You can walk around the town on the covered parapet on top of the perfectly preserved walls. Along the way, you'll pass 11 towers and five fortified gates. At the center of the circular Altstadt, within the walls, is Rübenmarkt. If you stand in this square on market day, you'll be swept into a world of the past -- the country people here have preserved many traditional customs and costumes, which, along with the ancient houses, evoke a living medieval city. Around the square are a number of buildings, including the Gothic Rathaus. An antiquities collection is displayed in the Stadtmuseum, Vordere Gerbergasse 1 (tel. 09081/2738230; www.stadtmuseum-noerdlingen.de), which is open March to October Tuesday to Sunday 1:30 to 4:30pm. Admission is 4€ for adults and 3€ for children.

St. Georgskirche, on the square's northern side, is one of the town's oldest buildings, and its most striking sight. This Gothic-Hall church dates from the 15th century. Plaques and epitaphs commemorating the town's more illustrious 16th- and 17th-century residents decorate the fan-vaulted interior. Although the original altarpiece by Friedrich Herlin (1462) is now in the Reichsstadtmuseum in Rothenburg, a portion of it depicting the Crucifixion, by Nikolaus Gerhart van Leydeu, remains in the church. Above the high altar stands a more elaborate baroque altarpiece. The church's most prominent feature, however, is the 90m (300-ft.) French Gothic tower, called the "Daniel." At night, the town watchman calls out from the steeple, his voice ringing through the streets. The tower is accessible daily April to October from 9am to 8pm, and admission is 2€ for adults and 1€ for students and children. It's free to visit the church, which is open Easter to October Monday to Friday 9:30am to 12:30pm and 2 to 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday 9:30am to 5pm.

Rieskrater-Museum, Eugene-Shoemaker-Platz 1 (tel. 09081/84710; www.rieskratermuseum.de), documents the impact of the meteorite that crashed into the earth here on the Alb plateau nearly 15 million years ago. Hours are May to October Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 4:30pm; November to April Tuesday to Sunday 10am to noon and 1:30 to 4:30pm. Admission is 4€ for adults, 1.50€ for students and children ages 6 through 11, and free for children 5 and under.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.