The town has an eventful history. It was a free imperial city, and a religious dispute here in the early seventeenth century helped spark tensions that led to the Thirty Years' War. More recently, it has become an industrial centre, home to a big helicopter factory, and the Käthe Kruse doll workshop, famous across Germany, also has its base here.
The surrounding landscape is varied. To the north lies the Ries, a huge crater formed by a meteorite impact about fifteen million years ago, with the walled town of Nördlingen at its centre. To the south, the Danube valley opens out, with floodplain forests and gravel pits. The roads offer a mix of fast main routes and winding minor roads through the hills and valleys, with good surfaces and moderate traffic.
Donauwörth has no shortage of fuel, supermarkets or places to eat, so it is an easy place to refuel and eat. The Reichsstraße has cafés and beer gardens, perfect for a break. The riverside promenade and the island in the Wörnitz, with its old houses and mill, make a lovely short walk. Beyond, the ride heads south towards the Allgäu, whose green hills and mountain roads are a highlight of any Bavarian tour.