We're traveling to Germany in June with our teenaged daughter. (As each of our kids graduate from high school we take them on a trip to the destination of their choice -- within reason (!), just the three of us. Anyway, she's chosen Germany and she adores castles. Do you know of any castle hotels in the Frankfurt area?

Deiredre

I realize that you are looking for a personal recommendation. Nevertheless, here is a good place to start.

http://www.germancastles.com/

Perhaps others can provide feedback on a specific location.

Best wishes,

Rex

If she likes castles, then you have to plan a trip to the town of Fussen to take in King Ludwig's castles. Fussen is about 2 hours from Munich by train, and Munich is about 3.5-4 hrs from Frankfurt, again via train. Fussen is home to Castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Website: http://www.neuschwanstein.com/english/index.htm .

Don't know for how long you are going, but the Rhine river valley also has some castles/fortresses that are fairly noteworthy. This area is a little closer to Frankfurt (~ 1-2 hrs by train to some of the regions). There is a castle by Koblenz that is a hostel now and you can spend the night there.

Auf Schoenburg Castle-hotel is in the most scenic part of the Rhine Gorge, quite close to Frankfurt, and is one of those "special occasion" places. It lies high on the cliffs above the attractive old wine town of Oberwesel, roughly mid-way between Mainz and Koblenz. The rooms are amazing and the views of the Rhine Valley even more so. We sent my well-heeled in-laws there for there 50th and they haven't stopped talking about it. Prices are very reasonable considering the experience.



http://hotel-schoenburg.com/

I second the suggestion for Auf Schoenburg. My husband and I stayed there in October of 1999 and couldn't have been more pleased with our accomodations. We stayed in a tower room (it was actually round) and had a fabulous tiny balcony that overlooked the Rhine River. I'd be happy to e-mail you pictures if you'd like.

deiredre- Auf Schoenburg is the most "Luxe" of all the castles on the middle Rhine. We have tried twice to make reservations there, but they have always been full. We stayed at Schloss Liebenstein in Kamp-Bornhofen - we found it a delightful small hotel only partially restored. We had a smallish room, but more than adequate and tastefully appointed with a small balcony overlooking the Rhine. There is a small restaurant offering a small selection of typical German dishes, but in an adjacent castle maybe 200 yards away there is an excellent restaurant (no rooms). We also stayed at Burg Gutenfels in Kaub - a larger hotel, but again only partially restored. It has a magnificent courtyard and a baronial dining hall, but unfortunately they only serve breakfast. We particularly enjoyed exploring the site with its overgrown gardens and ruined parapets and lookouts. Please keep in mind that these are real castles - not palaces or chateaus. They are several centuries old so don't expect the most modern of accomodations and amenities. Just the thrill of experiencing a night in a real castle should be enough, especially if some of the property is still in ruins. Also check out "loreleytal.com" for more info on German castle hotels.

We flew into frankfurt last year and drove about 1 1/2 hours at most, to stay at Castle Leibenstein. It was great acess to the airport, as it was on the correct side of the Rhine. Very easy to get to. We spent one night here and then moved on to Castle Schonburg for 2 nights. After reading all the great reports on Schonburg I was really excited about staying here. However, my kids (ages 12 & 14) far more enjoyed
Castle Lebenstein. They love the authentic feel to the place. We had one of the family rooms which was almost in the attic. It had a double bed in one room and 2 bunk beds in another. We had dinner in the hotel, which was good and then spent the evening roaming the ruins of the castle. It felt like a real medievel castle! Schonburg was really nice also but totally different feel. It didn't feel as "real". However, if you want 4 star accommodation with all the trimmings you may prefer Schonburg. We had a balcony room at Schonburg, which overlooked the rhine. However, there is some sort of Hostel in another section of Schonburg, so the kids were out every night partying. It was noisy when we sat on the balcony. It also made us uncomfortable when we went outside after dinner to explore the castle. We kept finding teenage couples in corners. I don't know if this is typical of Schonburg , I've never read anyone else complaining of this, but it took away from out enjoyment.

Thanks so much all of you for your help. We are planning to do the Fussen castles. She (my daughter) is also a violinist and has been told the Mittenburg is a place she MUST see so we have quite an itinerary. We'll be in Germany 10 days beginning in Munich and flying out of Frankfurt. I appreciate all the advice. I'll begin to check it all out.

Secondly, June 19 is there something special happening in Germany? We're going to be in the Berchtesgaden area on the 19th and have had a hard time finding accommodations. We're told it's a 3 day holiday and everything is booked. I did find a more expensive room than we want; however, beggars can't be choosers. Just wondered if we're stumbling into the German version of Independence Day!

Deiredre

June 19 is Fronleichnam - Corpus Christi day - a Catholic holiday that usually calls for a day off.

MittenWALD is probably where you're headed for your violinist - a great town to visit.

You won't be able to check in at Neuschwanstein or Hohenschwangau - they're museums. I'm not familiar with Castle/Hotels in that area, but perhaps others can help you find something.

Thanks for the reply, Russ. Yes it's MittenWALD not Mittenburg! We will go to Fussen to visit not to stay in the castles, although if my daughter thought she could get away with it she would! ;-)